Bare median: A recent item about the scorched-earth medians along Iron Point Road in Folsom prompted El Dorado Hills reader Helen Hardwick to chime in about a "desert wasteland median" farther up the hill.
"Take a look at El Dorado Hills Boulevard between Green Valley Road and Andrews/Governors drives," Helen e-mailed.
"Serrano median is landscaped. Francisco Drive north of Green Valley Road is landscaped. EDH Boulevard is landscaped as far as the Community Services District office … but we are still looking at a vast wasteland with weeds 3 feet tall on the sides."
Helen and her neighbors don't understand why their section of the boulevard doesn't look like the rest of it.
Any answers out there? …
Going home: A year ago, it seemed impossible, but 27-year-old Michael Misch is ready to return to his family home in Pollock Pines.
The family needs some help, however, and a variety of people – including Sam Driggers, El Dorado County's economic development coordinator – are spreading the word.
On June 10 of last year, Michael was horribly injured in a car accident. Against all odds, he has made remarkable progress and "is ready to come home" from the Placerville nursing home where he is living, said his mother, Valerie.
But the Pollock Pines home is too small to accommodate Michael's needs. Valerie said she met with an architect last week who will provide plans to add a bedroom and bath, and the county is helping with a building permit.
But they still need building materials and labor for the expansion, along with clothing and other donations that could help him in his recovery.
"He has made such vast improvement, but I think he would improve so much faster at home," she said. If you can help, call (510) 903-0323. …
Step into Africa: That's the title of a powerful – in fact, maybe too powerful for children younger than 12 – exhibit that continues today and Friday at Lakeside Church in Folsom.
Reader Tari Brinitzer told me about World Vision Experience: AIDS, an interactive presentation that takes you into the world of children living in AIDS-affected communities in Africa.
The 20-minute presentation runs repeatedly from noon to 10 p.m. at Lakeside, 745 Oak Avenue Parkway. Tickets – which are recommended and will allow you to reserve a time to see the exhibit – are available at www.lakesidechurch.com. For more info, call (916) 985-3245. …
Play this hand: Supporters of Snowline Hospice are hoping to see more than 350 motorcyclists riding the foothill roads on June 28 in the fifth annual Ridin' for Hospice Poker Run.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. at the hospice thrift store, 455 Placerville Drive, and riders will pick up five chips – representing a poker hand – at stops that include Placerville, Georgetown and the Ice House Resort. The highest and lowest hands will win prizes.
For $30, riders get a T-shirt, pin and a barbecue lunch. The event also includes a drawing for items such as a 4x4 quad and trailer.
The poker run has become a primary fundraiser for Snowline – a nonprofit provider of end-of-life care for people in El Dorado County and Folsom – and draws riders from the Bay Area to the Central Valley and foothills. For more information, call (530) 621-7820 or visit www.snowlinehospice.org. Ride on.
Call The Bee's Bob Walter, (916) 608-7448. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/walter.
