Here's the 'After' look..not sure why he couldn't muster a smile!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The 'Before'
We took Santa into the Beehive Salon today for a 'trim' Here's what he looked like when we started.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The drive to Monterey was lovely. The Sun was out and the rolling hills had only a little fog in a few places. We knew we had arrived when we could see and hear the breakers crashing on beach below us over the freeway noise!
We had a very leisurely walk with the pups on the two piers there and did a little shopping....more cute stuff for Emily! The best dressed baby we know!!
After a leisurely lunch with Brett we took a drive through Monterey stopping and every lookout to 'ooh and aah' at the crashing surf....and the surf WAS crashing. The weather types have been predicting really large surf and it certainly looks like they were right!
Up this morning to see Marg off on her trip back to winterland then the two of us commenced the herculean task of putting away and re-organizing everything we had dragged out of hiding over the last two months!
There are errands and haircuts and some socializing tomorrow then on Wednesday we hope to be on our way to the sun! First day just get the motorhome out...which is more of a problem than it sounds! And then on to Bakersfield to stock up on oranges and almonds. As well as get tanks filled that should be filled and emptied if that be the case!!
We will then head on Thursday to Quartzite where we will see in the 2010 with friends.
There's a whole bunch of photos now on Flickr if you want to see what we've been up to!
We had a very leisurely walk with the pups on the two piers there and did a little shopping....more cute stuff for Emily! The best dressed baby we know!!
After a leisurely lunch with Brett we took a drive through Monterey stopping and every lookout to 'ooh and aah' at the crashing surf....and the surf WAS crashing. The weather types have been predicting really large surf and it certainly looks like they were right!
Up this morning to see Marg off on her trip back to winterland then the two of us commenced the herculean task of putting away and re-organizing everything we had dragged out of hiding over the last two months!
There are errands and haircuts and some socializing tomorrow then on Wednesday we hope to be on our way to the sun! First day just get the motorhome out...which is more of a problem than it sounds! And then on to Bakersfield to stock up on oranges and almonds. As well as get tanks filled that should be filled and emptied if that be the case!!
We will then head on Thursday to Quartzite where we will see in the 2010 with friends.
There's a whole bunch of photos now on Flickr if you want to see what we've been up to!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Merry Christmas! Happy Boxing Day!!
Here's hoping all our readers had a wonderful Christmas, we sure did!
After a leisurely sleep-in (we let Marg sleep in even later!) we enjoyed coffee then Mimosas made Orange-Tangerine juice with Piper Sonoma Brut and watched "A Christmas Story" on TV ("You'll shoot your eye out!!")
After opening our packages we got ourselves organized and headed up to the Foothills area to Oakhurst and this fabulous Inn that we had made reservations at for Christmas Dinner. Here's a URL if you want to have a peek. http://www.elderberryhouse.com/
Everyone we talked with said that Erna's Elderberry House was just fabulous but we really had no idea.
After a lovely sunny drive north from Fresno we arrived in Oakhurst and found Erna's. Well, nothing could have prepared us for our welcome there.
This exquisite jewel of an inn and restaurant welcomed us as though they had waited their whole life for us to arrive.
When we were seated we were presented with a personalized hand decorated menu. "A Very Merry Christmas to The Schneider Party"....a first!
It was a prix fixe six course menu with a couple of extras thrown in..beautiful lamb sausages and homemade sauerkraut with a beautiful honey fig mustard and amazing home made bread; A sturgeon fillet wrapped in Serrano ham with a Kale risotto with saffron and parsley sabayons; this was followed by the most surprising dish, an oxtail ravioli in beef and mushroom consomme....sounds kinda plain but it was NOT!
This was followed by the main course which was a perfectly roasted goose with Brioche, apple and sausage stuffing, accompanied by orange-cranberry chutney, braised leeks, savoy cabbage and the most amazing roasted sweet potatoes we ever tasted!
The next course was an amazing salad of mixed lettuces, persimmons, pomegranates and pine nuts with a pomegranate/mint vinaigrette and topped with a froth of rose water.
