A Diamond ForeverBy: Morris Heldt / A Senior’s P.O.V.Back in the late 1970s I wrote a column fora Ventura County California newspaper. Iinterviewed local celebrities and wrote a profileon them. I shall never forget one of my first interviews.There was a time The Diamonds were one of the most populargroups around. They recorded, “The Stroll,” “One Summer Night,”“You’re A Thousand Miles Away,” and their biggest hit, “LittleDarlin’.”John Felten was the wonderful bass voice in that group joiningthem in 1959. His great voice was also used in many voiceovers and onthe soundtrack to the theme of Happy Days.When I met John he was living in Ojai, California. He fell in lovewith Ojai while attending college in Santa Barbara. It was his dream tolive there, and he did, with a beautiful home with acres where he couldraise animals.We sat at his pool side and talked for several hours about the musicbusiness, Hollywood and how quickly it was changing. We becamefriends and I still smile when remembering John calling me at fouro’clock in the morning (so excited he could hardly contain himself)to tell me that his calf was being born and I should drive up from thebeach and see this event.We lost John, and his lovely wife, Linda, in 1982 when his smallairplane flew intoMt. Shasta on hisway from Reno,Nevada to GrantPass, Oregon. Iwill never forgetJohn and the manystories he sharedwith me regardingmusic and the earlydays of rock ‘n roll.One other thingI will alwaysremember. He said,“There was rock‘n roll, with bandslike ours, at thetop, and then therewas Elvis.” However, most importantly, I will always remember JohnFelten as a diamond of a man.Morris Heldt is a retired award winning film and televisionproducer and published author. He and his wife moved to the LasVegas valley from the beach in 2004.By: Kathy Manney / Around Our WorldSounds of ducks and lapping water areheard as birds amuse themselves at thecool water’s edge. There are nine ponds in thepreserve. Waterfowl scoot back and forth as low waves surround them.The nearly hidden Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve ismanaged by the City of Henderson Parks and Recreation in affiliationwith the Southern Nevada Birding and Wildlife Trails Partnershipformed in 2006. The preserve is committed to conservation andintroducing birding and wildlife to the public.The preserve’s trails are a picture of tranquility with park benchesscattered about. Some visitors come simply to unwind and read a book.The pond’s shoreline and sun-speckled islands are ringed by watergrasslands. Palo Verde and other trees abound and vast swaths ofundeveloped land in the distance suggest space. At one point lookingeast, there is an excellent unobstructed view of snow-capped Mt.Charleston.Doves frequently coo in a melancholy fashion on tree branchesabove. Occasionally a roadrunner passes through, preferring to runsince roadrunners rarely fly.A lizard may peek from under a bush and then dart to anotherbush. Overhead a cyclone of ducks could rise and swoop out over thelandscape.The visitor center offers a classroom housing many good displays38Henderson Bird Viewing PreserveMarch 2020of birdand otherwildlife. Instructionalclasses are offered to schoolchildren and other youthgroups. Outside where thereis a sheltered bird viewingblind, some viewing holesare cut low for children toeasily peek through.With Southern Nevadatemperatures warm, notyet scorching, the questionmay arise, “What shall wedo today in the middle ofspring?” The Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve is open year round andMarch through May their hours are 6:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.During the summer they close at noon. Remember to bring water,camera and a hat.To reach this hidden oasis, that is wheelchair accessible and hometo hundreds of migratory birds and resident desert birds, take GalleriaDrive east. It is just east of Boulder Highway and west of Moser Drive,tucked up near the Water Reclamation Facility.Kathy Manney enjoys visiting interesting places and being anAdventure Diva. Her “Must See” travel journeys continue - alwayswith enthusiasm.
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