It’s a party! And any funds raised go to the Shasta Women’s Refuge. Check it out! Help Erin and Max win this thing!!
Rare Annular Eclipse directly over Redding
Redding was not far from being directly under the path of totality for yesterday’s rare Annular Eclipse of the Sun.
So of course, I felt compelled to build a Solar Observatory.
Here are some images of what we saw. I was tweeting in real time using hashtag #ReddingEclipse, but only a few locals were using twitter. A great many images appeared on Facebook later. Some quite creative.
Interesting to look at the ring and see the shadow of the moon racing across the Earth. It was a big event around here. I hope nobody tried looking directly at it. There were plenty of warnings.
Free celestial science displays. It’s Really Redding.
A few Redding Rodeo images
Tickets on sale for Dancing With The Stars Shasta County Style
They are going fast. Buy them before they are all sold out…
Edit: Actually, I’m now told you can’t buy them online yet, so today’s post was premature. Sorry for any inconvenience. Stay tuned.
Edit-Edit Okay, Now I am being assured you can order seats here:
https://tickets.cascadetheatre.org/ticketing/selectseats_ichart.php?chart_id=573&s_id=506&p_id=4682975
Practice continues for Erin Murphy for Dancing with the Stars Shasta County fundraiser.
Here’s a quick look at Erin’s dance partner Max Friedman, and the choreography help being given by his brother Joe.
This is a fundraiser for a great cause, The Shasta Women’s Refuge and The Family Justice Center. Both are organizations we strongly support. This event is one their largest fundraisers, and deserves your support as well. Thanks for watching! Stay tuned here for more video glimpses behind the scenes as the dance takes shape!
A lovely barn in Bella Vista
Bob Moore and his mill provide bountiful whole grain goodness
Redding wouldn’t be complete without our grain mill. All great civilizations throughout history have relied on gristmills to provide the staff of life, going back to the Old Testament. Our terrific local mill is Moores Mill, founded by miller Bob Moore.
I recall when they originally opened shop, in a quonset style building on Highway 273. Acceptance of the new venture was not guaranteed. Some local opinions I recall were that white, so called “enriched” flour was the modern wonder food. Whole grains, coarsely ground, seemed an anachronistic, outdated idea to many.
Not for me. I’ve been a regular customer and raving fan since their inception. For me, Redding’s (and my) quality of life would be diminished greatly without Moores Mill.
They have subsequently expanded into other related human-friendly foods. Spices. Teas. Specialty beans. Creative pasta I have not seen anywhere else. And amazing bread mixes for bread machines. The Cranberry Walnut bread is sublime. Recipes, and books. Juices and local honey. I could go on and on.
We actually buy Grains and Nut Granola there in 25 lb bags(!), and eat it for breakfast. Mixed with plain yougurt, it’s the true breakfast of champions. Throw in some sunflower seeds, and chop some fresh almonds in.
Is it health food or desert? No need to choose. It’s both.
There has probably never been a single day that something from Moores was not in my kitchen, since 1975. The staff of life. Mills have always played an important role in Shasta County (see Millville). Thanks Bob.
Moores Mill proves the wisdom: 23 Jeremiah 1–19 As Ye Sow, So Shall Ye Reap.
A harvest of goodness.
Lovely backyard flower photo “The Embrace.”
Took this image yesterday of a French Iris being being curled on by the tendrils of a viny plant of some sort. Looks like a tender embrace.
I flipped it around and saved it at 1920 X 1200 to fit as my screensaver. If you’d like to use it, you can click on it here:
It’s a striking and somewhat poetic image for my screen background. I have some other Redding images I’ve taken that rotate across my desktop over time. I’ll be linking to them as time goes by. If you’d like to use one as a screensaver, but perhaps need a different size/ratio, let me know.
SJ Denham body shop utilizes the net to deliver service
A recent fender bender type accident on Lake Boulevard left my little Miata somewhat worse for wear. I took it to fellow Chamber of Commerce member and longtime Redding automobile dealer SJ Denham on North Market Street for repair. I discovered that they have a website that lets you follow along with images as their shop performs the repairs. Neat stuff!
I knew my little car would be in good hands at the Denham’s place. But I thought it extraordinary that you can see exactly what’s happening from your desk. A welcome innovation from the forward thinking Denhams.
My fuel sipping Miata is 21 years old now. Of legal age to drink alcohol, instead of gasoline. Maybe it’s cheaper! Thanks SJ Denham, for keeping the economical Mazda on the road and looking sharp.
EDC networks at local Game Changers event
Last Friday afternoon, we attended the Game Changers presentation put on by the Shasta County Economic Development Center, at the Redding Convention Center.
The event was well attended. Erin and I met lots of local people interested and excited about Redding’s future. I also learned about several local resources and start-up companies I’d not otherwise have known about, like Technisoil.
Our Keynote guest: “From “Textile to Technology” A Community’s Transformation. The Story of Greenville, South Carolina. A native South Carolinian, Nancy (Whitworth) has been in Greenville for 30 years and has played an integral role in Greenville’s transformation from a dying textile town with serious economic problems to being an innovative community with an entrepreneurial spirit that is willing to take risks.” She did an excellent job demonstrating how Greeenvile found success after the devastation of their major local industry.
There were other presentations from some local companies that are very promising. To the left, John Weise of software startup, Zenius Solutions.
As part of his presentation, Weise spoke about how more software businesses than ever before seem to be turning towards subscription-based business models. In case you were not already aware, software companies often provide their products and services on the basis of a recurring payment format. Essentially, this means that their customers can pay to access the software that they need for as long as they require it. In recent years, subscription-based business models have proved hugely advantageous to businesses in the software industry as they provide a continuous income stream that can boost company growth.
As well as the presentation that was given by Weise, I was also struck by a few things from the keynote. First, Greenville really took chances on making their downtown likable and livable, and it worked out well. But they endured years of risk with private/public partnerships and (gulp) eminent domain to reclaim their best parts. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but the successful results speak for themselves. Nancy had toured Redding prior, and was really impressed with our river, our artful bridge, and the Cascade Theater. It seems Greenville had so much less than Redding to start with, but did so much more to leverage what they had.
Another interesting thing was the repeated mention of Bethel Church, and the students it has attracted. Redding is in a public/private partnership with Bethel for the very building in which the event took place. People I spoke with mentioned the influx of young people with new ideas as a very positive aspect of life in Redding. Erin and I agree. Meeting Bethel students with their varied backgrounds and cultures has expanded Redding’s culture. The subject came up remarkably often, and seemed yet another very positive factor to the companies located here.
It was a terrific and eye opening event. There’s more info about the Game Changer event at redding.com. Also, you can review related Tweets at #edcgc. Thanks EDC, sponsors, speakers, and all who attended.