Dessert was a trio: Poppy seed almond cake, pear and dried plum tarte tatin, and elderberry ice cream.
The wines were all perfect. There were five and ranged from a lovely German Brut Rose Champagne, a German white we had never heard of, A beautiful California Pinot Noir and a Cab Sav. BUT the crowning glory was the wine served with dessert. It was my all time fave dessert wine Quady Elysium.
This was most fortuitous as Marg and I had driven up to Madera on Christmas Eve to check out Quady first hand. of course we had to sample the wares and brought a few bottles back. Now, to be fair Marg isn't a really serious wino, she rarely visits Okanagan wineries though she has been known to enjoy a glass or two. BUT she really likes the sweet dessert wines produced by Quady. We each bought several bottles and I have to report that the bottle of Elysium that we bought is already gone as I write this!
BUT as is my habit, I digress! The atmosphere, the meal, the service, the wine and everything about Erna's was superb...as was the price! But, one has to splurge once in a while! If you go to their website, note the prices for the Inn, we won't be staying there anytime soon! But if the Inn is half as nice as the restaurant it too must be an experience!!
Today, Boxing Day (though that specific holiday is not recognized here) after our Stollen and coffee we had another appearance by Santa! This for some of the youngsters in the trailer park which has been our home for the last two months. It was lots of fun as there are some real cuties here!
We then decided to head out for a bit of exploring. We visited Kearney Park and the Kearney House the home of one of Fresno's pioneers. There's more information here:
http://www.valleyhistory.org/kearneyhistory03.html
The house is just amazing but we weren't sure it was open on the day after Christmas even though the phone message and sign on the front door said that they were.
There was only one car in the parking lot and the lights were on in the house and finally a wonderfully enthusiastic young man named Jeff appeared and asked if we wanted a tour! We did! And it was just fascinating. Originally Kearney intended it to be the superintendent's house but he was going to live in it (he never married) until his Chateau was built.
Sadly that never happened as Mr. Kearney died in 1906 and willed his entire estate to the University of California. They maintained much of the estate in its original condition completely furnished as a working farm of about 5000 acres.
The University sold of most of the land in the 1940s and the house sat vacant until 1964 when the Fresno Historical Society was able to acquire it and commence restoration.
After that we drove down Kearney Avenue to downtown Fresno. This palm lined avenue is about 11 miles and was Mr. Kearney's attempt to make his land more glamorous and attractive to investors.
We next visited the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science. We visited "The Met" on our previous visit and were fascinated by it. It is newly renovated and was originally the home of the local paper "The Fresno Bee."
Unfortunately due to some mis-management and the economic downturn, the Met is officially bankrupt and will be closing sometime in 2010. Very sad.
Currently they are exhibiting (among other things) "The Art of Dr. Seuss" which celebrates the art and life of Theodore Seuss Geisel. In addition to lots of background on many of his popular books such as "The Cat In the Hat" and "The Lorax" there are extensive examples of some of his other work. Including cartoons, magazine covers, and his amazingly zany sculptures.
It was a truly wonderful day, topped off with a Jack Daniel's Manhattan and some wonderful home-made tamales given to us by one of Ross elves on the set at the mall. And of course the last of the Quady.
We're going to be eating quite a few tamales in the next while....Ross wanted to have a wee dooooo for the staff after closing on Christmas Eve. Soooo I asked around and found that everyone seemed to like the tamales from one particular restaurant so I ordered three dozen for our little soiree. What I didn't realize was that these tamales are HUGE. One is a meal for a 'normal' person and two for a piggy. So, long story short we have a few left over...lucky they're very tasty and we have some room in the freezer!
Tomorrow we're off to Monterey for lunch with the Boss. Should be a lovely drive through the coast hills...prediction is for good weather.
Then after that it's time to pack up and try to make tracks for the desert.
After a leisurely sleep-in (we let Marg sleep in even later!) we enjoyed coffee then Mimosas made Orange-Tangerine juice with Piper Sonoma Brut and watched "A Christmas Story" on TV ("You'll shoot your eye out!!")
