How many of us are california Natives?

indeed!

Yes, Weegy. Come and see me! You know that my time is your best time too. When the iris are blooming. The daylilies should be lovely too and tea in the gazebo is always fun.

I would love to! Someday....you just might get a knock on your door. Come see my garden in bloom! Anytime.

I would love to see your koi - but I can't travel. Maybe someday....

Oh I hope so Doss.

A young sailor from West Virginia came to southern CA in January of 1941 and decided that this was heaven and would live here where he could be in his shirt sleeves sunning himself in the dead of winter. Next stop was Pearl Harbor. Came back to California, with a short trip back to West Virginia to marry my mother and bring her out on the train, and that is how I came to be a California Native.

oh.. what a great story

How cool is this thread, I am patting myself on the back because I like to really know someone, where they came from and what brought them here? It is such a big community on dg, yet the threads make it smaller and some make it even smaller and more personal. Who has been gardening the last few days? Me. funny, people love this state. It is a joke in my area, that people leave the State or area to find some place better and always come back!!!

I've been gardening. Cleaned the whole backyard, ridded weeds on the flagstone walkways. Yesterday dug up a huge iris order for Germany. So yes I've been gardening.

I guess I`ll head out myself or atlest start to.

The reason I ended up out here was that the company I was working for in Cincinnati made the mistake (for them) of sending me on a business trip to Santa Barbara one year in January. Of course the weather ended up being gorgeous while I was there, I stayed over the weekend and went whale watching in Ventura, and ever since then I knew I had to move to CA eventually! Took me a couple years after that to be at the right point in my life to make the move, but that's how it all started!

I'll bet that a lot of people have ended up in California that way!

I was born in OK in the mid '40's. My father was going to University of OK after the war. My Dad's parents were dustbowl Okies and he grew up in Montebello/Whittier/Pico. My mom was born in San Bernardino and her mom was too. We moved back in '51 (Benicia). I've lived in or near San Diego since 1961.

It sure has changed a lot. I remember at one time when Rancho Cucamonga claimed the largest wine vineyards in the world and the Inland Empire truly was the Orange Empire.

First time we went to Disneyland (1956) it was in the middle of a huge Orange grove.

Yes, it sure has changed a lot.

-Ron-

Yes Rancho Cucamonga is no longer the wine vineyard capital. It's now been replaced with homes. I live where once grew grapes in droves. I don't like this Orange County feel we're starting to get. Don't get me wrong, it's the traffic that I don't like. It's like the city is trying to mock the OC with the same exact buildings. But as I've said before, I'd live no where else. Also since the airport went international, there's alot more traffic. We live only 2 miles north of it. I was born the same year as Disneyland, Ron!

My DH - born and raised in England - was considering South Africa or Australia but got a job offer here - lucky me.

My folks settled in the San Fernando Valley in the 30s, as I said, and had some interesting times. Dad ran a gas station where lots of movie actors would bring their cars. We have a picture of my eldest brother as a baby in Mickey Rooney's swimming pool. I wouldn't have known except we were going through pictures and I asked who had a pool in those days? They didn't think it was a big deal; most of the people they met were nice like that. Jimmy Stewart would ask him in for lemonade when he brought his car back after servicing - at the front door, not the back. Of course, there were a FEW jerks. How things have changed... though I'm sure there are some nice celebrities somewhere! Orange trees were everywhere, of course - Mom said you could smell the blossoms from the road.

When I was growing up, we smelled the dairy farms! lol

I smelled those cows too! Born and raised in Chino...MOOOOOOOO....PEWWWWWW!

Louise, I grew up in Gardena - probably one of the few places one would find the 'fish man' who came around in his truck with fresh octopus. It was a nice place to live in those days. Can you imagine, the current generation doesn't know about the ice man, the milkman, the bread truck, etc.? We had a large Japanese population, so we had the fish man as well.

kaperc - I grew up in Lomita which I never say because no one knows where it is. Narbonne High school where I went played Gardena High in the same league. Don't know if it was true in your day. We had a milkman but no fishman that I could remember! My grandmother who lived in Wilmington had an ice cream truck though and it was always a treat when I was there. My grandmother and dad went to what is now Narbonne and my mother went to Banning High.

Great grandpa came to California in the 1860s, and I was born and raised on the Pennisula. (SF Bay Area.) I have moved a couple of hundred miles north, but unless I did something like join the Peace Corps, I wouldn't want to live any place else. (Well, maybe Hawaii, if I were rich.) I love this state's diversity, not only in our communities, but in terrain, too. It is a beautiful state. We have city and country, mountains and seashore. The weather can't be beat!

I am just starting to garden, and perhaps the "California philosophy" has caused me to lean towards doing things mostly organically. Organics and permaculture didn't originate here, but you'll certainly find a large number of people here who grow that way.

