Cleveland and Kimberly get married -a Redding Wedding

Happily, I was invited to this wedding by Erin’s friend Kimberly, of Kimberly Nicole Boutique. You may recognize the couple. She and Cleveland are also on the cover of the new June issue of Enjoy Magazine. It was one of the most gorgeous wedding ceremonies I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending. Kimberly was wearing a stunning Winnie Couture dress. Click here to learn more about winnie couture, if you wanna know why I was so in awe of the dress. The ceremony and reception was held in the Atrium at the south end of the Promenade, behind Leatherby’s. It’s an unexpectedly nice place for a wedding. I shot some video and some stills, and combined the two to the live music from the wedding. The first half is Cleveland’s wedding song, and the second half is Kim’s dad and uncles, the Woods Brothers, singing classic a capella. It’s a real treat, and a rare slice of Redding.

Cleveland and Kimberly Get Married from Skip Murphy on Vimeo.

Redding's Tour de 'Shrooms

Yesterday’s video reminded me that I did a sort of naturescape video/photo tour of Redding last February, and then never posted it. Take a look.

Fairy Rings in our fair city from Skip Murphy on Vimeo.

During a break in our Winter weather, I went to a bluff overlooking the Sacramento River to shoot some panoramas of my town, Redding California, poised beneath newly snow dusted mountains. While shooting, I noticed the really interesting activity that was taking place at my feet. Fairy Rings of mushrooms were scattered about around the Valley Oaks on the bluff. Evidently this is a good year for fungus of all sorts. Back in the studio, I tried to create music ‘scenery’ that reflected the photographic images, and the spirit they evoke. My first attempt at using Vimeo, which is a quite nice service. As an early experiment, I think it turned out interesting. But that’s just me. It is Really Redding.

Sea Lions in the Sacramento River?

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.
Sacramento River south of Redding CA
Sacramento River south of Redding CA
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.
Sacramento River south of Redding CA
Mmm. Coconut shrimp.
Sacramento River south of Redding CA
Another Sacramento River City, but not Really Redding.
Sacramento River south of Redding CA

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.
Remains of fiery wreck on highway 99 south of Redding CA
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.

A classic Redding weekend

The weather was perfect. The cars were fabulous. There is not much to say about Kool April Nights that has not already been said. Just another reason why Redding is the greatest place to live ever. I took a great many shots, and here’s just a few.
Redding Kool April Nights car show
Redding Kool April Nights car show
Redding Kool April Nights car show
Redding Kool April Nights car show
Kool April Nights 2010. It’s Really Redding.

Car photos manipulated to look like miniatures

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Perhaps you’ve seen those images that have been tweaked to where the subject looks miniaturized. I messed around with that idea using an photo I took last year at the Kool April Drags, while simulating the reduction in depth of field that you get when photographing miniatures, like model trains. Just a reminder that the Redding Dragstrip is having their Kool April Drags event tonight and tomorrow. Gates open at 3 pm. Real toys, not miniatures.

Kool April dragracing images reflect our car culture

My involvement with the Redding Dragstrip came about because the track president is a neighbor. The Dragstrip is truly a shoestring operation, mostly run on community enthusiasm since the early 1960s. Bob learned I had some web skills and volunteered me. Which is fine, really. Happy to help. The world’s oldest NHRA dragstrip is quite a unique asset for our town, and brings in loads of out of town money. The pro racers, and volunteers like retired policeman Ed Ochoa of WeLike2Race, ultimately support the Street Legal racing nights that keep local hot rods from staging unsafe clandestine races on your streets. And that’s a good thing indeed.

The strip operates on City owned property east of the airport. But Redding charges for the use, and doesn’t offer subsidies of any sort, even though we clearly subsidize other marginal tourist attractions who shall remain nameless. That’s okay, but our track is very much reliant on this one big weekend for most of its meager operating revenue, and the weather is notoriously fickle this time of year. Rain this weekend can kill their whole year. Fortunately this year, it looks very good for the races. I took some pictures and video for the track website at last year’s 2009 Kool April event, and you can click on either to view. Come on out Friday or Saturday. It’s Really Redding.
drags

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.

Redding's eagle from eagle cam with eggs.

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!
Redding's eagle from eagle cam with eggs.It’s Really Redding.