The Sweet Honey Man

I spent most of Labor day clearing old lumber & debris from our yard, preparing a good space for bee-hives. Jeff was the man, years ago, who first sparked my interest in bee-keeping.

I first met him, and his rusty family-heirloom "blue" VW bug, working together at Yosemite Institute. Since then we have frolicked in the high country, shared many a pot-luck, danced wild and barefoot, and played Ultimate in unusual locations. Jeff was such a summer fixture in Tuolumne Meadows. Always enthusiastically engrossed in a frog study or goshawk project… Always willing to field endless questions about his work… Always showing up with huge hugs and joyful laughter. It is hard for me to imagine summers in Tuolumne without Jeff popping by our tent cabin, arriving serendipitously at the same swimming hole, or laughing around the campfire.

Most recently I was excited to haul gear for Jeff into one of his backcountry frog study sites. It was a blast to spend a day with him and his crew in the wilderness, hauling huge solar panels, elecrto-zappers, and other strange supplies. The hike-in was billed as “just a few miles… just a morning hop over the saddle, down to the lake and back”

The description was probably accurate, if you were Jeff Maurer. That man could move over granite like no other! But with a large group, hauling unusual chunks, we took most of the day. At the more-distant-than-expected lake we were rewarded with heartfelt thanks, big hugs, and a few of his legendary home-made “solar frog bars” for the hike back out. I was sad to leave….

Over the years Jeff would show up at our El Portal home, precisely at dinner time, with his glowing smile, sparkling laughing eyes, and a quart or 2 of golden honey in his hands… Over milky cups of chai, drizzled with the gift of honey from his bees, we discussed queens, extraction, honeycombs, head nets, and swarming behavior (…as well as peregrines, granite, Thai curries, Frisbee, Owl hooting, frogs, etc., etc.) I’ve been wanting to work with bees forever, and always knew that Jeff would be my local mentor. But with teaching, house projects, and family adventures, “beekeeping” never made it to the top of my to-do list. Now Jeff is gone, and among the confusing whirlpool of emotions, I feel both angry and distraught… angry at myself for procrastinating all these years, and so deeply saddened that I won’t be learning and sharing the bee-keeping art with him. But I also feel inspired. Inspired by Jeff’s spirit to finally make it happen! Inspired to stay connected to him through one of his passions, bee-keeping. I’m researching electric fences (bears visit us regularly), working with a Foresta beekeeper friend, and hoping to follow soon in Jeff’s footsteps. Every harvest from our hives will rekindle memories of Jeff Maurer, the sweet honey man. I look forward to tasting that sweetness!