Photography | ReallyRedding

January 19, 2009

Redding Dragstrip Awards Banquet

Dragstrip Awards Banquet
Saturday night we attended the Awards Banquet for the 2008 Drag Racing Season for the Redding Dragstrip. It was held at Win River Casino Meeting upstairs. They gave a great prime rib dinner.

We really like the staff of Win-River. They are very professional and every bit as good as any meeting providers I’ve ever encountered. And I’ve met many, in years at management at Kodak. I was impressed.
Dragstrip Awards Banquet

I’m only a casual fan of the sport, not a racer. I do their website, and do enjoy taking pictures out there. And it’s important to me that the dragstrip provides a safe place for street racers who would otherwise be racing on your streets. I really like that among the pros, it’s very much a family thing. There were lots of kids running around the banquet. A great time for all.
Dragstrip Awards Jacket

January 17, 2009

Friday night at the ER

Entrance to Mercy ER at night
Friday night was hoppin’ at Mercy’s ER. Busy busy. I gave a loved-one a ride. Nothing exactly life threatening, but there was no other choice for late-night medical care coming up on a weekend. There were lots of other folks in various circumstances as we waited. If you’ve been in Shasta County a while, you’ve probably been to an ER some night you’d rather be somewhere else, along with all the others with similar wishes to be anywhere but here. All waiting around. Perhaps you’ve been here more than you’d like to remember.
Entrance to Mercy ER at night
We are told we have the best medical care in the world in the US. In Redding, we do have good care indeed. I am very grateful for the facility and the staff, and I am totally sure I could not do what they do with their patience and pleasant demeanor. My hat’s off to those professionals, and to Mercy Medical Center. The workers were all friendly and chatty, to my happy surprise. I’m pretty sure that after just a short while working there on a busy night, I’d be stone faced, saying just “next.” Many of the people in the waiting room were fairly rude under stress. The staff was not. Kudos to you folks.

Watching the anxious patients and their families on busy Friday night at the ER, you have to wonder if there isn’t a better way to handle things that are not life threatening, though. Meanwhile you wait…..

January 12, 2009March 22, 2012

100 years of flight in Redding

I snapped this photo of an Ultralight flying past my house yesterday. I was reminded of an old photo I saw of the first airplane that landed in Redding, almost exactly 100 years earlier in 1909.

An interesting resemblance between the two aircraft, and the spirit of their pilots. Photo courtesy of Shasta Historical Society. Consider joining us.

January 8, 2009March 22, 2012

Greeters at Rivers

Wow, there are not many places I’d rather hold a Chamber of Commerce Greeters Meeting than Rivers Restaurant in Redding. That’s where we were this morning.

There were about 150 people there, despite the dreary weather. That has to rank as one of the largest meetings we’ve held. Little wonder. The food was excellent, and the views, though muted by the weather, are unmatched in Redding.

Chef Cal DeMercurio described the astonishing lengths to which they go to deliver the best food and drink experience in town. They offer a compelling culinary experience, and it has been rewarded with heavy business since the restaurant’s inception a few months back. This is the place to be, and to be seen. As he put it, “there’s no need to ask for a window seat. They’re all window seats. True enough. The design takes total advantage of the blufftop site. Many years ago, Redding turned it’s back on the river that coursed through our town. This restaurant is evidence that those days are gone.

It replaced a restaurant that was burned while remodeling. The total re-build is a smashing success and ranks as one of Redding’s finest amenities.

December 31, 2008March 22, 2012

Old Redding scenes, new views

It’s been so beautiful out the last couple days of 2008. A lovely way close out the year. I took the opportunity to shoot a couple of Then and Now scenes in my favorite city. The old photos are courtesy of the Shasta Historical Society (consider joining us) and the new ones I took yesterday.

I didn’t get too technical about duplicating the exact location, but that might be a fun project.

Here’s what the Eaton House project is looking like, all winterized apparently. We save so few of our old buildings in Redding. This is a great opportunity to preserve something of the past.

It’s going to be much better when finished than it had ever been. One thing about Redding’s past is that there wasn’t a whole bunch of architecture really worth saving. Much of what seemed worth saving is gone. The Carnegie Library, The Old Courthouse, the Hall of Records. All dust. Judge Eaton’s house is a fairly ordinary looking thing, and maybe that’s what will make it interesting to future generations.

December 21, 2008March 16, 2012

McDonalds rises again

Here’s a few images of the new McDonalds building on Cypress Ave in Redding, rising from the ruins of the old building. It looks to be very substantial, and much more well constructed than the building it replaces. The old building was destroyed by meteor strike from outer space, as seen below.

Okay, just kidding about the meteor. I would imagine the new McDonalds will include a very modern interior, replacing what was a very dated and run-down restaurant. You would imagine there will be the new self-checkout kiosks included. You can see an example of these kiosks at KIOSK, if you haven’t used one yet. They reduce queue times and labor costs for the business using them, so are very useful, and have been a success in McDonalds stores across the world. I am eager to see how this restaurant will look once completed!

December 19, 2008March 16, 2012

Local Winter photo contest – you can vote

A News Cafe is running a winter photo contest. There are some lovely entries. If you haven’t seen them, you can click HERE and vote for your favorite. I really like Brian Rueb’s entry, which looks like Burney Falls in snow. These two here I took of the western range a couple days ago didn’t make the cut. Sometimes photos just can’t do justice to the real thing.

I entered a shot I took a few days ago in my garden. It was one of 2 entries that featured a Buddha statue, which I thought was interesting. He looks peaceful somehow, in snow.

December 2, 2008March 16, 2012

Planetary conjunction

Okay this might not look like much here, but it was visually stunning yesterday evening just after sunset. The crescent Moon, lined up near Venus and Jupiter. I got out my camera and tried to capture the majesty, without much success.

Here’s the moon using the 200mm lens on my real estate camera. The conjunction was pretty spectacular in real life, but if you missed it, you’ll just have to use your imagination, perhaps. Using my telescope, you could plainly see several moons of Jupiter lined up in the same plane as the Earth’s Moon. And Luna herself was amazing with the light giving sharp detail to the massive craters. It was a nice evening for stargazing. I bought this 4″ Meade Newtonian reflecting telescope from an unemployed mortgage broker for $50 (no joke). Too bad I can’t hook the camera up to it (yet).

Appropriate to the setting, we have a rare live recording from the Schreder Planetarium of Craig Padilla’s Night Rain, originally from the album Eye of the Storm. This was recorded under the stars, under the dome a few years back. This 7 minute piece features a pyrotechnic guitar solo by Al Mires, now proprietor of Palo Cedro’s Music Max music store (Remember to shop locally folks). And Craig plays acoustic electric guitar here, no less. I think this recording was released only as a cassette prior to this, so I hope you enjoy it.

November 19, 2008March 16, 2012

Buy American?

I love the colors of the Fall. This Liquidamber seems to be growing out of the top of my car here. I took this a few days ago. I was thinking about my Cadillac today after watching GM CEO Rick Wagoner… Continue reading “Buy American?”

November 13, 2008March 16, 2012

What might Hilltop look like without palm trees?

There was a lot of controversy when date palms were planted on Hilltop Drive for beautification. Personally I don’t have a problem with palms. I think they look fine, and Redding has a long history of palm trees. Maybe they are taken care of by tree service near me, they look very well kept so possibly. That’s readily evident when you look through old photos. But if there was a second choice, these trees on Shasta View near Lema Ranch surely would make a fine alternative. They are simply stunning.

Lovely vistas greet the eye at every turn in the Fall