Life and all in Redding California
Love this whimsical yard art, seen in the Quail Ridge neighborhood of Redding.
Muldoon: [Just before he gets attacked by a raptor] “Clever girl.”
Actually, our region was once home to a very large dinosaur, Shastasaurus. From Wikipedia:
Shastasaurus (“Mt. Shasta lizard”) is an extinct genus of ichthyosaur from the middle and late Triassic, and is the largest marine reptile that has yet been found.
If we again return to being an inland sea, Really Redding may be beachfront.
Here’s some interesting research results about nearby Mt Lassen recently published in Wired Magazine.
“This National Science Foundation-funded project at the Lassen Volcanic Center looked at the three most recent eruptions from Lassen Peak and Chaos Crags – the 1915 Lassen Peak dacite, the 1,100 year old Chaos Crags rhyodacite and the 27,000 year old Lassen Peak dacite (see above). Of those three eruption, the 1915 is the most famous and the 100th anniversary of that eruption is around the corner. However, it was tiny, coming in at just short of 0.01 cubic kilometers. The eruption at Chaos Crags was 100 times larger while the 27,000 year old eruption of Lassen Peak was over 200 times larger.”
Wow, bet that was impressive. Still, happy not to witness it in person.
BTW Here is Lassen today, with just a bit of snow. More please! Click on the image for their webcam.
So writes Photographer/Dentist Dr. Chris Nelson on his gorgeous website.
It’s true. And he has the photos to prove it. Click on the image above to be taken to his site and gallery. Skilled work!
All you need is a camera and some imagination. Redding provides the backdrops.
That’s ReallyRedding.
This restaurant is a fine example of a rural, small town cafe. They serve breakfast and lunch in the classic American style. We stopped in for a late lunch on a rainy day recently.
I’ve seen it packed for the noon hour. A cafe like this serves more than food for this small agricultural community. It’s a place to see your neighbors, and talk about things. Hence the name. Chatty.
The lovely Karry opted for a Patty Melt. I ordered the special, a Jalapeno Burger.
The food was good, but the Ham and Bean soup was really outstanding. A tangy, rich flavor that triggered memories of similar soups I’ve enjoyed in the past. Taking me back, as though an elixir of youth. It really hit the spot on this blustery day. Warming the bones.
Located in bustling downtown McArthur, about 75 miles due west of Really Redding on Highway 299E. On the south side of the street, you can’t miss it. They don’t seem to have a website, but that doesn’t mean much out here. Although I had good 4G reception, fiddling with my phone seemed somehow out of place. People don’t come here for the wi-fi. They come for much more.
Best to find yourself fully in the moment, in the Chatty-Kathy.
Active NorCal publishes a fine magazine devoted to all things relevant to our active lifestyle in the northstate. It comes to us by mail.
Fitness and outdoor activities are a big deal around Redding, so this publication targets a fertile niche. In Redding, the number of sporting goods stores is only slightly outnumbered by physical therapy practices. Active NorCal also found online at http://activenorcal.net/digiedition so can be read when you are not engaged in your active lifestyle pursuits. Or Like Active Norcal on Facebook. We keep a link to them in the sidebar, if you are browsing this blog in desktop mode. And increasingly, you are not at your desktop. At least according to our blog view statistics.
Mobile, online, and active, it’s ReallyRedding.
The lovely Karry decided to try cooking a turkey that had its main bones removed first. We ordered this partially de-boned 22 lb bird from R&R Quality Meats of Redding. Laid out flat over fruit, fresh herbs, and garlic. Cooking it this way an experiment.
But hey, we found the recipe on the internet. What could possibly go wrong?
Lucky for our guests, it turned out great. And it seemed to cook faster and more evenly.
Falling off the bone, turkey for days.
So much, for which we are thankful. It’s ReallyRedding.
And we know this, because the lovely Karry breaks out the…
More info at the Special Shit website. Chalk it up to me being easily amused.
WOODSIDEgrill is the restaurant at the Gaia Hotel and Spa in Anderson. The Gaia is a whole amazing story in itself, and their restaurant is unique as well. We stopped in recently for lunch, which runs from 11 am to 2 pm.
An elegant match of colors, textures, and artwork lends the restaurant an inviting vibe.
I ordered the Crispy Fish Tacos, and the lovely Karry went for the Old School Fish & Chips.
We also admire the Gaia and their restaurant for their commitment to sustainability. Some info about their green practices for the Woodside grill website: The WOODSIDE grille is the region’s only LEED Certified Restaurant. Eco-friendly design features include recycled glass countertops, solar tubes, and sustainably harvested timber. In addition to recycling and composting programs, the restaurant’s non-composted food waste is provided to local farms to feed livestock, a portion of which is used to feed needy families in Shasta and Butte counties.
The Gaia is just about 6 miles south of Redding on Interstate 5, where it crosses the Sacramento River. They have a full bar and Happy Hour specials from 4 to 6 pm currently. They often feature local musicians on the weekend evenings. At events we have attended, their appetizers and hors d’oeuvres are often our favorites. The WOODSIDEgrill has hours and a menu at their website, but you have to scroll around a bit to find it.
A wholly sustainable experience, just a few miles south of Really Redding.
The bear photo I captured the other day from out my front door generated some local media attention. I was interviewed by KHSL TV Action News Now reporter Charlene Cheng.
I enjoyed chatting with Charlene as she worked. The life of a modern multimedia reporter is complex. You must master video and audio production along with journalism.
White balance, sound check, b-roll, good questions. And in the rain.
Impressive. Not at all just a talking head.
“Bear stories are always interesting,” she tells me.
You can follow Charlene on Twitter @charlenecheng and catch her work at http://www.actionnewsnow.com/home/
I was also interviewed by reporter Clay Duda of the Record Searchlight, and my photo made the front page, below the fold.
You can follow Clay on Twitter @clayduda_RS. It’s often fascinating to see Clay report the news via Twitter as it is happening. The tweets are somewhat cryptic, and then you can read the fleshed-out story later at redding.com. Or in the newspaper, as above.
An interesting (to me) Twitter side note.
I was pretty excited at 1:00 am when I snapped the bear photo.
I decided to tweet about it.
To my surprise, almost immediately I got a response from @jennyespino_RS, also a reporter for the Record Searchlight/redding.com.
This exchange of tweets took place almost immediately following the bear sighting, at an unexpected time of day.
Such is the nature of Twitter and our present culture’s near instantaneous news cycle.
Reporters sensed the bear story would be interesting to their audience.
It’s easy to see why that is true. Bear Spirit is well established in our species.
From SpiritAnimal.info:
“In the kingdom of spirit animals, the bear is emblematic of grounding forces and strength. This animal has been worshiped throughout time as a powerful totem, inspiring those who need it the courage to stand up against adversity. As a spirit animal in touch with the earth and the cycles of nature, it is a powerful guide to support physical and emotional healing.”
Also, Bear Stew. Bears are tasty.
“Recipe by Kyle”
“If you kill a bear, you better have something good to make out of it! This stew is delicious! Serve with a crusty bread!”
The duality of bear. Both Spirit and Entree. That’s Really Redding.
