McCloud, CA

Drove to McCloud today via I-5; about an hour north of Redding. The sign says population of 1600 and the elevation is a bit over 3,000 feet. It is a densely wooded area and appears to be mostly pine trees. A very nice woman at the museum gave me a brief history lesson on the town; used to be a timber town until the 1960s when the timber industry died out; starting the town's decline. A nice town to visit but no industry to support a vibrant community; too bad, seems like a very nice town.

Downtown Historic McCloud.

Great museum!

Not sure of the name but they sold sweets, coffee/tea

Pear tart a la mode.

Several inns and B&Bs in and around town.

Mt. Shasta in the background.

Mt. Shasta.

McConnell Arboretum and Gardens in Redding

In the morning I biked to the Sundial Bridge and along the Sacramento River; the route took me past the local arboretum so I decided to return this afternoon to check it out. A beautiful arboretum bordered by the Sacramento River and the Sundial Bridge; the cloudy afternoon produced great light for photos.

The Sundial Bridge from below.

One of many trails in the Arboretum.

Sundial Bridge.

Thanks to Readers

A quick note of thanks to all readers of this blog; I appreciate your comments and emails! When I started this journey, friends and colleagues asked me to keep them informed of my travels and provide photos; someone suggested a blog might be the easiest way to keep everyone informed. It does this but it also enables and encourages me to share my thoughts on a wide range of subjects. Thinking out loud in front of an audience takes getting used to but it also helps me go beyond those boundaries that can limit personal growth.

Sundial Bridge

Near my campground, I found a new trail connection to the Sacramento River Trail! Rode my bike there today and then onto the trail. Redding has a treasure trove of trails I didn't expect!

Sundial Bridge over the Sacramento River.

Sunday Turtle Bay Farmers Market

Turtle Bay is a park area in Redding, California and is the location of a small Farmers Market Sunday mornings. Only about a half dozen vendor booths, including eggs, produce, and pies. I bought a small strawberry-rhubarb pie, organic tomatoes, and fresh eggs. I didn't really need the eggs (or the pie:) but bought a dozen anyway because the woman selling them was so nice and convinced me they were less than one week old. We talked awhile and I was impressed by the care she took in cleaning the eggs; she told me she sold so many eggs they don't last more than 1 week.

Redding has Farmers Markets on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - bliss!

Rising Way Range from Whitmore, CA selling chicken eggs.

Organic produce where I bought tomatoes and a cantelope.

Caretaker Opportunity

A previous post describes my decision to use www.caretakerjobs.com to search for caretaker jobs; it still seems like a good decision; this post reflects my current thinking as I weigh a potential opportunity. As readers know, I don't need a job; however, feeling useful is something that is important to me, as are several other factors (see below). Of course it would have to be the right property/estate in a desirable location and my skill set would need to align with the estate owner's needs.  My current thoughts as I think this through...

How would a caretaker position benefit me?
1. Provide a home base; stability.
2. The right accommodations could allow me to get my art and fine furniture out of storage.
3. Opportunity to feel useful.
4. Opportunity to garden; something I've missed.

How would hiring me benefit the estate owner?
1. Proven manager supported by credible references is a low risk hire.
2. Single, non-smoking, fit gentleman with a positive attitude gets the job done with a smile:)
3. Supervisor, management, and contractor experience enables significant responsibility.
4. Knowledge of environment and energy markets helps ensure compliance and sustainability.

 River in Redding; where I thought about this blog post today.

Saturday Farmers Market - Redding

Another Saturday, another Farmers Market! One of the best things about visiting 9 states in the past 6 months is the FM experience; rarely a week goes by that I don't visit a FM. While many have similar vendors, I also observe regional diversity.

Redding's FM is smaller than I anticipated but is the earliest (starts 7:30am) I've encountered - maybe its too early for the farmers:). In addition to the standard produce booths, I was surprised by the number of booths selling plants. Only one of the produce booths was certified organic; I bought heirloom tomatoes ($3/lb). From others, I bought:

• Kalamata Olive sourdough bread - yum!
• Goat cheese
• Organic handmade soap
• Spinach-Eggplant Bread (Indian)

Bonus - this FM is held at Redding's City Hall where there is a sculpture park!

Kalamata Olive Sourdough from Nathan's Sourdough.

Organic tomatoes from Churn Creek Meadow Organic Farm.

Spinach-Eggplant Bread from Guzzetti's (Indian).

Goat cheese from North Valley Handcrafted Farmstead.

Organic soap from Clear Creek Soap Co.

Saturday Farmers Market.

Guzzetti's.

Plants.