Butte 52: Week 6 - Red Bluff Round-Up

Ok, so the Red Bluff Round-Up is technically in Tehama County, but everyone I know in Butte County looks forward to it. It's been around since 1919. 

Butte 52: Week 5 - Almond Blossoms

I am truly enjoying my first spring here in Northern California. As beautiful as the Evergreen State could be, it was often just that...green. So when the almond orchards exploded with blossoms here, I was in awe. They were so colorful, so bee-u-tiful! 

The blooms only lasted for a couple of weeks, but while they were here, they were incredible! Unfortunately, I didn't get out to photograph them until they were almost all gone. But I was able to catch a few good shots.

Can you spot the bumble bee?

Here in Butte County, people pronounce the word almond differently. Locals, including those who actually farm the almonds themselves, pronounce it am-mind. I grew up saying all-mund.

At first, I was totally opposed to dropping the "l" in almond. It sounded ridiculous. Ryan would say to me, "Well you don't pronounce the l in salmon, do you?" Well no, but still. 

However, now that I've lived here for awhile, I find myself dropping the "l" without thinking about it. When I read it in my head, I drop the "l." My sister came to visit and heard me drop the "l." She called me a traitor.

Butte 52: Week 4 - Stubby-Legged Furry Friends

One of my favorite things about living in this area: the wide variety of animals I come across. For Week Four of Project Butte 52, I want to share a couple of photos that I think will brighten your day (or at least make you giggle).

I just can't get enough of these miniature donkeys. They happen to live on the same street as some friends of ours. They make me giggle every time I pass by. I don't know what it is, but I just love animals with stubby legs.

I call her Bangs.

I'm going to take a wild guess that Bangs is the gal and big ears is the fella. Do miniature donkeys mate for life? If they had babies, I would totally want one! Then my mini doxie would have a mini donkey to play with. 

This stubby little guy lives on our friend Ryann's pony ranch.

Butte 52: Week 3 - Caper Acres

Caper Acres is the sort of park that kids love and makes adults wish they were still kids.

It sits in lower Bidwell Park, in Chico. The entrance to the park is a castle drawbridge. Pretty cool, huh? But watch your head, aimed towards kids, the entrance has a clearance of only 5'8". 

My friend Karla brought her outrageously adorable little ones: Donna and Jake. If Karla had a super power, it would be making gorgeous babies. I feel a little cuter just holding one of 'em.

Butte 52: Week 2 - Murals in Downtown Chico

If you walk around downtown, it's plain to see that Chico embraces it's artists. Buildings (both old and new), newspaper stands, benches are all blanketed with artwork. Around every corner, there are works of art both, beautiful and bizarre, vintage and modern, colorful and curious.

The man with the awesome feather in his hat? That's William Everone, an artist, who has done several murals downtown. He was commissioned to do two sepia-toned murals of a trolley (one coming towards you, and the other moving away) in the City Plaza. 

He is incorporating minerals from around the world in the mural. While chatting with us, he was grinding crystals from Mount Shasta into this violet paint. He has also included sand from Afghanistan into the paint for the mural.

Another mural of Everone's. He wanted us to know that it was part of a collection of art, throughout the country, that spells out "LOVE" on a map. It's called the 23rd Hour Wakeup Call Love Tour.

Here are just a few of the other murals you can find downtown:

The Beatles walking along Main Street. 

The Brooklyn Bridge on the Boys and Girls Club.

Butte 52: Week One - The Lookout

I've lived in Paradise for a few months now and I think it's time, for my new home and I, to get to know each other a little better. So I've decided to start a project, more of a mission. For each week in 2012, I'm going to photograph something from Paradise, Chico, or some other place in Butte County (in case you were wondering, Butte County is in the Sacramento Valley in Northern California). There are a lot of things that make this area special: beautiful parks, one of a kind eateries, local events, historical landmarks, unique shops, and incredible agriculture. I'm going to explore them all while learning to use my new camera.

I saw this under the big sign. I love that this club exists in my town. Maybe they can give me some pointers.

Paradise sits up on a hill, above the town of Chico. To get from Chico to Paradise you have to take the Skyway, a road that winds and turns as you make the slow climb up the hill.

Whenever I drive up and down the Skyway, I pass this lookout point. Well I finally stopped to look and snap some photos.

The sign calls it the "Little Grand Canyon" of Butte Creek.

There are a lot of interesting looking trees reaching out into the sky.