Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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March is National Women's History Month here in the United States, which is also just a small part of a global celebration; International Woman's Day, March 8, is a celebration of women and their accomplishments observed annually, world-wide. The beginnings of the month's celebrations in our country can be traced back to 1848 when women were barred from speaking at an anti-slavery convention. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott got a few hundred people together for the nation's first...
One rainy day last week when I was suffering greatly from cabin fever, I decided I had to get out of the house, destination unknown. I just started to drive, taking the 58 West. I've been thinking about writing a "where to see the wildflowers" column, since we're all hoping for a great season after all the moisture that's fallen, but it's still a little early in the mountains for that. In the lower lands, however, as I drove down the hill, I saw that wildflowers are already starting to pop up....
I've been through Lone Pine a few times on the 395 heading for somewhere else, but I hadn't yet been to Lone Pine as a destination until a couple of weeks ago. One Friday morning, Leila, one of my day trippin' pals, and I headed up north to check out Lone Pine, specifically with the film museum in mind. It was a gorgeous day for the drive up along the Southern Sierras; Red Rocks State Park was as stunning as ever to pass through, and we also drove by a large area of lava beds further north....
It's hard to imagine what the weather will be like when you read this, but as I sit here writing a column for this week's paper, it is snowing steadily outside and there is plenty of the white stuff already on the ground. Much more is predicted for tonight and over the next several days. Snow is on my mind. I like the snow, generally speaking. I especially like the snow in Tehachapi as it rarely lasts very long, and it makes the hills around us so lovely. I don't know what it will be like here,...
I love going to the movies, and as near as I can recall, I always have. My folks took me early on; in fact, before my conscious recollections of childhood kick in, I'm told my folks took me to see Peter Pan at a drive-in when I was a toddler, and I spent half the time hiding behind the car seat because I was afraid of Captain Hook and the crocodile. I don't have a first-hand memory of that, but it makes me laugh to hear it because as far back as I can remember I've loved being scared at the...
Last summer I made a daytrip to Randsburg specifically with the goal of getting a chocolate malt at the General Store there. The town (and the store) has long been a favorite destination of mine as I've been visiting it semi-regularly for over 30 years. Something about the "living ghost town"-in addition to the yummy chocolate malts – just fascinates me. Over the years I've met several different owners of the General Store, but so much of it remained the same that it's always been like a step b...
Tehachapi's weekly Farmer's Market is always a fun activity in the summers around here, and I love going to see all the produce and craft booths. Our market usually runs from May or June through August or September, in the late afternoon and early evening. Other cities have farmer's markets that run year-round at different times. Bakersfield is one of those cities and actually, they offer a couple of different markets. My friend Leila and I decided to check out the Hagen Oaks Farmer's Market a...
Love is a funny thing. It's hard to define, yet most of us know what it is. Many of us recognize that there are different kinds of love, but we call all those different things by one word: love. Some of us live a life of love and it shows in a variety of ways; some of us don't think about it much but the way we do things shows our love anyway. Some of us love a lot and show it easily, but we find it's not always accepted as such. Some of us think we are unlovable because we find difficulty in...
I really enjoy taking regular day trips and telling you all about them in these pages, but every now and then I find I also enjoy staying at home, just relaxing and perhaps daydreaming about trips to take in the future. Today's column is about one of those stay-at-home times, even though I didn't actually plan it that way. Thanks to the shortened deadline for the paper this week (which I goofed and totally misjudged, thinking I had another week to do something and write about it) and a number...
I didn't make any New Year's resolutions this year. As a general rule I find I don't keep them anyway. It's easy to say I'm going to do better at this or that or I'm no longer going to do that or this, but it's hard to follow through when old habits are so firmly formed. The only resolution that has ever worked relatively well for me is this: "I resolve to be open to new possibilities." It basically comes down to simply reminding myself to keep myself open to any and all possibilities, whatever...
The wonky, wildly windy weather we've had lately, along with counting my blessings in this new year and remembering that sometimes I just luck out for no apparent reason, made me think back on one particular long-ago tornado experience. One summer day circa 1974 a friend and I went to the softball fields in Oklahoma City to watch some good tournament slow pitch. The weather was iffy to say the least – rain threatened, and tornados were forecast – but that was a common summer occurrence in the So...
For as long as I can remember I've been a basketball fan, particularly of the girls' and women's game as I was a player myself. So, after many years of living here in Tehachapi and only watching college and pro games on TV, I decided to make a trip down to California State University in Bakersfield to watch a Roadrunner game. My friend Julee – who is generally and happily "up for anything" – went with me last Saturday to watch the Roadrunners play the UC Davis Aggies. Not having been there bef...