After opening our packages we got ourselves organized and headed up to the Foothills area to Oakhurst and this fabulous Inn that we had made reservations at for Christmas Dinner. Here's a URL if you want to have a peek. http://www.elderberryhouse.com/
Everyone we talked with said that Erna's Elderberry House was just fabulous but we really had no idea.
After a lovely sunny drive north from Fresno we arrived in Oakhurst and found Erna's. Well, nothing could have prepared us for our welcome there.
This exquisite jewel of an inn and restaurant welcomed us as though they had waited their whole life for us to arrive.
When we were seated we were presented with a personalized hand decorated menu. "A Very Merry Christmas to The Schneider Party"....a first!
It was a prix fixe six course menu with a couple of extras thrown in..beautiful lamb sausages and homemade sauerkraut with a beautiful honey fig mustard and amazing home made bread; A sturgeon fillet wrapped in Serrano ham with a Kale risotto with saffron and parsley sabayons; this was followed by the most surprising dish, an oxtail ravioli in beef and mushroom consomme....sounds kinda plain but it was NOT!
This was followed by the main course which was a perfectly roasted goose with Brioche, apple and sausage stuffing, accompanied by orange-cranberry chutney, braised leeks, savoy cabbage and the most amazing roasted sweet potatoes we ever tasted!
The next course was an amazing salad of mixed lettuces, persimmons, pomegranates and pine nuts with a pomegranate/mint vinaigrette and topped with a froth of rose water.
Dessert was a trio: Poppy seed almond cake, pear and dried plum tarte tatin, and elderberry ice cream.
The wines were all perfect. There were five and ranged from a lovely German Brut Rose Champagne, a German white we had never heard of, A beautiful California Pinot Noir and a Cab Sav. BUT the crowning glory was the wine served with dessert. It was my all time fave dessert wine Quady Elysium.
This was most fortuitous as Marg and I had driven up to Madera on Christmas Eve to check out Quady first hand. of course we had to sample the wares and brought a few bottles back. Now, to be fair Marg isn't a really serious wino, she rarely visits Okanagan wineries though she has been known to enjoy a glass or two. BUT she really likes the sweet dessert wines produced by Quady. We each bought several bottles and I have to report that the bottle of Elysium that we bought is already gone as I write this!
BUT as is my habit, I digress! The atmosphere, the meal, the service, the wine and everything about Erna's was superb...as was the price! But, one has to splurge once in a while! If you go to their website, note the prices for the Inn, we won't be staying there anytime soon! But if the Inn is half as nice as the restaurant it too must be an experience!!
Today, Boxing Day (though that specific holiday is not recognized here) after our Stollen and coffee we had another appearance by Santa! This for some of the youngsters in the trailer park which has been our home for the last two months. It was lots of fun as there are some real cuties here!
We then decided to head out for a bit of exploring. We visited Kearney Park and the Kearney House the home of one of Fresno's pioneers. There's more information here:
http://www.valleyhistory.org/kearneyhistory03.html
The house is just amazing but we weren't sure it was open on the day after Christmas even though the phone message and sign on the front door said that they were.
There was only one car in the parking lot and the lights were on in the house and finally a wonderfully enthusiastic young man named Jeff appeared and asked if we wanted a tour! We did! And it was just fascinating. Originally Kearney intended it to be the superintendent's house but he was going to live in it (he never married) until his Chateau was built.
Sadly that never happened as Mr. Kearney died in 1906 and willed his entire estate to the University of California. They maintained much of the estate in its original condition completely furnished as a working farm of about 5000 acres.
The University sold of most of the land in the 1940s and the house sat vacant until 1964 when the Fresno Historical Society was able to acquire it and commence restoration.
After that we drove down Kearney Avenue to downtown Fresno. This palm lined avenue is about 11 miles and was Mr. Kearney's attempt to make his land more glamorous and attractive to investors.
We next visited the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science. We visited "The Met" on our previous visit and were fascinated by it. It is newly renovated and was originally the home of the local paper "The Fresno Bee."
