bchat's PhotoBlog

Autumn Leaves

2009-01-05T05:01:15Z

Here are three things that make me happy: 1) Nat King Cole 2) Fall colors and 3) Jazz standards. The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of red and gold. I see your lips, the summer kisses The sun-burned hands I used to hold. Since you went away the days grow long And soon Ill hear old winters song. But I miss you most of all my darling When autumn leaves start to fall. ~ Johnny Mercer Location: Ralston L White Retreat - Mill Valley, California

The Fable of Wine

2008-11-20T17:48:13Z

An ancient Persian fable credits a lady of the court with the discovery of wine. This princess, having lost favor with her father the King, attempted to poison herself by eating some table grapes that had "spoiled" in a jar. She became intoxicated, giddy and soon fell asleep. When she awoke, she found the stresses that had made her life intolerable had dispersed. Returning to the grapes – the source of her relief - her subsequent conduct changed so remarkably that she regained the King's favor. He shared his daughter's discovery with his court and decreed an increase in the production of "spoiled" grapes... Location: The Wine & Visitor Center - Lodi, California

Eli Update

2008-11-15T18:42:40Z

Everyone asks me "How's the grandson? How's Eli doing?" Wow, my grandson. Well, Tiny E is doing fine. Amazingly fine! "If my day seems lonely and the sky is grey, A look at his face and it all goes away..." ~ Paula Dillon

Asian Farmers Market

2008-11-02T20:14:39Z

If you like fresh food, multicultural experiences and like to get up very early on the weekend, come on down to the Saturday Stockton Certified Farmers Market. Mostly known as the Asian Market, it’s one of the oldest farmers markets in California. And one of the most famous. Restaurant chefs come from over a hundred mile radius to get the freshest valley produce and incredibly exotic items that are required for authentic Asian and gourmet dishes. Ever hear of Bitter Melon, Chayote, Taro, Daikon radish or Nappa Cabbage? But most of the food is purchased by Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai and Laotian shoppers and is intended to be on that evening's dinner table. I like to just wander around, listening and breathing. It’s noisy with the sound of bargaining and pungent with the smell of recently alive fish. Every now and again I’ll bump into someone I know. Which shouldn’t be a surprise because I’ve lived in this town since I was 9, but… This market transports me to San Francisco’s Chinatown. Or even Hong Kong. So, here’s the plan. Next Saturday at 0 dark thirty, let’s meet under the crosstown freeway for some Bok Choy!

Arnold's Office

2008-10-26T20:23:15Z

I live in Stockton, smack dab in the middle of California's Great Central Valley. I work in Sacramento, about an hours drive north. Sacramento is a lovely city and home to our state capital. The Capital building houses the state senate, assembly and the governor's office. As you probably know, in 2003 we Californian's elected a movie superstar to run our state. You may know him as Arnold Schwarzenegger or "the Terminator" - we call him "the Governator". He was born in Austria, moved to the US and became a world champion bodybulider. Next stop, Hollywood. After many blockbuster mega-hits, and marrying a Kennedy, he took over the reins of the seventh largest economy in the world. Anyway, this is where he works. "I can promise you that when I go to Sacramento, I will pump up Sacramento." ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2003 Event: The 1st Capital Family Fun Day - Sacramento, California

The Joy of Painting

2008-10-19T18:16:34Z

What is your earliest memory? Now, are you sure that is what really happened? Or did it come from a story your family told you? Or from home movies or videos? Or maybe something that you just dreamed up? The child’s memory is a strange and awesome thing! This is my earliest memory. I was four and we were living in El Paso, Texas. I was alone playing in the garage. Or maybe it was the basement. Anyway, I was exploring and came upon a big can. Yellow paint was leaking from the lid. Bright yellow paint. So, the big can of yellow paint became my toy. Oh oh…… The next thing I remember is yellow paint being everywhere! Quick – better clean it up or I will be in trouble! Big trouble! Big yellow trouble! Now I’m looking around for something to clean up the paint, and all the while the paint is spreading. And my panic is growing. I know, I’ll use my socks to clean up the paint! The next thing I remember is being up in my room, hiding out. In the closet, maybe? Or under my bed? I hear my mother screaming about yellow footprints tracked through the house. Mercifully, my memory of this incident ends there. Ah, my earliest memory is of painting. Or is it?!? Event: Mick Sheldon's Painting Class at American River College - Sacramento, California

