We did.
An old car brings back Kodachrome memories
“So why did you put that old car and barn in your blog header? It doesn’t look Really Redding,” asks Karry.
Not Really Redding, but I did spot this car sitting in a field adjacent to a home I was showing in Cottonwood. It brought back a gush of memory. I bought an Alfa Romeo like this for a few hundred bucks when I was 15. Well, maybe it was in slightly better shape than this, but so was I back then. Who can forget their first car? As you get older, your favourite make and model of car gets older with you, cars get upgraded and new, more desirable models come out. It makes me so sad! It’s more of an option these days to replace parts on your old car from services like TDC Automotive and build your beloved motor back to life. Sometimes I when the memories hit me like that, I wish I would have attempted to keep my little AR alive.
It was a poor choice for practicality. It literally came with a second car just for parts, which was good, because parts were near impossible to find since I didn’t live in Italy. Nowadays, car parts are easily accessible with websites like Czok, mostly used for upgraded performance and style. But who cares about that when you’re 15? I envisioned myself driving it looking like this one, shiny, red, and sleek, whilst hoping that it didn’t break down on me. But when you buy a car that isn’t really practical, I almost expected it to happen. I hear so many stories of people needing to look for something like these Woodward Synchro-Start Solenoids because their engine has become faulty and they need to get it replaced as soon as possible. Luckily there are so many places that sell them these days that it might not be much of a problem. Surprisingly, I don’t think I ever ran into any problems with my little old car. So, I went looking for photographs of my red Alfa among my oldest shots, and at my parent’s house, but found none. How odd. Nowadays I take photos of life’s smallest details, but back then it wasn’t important. Or so it seems. Perhaps it’s best. In my head, the Alfa was bold and stylish, but the reality was probably something more like this one out to pasture in Cottonwood.
Kodachrome
They give us those nice bright colors
They give us the greens of summers
Makes you think all the world’s a sunny day, Oh yeah
I got a Nikon camera
I love to take a photograph
So mama don’t take my Kodachrome away
Thanks Paul Simon, for the bittersweet observation.
Ringing the bell for the Salvation Army
A familiar looking woman and a couple of kids from her school were seen ringing the bell for the Salvation Army this weekend in front of Raleys Supermarket. It was mighty cold outside, and we need to give a shout-out to the manager of Lake Blvd Raleys for sending out some hot chocolate without even being asked. I’m told it really hit the spot, and made bell ringing much cheerier for everyone. Thanks Raleys! Thanks Ringers!
Free Flu Shots in Redding and Shasta Lake City
The line for H1N1 inoculations stretched from Penneys to the center court yesterday. The line seemed long, but moved quickly.
The Shasta County Health staff was friendly and efficient. If you missed this event, you can get yours on the 29th in Shasta Lake City.
The media blew up the story of H1N1. I blogged about my flu preparations back in May, when it seemed anything could happen. So far so good though. Pandemic or not, it seems under control. Score one for the public health people. Keep up the good work. I ate my flu season “preparations,” which consisted of chicken soup, in celebration.
What Matters Now, a free e-book here
Seth Godin publishes an always interesting blog. He’s just published a book of thoughts about What Matters Now. Each page is about 200 words consisting of a contribution by many other interesting authors. It’s available here. Just click on the image.
Read a few, and it leads to a few more. It seems the format is a good fit for online reading. It’s well worth your time. Go ahead and click, see if you agree. Save it, spread it around. Thanks Seth!
(if the link loads too slow off my server, try Seth’s HERE.)
The Voter published for December
Coldwell Banker C&C Properties Christmas Party at Riverview
Here’s a few photos I took of my friends and family at the company Christmas party in Redding.
It seems like we don’t get too many opportunities to dress up in Redding, so this is always fun. It was like Prom night for some folks. I enjoyed hearing singer Summer Schappell’s take on a few Christmas classics. It was a great evening, but it kicked my butt apparently. I’ve been down with a cold for about a week ever since that night. That’ll teach me to party. At least until next time. Thanks to all who were there, and to the Crafts for throwing a tres cool soiree every year.