The diminutive French Bulldog is now top dog in America, weather caster Alissa Carlson has a scary fall and we celebrate all of our citizens photographers with some awesome pictures of our green valley

 Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this community such a special place. The views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent any other company or publication.

 * ... ALISSA CARLSON: By now almost everyone has seen the scary tape of TV weather anchor Alissa Carlson fainting at her desk. Carlson is a former KGET employee who had a long and favorable run in

Bakersfield and recently left to work at KCAL in Los Angeles. Last week, while live, Carlson's eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted. Carlson assures us everything is fine, but the video was difficult to watch.

 * ... NATURE'S WORK: The intense rain storms that have blanketed California have made for some spectacular moments for citizen photographers. The first was taken by Brandon Taggart in Kernville, the second by Pam Taylor out near Taft and the third and fourth by Jojo Paredes Butingan. Finally, John  Kelley treats us to some wildflowers he captured off Highway 46 with the last two pictures.

 * ... FRENCH BULLDOG:  For years the regal and lovable Labrador Retriever has held the top spot in the hearts of America's dog lovers. But now there is a new top dog in town, the diminutive French Bulldog. The new most popular dog was crowned this year when the American Kennel Club reported that the French  Bulldog and moved into top spot among dog lovers. The French Bulldog has been steadily climbing the AKC’s rankings over the last decades, hitting No. 14 in 2012. In 2021, the breed held the No. 2 spot, behind the popular labs but ahead of Golden Retrievers.

 * ... TULARE LAKE: In the aftermath of the string of rainstorms there is a lot of discussion about the old Tulare Lake bed, which was home to wildlife and native Americans years before the west was settled and the water damned and claimed by agriculture. Thanks to my friend Sylvia Cattani I am attached this explanation of the old lake, and how the record precipitation may be bringing it back.

 "A lot of the younger generation have no idea that the area west of Corcoran was once Tulare Lake, the largest fresh water lake west of the Great Lakes. It would be filled by the Kern, Kaweah and Tule rivers. The last 2 times it flooded enough to see Tulare Lake was 1983 and 1997. Going further back, The Tachi tribe, or Tachi Yokuts, once thrived with a population of 70,000 living on the banks of Tulare Lake, prior to the American and Spanish colonist settling. In 1849 the lake was 570 square miles and 690 square miles in 1879. There was a huge market for fish from the lake that would ship through Hanford to the Bay Area. Settlers started settling and started diverting the water for Ag and Municipal uses. The lake was nearly dry by 1900. In 1938, heavy rains flooded the San Joaquin Valley causing the levee to break near Corcoran and flood 28,000 acres of farm land. With this incident and a repeat flood in 1955, it prompted the construction of the Terminus Dam on the Kaweah River forming Lake Kaweah, and Success Dam on the Tule River forming Lake Success.  A lot of the water was diverted for multiple reasons including a large amount being diverted to the Los Angeles area. Bottom line, so much water was diverted that Tulare Lake, the once bustling eco system with elk, deer, antelope, marine life and countless other resources, disappeared over time. Who knows, we may get a peak at Tulare Lake again."

 * ... MEMORIES: Who remembers the Union Avenue plunge? Enjoy this old photo thanks to the Kern County History Fans Facebook page.

 * ... OILFIELDS: And finally we have this undated aerial view of the Sunset oilfield around 1910, courtesy of the Kern County of Old.

California makes the list of "worst states" to own a home, Valley Children's clinic set to open in October and Alissa Carlson is crowned "Mrs. California"

Monday, June 25, 2018

Welcome to Bakersfield Observed. Our mission is to celebrate life in Kern County by focusing on newsmakers and events and the local characters who make this such a special place. Email your news and notes to rsbeene@yahoo.com. 

 * ... HOMEOWNERSHIP: A new survey on home ownership is out, and as you may have guessed, it is not kind to us here in California. In fact California was ranked in the top ten of the "worst" states

to be a homeowner, based on the strength of the housing market, the high costs of maintaining a home and the propensity of crime. Joining California in the "worst" list were Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, New Mexico, Alabama, Missouri, Texas, New Jersey and Georgia. The best states to be a homeowner, according tho ValuePenguin, were Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Maine, Minnesota, West Virginia, Michigan, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.

