It is peculiar. This is my 2nd cemetery write-up. They are both for different purposes though…read more The 1st one was after my mother's burial & I was moved to relate some of the aspects of the place & time. This one has to do with my ' hobby' where I spend a good deal of time in cemeteries. Weird huh? I like to volunteer for the site Find-A-Grave, doing photo requests for folks looking for gravestones of family, friends, Vets, heroes. Being in Mendocino county, there are many smaller, pioneer cemeteries, but here in the metropolis of Ukiah, we have one pretty big one, about 15,000+ souls. And it is fairly old, with the earliest graves moved here in 1875 from other places. So the 'work' is come & go, so to speak. Some weeks may have a dozen or more requests, and like this week, only 1. When there aren't many coming in, I get a kind of withdrawal! It has become an obsession. i just enjoy doing it. This Russian River District cemetery is a tranquil, well laid out space, amid giant redwood, cedar & hardwood trees. Roaming families of deer abound. The stones run from ornate with iron fences surrounding, to a wooden plank or cross that is no longer legible. Many are just the simple stone plaque inserted in the ground. The ones I find sad, and are disappointing to relay to the requestor are the unmarked graves, with no stone or marker. Also occasionally one of the folks I'm searching for was a resident of the Mendocino State Hospital when it was a mental institution until the mid 1970's. Those 1400+ folks who died while living there are buried in a very tasteful memorial plot , but not individually identified. Sometimes it is shocking news to report! The staff in the office have always been very responsive to my requests & very helpful... emailing me plot maps with locations & helping in many ways. I would literally be lost without them. I did have a personal concern awhile back. I was reading an engrossing book, "Holy Ghosts: Or How a (Not-So) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things That Go Bump in the Night " by Gary Jansen. This author had used the paranormal investigator Mary Ann Winkowski to rid his house of spirits. I found on her website a question forum & I asked her about visiting cemeteries regularly & if I was 'inviting' lost spirits to accompany me home! Yikes! I don't want that. She said & I quote " .. it won't happen. Spirits don't tend to stay at their graves. Cemeteries are for the living." Well, that made me feel a lot better!

I have family members buried here, and I visit fairly often. This cemetery is also known as the…read moreRussian River Cemetery District. The grounds staff are amazing. They do great work and are extremely friendly. They smile and wave. They try to take care of items placed on graves, which isn't necessarily their responsibility. The administrative staff member that we met was extremely accomodating. Animal life in the cemetery is abundant and actually astonishing to observe throughout the year. If you bring flowers or a plant to place at a grave site, please understand that animals are animals and usually your tasty plants or flowers will be reduced to a bundle of stems within about 24 hours. This is a hard and fast rule, and the staff will recommend artificial plants for longer-lasting tributes. I happen to enjoy finding that my choice of plant was especially tasty. But take a photo for a keepsake if the live arrangement you bring is especially meaningful to you. It's a sacred place for me, so I'll stop here and let readers discover the rest for themselves. I'm thankful for such a nice place to visit and enjoy.

This is a beautiful cemetery, quiet, well maintained. The drought has made it difficult to keep…read moregrass luxuriously green but it is mowed and watered. Thank you to all of the maintenance crew for making our visits better.

My husband and I are trying to repair/replace about 20 acres of fence. My husband called Defatte…read moreabout renting a gas powered post pounder. They ended up selling us a post pounder that was in like new condition. The employees are all so friendly and the store is really clean.

This family owned business has been on the Ukiah rental equipment map for years, and I've used them…read morefor a variety of projects over those years. They have always had the large equipment or machines I've ever needed and the customer service has always been prompt, professional and friendly. DeFatte has a lot of equipment and heavy machinery that other "rental" places lack. Whenever I have needed a piece of equipment it's always been ready for me the morning of, and returning equipment after has never been easier. Dependable tools, equipment and vehicles with quality customer service and friendly staff. Worth a visit whenever you're in the need of a piece of equipment that's cheaper to rent than it is to buy. 4 Stars - always had what ever I've required 00561

Very helpful, tons of box sizes/shapes at reasonable prices. This helps those who never know what…read moresize or shape they'll need next.

Excellent friendly service. No waiting. Very well priced. We had them download pdf and print up…read moredocument. After I signed they faxed it for me. I was on the road and they saved us in an emergency situation.

As a single parent I value any support from the community. I applied for rental subsidy a year and…read morea half ago. I'm very happy to say that Michelle Lerre informed me in June of this year I have Finally reached the top of the waiting list and I am accepted to receive my HUD voucher soon. This opportunity at this present time means more to me than words can express!!!! I have found a place and can only hope that this will make a great difference in our lives. Let's pray for other families out there in need .may there lives be achieved with restoration and abundance. Because thru God all things are possible!!!! THANK YOU MICHELLE L. for your exceptional service and support!!!! A.A

Great service always super helpful ive had several chainsaws, string trimmers and leaf blowers…read morefixed by Tommy and his crew

It's the only small engine shop in town and they got you!! But despite that they do really good…read morework and their prices are fair. They try to get your equipment out as soon as they can, but being the only shop keeps them busy. Most important thing to me is that they actually try to fix your equipment and not replace it.

Stopped in while on vacation. I had left my battery charger and strap at home and needed…read morereplacements. Owner Jill was super friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful but did not have what I needed in stock. Would gladly do business here again or just stop in to check out the old camera collection!

Want weird family photos - outdated stacked heads, no artistic thought, and controlling crabby…read morephotographer, high price? -ya found it!

The staff at Chapel of the Lakes are very professional, helpful & kind. They were very reasonably…read morepriced & helped explain the process without pressure. My family & I were so thankful for their empathy during a difficult time during the loss of our son & brother. Thank you Steve & Sirre!

I have had about four experiences with funeral homes and services, and my recent experience with…read moreChapel of the Lakes was less than professional and careless. They were in such a hurry to file the death certificate with the state that they did not let me review it; I found a significant misspelling/typo on a simple name and they had to file a second page addendum and I have a botched certificate requiring two pages. In addition, when they contacted me to make arrangements to pick up my husband's remains, they referred to him as my "father" and when I corrected them they said "sorry, I didn't look at the file first." This was offensive and showed a lack of compassion.