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
Merry Christmas 2012
Riverfront Playhouse gets everything about Christmas (and then some)
We went for Realtor night to the final performance of Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some), Directed by Russell Piette at Redding’s Riverfront Playhouse.
The cast consisted of Chris Gomez, Tyler Penn, Ian Dalziel, Amy Cicerello, Ben VanSickle and Jorin Antero-Towle. In their central role, Chris, Tyler, and Ian filled the frenetic 2 hours with rapid fire dialog and endless references to Christmas classics. It had everyone smiling and laughing the whole evening.
Frankly, it looked truly exhausting for the players. Their timing and delivery was spot on, as one might expect for a 21st and final performance. I am always amazed at the high level of productions our local troupe achieves in their soon-to-be-former storefront theater. They are so creative and energetic. You can see about their next productions at the Riverfront Playhouse website. Here is the upcoming 2013 season:
January 26 to February 16: LEADING LADIES directed by Jennifer Levens
March 16 to April 6: PARADISE LOST & FOUND directed by Leon Compton
May 4 to May 25: CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF directed by Samantha Clark (Fork)
June 22 to July 20: BELLES ON THEIR TOES directed by TBA
August 17 to August 31: WOMEN OF LOCKERBIE directed by Elizabeth Johnson
September 28 to October 26: A LITTLE MURDER NEVER HURT ANYONE directed by Maria Drake
November 16 to December 14: A CHRISTMAS STORY directed by Jonessa Brittan
Local theater, it’s Really Redding.
