T for Tuesday and T-cup, with Tea!

Surprise!! I do own a tea cup and I actually have tea in it, and I still have Flat Susan with me. SO, we are linking up with Elizabeth of Altered Arts for T stands for Tuesday. A weekly trip around the blog block to see what everybody has in their cups, glasses or what ever they are drinking out of.  This is a spiced herbal tea, that I picked up at the store, now everybody knows I am a coffee drinker, but this sounded good.  A little bit on the sweet side for me, but I have enjoyed a couple cups of it in the evenings. 

Since last we had Tea, I was super busy getting the Playhouse loaded and all the BBQ stuff gathered to make it to Lancaster, CA for an other competition over the weekend.  More will be posted about that later this week.  But I did grab my camera on one trip into Bakersfield, so I thought I'd share some of my stomping grounds with you, and what some of the things this area is known for.  So grab a cuppa and stroll along with me.  (Actually I drove LOL)

This place is about a 1/2 mile from my house and is quite well know for supplying living caterpillars, butterflies and insects to anywhere in the world.  There is even a bug-museum inside.  It is a well visited place for school field trips, and is really fun on the inside.  I took my oldest GD (when she was the only GD we had) and we really enjoyed it.  About 12 years ago the painted the building and added LARGE wooded bugs to the outside.
For more information do a web search for Insect Lore, Shafter, CA and check it out.

This area is mainly agricultural, so what do we grow here?
Almond orchard just around the corner from Insect Lore.  Almonds were harvested last month.  They have these small, low riding machines that look like they have pinchers on them, that grab the trunk of the tree and shake the nuts off them.  Then they sweep them up with a different machine.  Between the shaking and the sweeping the dust in the air is horrible, not to mention it gets on everything inside and out!
Right now they are cutting hay, this was down at the next road.  In the background they are taking an OLD almond orchard out and chipping up the trees, I'm gonna miss that orchard as I drive into town.
Grapes are grown a lot in this valley too.  They used to dry them in the fields for raisins, but I haven't seen much of that in the recent years.  I think most of them are shipped out now.  A couple of vineries have popped up here, but I have never been of one of them. The grapes come off before the almonds are harvested.
 
 
Cotton is an other BIG crop here too.  This has been defoliated and is almost ready to pick.  They spray a defoliant on them to turn kill the leaves and plants before they run the pickers to harvest.



Pistachios...MMMMMMM.  They are about the last thing harvested.  These trees still have nuts on them, they are those brown looking clusters hanging down.
And then there are these all over the place.  They used to paint then to look like bugs, but not so much anymore.  They have started putting in some new style ones, but I didn't get a picture of one of them.

So that is what is right around here (Shafter)  Tomorrow I'll take you into Bakersfield.
Inky Hugs
Krisha

Comments

Holy cow. You live in a REAL agricultural valley. If you took a photo of Kansas, all you would see is wheat fields, either growing or harvested and empty. We joke that our state tree is the telephone pole, so orchards are always fun to see, even if it's in photos.

When I think of cotton, I think of the deep south, not southern CA. You could have bowled me over with a cotton ball when you showed that field.

BTW, I have been through Bakersfield on my way to Los Angeles. And I am quite familiar with oil wells. The rigs dot the wheat fields.

So, did Flat Susan enjoy the drive? I bet she enjoyed having tea with you. It may (or may not, knowing Neet's penchant for coffee) have made her homesick.

Thanks for sharing your tea AND the day out and about. It was a fun time for me to see where you lived.
roffeycreations said…
Hi Krisha - nice to see your local area - bug Lore looks like fun - I thought the sign said Bug Love!!
Happy T Day - Mxx
Darla said…
What fun to tour your local area. I've driven up and down I-5 lots of time but only once took the Bakersfield route south. The bug store looks worth a visit.

Darla
Please come back to my blog and read a comment Julia left for you. Apparently she can't visit you for some reason. Thanks, dear.
Halle said…
You live in a really neat area. So different from my neck of the woods. I'd love to see almonds on a tree! Love almonds.
Happy Tuesday!
dawn said…
Thanks so much for this tour today, loved seeing the fields and places. My kids would enjoy that bug museum, how cool it's that close to you.
What a pretty tea cup you have, hello to Flat Susan!!
Glad you could be with us this Tuesday, enjoy your day!
Dianne said…
lovely little tea cup...hmmm, perhaps I should consider using one for T Tuesday? Great photos of your area--crisp and beautiful! I've never seen pistachio trees before!
~*~Patty S said…
Thank you for sharing these great photos of your neck of the woods!
Loved seeing the various crops and so interesting about the cotton...one more reason to buy organic me thinks...
Your tea cup is lovely.
Insect Lore looks like a place I would really enjoy visiting too!
Happy T Day
oxo
Spyder said…
I was thinking flat Susan looks a little different this week, she didn't fall in the washing machine, or maybe she's been drinking your tea. Fabulous looking cup! and some amazing pictures,
Happy T day
((Lyn))
Wow, so many interesting places right in your own neighborhood! Must be very interesting, even if dusty, to watch the various machines harvest the various crops. Thanks for taking us along!
Denise Price said…
Thanks for the Bakersfield tour. It's interesting to see where so much of the country's produce is grown. But what really fascinates me is that bug place--it looks like fun. Happy T Day to you and Flat Susan!
Neet said…
Wow, what an interesting post, so much is going on around you. Thanks for sharing - and for Flat Susan being part of it.
Hugs, Neet xx