If you're feeling the need for a little culture to start off the new year, may I suggest the Bakersfield Museum of Art. It's one of my favorite art museums and the art on display there is worth the trip down the hill. I made the trip a few days before Christmas, and I wish I had gone sooner as two of the current exhibits are only up through Jan. 7, 2023. That means your time to see the ones I'm talking about today are limited, but never fear, there is always great art on display any time you cho...
How on earth is it time to write an end-of-the-old year-and-hooray-for-the-New- Year column? How did we get here already? How can it be the end of December when just a couple of weeks ago it was September? How can time fly by so darned fast? Alas, I have no answers as to how it can be. I can only say well, here we are, and ever onward we must go. You see around this time each year I like to write about the excitement of a new year, a new beginning, a chance to start over. About endings and begin...
I was not aware of the existence of the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve in Lancaster until I read a post on Facebook that said a friend, Tehachapi/Bear Valley Springs artist Tina Dille, had artwork on display there. So I put it on my to-do list and my friend and day-trippin' pal Leila Kleiman and I took off last Wednesday to check it out. What a great find! A little gem in the middle of the city, the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve was originally proposed in 1985 and established to teach visitors...
My childhood was pretty traditional, generally speaking, and our holiday celebrations were no exception. Through college, winter holidays were spent with my family – some years at our house, some years at the grandparents' houses. Some part of the Christmas holiday was also always spent with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins around. We kids would spend part of the day sledding or skating on the pond or playing board games if the weather was too bad. When I was out of school and off on my own,...
'Tis the season for gift-giving, and if you're in the mood for finding some unique gift ideas, may I suggest Charlie Brown Farms in Littlerock, California? But note: Charlie Brown's is much more than just a gift shop – it's a great little day trip destination. I was casting about for something to do the other day and out of the blue I realized I haven't been to Charlie Brown's for several years. I looked it up on the internet to make sure it is still there and sure enough, it is. So, off I w...
I'm lousy at making up puns, but I love to hear or read them. Here are more fun puns I've come across in the last few months – feel free to use them for grins and groans at your upcoming holiday parties: It's hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they always take things literally. Last night I had a date with a ghost. I knew it the moment she walked through the door. "That's the last time I pet a lion," Tom said offhandedly. Raining cats and dogs isn't as bad as hailing taxis. I was watc...
Thanksgiving is coming right up, a uniquely American holiday, a time to celebrate being grateful, a time to remember to count our blessings. And since the holiday revolves around a food feast as well, one wonderful old tradition is to pause before the holiday meal and go around the table giving everyone a chance to say what they are most thankful for. Some people want to make sure they say something profound. Some people can ramble on and on about their multitude of blessings while others find...
I pretty much love all forms of live theater; I love going to (and occasionally being in) the plays at the BeeKay Theatre in Downtown Tehachapi. I also love to go out of town to see plays in bigger venues like the Lancaster Performing Arts or even to L.A. And I love going out of town to smaller venues too, like to the Gaslight Melodrama Theater and Music Hall in Bakersfield. By the way, a melodrama is defined as a "sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events..."...
Have you voted already? I have. I got my ballot in the mail, did my homework and filled it out, and mailed it in already. About the time you're reading this, I will be getting a confirmation that my vote has been received and will be counted. How easy is that? It's easy enough that there are really no excuses for not voting in an election these days, either a presidential election or a midterm election like this one. Despite the ongoing efforts of some folks to make voting harder across the...
Kernville is like a magnet for me – I love making day trips into the whole Lake Isabella area for a variety of reasons, and many of them are in Kernville – and once I get started it's hard to stop. The town of Kernville is full of history and present-day activities, including river rafting and kayaking, fishing, wading in the river, camping, hiking, and shopping. The small downtown area features a number of antiques shops and gift shops, and of course there are great places to eat and drink as...
I've always loved the month of October for many reasons – the little chill in the air, then the unexpected warm day; the leaves turning colors; the every-now-and-then brisk breeze that turns into a surprise snowfall, baseball playoffs and football season, hayrides and bonfires. And while I do enjoy those things immensely, I also really like all the horror movies that inundate the big and little screens this time of year, and of course the spooky decorations and Halloween type celebrations t...
My mother and I discovered Paradise Cove in Malibu a couple of decades ago when we were driving down the coast on Highway One (aka Pacific Coast Highway), exploring interesting sights. We saw the giant sign and turned in on a whim to check it out. What we found was a beach café (a large restaurant and bar really) and a wonderful little pier and a small, cozy stretch of beach. We also found out that the cove was the spot where the fictional TV character Jim Rockford (played by James Garner)...
From time to time readers send me stories or poems or other written pieces that they think I might like to pass on, like today's offering. These 12 short-short stories are quite powerful and made me think about everyday happenings and how simple statements or actions can mean so much. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. 1. Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said,...