The Pumpkin Farm

2008-10-12T06:41:36Z

The practice of making Jack-o-lanterns originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack" who invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original evil form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the stupid Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years. Soon after, Stingy Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out pumpkin and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish refered to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." Fun Pumpkin Facts ► Antarctica is the only continent where pumpkins won’t grow. ► Morton, Illinois is the "pumpkin capital" of the world. ► The Irish brought the tradition of pumpkin carving to America, but the tradition actually started with turnips. ► The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake. ► Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites. ► The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,140 pounds. ► Pumpkins are 90 percent water. ► Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October. Location: Fog Willow Pumpkin Farm - Wilton, California

Clownophobia

2008-10-04T18:54:57Z

If you wake up from nightmares that have you running from a Bozo look-alike wielding a knife, or if you feel a little ill at the mention of Ronald McDonald, then you may be suffering from coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Coulrophobia has origins in the Greek language, where koulon means limb. This relates to the Greek term for those who used stilts, i.e., clowns and circus performers. People afraid of clowns are called coulrophobes. Most agree that the main reasons for coulrophobia are the make-up and exaggerated features of the clown. Painted eyes and painted smiles, as well as the red bulbous nose, can be frightening initially to children. In fact some children share a similar fear of Santa Claus as well. True coulrophobia usually dates from an initial childhood incident with a clown that provokes intense fear. Many also consider coulrophobia to be a basic dislike or distrust of the painted face of the clown, which obscures true facial expressions. In a more general sense, the concept of obscured facial features appears to be most concerning and may in part account for coulrophobia. The multiple horror films that feature serial killers with masked or disfigured faces can scarcely be counted. The big three, of course are Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers, from Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween, respectively. The tradition continues in horror films like Scream and Saw. Still, it is unlikely that coulrophobia will cease to exist, since most seem to have an innate distrust in being unable to read the expressions of the typical clown face. Naturally, media portrayal of clowns continues to enhance coulrophobia, by literally turning clowns into our worst nightmares. Event: Halloween Express Grand Opening - Sacramento, CA

Pow Wow Portraits

2008-09-28T22:29:14Z

Our departed braves, fond mothers, glad, happy hearted maidens! Even the little children who lived here and rejoiced here for a brief season, will love these somber solitudes and at eventide they greet shadowy returning spirits. And when the last Red Man shall have perished, and the memory of my tribe shall have become a myth among the White Men, these shores will swarm with the invisible dead of my tribe, and when your children's children think themselves alone in the field, the store, the shop, upon the highway, or in the silence of the pathless woods, they will not be alone. In all the earth there is no place dedicated to solitude. At night when the streets of your cities and villages are silent and you think them deserted, they will throng with the returning hosts that once filled them and still love this beautiful land. The White Man will never be alone. Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds. ~ Chief Seattle, October 1887 Event: 28th Annual Stockton Community Pow Pow – Stockton, California

Welcome to Chickentown

2008-09-20T19:56:31Z

There’s this amazing little Sacramento neighborhood that’s just off of Sunrise Boulevard called Fair Oaks Village. It is a total time-warp – a quaint main street with a diner, a coffee shop, a hardware shop, several antique stores – a real slice of 1940s Americana. You half expect to see Sheriff Andy, Aunt Bee and Barney Fife walking down the street. But it’s not just the Mayberry RFD vibe that distinguishes beautiful Fair Oaks – it’s the chickens. Chickens gone wild! They are everywhere. They walk the sidewalks, they stroll into cafes and hop up on your table, and they stop traffic when they cross the streets. But mostly they hang out in the local park and gossip. And the roosters crow all day long. Cockadoodle doo! So, I was sitting on a park bench taking photographs, minding my own business. This big red rooster comes up to me and says, “What are you doing in our park? Nobody said you could sit here.” I wasn’t looking for trouble so I moved to another bench. Big red then hopped up on the bench and started to crow… "I'm the king of the park!" Cockadoodle doo! “That’s one badass rooster” I thought. Then I left and had Chicken McNuggets for lunch. Cockadoodle doo!