 * ... GOOD NEWS: If you are looking for some good news, head west on Stockdale Highway and check out the new Valley Children's clinic scheduled to open in October. The building, located across the street from Bakersfield Christian High School, is an important step in our community's evolution to providing a whole range of pediatric services to prevent parents from taking ailing children out of town. There will be 32 new pediatric specialists in 16 different disciplines.

 * ... MORE GOOD NEWS: And hats off to David Collins and the South Oswell Neighborhood Watch, an organization of residents who consistently give back to their community. This weekend the group dropped off dry food and other supplies at the Bakersfield Homeless Center. It was the group's 12th drive for the organization with donations totaling some 1,025 pounds.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I should not be this chubby considering the amount of food that misses my mouth when I eat."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "It’s a good thing not everyone has a smartphone. Someone has to honk when the light turns green."

 * ... ALISSA CARLSON: Our own Alissa Carlson, chief meteorologist for KGET TV, was crowned "Mrs. California" over the weekend at the state pageant in Palm Springs. The Mrs. America pageant has been "celebrating the uniqueness of the married woman, her family, and community" for the past 39 years, according to organizers. KGET's website said Carlson is now slated to compete with 50 other representatives, from every state and Washington, D.C., Aug. 25 at the Westgate Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

 * ... MEMORIES: This old picture, taken in 1923, shows a swarm of motorcyclists on the Panorama Bluffs with the Kern River oil field in the background. Photo courtesy of the Kern County of Old Facebook page.

Orchard Supply Hardware is going out of business, photographer Casey Christie set to retire from The Bakersfield Californian and Alissa Carlson prepares her return from maternity leave

 * ... ORCHARD: I was sad to see the huge "Store Closing" sign draped across the entrance of Orchard Supply Hardware on Ming Avenue. I suppose it was just a matter of time before Orchard

was gobbled up (Orchard was bought by Lowe's a few years ago) but I will miss the attentive customer service at this location. The days of the smaller mom and pop hardware stores seem to be coming to a close, a shame, but a sign of the times.

* ... CASEY CHRISTIE: I ran into Casey Christie this past weekend and the award winning Californian photographer told me he is retiring at the end of this year. Over the almost three decades Christie has worked at The Californian, he has won legions of fans for his stunning photography that has graced the pages of our local newspaper. His shots of wildlife are a particular favorite of mine, and who can forget the way he captured a family of owls standing at attention? Most photographers do their work in anonymity, but Christie has always been a fan favorite. So here's to Casey Christie, a family man, a true professional, a gentleman and a friend.

 * ... FATHER CRAIG: And speaking of local treasures, I ran into Casey Christie at the Fox Theater where Monsignor Craig Harrison was unveiling his new star on the Fox sidewalk. Harrison's star was sponsored by his eight adopted children and a gaggle of grandchildren.

* ... ALISSA CARLSON: Reader Sue Bramen wrote to ask when that "sweet weather" forecaster Alissa Carlson was returning to KGET from maternity leave. Well according to her Facebook page, it looks Carlson is set to resume her role as KGET's chief meteorologist any time now. Carlson took three months off after giving birth to her daughter. Meanwhile, KGET morning anchor Maddie Janssen is taking a few months off to prepare for delivery of her third child.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Marriage is an institution. And like all institutions the inmates are always looking for ways to escape."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A local lawyer is speaking to a friend: "Last year we were all thinking about the drought and only one person on my street planted winter rye. This year everyone is."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Up on Panorama Drive on Saturday morning, a man and his young son are walking the bluffs with a large black trash bag picking up the litter others have left behind.

 * ... MEMORIES: Former mayor Mary K. Shell responded to John Pryor's post about the open fields west of Oak Street. "He mentioned local Joe Shell’s oil patch.' My husband, Joe, an independent oil operator in those years, liked to tell the story of flying from LA and landing his plane on an open field west of Oak street to check on a well. This was in the late 1940s or early 1950s after World War II. But Kern County Land Company eventually brought a halt to his idea of efficiency.  They said the plane scared their cattle."