Pas de deux

This was shot on South River Road, where there are taking down
the old warehouses and silos.

La Bou Coffee House and Bakery

Our family loves to start a Saturday morning garage sale/thrift store crawl by meeting at La Bou for coffee and chocolate croissants.

Carol's Restaurant on West Capitol Avenue

Debbie's Out and About: Carol's Restaurant is open 7 days each week even during the ongoing construction on West Capitol Avenue. My breakfast dish is called the Porky's scramble and it was delicious and the wait staff will always take good care of you.

In Washington they wash the stop signs

Florene Kunder sends this photo of a maintenance worker washing the stop sign.

Florene's Trivia: I've seen city/county crews watering plants on certain streets around the US, but not washing street signs. Union, WA isn't an upscale town....just an old, small town (more like a village) near Shelton, WA. However, Bill Gates does have a summer home down the hill about 3 blocks, waterfront property on Hood Canal. He owns the resort adjacent to his home, Alderbrook, http://www.alderbrookresort.com/. ~ Florene

Cuddling bunnies at Dave's Pumpkin Patch

Cuddling bunnies at Dave's pumpkin patch.

New cafeteria at the high school

Above photos are the cafeteria at the new River City High School campus.

West Sacramento Fire Station #43 on Harbor Boulevard

West Sacramento Fire Station #43 on Harbor Boulevard (across from the Port of Sacramento Entry Gate) is one of five fire stations located throughout the City, each of which houses one front line fire engine equipped to handle a variety of emergency calls.

Yolo County Court House-Woodland, CA

The Yolo County Court House was built in 1917 and was designed by William H. Weeks, a prominent architect from Canada, who also designed many other Woodland buildings. Its architectural style reflected Greek, Roman and Renaissance influences. In 1987 The Yolo County Courthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

First Baptist Church

The First Baptist Church on Delaware Street in West Sacramento offers "AWANA; Youth Group; Angel Tree; Bible Studies; Vacation Bible School; Contemporary; Traditional Music; Children's and Adult Choirs". Gary Clements is Pastor of the church.

Westmore Oaks School-South Campus

The Washington Unified School District built Westmore Oaks Elementary School in 1952. Elmer Reuter was principal of Westmore Oaks school from 1952-1981. The campus has been divided into two locations with the 6th through 8th grades being housed at the Westmore Oaks North Campus on West Acre Road. Westmore Oaks North and South will be consolidated into one campus when they relocate to the old River City High School on Clarendon--the new facility is in planning and design stages now.

Trivia: Our family has over 50 years of memories at this campus. My brother Howard, sister Kathye and my daughter Christy attended Westmore Oaks School when Mr. Reuter was the principal. Now my grandson attends Westmore Oaks South...~Barbara

The Jazzyblues Cafe Inauguration Party

Christy was out and about visiting different Inauguration parties yesterday
and sends these photos from her Blackberry of The Jazzyblues Cafe on C Street
in West Sacramento.  Francine Gregory, bartender and associate shows off her
Obama shirt.

Mayor Christopher Cabaldon with President Elect Obama

Mayor Cabaldon is in Washington, DC this week attending the 77th Winter Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more.

History: In 1932, 14 million people were unemployed, lines stretched for blocks in front of soup kitchens, homeowners were unable to pay taxes, veterans were selling apples on street corners, and the nation's cities were close to bankruptcy. Responding to the appeals of mayors, Congress created a $300 million federal assistance program for cities, marking the first time in the nation's history that federal relief was provided directly to cities. In a dramatic White House meeting, a committee of three prominent mayors convinced President Herbert Hoover to sign this desperately needed municipal assistance bill.

A few months later, on the eve of the inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the Mayflower Hotel just a few blocks from the White House, the charter of the Conference of Mayors was written.

Tough times for restaurants and retailers...

You have to wonder if projects like these will be put on hold during these tough economic times for retailers. We are seeing lots of empty space in existing retail centers.. and several of our local businesses have had to close their doors recently. This should be a reminder to all of us in West Sacramento to "SHOP LOCALLY" and support all local business first.

