Life and all in Redding California
Around here, “being PC” doesn’t mean politically correct. It means Palo Cedro style. We were invited to this very PC party last weekend to celebrate a retirement. I captured a few images that offer you some sense of this fine event, and here they are presented as a brief video. It won’t offend anyone around here to accuse them of being very PC. Switch the setting in the lower right corner to 1080p HD for full PC effect.
We’re all very PC here. It’s Really Redding.
Friday, May 30 is Lake Shasta Caverns 50th anniversary, and tours are 50% off all day! The photo below is me and my kids returning from a tour sometime around the 25th Anniversary. Time flies…make some memories.
We spent much of yesterday enjoying a street in Redding with only bikes and people in it. Family Bicycling Day brought to you by Shasta Living Streets. The weather was perfect. Here are a few images.
Bikes, old and new were seen. Love the patina on this one, below.
And this new eliptical bike, below. Really an interesting way to ride.
Talon with his Grandpa Dave Rader. Rader Traffic Control provided the street closure.
Above, we stop for a burger and fries at Gene’s. Hey, want to see more pictures of my grandkid? Thank you Rader Excavating and Shasta Living Streets for a Really Redding day. Okay one more with his dad.
Re-posting something from last year. You should head over to Parkview today May 4 2014, and enjoy this event!
“Come out, play, ride, skate, and dance. Meet your neighbors, have a picnic, and explore new corners of our beautiful city.
TODAY a stretch of the city is transformed into a car-free zone for Sunday enjoyment. This will allow area residents to learn about places and neighborhood attractions previously unexplored. It will give people a way to see their neighborhood from a new perspective. Families will enjoy a safe space to gather, play, ride a bike, dance and engage. Some people will ride a bicycle for the first time. Others will discover they can hula.
If you drive in, you will find parking in the lots to the north of City Hall. Or you can park on Park Marina Drive and ride your bicycle or walk the short distance to Parkview Avenue.”
From last year’s 2013 event:
We really enjoyed pedaling around the Park Marina area with no cars around today, courtesy of ShastaLivingStreets.org and Rader Traffic Control. The neighborhood presents an entirely different perspective by bike.
As amazing as it was out there, it’s truly bittersweet. Both Erin and I spent our morning ride describing to one another how lovely it would be if Park Marina instead was lined with shops and restaurants facing the river. And if it incorporated bikes and walking, all the time. Woe tom.Ok on th would be out every day enjoying our short urban waterfront. Our hidden jewel. Maybee saddle and startling again was good to see people riding bikes from the bistro to the sports bar for a pint. So beautiful. So pleasant. Just nice.
I’ve written about this subject before, here. There is a Park Marina vision. I didn’t make this up.
For now, I’m just sorry about it. Just moping about a vision unrealized, on the one day a year you can almost taste it. Just for a day.
We now return you to your previously scheduled automotive purgatory.
We met many dancers over the years Erin and Aaron participated in Dancing with the Stars Shasta County Style, a popular and competitive local charity event. One of the gifted and most patient teachers we met is Joe Friedman. An accomplished dancer himself, he has the rare skill and ability to show others how to achieve their desired moves and style. That’s a unique combination, and we are lucky to have him as a dance instructor resource in the Northstate.
Is there a wedding or special event in your near future? Joe can help you or a loved one turn a once in a lifetime dancing opportunity into a dance dream come true. Don’t leave it to chance! Especially with good help like this nearby, you should give Joe a call. You’ll be grateful you did. Be sure to like Joe’s page on Facebook, and help spread the word about this valuable and needed service.
The words across from the Really Redding header says “Life and all in Redding California.” So, “all” includes end of life as well. This is a cross-post from the Redding Dragstrip website. I wrote of a memorial service for my friend Bob Lidell.
It was a picture perfect Fall day yesterday at the Redding Dragstrip, as friends and family came together to celebrate and reflect on the life of track President Bob Lidell, who passed away unexpectedly last Monday. And although I don’t usually take photos at this kind of gathering, I felt this was an exception. Bob was a community figure, as evidenced by the large turnout.
Click on these to enlarge a bit, if you like. Bob’s race car served as a metaphor, and Paul Warner spoke eloquently that none of us knows where or when the finish line to our race will come.
Bob was a Vietnam Veteran, and received all due respect.
It was a time for somber reflection. Bob’s immediate family offers a toast.
But it was a celebration too, and there were a few light moments. Somebody played Bob’s cell phone message over the P.A. It was good to hear his voice again.
But then the disembodied phone company message finished by telling us that Bob’s voicemailbox was full, and would be accepting no more messages. That sounded like Bob, alright. He was a perpetually busy guy. Going full blast, right up to the finish line.
I posted a bit of the ceremony so you can get the essence of it.R.I.P. Bob Lidell. You will be greatly missed. You were ReallyRedding.
Scott at Sleakphotography is an amazing photographer. You can tell he puts a lot of effort and skill into his images, so visit his website for more. Here’s a video he posted from last night’s 4th of July celebration in Redding. Our city’s annual free fireworks display, courtesy of the McConnell Foundation.
Scott really has a good eye, but great photography is a complex skill set made of technical knowledge, planning and preparation, and an artistic drive. I met a great many photographers during my career with Kodak, and Scott’s work is clearly among the best at his vocation. He’s developed a style of his own, which is rather like finding your voice in writing. A defining talent. You can also follow Sleakphotography on Facebook, where I look forward to his frequent posts. This image below looks great because of planning, exposure, experience, time, and effort. Nice shot.
Of course it never hurts that we live in an area of such great beauty. It’s Really Redding.
