When I say I'm from Alder Creek, everybody says, "Where's that?" Except for the one wise guy who said, "That's too bad."

The wise guy had a point though. My friend Marty McNabb says the biggest thrills in Alder Creek are watching the paint peel off the houses and listening to the cars rust. People move here for peace and quiet, he says, then move away when they've had all the peace and quiet they can stand.

Alder Creek is in California, but don't start thinking about Hollywood and surfers. The old sign on the Alder Creek Store used to say LOS ANGELES---693 MILES, but somebody scratched out the 693 and wrote in 1 MILLION. Either way, you get the idea.