If we get started on this, I'll go on and on about how I miss the Helms man. We've been saying for years and years how we want to leave California (have been back and forth many times),but it's only recently that I've realized maybe I don't want to leave now. Yes, hate the changes and the traffic, but, jeez, the ocean, the mountains, the desert and I'm sure I'd be really bored out in the boonies now. And......hate to admit it, I don't want to get too far away from Trader Joe's and Starbuck's. Only to the northwest, that's the only place I'd go.
Sherry

This message was edited Mar 8, 2007 4:31 PM

Born and raised in Culver City, behind MGM studio. Went to the same school my parents did, and my sisters kids went there as well. Made the "BIG MOVE" (23 miles !!!) to Long Beach 17 years ago. I can't imagine living or gardening anywhere else. When we were growing up we didn't even have a lock on our front door.

A big adventure for use back then was to go into the San Fernando Valley...it was like another world to us kids. Cerritos was all dairy land. I remember when Marina del Rey was a swamp, then they pumped all the water out and it's now all apartments, condo's and boat slips.

And...the 405 Freeway actually flowed !!!

I wonder if people who grew up in Norco learn to have a love for the cow poop smell? Where I live there were only turkey farms and alfalfa farms and aerospace, nothing else, but it has really changed and grown. The place has so much more to offer but still low paying jobs and prices are not that much cheaper, like before. Compared to where all of you live yes but if you lived here a long time, it is shocking at the cost of living vs the pay, so everyone commutes. Now with our growing area, crime is an issue and gangs, which never were before. Build a State Prison and their families will come.

Where we lived there wasn't the smell of cow poop. When the wind blew the wrong way we got the lovely fishy smell from San Pedro. But I never got to the point where I loved it I'm afraid.

The Helms man!!!! I remember! Remember how good the inside of that truck smelled when he opened the back up??!?!? I miss the good ol days.

yes....all I had to do was thinkof the Helms Man and I could smell that smell. I would be so happy if they could just bring it back again. I think friends in Seal Beach still get milk delivered. Maybe it's been a few years now, not sure. Rockview Dairy still delivered. I guess every generation has it's own nostalgic things they would love to see again. Every time I go to Long Beach I'm so thrilled to see the"Big Donut" is still there, reminds me of happy summer days with my Mom taking my cousins and me to the Colorado Lagoon. We were so young and so happy. I need to see "Cocoon" again...."you'll never get old and you'll never die".

In Ohio it was Charlie chips, he had a truck with these big brown cans and you could have them filled with bbq or regular chips, popcorn etc. Milk man was when I was real young, but I remember it. No bread man to my recolection, but do You remember the blue chip stamp store?

I remember Blue Chip. Bought a few pieces of junk there! Our Helms man had more than bread...I always got those pink, coconut puff things with the chocolate cake and white cream...Yummmmmmm. too bad I'm dieting, I could really go for one now!

lol

I always got French donuts....

french cruelers are my favorite donuts, and apple fritters. Not on my diet either Gyps. You are missed at G. O. W., they are talking about you as we speak, in wonderment.

Well, I was just baby about 4 months old I came California from Philippines Island which I was born there at Clark AFB as my dad was in service that time in 1956. So, I has been hardy to remember in California for years as Southern Calif and Northern Calif, too.

I was living in north Missouri for 5 yrs then move back to California for 9 yrs then move back to Missouri again last year. So, as I know some of California for years. I live in Fontana for long time as childhood. Also in Concord for 2 yrs. as I was 6. Back to Fontana I was 8 yrs old. So, I m now 50 yrs old. I going on road trip this Sunday March 11. I drive to California to visit my brother in S. F. next week.

Anna

OH!! Road trip, Rusty...lucky you ....and San Francisco. I'm so envious.
Dawn, it's just gotten to be really, really busy time of year for me now that spring has sprung. I have far more to take care of than I can possibly do and it gets frustrating. Some things get done,some don't.

That why I gonna have a big good fun for me and Also I coming out to Southern California at Temecula, too. Also I going up to Fort Bragg, too which there is Botanical garden there. And I gotta to hug the Redwood Trees so bad and I going take pic of me , Rusty and tree.
Anna

Anna, Now I'm really envious...Ft. Bragg, too?? Maybe you won't want to go back to Missouri. You're hitting all the best places. I've read about the botanical garden there, but not been there. We made offers on several properties there years ago. If it had worked out, I doubt if we'd have ever left. Love it there. Have a good trip. Are you going to stay out here til May? Or go back and come out here again?
Sherry

I go back to Missouri and come out again.
Cause I was kid using be camping up there one time. My dad brought the land there and he sold it. Oh well, I just love there but I'm not living there that I don't want to live earthquake area.

Also I promise to my niece want to see his dad in Southern Calif. While I go to Temecula's RU Party there.
Anna

This message was edited Mar 8, 2007 9:47 PM

Fort Bragg also has some great nurseries. Hortus Botanicus is a lovely setting http://www.hortusb.com/ and the Fuchsiarama is a nice place to picnic just North of town. Here is a nice little tour of Mendocino, for those who can't make it. http://sacgardening.blogspot.com/2006/08/trip-to-mendocino.html

George

Oh it will be nice to see another place... Thanks for information to know about that place.
Anna

Wow, George...what fun. Makes me long to be there. Thanks for the link.

Oh There is Whale Festival on March 17 & 18...

http://www.mendowhale.com/


Anna



This message was edited Mar 8, 2007 10:29 PM

I was wondering if you'd see migrating whales...good timing.