Friday, 7 June
Our days start slowly here. Whatever can be done on laptop or paper is best accomplished in the cool of the morning on the deck, (iced) tea or coffee in hand. Once it started getting hot, we set out in the car for some Redding touring. From The Katwalk, a second-hand shop blaring Christian rock, to a whizz round the Redding rodeo ground, it was quite a ride. Highlights included the cancer society’s ‘discovery shop’, where we marvelled at everything from beer steins to Books of Mormon, and — of course — Trader Joe’s. I need to be restrained in that place; I now own several things I love but didn’t need including ‘everything but the pickle’ dill seasoning and a shopping bag patterned with sardines.
The day’s culinary delights continued when we arrived back to find our package from Press then Press had arrived a few days earlier than expected. Run by Erik and Storie, a lovely Seattle-based couple whom we’d met at the Northwest Cider Cup in Portland, Press then Press is the US’s only cider-specific online bottle shop (as far as I’m aware). Enamoured by their selection, I resolved to order a case while I still had the state-side privilege. It took me longer than I’d like to admit to narrow things down to six bottles, but I finally decided on three showcasing the US’s perhaps most-revered cider apple, the Harrison, and three showcasing wild fruit, which is used relatively commonly here (compared to in Europe): crab apples, seedling apples, and ‘feral’ pears. I restricted myself to one bottle from any one cidery, ending up with ciders from various parts of Washington, California, and North Carolina.
In the evening, it was finally time for some Mexican food! In a strip mall made to look like a children’s play castle, no less. I was delighted to find several things on the menu that were covered recently by Cook’s Illustrated; I ended up going for the Quesabirria tacos, which come with a side of wonderfully beefy, spicy broth for dipping, and splitting them with Alfie (along with his dark brown mole-covered enchiladas). Both are interesting dishes, and although there are likely higher-quality executions to be found of both, everything was very enjoyable — especially alongside a massive, green salt-rimmed margarita!
Sunset was spent at Sundial Bridge, the Calatrava masterpiece jutting out of the heart of Turtle Bay Exploration Park. It spans the Sacramento, which springs from Mount Shasta just north of here, right alongside the old gravel belt that ran from the local quarry to Shasta Dam. The Dam long since filled with aggregate, it felt like half the town was strolling across the bridge, enjoying the darting swallows and the river’s natural air-conditioning effect — Redding’s passeggiata.
Saturday, 8 June
Saturday is farmers’ market day in Redding. American farmers’ markets are in a league of their own. All I’ve been to have displayed a highly loveable combination of actually local produce sold by the farmers themselves, a casual-to-downright-countercultural vibe (depending on the locale), and an endearingly village fête–like atmosphere, with everything from candle sales to face-painting stands. Redding was no different, and I enjoyed be charmed into buying a zobo (hibiscus) tea by a Nigerian stall owner and hearing about the local lavender farm from another. The tamales, which came highly recommended, were indeed excellent — piping hot, well seasoned and sold by a Mexican woman who resolutely spoke to Alfie in Spanish.
A quick trip to the health food store, where my grandmother needed to run an errand, led to our discovering a truly amazing establishment: Fast Weenies. Right next to Cassidy’s Auto Lube, no less. Sadly, Fast Weenies is only open during the week, so we’ll have to sample the ‘Torpedo Fritos’ next time.
I was excited for the evening, as we were headed out to a collegiate summer baseball game. First, though, we were going to go to the Elks Lodge, of which Norval is a member, for a drink. The Elks are a fraternal organisation with lodges all over the US, each governed by an Exalted Ruler. The Redding Elks Lodge, crucially, also offers a free popcorn machine. Perhaps that’s what drew the likes of John F. Kennedy and Babe Ruth to become Elks. It turns out that things are not as Alfie put it: “I thought there were Freemasons, and then everyone else is normal.” In fact, there are many, many fraternal organisations in the US, most founded in the late 19th or early 20th century as loose interpretations of Freemasonry in the name of having a good dinner party or protecting the business interests of a certain group. Ever heard of the Golden Age of Fraternalism? Neither had I.
The baseball game was everything we wanted it to be, complete with National Anthem (I did remember to take off my hat halfway through), hot dogs, jaunty volunteer band, and two dog-show demonstrations of the capabilities of Redding PD’s ‘K-9 officer’. We were even treated to more than one opportunity to engage in some frenzied ducking when a rogue ball sailed backwards and up over the net, falling near or into the stands. The atmosphere was buzzing. Helpfully, to a general sporting neophyte like me, baseball is also not hugely hard to understand. The home team won in overtime just after midnight (full disclosure; we left with Grandma at around 9 pm).
'Exalted ruler'!!!