We spent a few days in Sacramento. Not by choice, but on matters pertaining to real estate training. The visit to the city was enlightening. The same traffic, the same lack of parking, the hustle. Although housing was a large part of Sacramento industry, the downturn hasn’t impacted them as much as it has our town, with many looking to realty agencies similar to carlile realty & lending to help with their housing issue. Obviously, a larger part of their economy is based on government spending. And spending is up. A lot. Just few hours south, Sacramento has a much different feel than Redding.
Coming from Redding, another thing noticable is how many languages are spoken there. At a shopping mall, I heard Russian, Chinese, and Spanish, often combined with English. A language mashup. Emblematic of the Sacramento culture, this mall cart sells language training by Rosetta Stone. Not a business model that might ‘translate’ to Redding, or so I think. I set up the shot while the cart vendor looked the other way, but he got that creepy “somebody is looking at me” feeling, and turned his head to look as I hit the shutter.
As though to drive the point home, a woman approached me in the mall and asked if was looking for work. I was bit taken aback. “No?” she went on, “Well do you know anyone who is?” Well yeah. I do. About a quarter of Redding, by my estimation.
I'm no photgrapher
I’m a guy with a camera. I take some lucky shots once in a while. I’ve improved my craft. But I’m no photographer. Sometimes, I check out sites like olgatopchii.com and various other photographer’s pages, just to get some inspiration. When I see what other people can produce, it does motivate me to take more photos and do better.
Nina Berman is a photographer. I was introduced to her work at this Huff Post article called Marine Wedding brings the war home.
Nina Berman’s website has her gallery mentioned in the article. Marine Wedding.
Sometimes on a Redding springtime Easter weekend, it’s easy to forget we are a nation at war. We folks here in Redding. Us. And sometimes a single photograph sums up a generation at war. This may be ours. Time will tell. An image that evokes our human condition. That’s what it means to be a photographer.
Shop local. The job you save may be your own.
My parents tell me the newly expanded China Mart in Redding on Dana Drive dwarfs their huge Anderson store. I haven’t been in it. But I was looking for a new camera recently. I shopped online, did my research and found one I liked. I wandered into Costco and saw a big stack of the exact model camera I had researched online. It was priced very attractively. I was tempted. But I didn’t buy it. I called Frank at Crown Camera and told him about the deal I’d seen at Costco.
“I hate to do this to you Frank, but money’s tight. Can you match the Costco deal?”
“Yeah we can do that,” said Frank, “plus, we’ll do it better. We’ll throw in a free camera class, and a year of free prints.”
Now that’s a real bargain! Not only is it a great deal for me, but the money I spent stays in my town. If I hadn’t checked, I might have missed it. The camera is awesome. Thanks Frank!
Fellow Chamber of Commerce member Crown Camera is just one store of many I would dearly miss if they were gone. Their business is continually pressured from the big chain stores, and squeezed by economy strangling online sales, but they survive. They do so by giving stellar service. You can’t find that at the alternatives. But it’s important to remember those local merchants who struggle to win your shopping dollars. There is a movement you may have heard about called the 3/50 Project. They say it better than I can. Check it out by clicking on the image below.
11 months of unfair housing comes to an end Thursday
This downtown Redding banner across windswept Pine Street proclaims it thus: April is Fair Housing Month. So ends 11 months of presumably grueling unfairness. Until May.
Actually, Fair Housing isn’t just a month, its the law. But we need a month to celebrate the law, I suppose. It’s ReallyRedding.
Free legal services for low income folks in the Redding area.
I posted an article over at A News Cafe about local free legal services available to low income individuals and families. It’s pretty comprehensive, so I won’t repeat it all here. Here’s a link to the article about the free legal services in the Redding area. If you don’t need these services right now, perhaps you know someone who does, and can pass this information on to them Thanks!
Above, their office on West street in Redding. Here is a link to the Legal Services of Northern California website for more information.
Redding Eagle Cam shows eggs and chicks
This is my 300th ReallyRedding blogpost! Whew. That’s quite a milestone. Thanks to all my viewers!
Here we see an image my brother Ron sent me of the bald eagle in Redding that’s from the Eagle Cam that’s positioned over near Turtle Bay. As you can see there are eggs involved.
Today I heard we had a hatch. You can click on the image below to get a live image. Redding’s most famous residents with their own Reality Show. Wonders of technology!
It’s Really Redding.
Ken DeCamp Photography tonight at Turtle Bay 6-8 pm
Ken DeCamp is a local photographer who takes terrific shots of the natural beauty found in the forests around us. You can view his work this evening at Turtle Bay from 6-8 pm. You can also see examples of his work at his website http://www.kendecampphotography.com/ Well worth your time! Ken is an excellent photographer, and his work will open your eyes to our abundant local natural beauty.
These lichen images are by Skip Murphy, shot last summer on the River Trail.
RABA – Redding's local mass transit system
RABA is the Redding Area Bus Authority. They are the only local mass transit system in the greater Redding area. They also contract with a bus service to Burney. They operate 6 days a week about 12 hours a day. They have stops about ¼ mile apart on the 14 routes. As of this publication the base fare is $1.50 and children under 6 are free. There are a number of monthly passes available. They currently serve about 50,000 people a month. You are encouraged to learn more about our local transit system at their website:
http://rabaride.com/index.html
We are lucky to have this system in our town. Redding is a difficult place to get around in without a car. RABA offers a GREEN alternative to automobile ownership. Hopefully they can expand to Palo Cedro and perhaps Shingletown, or even Weaverville someday. Thanks RABA!
Women's Event offers local networking and education
Women Making History was an event held at the Atrium in Downtown Redding on March 21.
It was an opportunity to hear speakers and meet representatives from local Women’s and Family Services, like The NorthState Chapter of California Women Lead.
Featured speaker Heather Wylie from Shasta College, with LWV member Erin Murphy, and Shasta County Assessor/Recorder Leslie Morgan.
Caedy Minoletti with Shasta Womens Refuge, and Kristen Schreder of the Redding Area League of Women Voters
Rose Worthington and Cherrel Kirkland, President of the Soroptimists International of Redding.
Christina Massey (right) represents the Martin Luther King Center’s Positively Girls Club
Susan Wilson, President of the Redding League of Women Voters stands with Erin Murphy at the poster they created for the event, Women Making History. This was just a small sampling of the groups and people at the event. All agreed it was a tremendous success!
Ridding Redding, and changing to Googleville or something
Redding was apparently named after an otherwise unremarkable railroad employee. I think before that, the area was generally known as poverty flats or skunk hollow. Right now, Google is taking applications to bring ultra high speed internet to some lucky community. We have to nominate ourselves, so by all means DO THAT here:
http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options
But why not take it up a notch and change the name of our fair town? What have we got to lose? We could be ridding Redding of our poverty flat roots for good. Well, I would lose my cool domain, it’s Really Redding, not Really Googleville. Small price to pay.
Add this URL to the nomination application if you like it:
http://www.redhothomes.info/Skipsblog/wordpress/?p=2816