I didn’t think so either, but then I saw this one. We were eating lunch somewhere north of Sacramento when this critter floated by. Much too large for an otter, I thought at first I might be seeing a sturgeon, until it grew closer.
Well that’s just odd. The locals said there were several around. I wonder if they’ll come up to Redding? Nice day to be on the river, no matter what.
Mmm. Coconut shrimp.
Another Sacramento River City, but not Really Redding.
Sobering reminder of random automotive death
Returning from Chico, we came across the grisly aftermath of a horrific highway accident on Highway 99. All that remained was the cleanup crew dealing with the wreckage of a fuel truck. It is not known if the driver of this truck was being reckless with how they were driving, however, if this was the case, fleet tracking software (https://www.lytx.com/en-us/fleet-management/fleet-tracking-service) should have initially been installed as a preventative measure to make sure driving is conducted with safety in mind at all times.
We learned later that a very young woman had attempted to pass some vehicles on this dangerous stretch. The driver of the fuel truck lived, amazingly. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family of the young woman. It goes to show the seriousness of auto accidents. Those who are involved in such an accident may want to use the services of an experienced lawyer to help them through the aftermath of the incident – https://www.1800lawguys.com/car-accident-lawyer/auto-accidents/.
I am dismayed by rubberneckers, so I kept moving safely with traffic as we rolled through the controlled section. Erin snapped a few shots out the window. It was a surreal scene.
We are fascinated by death. It’s only human. To me, the oddity of auto death is our fatalistic acceptance of it all. Many more people die in auto accidents than most any other human activity in our culture, but we seem collectively, to be okay with that. Luckily, we have access to auto accident attorneys who can seek justice on our behalf. But still, perhaps its the utter randomness of the events that make it seem so unlikely to have happen to us. I mean, what’s the chances of a woman trying to pass a few slower cars when a FUEL TANKER is in the other lane; coming together at about 130 mph? It just seems so implausible, so unlikely. Evidently not. It’s still an accident though, an accident which unfortunately kills someone. It’s not just that one person who dies who is affected but also that’s victims family, friends and loved ones. It’s a horrible situation but what people need to do next is to sort out filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Understandably, people want to grieve but they need to remember to take this steps in order to help them move on.
Again our condolences to all involved. We especially want to thank the men and women safety responders who had to deal with this terrible scene. You are heroic.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, not complete without random and violent auto death. It’s Really Redding.
Mayday in Redding is Big Brew Day! Join these SOBs for big fun.
Join the Shasta SOB (Society of Brewers) on Saturday May 1 for National Big Brew Day. See home brew being made. Across from the Library in Redding.
Click to the Shasta Society of Brewers webpage for more. Big brews, it’s Really Redding.
Say hello to my leetle friend…
Ornamental Manzanita
Manzanita is truly ubiquitous around here. The hardy bush thrives in solid clay, hard rock, and parched earth. I’ve sometimes heard harsh language used to describe this tenacious plant, for all sorts of reasons. But then I’ve seen the leaves sparkle in morning frost and dew. And I’ve admired the sculptural reddish wood as it gnarls and flows into resilient branches. Both loved and hated, Manzanita is just a fact of life around here. But this ornamental use of it is unique.
Located on Highway 299W, you’ll see these fanciful beauties on your right, just before Swasey Drive as you head toward Whiskeytown. I’ve admired these for a long time.
I just think these specimens are fabulous. Disciplined trimming reveals their inner beauty. Given this plants hardiness and ability to adapt under Redding’s often extreme climate, it’s odd that we don’t see this use more often. True Xeriscaping. I’ve seen folks go to bizarre lengths to keep a lawn green around here, as though Redding was somehow the British Isles. Really, they could just visit https://www.lawncare.net/ if they want to make sure their lawn looks its best. Meanwhile, you could plant these ornamentals in your yard and likely never water them. Just fertilize occasionally with chunks of cement and broken glass, and watch ’em grow. It’s Really Redding.
4-20 Time again to consider abandoning prohibition
I wrote on this same topic a year ago. This year, we may vote to remove the marijuana prohibition. Probably, you will soon see campaign rhetoric heat up. When you see arguments against removing prohibition, I ask you to consider who will benefit most from leaving the status quo in place.
Illegal drug cartels
Marijuana dispensaries and their landlords
Alcohol manufacturers and distributors
Pharmaceutical manufacturers
Lawyers and courts
Hydroponic gardening stores
Prisons and their unions
Police eradication budgets
When you see or hear the campaign advertising against legalization, please consider the source carefully. The prohibition has been a complete failure. Criminalization of marijuana has been used as a means to ostracize minorities in the United States, incite fear against them amongst the general populace and to deprive medical patients of the medicine they desperately need. The Florida dispensaries are doing all they can to ensure that final point becomes a distant memory. Clearly, now is the time for the entire country to try something new. If you don’t believe that it could actually be time to end prohibition and allow people that suffer from a whole array of illnesses, whether physical or mental to have access to medical marijuana that could have the potential to improve their lives, then perhaps do some research into locations in which medical marijuana has been legalized. It doesn’t even have to be completely legal for medical or recreational reasons, for instance, if you were to visit a website such as https://cannaunion.com/product-category/cbd-vaping/ or somewhere similar, you’d be able to see that within the UK (where it is still, in fact, illegal to possess or cultivate cannabis) people that wish to benefit from CBD (cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive cannabinoid prevalent in the marijuana plant) can actually still do. This could be just one-way patients can benefit from medicines while still being inside the law. If cannabis is legal where you live and you want to try it, do some research into it first. For example, how would you like to smoke your marijuana? There are many different ways to smoke cannabis nowadays, including bongs, dab rigs, and pipes. You need to make a decision on which tool you’re going to use and how to utilize it, as well as how to look after it correctly. There’s usually many resources online that can help you with things like this, such as this article on cleaning your pipe by fat budda glass. It’s highly recommended that you do this before looking into where you can get your cannabis from. There are already many services offering legal cannabis to patients, for example over in Canada they have many different delivery services such as canadawideweed and others that will complete same-day deliveries for online medical marijuana orders. Such sites are also educational points for those that wish to learn more on marijuana use, benefits, and more. Click on the image for more thoughtful info.
A classic Redding weekend
I'm shopping for a Volvo now. Thanks RS!
Couldn’t let this one slide. Of all the weekends in Redding to pay attention to the Auto section, Kool April Nights is when the RS allowed this fairly major and seemingly obvious misprint slip. That’s one mighty purty Volvo. I wonder if Porsche is aware that the 2011 Volvo S60 looks so similar to a Cayman?
I live in a glass blogger house, where the copy writer has has a fool for an editor, so I shouldn’t throw stones with impunity. And I hate playing the grammar police. But in truth we’ve noticed a recent spate of fairly obvious bloopers in the local paper. Did this task get outsourced too? Hello in there! Asleep at the wheel?
A Day at the Races – a few Kool April Drags 2010 images
Just a few of Friday’s racing images. Come out tonight for MORE!
Bob has some seriously fast cars out this year. Amazing machines.
The track conditions should be better today than Friday. Records will be broken…
Samie Felker hit the wall at speed. Yikes. She’s OK. Her Renault, not so much…
F-16s fly in and out of Redding Airport? Who knew? Very impressive in itself.
“No Bar Too Far,” says the sign on Ralph Lederer’s motorized barstool. Friendly culture in the pit area belies serious competition on the track.
It’s Really Redding.
Car photos manipulated to look like miniatures