Unfortunately due to some mis-management and the economic downturn, the Met is officially bankrupt and will be closing sometime in 2010. Very sad.
Currently they are exhibiting (among other things) "The Art of Dr. Seuss" which celebrates the art and life of Theodore Seuss Geisel. In addition to lots of background on many of his popular books such as "The Cat In the Hat" and "The Lorax" there are extensive examples of some of his other work. Including cartoons, magazine covers, and his amazingly zany sculptures.
It was a truly wonderful day, topped off with a Jack Daniel's Manhattan and some wonderful home-made tamales given to us by one of Ross elves on the set at the mall. And of course the last of the Quady.
We're going to be eating quite a few tamales in the next while....Ross wanted to have a wee dooooo for the staff after closing on Christmas Eve. Soooo I asked around and found that everyone seemed to like the tamales from one particular restaurant so I ordered three dozen for our little soiree. What I didn't realize was that these tamales are HUGE. One is a meal for a 'normal' person and two for a piggy. So, long story short we have a few left over...lucky they're very tasty and we have some room in the freezer!
Tomorrow we're off to Monterey for lunch with the Boss. Should be a lovely drive through the coast hills...prediction is for good weather.
Then after that it's time to pack up and try to make tracks for the desert.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Last two days at the mall
Well, it's down to the last two days for this Santa and crew. It's been a wonderful time and I have met some great people along the way.
No more holdups that we know of so everyone is breathing a little easier now. Although when I talked to the crew about the holdup they all looked at me strangely and said: "Yeah, it's Fresno".
Our friend Marg McLellan arrived yesterday and we all had a great 'chinwag' last night. Today Ed and Marg get to explore Fresno while I catch the last few children before my big trip on the 24th. Sure that they will have fun.
Lots of funny things happening that I will write about when I have a little more time (just waiting for breakfast to cook then we dash off to the cave and then work). Like the young girl who wanted another brother after enduring photos with this little guy who sat screaming and squirming on my lap. Or the little girl who resisted all the way to Santa's lap screaming her head off, then when she was (rather forcibly) placed on my lap turned to me and said in a bright cheery voice - "Hi Santa, I love you!" and sat perfectly still for the whole picture shoot with a beautific smile on her face. Some wonderful memories like the three young adults who have been having Santa sit on their laps for every Christmas photo since they were teenagers. Or the family photo with four generations and total number of babies, children, teens, adults being 23. Or the two and a half day old baby. Or the babies that were fussing and parents who stood amazed as Santa fed them the bottle AND got the pictures. Yes, lots of memories. Of course there were some naughty children, some young ones who would not sit on Santa's lap or screamed bloody murder the whole photo shoot, and some teens who were just out to cause havoc but those memories will fade quickly.
Marg, Ed, and I will be having Christmas dinner at a restaurant just outside Fresno. I am sure Ed will fill you in on all the details. Then we have photos with Santa on Dec 26 with the children here at the park and possibly get to sit down with my 'hairdresser' and his partner later on that day. We have been wanting to just sit and talk (instead of him bleaching my beard) but never have found the time.
Probably will go off to Monterey on Dec 27 for a meeting with the big boss about what worked (or didn't) this year and plans for next year and then we start packing up the motorhome. Dec 29 is the day I go back to the hairdresser to have beard and hair cut. This year my hair and beard is the longest it has ever been - even way back in the 70's when I tried to have an afro and long hair was usual.
Must get going and we hope everyone is ready for the big day - I know that I am!!!
No more holdups that we know of so everyone is breathing a little easier now. Although when I talked to the crew about the holdup they all looked at me strangely and said: "Yeah, it's Fresno".
Our friend Marg McLellan arrived yesterday and we all had a great 'chinwag' last night. Today Ed and Marg get to explore Fresno while I catch the last few children before my big trip on the 24th. Sure that they will have fun.
