It's a bright chilly morning and, after three days of lovely rain, the sun feels good streaming through the windows. It's the perfect time to, a. Take a wildflower hike, b. Do some yard work, or, c. Ponder the wonders of Fresno, California. Ding ding ding!! Good guess! It's all about Fresno!! (but I think the title might have tipped you off). That's because I made one of my day trips to see mom and Terry on Thursday.
You might not know that:
1. Fresno is the Spanish name for Ash tree.
2. Fresno county is THE #1 farming county in the US (well, you might suspect that one)
3. The raisin industry started in Fresno County (the "Raisin Capital of the World") when Frances Eisen accidentally let some of his grapes dry on the vine in 1875. About 1/2 of the WORLD'S raisin production comes from Fresno (!).
4. Fresno's average annual rainfall is 9.86 inches
5. William Saroyan, Academy- and Pullitzer Prize-winning author and playwright lived in and wrote about Fresno. It should be noted that he refused to accept the Pullitzer.
6. The average high temperature in fall-80; winter-54; spring-75; summer-175 (I'm pretty sure I was there on one of those days)
7. Fresno is the 6th largest city in California and the Fresno County is the 3rd most diverse county in California behind Los Angeles and Alameda
8. Fresno is the largest American City not served by a major interstate highway (Hwy 99 is a CA state route)
9. Reputed to be the most corrupt politician in Fresno history, vice-leader Joseph Spinney was mayor for only 10 minutes.
10. If all the trash/recycling "carts" (bins) were set side by side, they would reach to San Jose, 146 miles away (actual fact with accompanying illustrated map from official Fresno City site).
We love it when Terry can join us for lunch, wedged into her perpetual-motion schedule as she manages the residential care homes and the well-being of the kids in them. It's amazing to hear the stories! I've noticed that we're developing a pattern that puts us at the California Pizza Kitchen more often than not. No problem there, especially since the Pear/Gorgonzola is back! Mom is doing well and this time she and I needed to study further the mysteries of the Medicare Part D drug benefit. She has it, but it's about as straightforward as the Federal Tax Code.
By the by, the photo of the enormous irises is from the Enoch Cristofferson rest area (a favorite stop near Turlock). I couldn't believe the size of these babies!
So, there you have it! I'm thinking you might want to bookmark this one for educational value, alone...
