Sierra Mountain Times

“What was your most frightening experience?” (asked in East Sonora)

“My most frightening experience – ever – was when I was in high school and I was a reporter for the school newspaper…and I was wearing heals on the field…(it was an Oakdale vs. Sonora game)…and my heals got caught in the grass…and I “face planted” in front of about a thousand people! And they all clapped when I got up. But that was really frightening!” – Alisha Cruz, Sonora (reporter/waitress/YES Partnership assistant/student)

“When Desert Storm started, and my bosses took me to the back room to tell me that the kids have pushed off – and my son was in the very beginning, and it was very frightening. I had never been so afraid in all my life, as those days that they were out there (in the battlefield). Actually, they were out there for weeks, months. My son was within the head of the Seventh Armored Division, and while they were out there, that was the most frightening time of my life, ‘till he came home.” – Nancy Hatmaker, Sonora, (retired)

“While I was giving away a pair of Sorrels (snow) boots…and I was cleaning them off…and I went to reach in, to make sure nothing was inside the boot.  My thumb sunk into the belly of a huge lizard! Then, I screamed and threw it (the lizard) up into the air. It did a triple flop and it landed on the bar…and everybody thought it was a fake lizard – and it wasn’t! I just screamed for, like, ten minutes! I was just screamin’, freakin’ out! And then I had to get a customer to get the lizard out of here! It was pretty scary!” – Pam Michael, Sonora, (bartender)

“Heading home one night, while it was snowing, from Twain Harte to Cedar Ridge…in the snow and the ice…and almost hitting I don’t know how many trees! Somebody else was driving, but they figured 4-wheel drive would get him through all the way. We almost went off a little cliff. You could feel the rear end as you we’re sitting in the back seat, and it was going from side to side. And you couldn’t tell where the road was. We didn’t know if we were on the road, or off the road. And, needless to say, I poured myself a nice good drink when I got home!” – Ted Skowronski, Twain Harte, (kitchen help)

“My second marriage. I lived in fear, every day for about five years. I’m afraid of blood, especially when it comes out of me. I know the true definition of a witch, now.” – Jeff Alldrin, Sonora, (tile setter)