Pocket Life

Gerry O’Callaghanerry O’Callaghan Photo byAniko Kiezelhoto by Aniko Kiezel

are connected to a broomstick or a 1-by-3-inch wood slat and the cigar box

He customizes each guitar, usually based on the box label. The guitar premium cigar brand. It’s a birthday present for his daughter. landscapes. She always had an interest in art, but retirement and lockdowns gave her time to buckle down.

Carle is a cancer survivor. Art is therapeutic. Her favorite medium is oils and acrylics. “I started doing paintings of my family’s pets as gifts for them. Then friends asked me to paint pets who had recently passed away. I’m gratifi ed that my artwork is part of the healing process for all of us,” Carle says. She’s completed more than 30 pet paintings and is eager to do more.

To see her work, you’ll have to visit her home gallery. Carle occasionally posts photos of her art pieces on Etsy and she’s considering participating in the city’s Open Studio program next year. Contact her at tcarle3753@ sbcglobal.net.

RIDE-BY BIRTHDAY Masayuki “Mas” Hatano celebrated his 92nd year with a drive-by birthday greeting. But this party was more rideby than drive-by. Many bicyclists, some Connecting With Neighbors riding from Carmichael and Fair Oaks, rode by ACC Greenhaven Terrace to greet Hatano. Michele Fortes, a retired UC Davis professor, organized the outdoor CIGAR BOX GUITARS LIGHT UP THEIR FANS gathering. “For many years, Mas talked to my students about the Japanese W ith large gatherings prohibited and most events canceled, I look forward to my he says. “I was intrigued after I saw a video of Paul McCartney playing one.” Making a simple chordophone didn’t If you want to learn more about cigar box guitars, contact O’Callaghan at gtoc54@yahoo.com. Yes, he’ll accept social life was pretty minimal due to the coronavirus. So I thought he’d enjoy a birthday celebration,” Fortes says. daily walk. I venture through different look too diffi cult. O’Callaghan, a native donated boxes. And don’t forget to Hatano has lived in the Sacramento neighborhoods and explore new scenery. of Liverpool, England, thought it would ask about his connection to another region almost all his life, except for I see familiar people and greet others be fun. After snagging some boxes from Liverpudlian named McCartney. three years he and his family were for the fi rst time. Let’s meet some his cigar-loving friends, he was hooked. incarcerated at Tule Lake. “I was 14 interesting Pocket neighbors. Cigar boxes were invented around when we left our Loomis home. At

I never heard of a cigar box guitar 1840. One day, someone decided an HEALING ART fi rst I thought it was going to be a fun until I stopped at the Free Little Library outside the home of Cristina and Gerry O’Callaghan. My mission was to drop off books and borrow a new empty cigar box could be recycled into an instrument—and the cigar box guitar was born. In the Great Depression, the boxes were popular sources of music. Longtime Pocket resident Teresa Carle has rediscovered her love for painting animals and California adventure. But it was no fun to live in crowded wood barracks, surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers,” he says. He’s given dozens of talks to one. I was surprised when O’Callaghan Music legends with cigar box guitars came out of his garage to show me his include Jimi Hendrix, Carl Perkins and newest creation—a three-string cigar Bo Diddley. box guitar. Early versions had one or two strings. Teresa Carle

“Last March, I came across a chat Modern instruments have three or Photo by Aniko Kiezel forum about making cigar box guitars,” more strings. Typically, the strings

CM resonator. “Six strings are too complicated for an old geezer like me, so I make them with three strings,” O’Callaghan says. By Corky Mau he showed me was fashioned from a

Pocket Life My Father Cigars box, considered a internment experience. He told me his

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LYON VILLAGE 2580 Fair Oaks Blvd. Suite 30 Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 487-7853

schoolchildren about his internment years.

His secret for staying healthy is all about moving. He stayed active long after he retired from state employment. He pursued biking and travel, often in combination. “In my 70s, I annually biked over 7,000 miles in California and around the world,” he says. “I loved leading bike tours throughout Asia.”

When he wasn’t biking, he volunteered for more than 20 years at the California Railroad Museum and California History Museum. Wishing Mas many more happy birthdays! TEEN SERVICE PROJECTS

Twin brothers Sean and Chris Fetros have spearheaded community projects in recent months. The boys just fi nished eighth grade at Cal Middle School. A requirement for their leadership class was to develop a service plan.

Sean held a pet food drive for the Butte County Humane Society and Sacramento SPCA. Chris’ project encourages residents to support Vientos Mexican Cocina, a Pocket landmark. He put the word out on Nextdoor and Facebook’s The Capital Eats Local. If you visit Vientos, leave a comment on social media for Chris. He’d like to hear from you.

Corky Mau can be reached at corky. sue50@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at the all-new InsideSacramento. com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter

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Masayuki “Mas” Hatano