All over the map . . .: No sun but still plenty of FUN!

Yesterday in Fresno we enjoyed Chinese food with Maureen (who by the way is amazingly spunky at 81 years young). Realizing the lunch spot was in the neighborhood of one of my many childhood homes, we sought out 4458 N. Del Mar and there it was! It looks so small . . . .

Schilbe Family Home c. 1953

Then on to Visalia with two important stops on our agenda for today - first a visit with my really old friend Nancy Turk. Well, it isn't actually that she's old, but we figured today that we haven't seen each other for over fifty years! We use to play together in the irrigation ditch by our houses in Fresno with our Teri Lee dolls - I was 9, she was 11. She's so NICE! And I'm not just saying that, either! She served us a beautiful lunch and we got reacquainted. I was really surprised when she asked me about Soroptimist, which she mentioned seeing somewhere on my FB page. Well, it turns out that she was recently honored with the Ruby Award & Making a Difference for Women Award by Soroptimist Intl. of Visalia. If you ask me, I'll tell you more about her, but for now I'll just say that she has been the light in the dark lives of many hurting women - and the world is a better place because of her! Nancy, it was wonderful to see you! Here's Nancy with her award (and me!) -

Heading east out of Visalia off the beaten path, zig-zagging our way south through the agricultural bergs of Farmersville, Exeter and Lindsay, we were destined for - ??? - Strathmore? That's the "town" where my very good friend Jan Haig spent her high school years and more, and where she and her sister are still "orange grove baronesses"!! So, we saw her groves and her old house and savored (on Jan's and Nancy's recommendations!) really delicious orange ice cream from The Orange Works (formerly Jessup's) in Strathmore (really just two streets crossing!)