Lots of funny things happening that I will write about when I have a little more time (just waiting for breakfast to cook then we dash off to the cave and then work). Like the young girl who wanted another brother after enduring photos with this little guy who sat screaming and squirming on my lap. Or the little girl who resisted all the way to Santa's lap screaming her head off, then when she was (rather forcibly) placed on my lap turned to me and said in a bright cheery voice - "Hi Santa, I love you!" and sat perfectly still for the whole picture shoot with a beautific smile on her face. Some wonderful memories like the three young adults who have been having Santa sit on their laps for every Christmas photo since they were teenagers. Or the family photo with four generations and total number of babies, children, teens, adults being 23. Or the two and a half day old baby. Or the babies that were fussing and parents who stood amazed as Santa fed them the bottle AND got the pictures. Yes, lots of memories. Of course there were some naughty children, some young ones who would not sit on Santa's lap or screamed bloody murder the whole photo shoot, and some teens who were just out to cause havoc but those memories will fade quickly.
Marg, Ed, and I will be having Christmas dinner at a restaurant just outside Fresno. I am sure Ed will fill you in on all the details. Then we have photos with Santa on Dec 26 with the children here at the park and possibly get to sit down with my 'hairdresser' and his partner later on that day. We have been wanting to just sit and talk (instead of him bleaching my beard) but never have found the time.
Probably will go off to Monterey on Dec 27 for a meeting with the big boss about what worked (or didn't) this year and plans for next year and then we start packing up the motorhome. Dec 29 is the day I go back to the hairdresser to have beard and hair cut. This year my hair and beard is the longest it has ever been - even way back in the 70's when I tried to have an afro and long hair was usual.
Must get going and we hope everyone is ready for the big day - I know that I am!!!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Excitement at the Mall
When I arrived at the mall last night (Friday) to get Santa I was met with a literal wall of police.
In addition to the expected 'Friday before Christmas' chaos in the parking lot the boys in blue had locked down the Macy's at one end of the mall causing major gridlock.
We didn't really find out what happened until we watched the 11:00 news. Three armed guys held up someone in the parking lot and when confronted fled into the Macy's store. One sawed-off shotgun was left behind but assumedly there were other weapons still on them....lovely!
Lets see, you have two potentially armed crooks in a crowded department store being pursued by dozens of cops armed to the teeth...not a great scenario!!
In spite of the crowds we got in and out without incident and according to my neighbor who listens to everything on his police scanner...the miscreants were literally 'treed' about two blocks away when they were spotted hiding in a tree by a helicopter using infra-red cameras.
Apparently the 'copter could see them but the cops on the ground under the tree could not!!
I can hardly wait to see what Saturday night brings!!
In addition to the expected 'Friday before Christmas' chaos in the parking lot the boys in blue had locked down the Macy's at one end of the mall causing major gridlock.
We didn't really find out what happened until we watched the 11:00 news. Three armed guys held up someone in the parking lot and when confronted fled into the Macy's store. One sawed-off shotgun was left behind but assumedly there were other weapons still on them....lovely!
Lets see, you have two potentially armed crooks in a crowded department store being pursued by dozens of cops armed to the teeth...not a great scenario!!
In spite of the crowds we got in and out without incident and according to my neighbor who listens to everything on his police scanner...the miscreants were literally 'treed' about two blocks away when they were spotted hiding in a tree by a helicopter using infra-red cameras.
Apparently the 'copter could see them but the cops on the ground under the tree could not!!
I can hardly wait to see what Saturday night brings!!
Getting Emily ready to be a 'real' Canadian!
in spite of being amazingly cute....I'm so glad I'm not there!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The littlest Reindeer!!
Emily in her new reindeer outfit that just arrived from Grandpa Ed and Grandpa Ross
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Wow! Cats and Dogs!!
For a place that is supposed to be desert...Fresno sure gets lots of RAIN!!
What we are experiencing is the tail end of the weather systems currently pounding the whole continent. We had fairy cold temps (Sub-arctic for Fresnans!) for a few days and then the rain started.
We finally figured out what the big fenced in depressions are that we thought were parks...well, they are parks...sort of. When it rains somehow the excess water is funneled into them. In short, what had been ball diamonds and large grassy areas last week are lakes today!! Amazing!!
