It’s cloudy here today, but a few days ago I captured this image of Shastina from the northwest while hurtling southbound on Interstate 5, about an hour north of Redding.
Click to enlarge a bit. Shastina is in the foreground, with Mt Shasta beyond her. Shastina sprouts from the flanks of Mt Shasta, and may be the most recently active part of the volcano. The community of Weed lies at her feet.
February is Shasta County Spring, but in the higher elevations and for much of Siskiyou County, it remains Winter. But any time of year, all this beauty and more is just a short drive north from Redding.
“Duck and Cover” 2013 style
Check out this alarming video training from Homeland Security. I recall as a youth being trained to duck and cover under our desks in the event of nuclear attack. Nowadays, the perceived threat is closer to home.
Large institutions depend on fear. As a lad, I was taught to fear the nukes. And now we are taught fear of a deranged shooter. Of course, there would be no need for a department of Homeland Security if we aren’t all afraid, all the time. But what is the worth of a life lived in perpetual fear?
I’m afraid nobody gets out of this alive. Of that you may be certain.
Hypocritical drug war drives local property crimes
Property crime has increased lately in our town. There’s no denying it. And we can’t be the only community having problems. It seems from editorials and the recent town hall meeting that more police/security is always the cure. There is never enough security once you embark on that path. But what is driving the increase? We don’t seem to be asking the tough question about ourselves, and our culture of hypocritical drug policy.
As long as we enable and encourage the criminals, we’ll never ever have enough security.
Bruciante Wood Fired Pizza on Hilltop
Ruh roh! We are told Bruciantes has closed. Stuff happens.
Oak fired pizza. How could that NOT be awesome? Sure enough.
This portable wood fired oven goes from 800 to 1200 degrees, so pizzas cook blindingly fast.
Which is good, because Bruciante’s is a drive-by kiosk. They converted one of our many, too many, local drive-by coffee kiosks into this way cool restaurant idea.
They make each pie to order, but it doesn’t take long. They use an herb infused dough to give each creation a thin and light toasted crust.
I went expecting the usual pizza choices, pepperoni mushroom olive combos and such. But owners Larry and Robin have kept the artisan style menu sleek and focused.
They aren’t open weekends. Only during the week Monday through Friday, 11 am to 7 pm. And if it’s raining, well… it’s a wood-fired outdoor oven. So perhaps call ahead at (530) 242 6128
Go on over to Bruciante’s Facebook Page and give it a Like.
The Gourmet
A lively group of Redding people have been meeting every month over the last 40+ years to share a meal. The membership has evolved over the years, but the theme persists:
The Gourmet.
I was invited after a regular member had to bow out at the last minute. The idea is that the host prepares the main dish, and the guests bring other courses. This is far from a potluck, however. The emphasis is on cuisine and company. A theme for the evening was persimmons, and so we had a persimmon based soup, and main dish. Our hosts were Jim and Mary Carr of Redding.
In my work as real estate agent, I have seen many large and elaborate kitchens described as “gourmet.” The Carr’s diminutive kitchen workspace reminds us all that good culinary experiences are not at all reliant on size. My deep gratitude goes to the guests and hosts who made this evening so spirited. The Gourmet, it’s Really Redding.
A Redding retirement party at Tierra Oaks Golf Club
A few days ago, some family, friends, and colleagues gathered to celebrate the culmination of a grand career in medicine. Dr. Stephen Cox has worked for years for the VA. I was granted the opportunity to document the fun with some images, and this is a result.
Thanks for your good work, Dr. Cox. Enjoy retirement. It’s Really Redding.
Houseboats hibernate for Winter
Redding’s population map
Here’s an interactive map that charts a single dot for every person counted in the 2010 Census. All 308,450,225 of us.
It correlates well with the image from my post from a few weeks ago that showed U.S. lights at night from space.
That makes sense. Each of us humans has a light or two.
I love seeing maps and charts of our region, and the patterns they reveal. All the real estate there is.
Redding stands out, for both our light at night and these clusters of humans surrounded by less densely populated terrain. Yet we are connected in tenuous strands to larger clusters north and south.
Click on either image to get to the interactive map, where you can zoom in and fly around. Interesting stuff.
Ascending Mt Shasta
Ran into this video of a couple climbers summit of Mt Shasta, our picturesque namesake here in Shasta County. Apparently a climb made in May. I was struck by the contrast in equipment to tales from locals who years ago would climb the summit in tennis shoes and jeans (not recommended). Anyway, it goes on for a while but is very well done.
Summiting the Volcano, Climbing Mt. Shasta in California in the Cascades from Ryan Commons on Vimeo.
HELPFUL: http://www.walkifornia.com/2012/03/mount-shasta-via-famous-avalanche-gulch.html
These are helpful Links:
* Best Map (good price and helpful): http://amzn.to/shastamap
* Planning Book (fun read and informative): http://amzn.to/shastabook
* Essential Gear Item: http://amzn.to/trekkingpoles
* Blog: http://walkifornia.blogspot.com/2011/06/mission-peak.html
* Guiding Service: http://bit.ly/shastaguide
* Weather Report: http://bit.ly/weathershasta
* Boot, Crampon, & Axe Rental: http://bit.ly/shastarentals
Get in touch with me if you have questions about climbing Mt. Shasta and pre-climb preparation. I'm happy to answer your questions in the comments section below.
Video Summary: I first climbed Mt. Shasta with my dad in 1999 as a preparation trip for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro; I've been wanting to share the Mt. Shasta experience with others ever since. This video is intended to show prospective climbers what it is like to leave from the Bunny Flat parking lot and climb to the summit via the Avalanche Gulch route.
Please let me know if you have good information or links that I can share here.
Best,
Ryan Commons
All video and pictures captured with the Canon 200SX: http://amzn.to/Canon200
Music Credits in Order (you can support the artists by clicking on my links to get the music):
* Don't Get Lost in Heaven by The Gorillaz: http://amzn.to/Lostinheaven
* Road to Nowhere by Ozzy Osborne: http://amzn.to/RoadtoNowhere
* Parachutes by Coldplay: http://amzn.to/CParachutes
* Tightrope Walker by The Hudson Branch: http://amzn.to/Tightropewalker
* Flume by Bon Iver: http://amzn.to/Flume
* Everything to Nothing by Manchester Orchestra: http://amzn.to/EverythingtoNothing
* Time to Pretend by MGMT: http://amzn.to/TimetoPretend
