Sunday, November 08, 2009

Livin' it Up in California City, CA

There are only 18 cities in all of the United States that have the same name as the state in which it resides. There's Oklahoma City, Kansas City and New York City to name a few. But in all my 40 years, I have never been to the namesake city in my own state. Until now.

James at the California City maintenance yard. (11/07/2009)
James at the California City maintenance yard. (11/07/2009)

California City, population 12,659, is located in California's Mojave Desert, near the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It sits 109 miles north of Los Angeles, and about 70 miles Southeast of Bakersfield. The closest thing to California City that anyone has probably heard of is Edwards Air Force Base, which is where Chuck Yeager famously broke the sound barrier in 1947 and has been the site of several Space Shuttle landings.

We were in town visiting our good friend Sergio, who currently lives and works in California City. Since we met Sergio earlier this year, he has always been the one to visit us. This was our first time visiting him.

What California City looks like. (11/07/2009)
What California City looks like. (11/07/2009)

After months of hearing Sergio talk about California City (more specifically, the lack of things to do in California City), I was dying to see this exotic locale with my own two eyes. So Friday night Tim and I packed up the Envoy, threw in Truman, and embarked on the 3-hour trek to Cal City (as the locals call it).

Our first glimpse of the town was not too exciting since we arrived at night (although we did stop at the city's one stoplight). But I was impressed to see that Cal City had its own McDonald's. The next morning Sergio gave us a city tour. We saw the city maintenance yard, the municipal airport and the Silver Saddle Ranch and Club, an 80-acre "resort oasis" (or as I would call it, a "campsite").

Sergio & James in California City. (11/07/2009)
Sergio & James in California City. (11/07/2009)

Afterward, we decided to have some lunch and then go bowling. The nearest bowling alley, of course, was 42 miles away in Lancaster, CA. Despite the lack of a bowling alley and a decent grocery store, I thought Cal City had a lot going for it.

It had a Quizno's sandwich shop. It had a Wimpy's 1950s-themed diner. It had a Sears (albeit in a strip mall), but it was nicer than some Sears stores I've seen. Plus, the take-out food we picked up from Green Tea Garden Chinese Restaurant was pretty darn good.

The California City supermarket. (11/07/2009)
The California City supermarket. (11/07/2009)

Another thing that California City has going for it is it's immense size. It has a total area of over 200 square miles, making it the third largest city in California (only beat by Los Angeles and San Diego) and 35th largest city in the United States.

Although I can't argue that there's a lot to do in Cal City, one great thing I can say about the town is that it's affordable. During Truman's morning walk, I came across a sign that listed apartment rentals. I was amazed that you can find a 2-bedroom, 1-bath apartment for as low as $550 a month (it would be $1,200 in Orange County). There was even a 4-bedroom, 2-bath place for rent at the amazingly low rate of $850 a month (unheard of in Orange County).

James at the California City Airport. (11/07/2009)
James at the California City Airport. (11/07/2009)

So if you don't like living anywhere near a large city, want an affordable place to live, and don't mind the lack of diversions, then check out California City.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Celebrating Day of the Dead / Dia de Los Muertos

Once again we had our semi-annual dinner celebrating Día de los Muertos (aka "Day of the Dead"), the annual tradition celebrated on All Saints' Day (Nov. 1) or All Soul's Day (Nov. 2). This festive Mexican holiday pays respect to friends and family who have passed away, while at the same time honoring the continuation of life.

Our Dia de los Muertos altar. (11/01/2009)
Our Dia de los Muertos altar. (11/01/2009)

The holiday symbolizes the belief that our connection with friends and family does not end at death. To commemorate the impact they've had on our lives, a special meal is prepared to welcome the souls into your home for a day of rememberance.

Johnny, Jon and Tim get ready to eat. (11/01/2009)
Johnny, Jon and Tim get ready to eat. (11/01/2009)

Today's special meal was Mexican of course, and our pals Johnny and Jon joined us in the celebration. We had carne asada, pollo asado, carnitas, beans and tortillas. (We skipped the rice this year since we're doing South Beach). Of course I made my award-winning fresh guacamole. We also bought a pan de muerto, a Mexican bread sold this time of year that looks like bones. We also skipped the cupcakes and instead celebrated with skull-like cups of sugar-free pudding (another South Beach modification).

Pan de Muerto. (11/01/2009)
Pan de Muerto. (11/01/2009)

This was our first time celebrating Day of the Dead in two years. We skipped it in 2008 because Tim's Grandma Helen in Buffalo, NY passed away a few days before, and her passing was too recent to celebrate Day of the Dead in the joyful spirit in which it was meant to be celebrated (it's not intended to be a sad holiday).

Dia de los Muertos pudding cups. (11/01/2009)
Dia de los Muertos pudding cups. (11/01/2009)

One of the traditions is to display a Day of the Dead altar, where you place candles and photos or mementos of the special souls who have touched our lives. My mother, my grandparents, Tim's dear friend Judi and our beloved dog Simon had their appearance. This year we added photos of Tim's Grandma Helen and our friend Jack Pitts who passed away this year. Although we were saddened to have lost them since our last Day of the Dead celebration, we were honored to include them in our celebration this year.

James & Tim's 2007 Day of the Dead celebration.

James & Tim's 2006 Day of the Dead celebration.

Sunday, November 01, 2009

Halloween Impromptu

You may think we had all sorts of plans for Halloween. Especially this year since it fell on a Saturday. Nope.

James as Fidel Castro. (10/31/2009)
James as Fidel Castro. (10/31/2009)

We had no plans. No party invitations. Nada. So our plan was to do what we do every year: Hand out candy to the kids. Our pal Amy also had no plans, so she came over for dinner (Tim made a great tilapia) and to hand out candy to the kids.

Tim as Coffee Matey Light. (10/31/2009)
Tim as Coffee Matey Light. (10/31/2009)

We had maybe 35-40 kids drop by. By the time we shut down at 9pm, I was itchin' to go do something. I was already in my old Fidel Castro costume. So we quickly pulled out Tim's old Tigger costume for Amy, and Tim dusted off his old Coffee Matey costume.

Amy as Tigger. (10/31/2009)
Amy as Tigger. (10/31/2009)

Looking for something to do, we called our friends Scott and Erika, who we learned had just moved into their new condo that very day. Amazingly, they were up for an adventure. Even more amazingly, with all of their belongings stuffed in boxes and clothes hapers, they were able to improvise two costumes in less than 5 minutes!

Our posse at TGIF. (10/31/2009)
Our posse at TGIF. (10/31/2009)

Our plans weren't huge. We went to T.G.I.Fridays at The Block for appetizers and drinks. But for an impromptu adventure, it sure was a fun Halloween.