12 Days to Christmas (But who's counting!) and we're both ready for a break. Day off on Monday...last one....then into the home stretch. The last few days have been slow but business has picked up today and will probably really pick up next week.
What we are experiencing is the tail end of the weather systems currently pounding the whole continent. We had fairy cold temps (Sub-arctic for Fresnans!) for a few days and then the rain started.
We finally figured out what the big fenced in depressions are that we thought were parks...well, they are parks...sort of. When it rains somehow the excess water is funneled into them. In short, what had been ball diamonds and large grassy areas last week are lakes today!! Amazing!!
12 Days to Christmas (But who's counting!) and we're both ready for a break. Day off on Monday...last one....then into the home stretch. The last few days have been slow but business has picked up today and will probably really pick up next week.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Random Fresno Thoughts
While I have the time and the computer (!) I thought I would record some random observations of our temporary home in Fresno now that we have been here over a month.
Fresno was settled as an agricultural center largely by Armenians escaping oppression in their home country. The flat and arable lands of the San Joaquin Valley offered fabulous opportunities.
There is all kinds of details of the Wikipedia page here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresno,_California#Armenian_population
Now the metropolitan area (This includes the conjoined city of Clovis) is over 1 million making the 36th largest city in the US and the commercial hub of the central valley.
You don't have to drive very far out of town to see just how important agriculture remains. There's lots of farming going on. Principal products are grapes either for wine or raisins. But there are also almonds, olives, pomegranates, all of which have their roots in the original Armenian settlers. There used to be lots of figs but more about that later.
As an agricultural area, the whole town is laid out in sections. And, of course, it's also flat so consequently the main part of the city is like a grid with main streets all a quarter of a mile apart and very straight. Very much like Richmond BC for those of you who might have been there. It's really easy to find your way around most of the city!!
Which brings me to the drivers. They aren't as bad as San Jose. There are fewer massive SUVs and Hummers quite a few more Priuses (Priii?) and more reasonable size cars. Unfortunately there are still a large number of drivers who race from stop light to stop light, flooring it as soon as the light turns green then slamming on the brakes when the next light turns red before they get there. Guess they haven't figured out what that does for their fuel economy not to mention the maintenance issues.
And, even though talking (or texting) on a cell phone while driving was outlawed over a year ago it is still rampant and really, really scary!
There are a number of defined neighborhoods but the most interesting is the one known as Fig Garden and, you guessed it, it was originally fig farms...now luxurious homes. The main drag through Fig Garden is Van Ness Avenue and every Christmas for 87 years the residents have produced "Christmas Tree Lane" along their special street. It's just spectacular....lights everywhere. We drove it the second night it was open...amazing just doens't cover it!! There's loads more about "Christmas Tree Lane" here:
http://www.oldfig.org/about/christmastreelane.html
Right in the heart of the Fig Garden area is a VERY upscale shopping center called Fig Garden Village. The shops include some fairly basic stuff like Whole Foods and CVS but also some really upscale clothing and accessory stores like Williams Sonoma...but it's fun to window shop...I intend to check out the cigar shop when Santa isn't looking!!
The population of Fresno is very largely Hispanic. There are times in stores and the malls when I have trouble remembering that I'm not in Mexico!! The up side of that is that every corner has at least one Mexican restaurant. Everything from mom and pop taquerias to fairly upscale dining rooms. Costco here sells really acceptable tamales!
On our first few days here we discovered El Pescador. It is on Blackstone which is one of the main North/South thoroughfares quite near Fashion Fair the mall Santa Ross is at. It is run by two brothers (and it appears a whole raft of the rest of the family) and has quickly become one of our favorites. Here's their website but a warning! It will make you hungry!!
http://www.restaurant.com/microsite-menu-image.asp?pgn=gcp&rid=360095&mcn=&eb=False&nav=menuimage
Just to add to the fun of driving around Fresno are the multiple train tracks that bisect the city. There are over and under passes in many places but also lots of good old fashioned grade crossings. Since these lines are major north-south links for the whole west coast there's LOTS of traffic!! And bless their little diesel-fueled hearts they run all night and so do their horns! Even though we are probably at least a mile from the nearest right-of-way (and there's a major freeway inbetween that we DON'T hear!!) we have been awakened more than once in the middle of the night!!
