Curating this here. I ran across this image on Reddit yesterday from user SonOfOnett. I don’t think I’d ever heard of Phantom Falls. Click to enlarge.
This year all the local waterfalls are running strong. I was talking to a friend about this photo, so I’m posting it here so I can more easily point it out. The terrain looks so much like that part of the valley about 70 miles south of Redding. All green and covered with flowers this time of year. This would be a great year to go see all our local falls. So beautiful! Thanks for the image, SonOfOnett!
All the rain brought in a fairy ring of Morels popping up right out of the gravel driveway of this house in Shasta Lake City. I think they are edible, but somehow the idea of foraging a driveway for mushrooms just isn’t very appetizing, Interesting, though.Later, on Facebook, I was informed there is a variation of these called False Morel that can be poisonous. I wasn’t planning on eating these anyway, but good to know.
A dinner at Armando’s Gallery House is unlike anything you are otherwise liable to experience in Redding.
Armando Mejorado is a Redding artist, who works in a broad range of media. He opened an art gallery in a charming building on the Promenade, and began hosting parties. The parties turned into regular food servings and wine pairing. In addition, you can paint on Thursdays. Have some wine with friends and go to work on canvas. It’s incredibly unique and special.
When you step inside and get a table, the attentive staff suggests you get up and walk around for a look. The decor changes continually. Downstairs, Armando has a gallery showing of his work. It reveals depth and authenticity seldom glimpsed.
I published about Armando’s Gallery House Morroccan Dinner a while back, thinking it was a one time event. It seems the events proved popular, and turned into nightly gatherings. It’s fabulous for private parties.
Armando’s doesn’t simply blur the lines between culinary arts and fine art. It acknowledges they are one and the same.
Here’s the thing:
Like any art gallery showing, something this special has a beginning and an end.
Premier and Finale.
I suggest you get down there right away, before the moment is gone forever. Don’t wait and let the opportunity slip away.
1350 Butte St Redding, California (530) 768-1241
Woody’s broke a dry spell of sorts when they came to town. Redding seemed to be “between” brew pubs. So we were all like thirsty mine workers, waiting for that first beer. Needless to say, the arrival of Woody’s was warmly welcomed.
You’ll feel warmly welcomed too, when you walk in to Woody’s. That’s one of the key features of this modern style taproom and the friendly staff. We felt welcomed as though we were regulars.
Lets get to the beer, shall we? Â Among the choices, Swheat Dreams, Teachers Aide, Nutty Woody, and my fave Hopzerker. I saw some growlers being filled. They had a special brew on tap when we were last there, LAW-XX Dubbel. ABV of 8.0 and IBU 35. I didn’t get a chance to try it, so now I have a reason to go back.
Taco Tuesday means tacos 4 ways. Carnitas, Pico Pollo,  Shredded Beef, and Diablo Cod. Below, burgers clad in delicious pretzel buns can be ordered with ghost pepper jack cheese. There’s fish n’ chips and salads too. See Woodys’ remarkably well rounded menu for a taproom. They do serve wines, and host a banquet room you can reserve for events. They even offer a line of apparel festooned with their classy looking logo.
Woody’s is no longer the only game in town for the thirsty. But they do have a lot to offer, and are well worth a visit. They will make you feel as though you are another regular. Thanks, Woody’s. You’re ReallyRedding.
We’ve had some good rainfall this season. Here it is early February, and the sun is shining and the air is in the upper 70s. Definitely time to go see the refreshed waterfalls that surround us in the beautiful northstate. Lucky for you, Active Norcal has assembled a waterfall guide they call comprehensive. Alternatively you could look at having a vacation to a foreign country and go sightseeing and see some fabulous waterfalls, like the svartifoss waterfall in Iceland for example. All of them should be running strongly about now. Why not go out and see for yourself? Here’s a shot I once took of Burney Falls. Appreciating nature’s astonishing beauty. That’s ReallyRedding.
Here is a group based around Redding for kayaking and “the paddling lifestyle,”  Shasta Paddlers.
I see here they have a paddling meet-up posted for February 6 in Redding. They’ll be practicing in heated pool, so that sounds pretty good.There’s no shortage of places to paddle in the northstate. It’s Really Redding.
I was one of about 120 people who volunteered for the once-a-year homeless count and survey in Redding this year. Hopefully an accurate count will bring more resources to our community. Some volunteered at specific locations like the Mission. I volunteered to search for people in camps and on the streets. I wanted to help, and figured I’d learn a few things. Indeed so.
Looking for camps with Ed Brewer, Peggy Filaski, and Team leader Jamie Butcher.
My line of work is all about homes, so those without homes seemed alien to me. We humans are tribal beings, and I notice a tendency to lump together “the homeless” like they were some homogenous tribe of humans. That is far from true. I saw old people and kids, drugged and sober, men and women, sane and certifiable. No rhyme or reason, or pattern. Just unsheltered humans trying to make their way through life.
“Anyone home?” You realize this is home for somebody.
A few observations:
Some scary looking people are themselves very scared.
Recent heavy rains made outdoor camping impossible. Many obvious camps were empty.
Air dusting cans. Presumably it’s dusty out here.
Most people I met were more than happy to talk about themselves. But not all.
Ed Brewer interviews behind a big box store in Redding.
Most of the people I interviewed had solid connection to Redding and Shasta County. They weren’t transient. Several had lived here all their lives. If you put them on a bus out of town, they’d come back.
You can’t tell who is homeless just by looking at how they are dressed.
Jamie and Peggy interview a fairly well dressed homeless man.
I now realize I have underestimated how many homeless live in cars in Redding. A vehicle is a better option for the unsheltered than a campsite in winter. They are sprinkled in parking lots and less-traveled locations.
That realization led to another conclusion. I understand the idea of a homeless day center is controversial. I myself have always favored the “housing first” approach. But a day center would serve the homeless in cars and others in an immediately useful way.
Consider this: If you don’t actually have a homeless day center, then your whole fucking city is a shitty version of a homeless day center. And we all live with the consequences.
They are rousted out of the canyons and riverbanks. So how can we be surprised to find them on our streets and entryways. It’s illogical at best.
A couple of poignant moments:
A reticent young man in Caldwell Park looked me clearly in the eyes and told me he’d been clean and sober from meth for 33 days. I don’t exactly know why that choked me up, but it did. Still does. Whilst this man was homeless, a lot of other people use meth too. So many people in America use meth and other drugs to help themselves cope, however, these people don’t realize the long-term consequences of using meth. These drugs are known to become addictive, so it’s important that family members or healthcare workers are keeping an eye out for these people who may be using meth. To check whether someone has been using that drug, tests from Countrywide Testing could be used to detect any traces of this substance. Hopefully, that would be the first step to helping more people recover from this addiction. However, this homeless man in the park has sobered himself up on his own. He hadn’t touched the drug in 33 days, which is such a big step.
I also interviewed an elderly gentleman who called himself Bo on the lawn in front of Taco Bell. He looked like hell. He told me that he’d been living under the bridge at Cypress Street and some of the younger homeless were beating up the older homeless and taking their meager belongings. He said, ” I don’t know if I’ll last another week out here.”
When I asked “elderly” Bo his birthdate as part of the questionnaire, I realized he and I were the same age.
Take the questionnaire for yourself. Click below to enlarge. Where are you sleeping tonight?
There’s no shortage of places to paddle in the northstate. It’s Really Redding.
