Damnation Spring

Colleen gossips with her sister Enid and their great-aunt Gertie. The topic of Helen’s baby arises: It turns out that it too was born without a brain. Colleen remembers Melody’s baby and bursts into tears. Her period has finally come and it is a heavy one. Gertie mentions another similar case and notes, as Eugene washes his infant Alsea in cold water, that the baby doesn’t seem to be feeling the cold. Gertie also thinks Alsea should be crawling already, but so far she is not.

The two families grill together. Colleen worries Marla will reveal her secret to Rich. She fends off a joke from Enid about being pregnant, still angry about her lack of intimacy with Rich.

Eugene and Rich poach a deer, planning to split the meat between their families. The deer Eugene shoots turns out to be pregnant. When the pair gut it, though, instead of a fetus they find a hard growth inside the animal’s body. The discovery disturbs Rich, who later tells Lark about it.

Marla disappears on a date with the logging crew’s Sanderson kid. Eugene is unperturbed by their age difference.

A storm blows over a rotted redwood. Meanwhile, a full-page advert in the newspaper which signals which way the wind is blowing: The back page has been taken out by environmentalists. Against a backdrop of redwoods, it reads, “WE ARE THE LUNGS OF THE PLANET. SAVE DAMNATION GROVE” (194).

One of Joanna’s calves dies. She and Colleen discuss the spate of recent birth defects and deaths. While Colleen is buying eggs, Joanna’s youngest child also gets a nosebleed. Joanna says, “They sprayed a couple of days ago […] You should see the creek. Just a bucket of milk with oil scum on the top” (196). Colleen makes a brisk exit.

Rich and Chub clear out the family water pipe in Damnation Creek. While there, Rich notices that someone has poached valuable burls from several redwoods. He resolves to tell Eugene, whose security job means he should be keeping an eye on the grove. Merle will be furious.

At home, Colleen and Rich argue over trying for another baby and their lack of intimacy. Colleen expresses her jealousy at her sister’s large family.

The Gundersens attend the annual Sanderson pre-Thanksgiving party. Colleen has borrowed a flattering dress from Enid for the occasion, and she and Rich cozy up together at the party. It is the reconciliation the pair need, and they make love to each other upon their return home.

Daniel makes an unannounced visit to Rich and Colleen’s house. It is the first time he has introduced himself properly to Rich, and he reveals that he knows Colleen from his school days. With Colleen there too, the atmosphere is polite at first but becomes tense. Daniel tells Rich the spray used by Sanderson, the Forest Service, and the county contains the same toxic ingredients as Agent Orange: the phenoxy herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. He reveals he has taken samples from the creek and found high levels in the water Rich and his family are drinking. Rich gives Daniel short shrift and makes him leave. As the pair verbally spar, Rich lets slip that he owns 24-7 Ridge. It is the first Colleen has heard of it.

Colleen feels deceived by Rich. His lack of honesty makes her question his stance on Sanderson to his face. She further suggests that Daniel is right about the chemicals. Rich warns her that siding with Daniel would put their investment in the ridge at risk. Before they can argue further, Chub comes in and says he is thirsty. Colleen pours him a large glass of juice, instead of water.