For some reason, it embarrasses me to admit this. So, I put it as the title of this post – practice saying it, feel it, face it. (Say it loud, say it proud?) I am a California Artist and I love Tulare County! (Is it warm in here or is it just me?)
Oranges #121, 8×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $90, available here
My cousins visited from Northern California. She is from the Chicago area and he grew up near Buffalo. (They are married so I consider him to be my cousin too.)
We spent part of a day in Sequoia. This is where they met while working for The Park’s concessionaire. (Here in Three Rivers we refer to Sequoia National Park as “The Park”.)
Sunny Sequoias XVIII, 8×8″, oil on wrapped canvas, $75, available here
Girl Cousin has inherited a portion of an orange grove where I spend the first 11 years of my life. (Don’t worry – we lived in a house, not under a tree.) So, we visited the grove. City folks say “ranch” and Citrus folks say “orchard” or “grove”.
Oranges #121, 8×10″, oil on wrapped canvas, $90, available here
Several thoughts:
- I expected that the day in The Park would be the most fun part of the time together, but
- The time in the citrus grove was the most fun.
- Perhaps this is because it was cold and wet and foggy in the Park and intermittently sunny in the grove.
- Or maybe it is because I had my eyes opened to how special it is to have grown up as the daughter, granddaughter and niece of citrus growers.
- Being a “tour guide” to Girl Cousin and Mr. Girl Cousin (sorry Bob – but you gotta laugh at that!) caused me to realize that I do know quite a bit about my county and about citrus. I was amazed by how much I had to say about it all. (I’m sure The Cousins were too.)
- In the course of these days together, it occurred to me that I do love Tulare County. We are poor, uneducated, fat and have very bad air* BUT we have Sequoia and we have citrus. So there.
P.S. Three Rivers might still be the best place to live in Tulare County, but my second choice is in an orange grove at the edge of the foothills.
*I have to point these things out so you all won’t move here.