Fresno, Tulare, and Exeter, CA

July 3-5, 2010

Phillip and I went on a trip through the Central Valley the 4th of July weekend.

1st stop was Fresno. We didn't get to meet up with Hernani, but we did get to see the Forestiere Underground Gardens. In the early 1900s, Forestiere immigrated to the United States. He dreamed of being a citrus farmer (like his dad was back in Italy). He ended up in Fresno, bought a ton of land, and at the next growing season, discovered that the ground wasn't farm-able. He also found Fresno's heat to be insufferable and decided to dig through the solid rock and create a cooler home. In his spare time, that's what he did. There is only 5 acres left of this park.

2nd location was Tulare. Phillip and I spend a ton of time with Paula and her family. Phillip turned into a fish and rarely left the pool. I never entered the pool until the sun had basically set, but I can see the attraction. Volleyball was a favorite game, both day and night. Per tradition, we set off a lot of 3rd of July firecrackers. Then, because local cities were showing off their fireworks (as were a lot of residents w/ their illegal means), Phillip bought a second-round of firecrackers on the 4th. It was a lot of fun. I hadn't played with explosives since I was a child. (Even that summer I spent in Arcata, I didn't buy any to play with. Then again, the entire city was exploding and I didn't really need to!) I enjoyed getting to know Paula's family a little better that weekend.

3rd stop was Exeter, CA. We had gone there as a "time-filler" on Monday as we waited for everyone to get ready for lunch. Phillip had mentioned the murals all over that town, and I decided that we should go. I've got pictures of 13-15 different murals w/in a couple of streets of the downtown/oldtown area. So cool. In fact, way cooler than the weather. Since most of the stores were closed for the post-holiday relaxation, the only relief was some ice cream on our way home. Yea for air conditioning in the truck!