Remembering those who sacrificed on this Memorial Day, marking the passing of Janice Redmond and the time when the crazy commute stops to allow geese to cross the road

 * ... RIP JANICE: Our community lost a great citizen last week with the passing of Janice Marie Redmond. Originally from New York, Janice and her husband Stan moved to Bakersfield in 1972
where they raised their nine children. She was active in local Catholic churches and was a beloved figure among her friends. Keep Stan and his family in your thoughts. She was 74.

 * ... GEESE: Linda Nipper is a human resource specialist who was driving east on Truxtun Extension when traffic ground to a halt at Empire Boulevard. What happened next brought a smile to her face. "Wondering what was holding up our lane, I looked far to the right of the front car in our lane and saw what I thought was a very large bird. Then it became clear ... that a family geese was heading north, crossing Truxtun on a red light.  Yup, two very large grown geese and about five waddling

goslings in tow had stopped all four lanes of traffic, in both directions, during the busy morning commute. I think we all enjoyed our commute a little more and appreciated the unexpected sight of a family of geese,  who appeared not at all flustered by the activity of the cars, as they greeted the day crossing safely to the north side of Truxtun, heading to the river bed I expect."

 * ... ACHIEVER: Former Stockdale High grad Phil McGill has now graduated in the top 5 percent of his law school class at the University of San Diego. He is now studying for the bar and will start at Price Waterhouse in San Francisco in October. Said his father Kerry McGill: "That in itself is commendable in that there are so few law jobs available. If you recall, he went to USD on a full scholarship. Another Bako boy makes good!" So true.

* ... CHIPMAN: Best of luck to the kids over at Chipman Jr. High who are heading to Maryland for the national History Day finals. These high achievers have been trying to raise money to help offset the expenses, but they have a ways to go. Their teacher, Mike Hutson, says any kind of financial support is appreciated. Reach him at (661) 631-5210 if you would like to help. The team includes Sadie Armijo, Stevie McNabb, Dylan Pearson, Jake Beardsley and Miguel Vargas

* ... BASEBALL: Dave Packer wrote to tell me about the new Bakersfield Sound collegiate summer baseball team that will kick off its season in June.  "The games will be held at Bakersfield Christian High School and will provide fun and inexpensive family entertainment with extremely high quality wooden bat baseball played by some of the top collegiate players from throughout the United States .  The team is made up of both local and out of area collegiate players and provides the local players an opportunity to return home during the summer to reconnect with their family and friends, My son, Matt, Stockdale High grad, is one of such players as he is coming home from Miami of Ohio and bringing one of his baseball teammates to live with our family during the summer and experience our great town and California."

 * ... MEMORIAL DAY: And finally this thought submitted by a regular correspondent: "Thanksgiving is the day we pause to give thanks for the things we have. Memorial Day is the day we pause to give thanks to those who fought for the things we have."

Bako Bits: Chipman Jr. High heads to the national History Day finals, remembering Jim Ryun's run at Memorial Stadium and Andrae Gonzales lines up to possibly serve as a county supervisor

 * ... ANDRAE: If Leticia Perez wins the battle to succeed Michael Rubio in the 16th State Senate district, Gov. Jerry Brown will appoint someone to fill our her unexpired term on the Kern County Board of Supervisors. One name that comes up is Andrae Gonzales, a rising star in the Democratic

party and a member of the Bakersfield City School District board. Of course, Perez must first best the five-person field in the State Senate race, where her primary opponent is Republican Andy Vidak. Stay tuned.

 * ... CHIPMAN: Kudos to the kids over at Chipman Jr. High who just won the History Day competition in Sacramento and are heading to Maryland for the national finals next month. The group's performance will be on World War II and the atomic bomb. The team includes Sadie Armijo, Stevie McNabb, Dylan Pearson, Jake Beardsley and Miguel Vargas, all seventh graders at Chipman by way of Juliet Thorner Elementary where they all participated in History Day last year. If you'd like to help send these deserving kids to Maryland, contact history teacher Mike Hutson at (661) 631-5210. The team is also available for "pass the hat" presentations to help offset the expenses of the upcoming trip.

 * ... JIM RYUN: A story in The Californian about Jim Ryun's famous appearance at Memorial Stadium triggered this note from Coral Poole-Clark. "My late husband, Jim Poole, and I were at Memorial Stadium, when Jim Ryun made that momentous mile run... BC had one of the first tartan tracks installed, which drew nation-wide events. We also went to every West Coast Relays in Fresno, until they were no longer held...We attended our first Summer Olympics games in Mexico City in 1968, where we were practically in the pit for the famous Fosbury Flip (later Flop). Then we made all of the Summer Olympic Games through 1992, with the exception of Moscow, when the US boycotted...  Jim passed away in 1993, so I canceled our tickets to Atlanta in 1996.  But I still have the many great memories of those Olympic travels, the athletes and the friends we made on the tours."

 * ... OVERHEARD: A young woman is telling a friend about a flirtation in the middle of traffic. "So this guy is in a truck next to me with his hand out the window and I notice his wedding ring. He sees me, smiles, and the next time he put his hand out the window he has taken his wedding ring off. Really?"

 * ... EATS: I finally made it out to the Steak and Grape restaurant, Shai Gordon's relatively new place over on Coffee Road near Hageman. One thing is certain: this town is hungry for upscale new eateries and Steak and Grape does not disappoint. It is now a destination place for those who live in the Southwest and Northwest.

 * ... CATERING: And speaking a restaurants, a new restaurant and catering firm is opening up near the Moorea Banquet Centre in the Southwest. The ribbon cutting for Coseree's Restaurant and Catering will be held this Thursday at 8700 Swigert Court. 

* ... DMV: Another testimony of the wisdom of making an online appointment with the DMV when renewing a license. From a coworker: "Just went to the DMV to renew my license. The line was out the door (on F street) I had a 2:50 p.m. appointment, arrived at 2:47 p.m., was served at 3:02 p.m. and out the door at 3:25 p.m.  Much better than my doctor's office! The place was packed. I highly encourage people to make an appointment. Probably 90 percent of the folks there did not make an appointment."