Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
I had been threatening Central California for a while with a visit, and this weekend was it!
6:00 AM Saturday morning... all quiet at the Irvine Spectrum shopping center. Si showed up with his mini-van and startled the security guard awake. Ian had set his alarm clock for 5 PM instead of 5 AM, so there was a slight delay. 6:20 we hit the road.
The 5 Freeway through LA, even on a weekend, is a bit of a crap shoot, but luck was on our side. We scooted through the city, and through Burbank, before we hit a wall of traffic. Ian intimidated some gangbangers from Guam to let us through, and we were able to exit the freeway, run a bunch of red lights, and take surface streets down 5 miles until we hopped back on the freeway and could head up and out of the Valley.
One quick rest stop to tank up, grab some Mtn Dew, and we were in Fresno by 10:20 - only 20 minutes behind schedule. We drove down a random street in Fresno, and there was an attractive male waving us down from the sidewalk... and who could it possibly be but Al Keppler! With Al's expert guidance, we headed out to the Fresno Yard Sale (aka Annual Bonsai Sales Event) where we grabbed some quick bargains.
From there it was off to the Fresno Texas Yardhouse for some excellent Beef Tips and Chicken Fried Steak. The waitress was making eyes at Si, but we were busy talking about bonsai and refused to be distracted.
Once full food coma set in, we returned to Al's house and spent a couple hours hanging out, comparing soil mixes, and scaring away Al's squirrels. Si bought one of Al's bonsai forests even though it was like 6' long and will need a trailer and three muscular carriers to come cart away at some point in the future. (Good luck with that Si)
Only too quickly, our time was running short. We hopped back in the SUV, and headed south about an hour, left the freeway, and zigged and zagged about 20 miles until we found Ed Clark's Round Valley Nursery... aka "drive until you hit Sequoia National Park and then turn left". Linda was wise enough to stay in her warm house while Ed was unwise enough to escort us through his hoop houses of fantastic pre-bonsai material.
As the sun was setting, we were scrambling to grab samples of this and that, while talking to Ed about his experience with white pine grafts and salmon fishing. The sun was low on the horizon before we ponied up and headed back out for the four hour drive home.
The rest of the ride was somewhat of a blur because night-time driving all looks the same. Si was our navigator in the backseat, and we couldn't get much out of him except "stay off the 5, stay off the 5". Ian and I were swapping stories about Europe and women, and making up histories of people (assumed female) driving muscle cars on the Grapevine with vanity plates named "NASTYCAT". Nastycat... if you're out there... we miss you.
And then too soon we were back at the Irvine Spectrum. Si woke up the security guard (again) transferring his trees over to his minivan, and then with some stalwart handshakes we were on our ways home. I walked in the door at 8:30, kissed my wife, hugged my daughter, and was dead asleep by 9:00.
6:00 AM Saturday morning... all quiet at the Irvine Spectrum shopping center. Si showed up with his mini-van and startled the security guard awake. Ian had set his alarm clock for 5 PM instead of 5 AM, so there was a slight delay. 6:20 we hit the road.
The 5 Freeway through LA, even on a weekend, is a bit of a crap shoot, but luck was on our side. We scooted through the city, and through Burbank, before we hit a wall of traffic. Ian intimidated some gangbangers from Guam to let us through, and we were able to exit the freeway, run a bunch of red lights, and take surface streets down 5 miles until we hopped back on the freeway and could head up and out of the Valley.
One quick rest stop to tank up, grab some Mtn Dew, and we were in Fresno by 10:20 - only 20 minutes behind schedule. We drove down a random street in Fresno, and there was an attractive male waving us down from the sidewalk... and who could it possibly be but Al Keppler! With Al's expert guidance, we headed out to the Fresno Yard Sale (aka Annual Bonsai Sales Event) where we grabbed some quick bargains.
From there it was off to the Fresno Texas Yardhouse for some excellent Beef Tips and Chicken Fried Steak. The waitress was making eyes at Si, but we were busy talking about bonsai and refused to be distracted.
Once full food coma set in, we returned to Al's house and spent a couple hours hanging out, comparing soil mixes, and scaring away Al's squirrels. Si bought one of Al's bonsai forests even though it was like 6' long and will need a trailer and three muscular carriers to come cart away at some point in the future. (Good luck with that Si)
Only too quickly, our time was running short. We hopped back in the SUV, and headed south about an hour, left the freeway, and zigged and zagged about 20 miles until we found Ed Clark's Round Valley Nursery... aka "drive until you hit Sequoia National Park and then turn left". Linda was wise enough to stay in her warm house while Ed was unwise enough to escort us through his hoop houses of fantastic pre-bonsai material.
As the sun was setting, we were scrambling to grab samples of this and that, while talking to Ed about his experience with white pine grafts and salmon fishing. The sun was low on the horizon before we ponied up and headed back out for the four hour drive home.
The rest of the ride was somewhat of a blur because night-time driving all looks the same. Si was our navigator in the backseat, and we couldn't get much out of him except "stay off the 5, stay off the 5". Ian and I were swapping stories about Europe and women, and making up histories of people (assumed female) driving muscle cars on the Grapevine with vanity plates named "NASTYCAT". Nastycat... if you're out there... we miss you.
And then too soon we were back at the Irvine Spectrum. Si woke up the security guard (again) transferring his trees over to his minivan, and then with some stalwart handshakes we were on our ways home. I walked in the door at 8:30, kissed my wife, hugged my daughter, and was dead asleep by 9:00.
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