Everyone here seems oblivious to the racket, the trains after all were here long before the people!! But some of the houses (and the gym I go to) are so close to the tracks that it's a miracle they sleep at all!!
Discovered that the major cemeteries for Fresno are just south of us. Every religion and some ethnic groups are all represented with their own final resting places. Some look really old so I intend to go explore sometime.
The City of Fresno is dotted with a large number of parks but many are fenced in completely with no visible gates! Some appear to be part of some sort of drainage or water storage system
but many are clearly parks but not open to the public. We suspect that this may be a cost-cutting situation but it is kinda strange.
There are two really large parks, Woodward Park on the north side of town and Roeding Park just about a mile from us. These are also fenced but you can get in for a fee!! Roeding Park contains the Chaffee Zoo which dedicated readers will remember that we checked out on our first visit here in February.
The Zoo has a Christmas light display which we plan to check out but probably not until Ross has some time off and when Marg is here.
We have both been totally blown away by how 'small town' Fresno feels. Everyone is so friendly. Even in the short time we've been here there are stores where they know us when we go in. And even businesses that we go into for the first time are so welcoming and helpful...it's very pleasant!!
Even the staff at the Post Office (often derided for being the surliest of public employees!) are so friendly and helpful....have good senses of humor and seem to be genuinely friendly. We can think of several places back home who could benefit by some exposure to what customer service should be!!
There's probably many more things to comment on but they will have to wait for the next installment!!
Fresno was settled as an agricultural center largely by Armenians escaping oppression in their home country. The flat and arable lands of the San Joaquin Valley offered fabulous opportunities.
There is all kinds of details of the Wikipedia page here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresno,_California#Armenian_population
Now the metropolitan area (This includes the conjoined city of Clovis) is over 1 million making the 36th largest city in the US and the commercial hub of the central valley.
You don't have to drive very far out of town to see just how important agriculture remains. There's lots of farming going on. Principal products are grapes either for wine or raisins. But there are also almonds, olives, pomegranates, all of which have their roots in the original Armenian settlers. There used to be lots of figs but more about that later.
As an agricultural area, the whole town is laid out in sections. And, of course, it's also flat so consequently the main part of the city is like a grid with main streets all a quarter of a mile apart and very straight. Very much like Richmond BC for those of you who might have been there. It's really easy to find your way around most of the city!!
Which brings me to the drivers. They aren't as bad as San Jose. There are fewer massive SUVs and Hummers quite a few more Priuses (Priii?) and more reasonable size cars. Unfortunately there are still a large number of drivers who race from stop light to stop light, flooring it as soon as the light turns green then slamming on the brakes when the next light turns red before they get there. Guess they haven't figured out what that does for their fuel economy not to mention the maintenance issues.
And, even though talking (or texting) on a cell phone while driving was outlawed over a year ago it is still rampant and really, really scary!
There are a number of defined neighborhoods but the most interesting is the one known as Fig Garden and, you guessed it, it was originally fig farms...now luxurious homes. The main drag through Fig Garden is Van Ness Avenue and every Christmas for 87 years the residents have produced "Christmas Tree Lane" along their special street. It's just spectacular....lights everywhere. We drove it the second night it was open...amazing just doens't cover it!! There's loads more about "Christmas Tree Lane" here:
http://www.oldfig.org/about/christmastreelane.html
Right in the heart of the Fig Garden area is a VERY upscale shopping center called Fig Garden Village. The shops include some fairly basic stuff like Whole Foods and CVS but also some really upscale clothing and accessory stores like Williams Sonoma...but it's fun to window shop...I intend to check out the cigar shop when Santa isn't looking!!
The population of Fresno is very largely Hispanic. There are times in stores and the malls when I have trouble remembering that I'm not in Mexico!! The up side of that is that every corner has at least one Mexican restaurant. Everything from mom and pop taquerias to fairly upscale dining rooms. Costco here sells really acceptable tamales!
