Renovation of Griffith Field at Bakersfield High School moves toward completion, it's college "move out" day for students and watch those dirty grocery cart handles

 * ... DRILLER PRIDE: The new stadium, track and football field at Bakersfield High School is finally coming together, and it looks spectacular. Next time you are on California Avenue headed

west glance to your right to check out the new digs, all worthy of Driller Pride for the new season. The vintage 1923 stadium upgrade includes moving the visitor stands behind the track; new concessions, ticket booths and restrooms for the home and visitor sides; the addition of two (2) “mini-Griffiths” that will attach to the current stadium that will expand seating and provide additional room for a new weight room and trainers facility;  replacing the locker and shower areas with modern plumbing and facilities; replacing the watering and drainage systems in the stadium and Morrow Field to ensure fields get evenly watered and properly drained when rain occurs; redoing the field and the track; and enhancing curbs, gutters and parking.

 * ... GRADUATES: Congratulations to all those high school seniors out there, and especially the ones who have settled on a college to continue their journey. They're headed off to places like the University of Arizona, Baylor University, Cal Berkeley, Loyola Marymount and closer to home CSUB and Bakersfield College. This is also the time when parents are trudging off to colleges to move their children out of the dorms for the summer. Said one friend: "I got more than 15,000 steps on my Fitbit going up and down six flights of stairs. My knee hurts."

 * ... WELCOME HOME: Congratulations to a special couple - Bakersfield High School dean of instruction Tamara Clark and her city firefighter captain husband A.J. Clark - for bringing home their third son Ben from Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Ben was born with a congenital heart defect but underwent successful open heart surgery while just a few days old. They were grateful for not only the care at CHLA, but also at Memorial Hospital (where the defect was detected) and the Ronald McDonald House at CHLA. 

* ... HAND SANITIZERS: Next time you ignore the hand sanitizer at the grocery store, consider this as reported in The New York Times: "Grocery carts can be particularly risky points of transmission. Someone grabbing chicken or meat can leak the juices onto a cart and their hands and then continue to push the cart around, transmitting pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli onto the handle. The next person who handles the cart, or the next child who sits in the top of the wagon, can then pick up the bugs."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "Being cremated is my last hope for a smoking hot body."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "That awkward moment when you’re checking yourself out in the window of a car and then realize there’s someone inside."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Hats off to the two ladies who spent Mother's day morning walking the park at the Panorama bluffs picking up trash. By the way, I was the guy on the bike who waved hello.

 * ... DOG PLAQUE: And finally there was this from James M. Stuart: "I always thought the 'Lucky and Friends' was the best dog plaque at Riverwalk Park (mainly because it was the only one and Lucky is my dog), but now I have to say that there is one that is much better... located on a bench, it reads: 'Lucas: For my beloved friend and constant companion, my little dog. I will love you always-  Anita.' I don't recall ever meeting Anita or Lucas but am appreciative of how much a pet can mean to someone."

CSU Bakersfield seeks to emulate the success of Gonzaga, Butler and others, Griffith Field gets a renovation and looking for wildflowers in Kern County

 * ... BIG DANCE: CSU Bakersfield's appearance in the NCAA Tournament will give the university some priceless national exposure, and there are plenty of examples of the tournament putting smaller schools on the map.
Gonzaga, a small Jesuit school in Spokane, Wash., is primarily known for its "giant killer" status in college basketball, as is Butler University, another small school in Indianapolis that has created a national brand via the Big Dance. Like CSUB, these are regional schools that have gained national prominence via excelling in one sport: basketball. And with that exposure comes recruits, alumni pride that evolves into alumni giving, and out of area students seeking to live on a campus with a rich winning tradition.

* ... WILDFLOWERS: There are pockets of Kern County where the wild flowers are spectacular this year. Consider this note from Jon Crawford: "Highway 58 up the grade from McKittrick to Carrisa Plains is at its peak of Gold Fields, Fiddlenecks, Lupines, etc. – just beautiful and then to top it all off, are the multitude of solar farms. The contrast of God’s beautiful creations to man’s eyesores are too apparent to avoid."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a huge house and cry in any room you like."

 * ... GRIFFITH FIELD: It's bitter sweet to watch the demotion and renovation of Griffith Field, Bakersfield High School's legendary venue for decades of Driller football. The main grandstand will remain, but pretty much everything else of the stadium is being leveled to make way for a new track and artificial turf.

 * ... RAY DEZEMBER: A memorial service the Ray December will be held on Monday at 10 a.m. at St. John's Lutheran Church off Buena Vista. This will no doubt be a standing room only affair for a man who meant so much to this community and exemplified the concept of "servant leadership." If you expect to get a seat, I would advise arriving early.

* ... FOODIE: My recommendation of the week goes to Match Point Grill, the aptly named sandwich shop that operates at The Bakersfield Racquet Club. I stopped by the Pine Street diner to catch some of the incredible tennis being played at The Bakersfield Open, and wandered into the sandwich shop for a tuna sandwich and iced tea. It's a homestyle diner with a limited menu surrounded by tennis action. BRC, meanwhile, is looking as good as it ever has. If you haven't been in a while, check it out.