Next time you think about shooting that family photograph in one of our almond orchards, better check with the owner, and what is the proper etiquette for a "pay it forward" chain at Starbucks?

* ... GOOD ADVICE: It's not surprising that so many families choose the natural beauty of our almond orchards to take family or wedding photos, especially this time of year, but local farmers are warning to do your homework first. Darin Buoni and his father Frank Buoni spray pesticides on local fields, and it prompted Darin to post this prudent warning on Facebook: "Check before you take

your children into the trees to see what has been sprayed in the last 24-48 hours. Some of the pesticides we spray in our line of work are very toxic. I watched a family taking pictures deep in a field of almond trees where I know for a fact the night before was being sprayed with a heavy dose of pesticides that requires a reentry time. And before you even find that information out perhaps you should talk to the property owner about being allowed to be on the property at all. It's very rude to trespass on someone's property because you just feel like it's ok to do so." Good advice.

* ... ETIQUETTE: Here's an etiquette question I cannot answer: What's the protocol when the car in front of you at Starbucks buys your $4.45 coffee, but when you inquire about returning the favor to the customer behind you, the barista says their bill is $13? Do you buy their drinks or risk a case of bad karma? I posed the question to freelance etiquette columnist Lisa Kimble Edmonton, who in Solomon-like fashion chose to split the baby with this response: give the barista $5 to offset the bill of the customer behind me.

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Old expression is whoever wins presidency is the one you'd rather have a beer with. I might have to give up drinking."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Philip Beglin shared this example of good form that he recently witnessed. Said Beglin: "Yesterday as I backed out of the parking lot of Raymond's Trophy and Awards on Chester Avenue, I saw some poor old man in a motorized wheelchair, who also carried a blind person's white cane, leave the sidewalk and get about half-way across the street when his grocery bag fell from the chair and dropped his purchases into the street. Before I could get out of my car to help, two young boys (probably about nine or ten years old) who were riding skateboards rolled up behind the man, jumped off their boards, and gathered up and re-bagged the groceries for him. What a nice thing to do, huh?"

 * ... OILDALE: Folks in the Oildale area are planning a neighborhood cleanup for Saturday, March 5. If you want to participate, call Cher Pannel at (661) 393-4473. Everyone will gather at the Standard School park at 8 a.m.

 * ... FUND RAISER: Here's a fun way to raise money for a good cause. The Association of Petroleum Wives is holding its 14th annual Charity Sporting Clay Shoot on Friday, March 11, at the Kern County Gun Club. The cost is $100 person or $400 for a four-person team. Check-in is at 7:30 a.m. and lunch follows the shoot. Proceeds benefit the Mission of Kern County- Women's Recovery Program. Call (661) 333-3206 for information or email APWsportingclayshoot@aol.com.

Kern County almond producers expect a near record crop, and State Sen. Michael Rubio comes on Californian Radio to talk politics and reforming our state environmental laws

* ... ALMONDS: Good news for Kern County's almond growers: it looks like prices are going up and we are headed to another solid harvest. The almond harvest is now under way, and producers expect a harvest of some two billion pounds, just slightly under last year. Prices and demand have been steadily climbing every year, thanks to some degree to a strong demand from overseas but also to a growing national appetite for fresh nuts.

 * ... RUBIO: State Sen. Michael Rubio, recently appointed chairman of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, will be my guest on Californian Radio KERN 1180 Monday to talk about his plans to revise the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We will be talking about state pension reform and other issues facing the Golden State. Rubio will be on at 9 a.m.

* ... GOOD DEED: Janada Shepard was dining at Uricchio's Trattoria last week, complements of two friends who were treating her for her birthday. "A server approached me and said a gentleman would like to know if he could buy me a glass of wine. Of course I agreed and asked who the gentleman was so I could thank him.  He chose to remain anonymous. So hopefully I can thank him through your column, that I read and enjoy every day. He made my day even better... how thoughtful!"

 * ... SINGLE: Did you know that a third of all Americans ages 45 to 63 are single, a 50 percent increase since 1980? That's according to the Wall Street Journal, which reported that one in four adults over the age of 50 is divorced, a huge increase over the past decade.


 * ... CORRECTION: Mark Romero wrote to correct an earlier blog post that misidentified the type of military aircraft that hit the Empire State Building in 1945.  "It was a B-25 Mitchell that hit the building in 1945.... a B-24 Liberator is a much bigger bomber with four engines. A B-25 has two engines."

 * ... ENIGMAS: Good luck to Adam Vinson and Jason Gutierrez, partners in a new multi-media agency called ENIGMA specializing in public relations, social media, multimedia production, web site design, hosting and maintenance, graphic design and marketing strategy.

Bako bits: from dust allergies to the heath care debate to a stunning Latin art show downtown

Getting ready to leave town to get the kid settled into college in a town far away. (Is there a better way to weather the recession than to spend it on a college campus?) Lots going on, so I leave you with these nuggets around our town:

* ... JOHN BROCK AWARD: Vince Rojas, the longtime and retiring head of the Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, will be honored next week with the John Brock Award. The annual dinner and celebration is set for Seven Oaks Country Club next Thursday (Sept. 3.) As always, the proceeds will benefit the John Brock Endowment Fund for the School of Business and Public Administration at Cal State University Bakersfield. The Brock dinner always attracts a "who's who" in the Bakersfield business community. Past recipients have included Ray Dezember, Bernie Herman and Greg Bynum.

* ... IF IT'S AUGUST IN BAKO, YOU MUST BE SNEEZING: One of the downsides of living in one of the nation's richest agriculture areas is the annual almond harvest. To the uninitiated, almonds are harvested when huge belts are wrapped around the treet trunks and a tractor violently shakes the tree. This allows the almonds to fall harmlessly to the ground but also creates an incredible dust storm, triggering allergy attacks and sending folks running to their doctor's offices. The good news is the price of almonds have stabilized and is actually up a bit, and local farmers think this crop may be a good one. (harvest picture below)



* ... HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL: The much anticipated town hall meeting on health care will be held tonight over at the Icardo Center at Cal State Bakersfield. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) says more than 2,200 people have confirmed they are coming. Let's hope the tone is civil and Kevin creates an atmosphere where all sides can be heard. If you don't want to brave the crowd, KGET-TV channel 17 will be covering the event live I believe. No matter how you feel, you should tune in.

* ... DOVE SEASON OPENS SOON: The Kern County Gun Club is extending its hours to give hunters a chance to tune up for dove season. The new hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The club is located near the Lake Buena Vista Recreation Area west of town. Go to www.kerncountygunclub.com for complete directions.

* ... LATIN ART SHOW: Don Martin over at the Metro Galleries downtown is gearing up for "Latination," a show featuring works by local Hispanic artists and other local talent. I got a sneak peak at the offerings and some of the art is simply stunning. The show is sponsored by the Hispanic magazine Mas and will kick off next Friday, Sept. 3, during the monthly "First Friday" event. Make sure you check it out. Two pieces are featured below, photographers courtesy of Californian photographer Felix Adamo.






(Huelga painting by Larry Jason and chicken art by Claudia True)