Flat Susan's final week with me. VERY PHOTO HEAVY!!



Flat Susan and I took a drive into Bakersfield last week, so I could show her what this area is known for.  Bakersfield is about 20 miles from Shafter, but where I do all my shopping and business.

This is the original sign that used to be across Union Ave. (old highway 99) coming into Bakersfield.  When it was still in it's original location you could walk across it.  Buck Owens bought the sign, from the city, and had it moved to the corner where his famous Crystal Palace is.  Buck was such a country music legend I doubt I have to explain who and what he was.

This is the sign for the Crystal Palace.  It is a restaurant, bar, music and dance hall.  Great food and a lot of country western stars have performed here.  They also have a great Sunday buffet.

Here is the Crystal Palace from across the street.  It hadn't opened yet, so we couldn't really get any closer because of all the traffic.  It is like a small museum inside with a lot of country music memorabilia, including Buck's red, white and blue guitar and his convertible Cadillac mounted behind the bar.
 

This is his new recording studio, business and  home of KUZZ the local country music radio station.  Buck Owens did so much for Bakersfield with his music, and calling it his home, that they renamed the street in front of the Crystal Palace after him: Buck Owens Boulevard.

Next up is one of MY favorite places....DEWARS.  This is the sign at the original Dewars down town.  The BEST ice cream, but probably best known for their taffy chews that are shipped all over the world.

Behind this building is a huge warehouse that they ship from, but when I was in high school they made all the candy in this small building, and the smells were divine.  There is a small soda fountain, of the old school style with turning round stools.  This is about 2 blocks from where I went to high school, and if quick enough you could walk over there, get ice cream and make it back to ride the bus home.  I say quick enough because the place would be packed in less than 5 minutes of the last bell and you wouldn't have time to get ice cream and make it back in time to catch the bus. FS thought that was funny.  They have built a new one closer than all the way down town , and it is very retro, and cute, AND the one we take the GDs to.  BUT it really isn't the same, ice cream and candies are, but the ambiance is totally different.

Here is one of the buildings of the high school I went to, BHS.  When it was built it was the college, and when they built the Jr. college this became one of two high schools in Bakersfield.  Now there are about 12 high schools.  I wanted to take FS around the campus, but school was in session, and we were really in Bakersfield on an errand for the BBQ competition, so there was work to be done.

Friday was the day we headed for Lancaster, only about 2 hours from here, up on the Mojave desert.  We always seem to stop in Tehachapi, at this fueling station that has a Mac Donalds inside.  It is only  about an hour from home, but a good fueling spot for our trucks with long trailers.  Both trucks, ours and DS's, take desil, so truck stops are the best.

So while DS was fueling, the rest of us decided to get a bite to eat.  FS loves egg and sausage Mc Muffins.  Tehachapi is a pretty mountain community as is probably know best or the Tehachapi Loop.  From the valley floor to Tehachapi the trains have to climb over 4000 ft., sometimes at a 6% grade.  You can only see the whole loop from the air.  Long trains will cross over themselves as they make the loop.

From Tehachapi to Mojave you have to go through a small pass, where the wind always seems to blow.  About 20 years ago they erected these windmills all over the mountains.  They are HUGE!

As you can see by the trees and the telephone poles.  I was shooting through my window as we were driving by, that's the mirror there in the corner.

There are thousands of them on both sides of the mountains and through the pass.

This monocotyledonous tree is native to southwestern North America in the states of California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada, where it is confined mostly to the Mojave Desert between 400 and 1,800 meters (1,300 and 5,900 ft) elevation. It thrives in the open grasslands of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley in Joshua Tree National Park. A dense Joshua tree forest also exists in Mojave National Preserve, in the area of Cima Dome.  Good history lesson!

We finally made it to the BBQ Cook-Off.

The fairgrounds was large and very clean, these are just some of the buildings.
FS was a "hit" with the GDs and their cousins.  They had tons of questions to ask her and all wanted to have a picture taken with her.  I feared her head would not fit back into her match box.  So here they are, drum roll please!

 GD Megan and Flat Susan.

GD Hannah and Flat Susan

Rachel and Flat Susan

 

Madeline and Flat Susan

Still here?  Must be for the BBQ pictures.  Ready to have your mouth water?  Okay, here goes!

chicken thighs

pork ribs

pulled pork

beef brisket

Everything tasted so good.  What was FS favorite?  Well, she really couldn't make up her mind, but believe me her little dress sure got tight from trying to decide LOL.
So now FS will be sent off to Nan G, clear across the USA to Florida today or tomorrow, or when I get her all packed up and ready to go.
Thanks for hanging in here and looking at all the photos, sorry about it being so long, but we had a busy week and I wanted to share my area of California.
Inky Hugs
Krisha