New Hampton Inn & Suites

The new Hampton Inn and Suites is under construction on Stillwater, off of Reed Avenue, near the Hwy Patrol Academy.

Very low tide

The Perrigo's sent this photo from Baja: "This trimaran is sitting in the mud in the Mulege River. The pontoons are suppose to be in the water, they will now have to wait for the high tide".

Eastside Chef Restaurant

Stephanie and I had a great dinner at the Eastside Chef Restaurant --the hot and sour soup and the spicy sesame chicken were delicious...and best of all the service was fantastic!

Best on the Block Awards

The 5th Annual Best on the Block Awards, West Sacramento's home and business curb-side improvement program, were presented at the City Council Meeting last night. Stephanie Reynolds, winner of the first place award for the residential large improvement category, shows off her over-sized check in the amount of $1250.

Car Art

Debbie found this interesting mural painted on the hood of a car.

Fedex Office Kinko's in the Town Center Plaza

Marquel Frei is the Center Manager at the FedEx Office, located in the Town Center Plaza. Printing & shipping services are their specialty!

West Capitol Avenue Construction

Construction on West Capitol Avenue in conjunction with the new Civic Center and Los Rios Community College Campus.

The River's Edge Bar and Grill

Owners of the River's Edge Bar and Grill are Robert and Nataliya Villareal.
Teresa Correa was our mixologist for this evening- and she also kept the wood fire burning in their cozy lounge area.


The River's Edge has plenty of room for dancing and live music in the restaurant area.

Below is the old tall sign that was removed because it was in violation of the new City of West Sacramento Sign Ordinance that was enforced in 2008.

Folks who have lived in West Sacramento for many years will probably remember when this building housed "Johnny's Time Out" owned by John Lopes of West Sacramento. It was a popular dance spot during the disco era and had a raised dance floor with lights that kept time to the beat of the music. On display in the bar were photos of John's brother, the legendary world ranked lightweight boxer Joey Lopes.

Clearview Kennels

Clearview Kennels located on Marshall Road has specialities in pet dog sitting services and dog daycare service for dog owners. We hear these folks have good rates, especially on dog overnight camp service and cat behavior training.

Mural on 3rd Street Underpass

This mural created by folks with the Salud Clinic CommuniCare Health Center in West Sacramento is painted on the walls of the underpass on 3rd Street near Raley Field in West Sacramento.

Midas on Jefferson Boulevard

The Midas on Jefferson Blvd in West Sacramento will take good care of your auto maintenance and repair needs. Picture here are Michael and Erika who are always friendly and helpful.

Police Commercial Safety Vehicle

The West Sacramento Commercial Safety Enforcement team at work in West Sacramento.

Sacramento Turn verein Founded in 1854

The Sacramento Turnverein Society was founded in 1854. When I was young our family attended several German dances and Oktoberfest celebrations at the local Turnverein Hall located on on J Street in Sacramento.

Trivia: The first Turnverein hall was built in 1811 on the Hasenheide athletic grounds, near Berlin. The organization emphasized gymnastic exercises, but it also had important social and patriotic functions. The Turnvereins were supported loyally by their members, and new groups were organized in other countries, including the United States, by members who migrated to those countries.

Visiting Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was established in Chico, CA in 1980 by Ken Grossman.

The designer of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. logo was paid 10 cases of beer for the design.


Above is one of the copper kettles in the brew house and below is the antique beer bottler on display.


Burger meister Mural by Nikos Bel-Jon and Don Clever--

Today, the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is considered the premier craft brewery in the United States.

Looking over the Sacramento River

Early morning shot of a marina on the Sacramento River.

Retail Corner at Lake Washington & Jefferson

This new retail building is located on the North East Corner of Lake Washington & Jefferson Blvd's. Since I shot this photo a Papa Murphy's Pizza has started construction in the center space. The approximately 12,000 square feet project is being developed by Taylor Properties.