Day 1--an awesome beginning

Awesome beginning!  Went to a Cal Retired Teachers luncheon where we heard Jack Gallager speak, then left Sacramento about 1:45 and reached Porterville at about 5:45.  We owned the freeway...there was no traffic to speak of, the weather was in the mid to high 70's, and we flew (safely, Surani Holly and Rob).
Stopped by Pat's grandparents home outside of Strathmore, where the orange blossoms smelled heavenly.  The house has really changed and lots of the groves were ripped out, although it looks like they're replanting.  Mountains to the east showed up really well, as they were snowcapped.  Forgot how tall they are.

Raghbir looking ready for dinner!

Had a nice dinner with Raghbir, and she does have wireless, thank goodness.

The picture is of an orange blossom, only wish you could take a snapshot of the odor, which is all pervasive in this area.

"Home is essential to travel because it gives us tools to decode the place we're in and a benchmark that lets us see how far we've come."  Diasann McLane (NG Traveler)