My agenda was to get Joan back to Yuba City. Her agenda was to get me there via a new and scenic route. Karen's agenda was to come along for the ride. What a great day!
Our first stop was the most awesome nursery, High-Hand in Loomis. If I lived closer, I would be here all the time. It is an oasis.
It is also a history lesson and home of the Loomis Fruit Growers Association, which has been in continuous operation since it was incorporated in 1901. The LFGA constructed the High Hand Fruit Sheds in 1926 as its central packing plant. During its years of peak operation, the LFGA employed up to 100 workers at the Sheds during harvest season. Here they packed and shipped local “Mountain Grown” fruit, under the HIGH-HAND label, to major markets around the world.
Today the Hand-Made tradition is carried forward here. We got a sense of this history as we strolled through the High Hand Fruit Shed, where workers names are still written on the posts and rafters of the historical building.
Joan's next stop, on our amazing tour, was at the Gladding Mc Bean Pipe Factory... another exceptional history lesson.
Charles Gladding (1828–1894) was born in Buffalo, New York, served as a first lieutenant in the Union Army during the Civil War, and later moved to Chicago, where he engaged in the clay sewer pipe business. Coming to California in 1874 looking for new business opportunities, Charles read an article in a San Francisco newspaper about a large clay deposit near the town of Lincoln, California. Charles Gladding, along with Peter McGill McBean and George Chambers, established Gladding-McBean in 1875. Its original product was clay sewer pipe. By 1883, the company had grown to 75 employees, and it then evolved into a major manufacturer of architectural terracotta.
Today Gladding McBean is thriving, with proven clay reserves assuring operations for decades to come. Gladding has combined the old world craftsmanship with new technology such as laser scanning and sophisticated computer-aided design to provide customers with infinite creative possibilities.
We ended our Lincoln visit with a too quick visit to the history museum and lunch al fresco.
After getting Joan safely home and saying our goodbyes, Karen and I did an exhaustive explore of IKEA.
Karen was happy to discover that my favorite spot for meatballs also has a vegetarian option.
Oh but for me, I stayed with the traditional delights, KÖTTBULLAR, made with only natural ingredients: meat (84%), onion, bread crumbs, egg, water, salt and pepper.
"It doesn't where you're going
It's who you have beside you."
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