On our first few days here we discovered El Pescador. It is on Blackstone which is one of the main North/South thoroughfares quite near Fashion Fair the mall Santa Ross is at. It is run by two brothers (and it appears a whole raft of the rest of the family) and has quickly become one of our favorites. Here's their website but a warning! It will make you hungry!!
http://www.restaurant.com/microsite-menu-image.asp?pgn=gcp&rid=360095&mcn=&eb=False&nav=menuimage
Just to add to the fun of driving around Fresno are the multiple train tracks that bisect the city. There are over and under passes in many places but also lots of good old fashioned grade crossings. Since these lines are major north-south links for the whole west coast there's LOTS of traffic!! And bless their little diesel-fueled hearts they run all night and so do their horns! Even though we are probably at least a mile from the nearest right-of-way (and there's a major freeway inbetween that we DON'T hear!!) we have been awakened more than once in the middle of the night!!
Everyone here seems oblivious to the racket, the trains after all were here long before the people!! But some of the houses (and the gym I go to) are so close to the tracks that it's a miracle they sleep at all!!
Discovered that the major cemeteries for Fresno are just south of us. Every religion and some ethnic groups are all represented with their own final resting places. Some look really old so I intend to go explore sometime.
The City of Fresno is dotted with a large number of parks but many are fenced in completely with no visible gates! Some appear to be part of some sort of drainage or water storage system
but many are clearly parks but not open to the public. We suspect that this may be a cost-cutting situation but it is kinda strange.
There are two really large parks, Woodward Park on the north side of town and Roeding Park just about a mile from us. These are also fenced but you can get in for a fee!! Roeding Park contains the Chaffee Zoo which dedicated readers will remember that we checked out on our first visit here in February.
The Zoo has a Christmas light display which we plan to check out but probably not until Ross has some time off and when Marg is here.
We have both been totally blown away by how 'small town' Fresno feels. Everyone is so friendly. Even in the short time we've been here there are stores where they know us when we go in. And even businesses that we go into for the first time are so welcoming and helpful...it's very pleasant!!
Even the staff at the Post Office (often derided for being the surliest of public employees!) are so friendly and helpful....have good senses of humor and seem to be genuinely friendly. We can think of several places back home who could benefit by some exposure to what customer service should be!!
There's probably many more things to comment on but they will have to wait for the next installment!!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Tuba or not Tuba! That is the question!!!
I (the Wrangler) had some time today and heard that Manchester Center was hosting Tuba Christmas and decided to check it out.
Now, I had heard of Tuba Christmas but had no idea it was as big a production. It is hard to imagine about one hundred tubas all playing Christmas carols but that's exactly what it was. They were crammed into the mezzanine of the shopping center playing their hearts (and lungs! ) out....it was amazing.
There is a whole organization (copyrighted of course!) overseeing this whole Tuba Christmas thing and you can't just set up your own you must register with them.
There's loads more details here: http://www.tubachristmas.com/whatis.htm You may also be able to find out if there is a Tuba Christmas in your neck of the woods....there's one in Penticton!!
It only lasted about a half hour (though they do the show twice) and that was probably enough of the bass cleft...and it was lunch time so the rumbling of my stomach and the vibration of the tubas wasn't a great combination! But it was still a hoot!!
Now, I had heard of Tuba Christmas but had no idea it was as big a production. It is hard to imagine about one hundred tubas all playing Christmas carols but that's exactly what it was. They were crammed into the mezzanine of the shopping center playing their hearts (and lungs! ) out....it was amazing.
There is a whole organization (copyrighted of course!) overseeing this whole Tuba Christmas thing and you can't just set up your own you must register with them.
There's loads more details here: http://www.tubachristmas.com/whatis.htm You may also be able to find out if there is a Tuba Christmas in your neck of the woods....there's one in Penticton!!
It only lasted about a half hour (though they do the show twice) and that was probably enough of the bass cleft...and it was lunch time so the rumbling of my stomach and the vibration of the tubas wasn't a great combination! But it was still a hoot!!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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