A woman recalls the horrific 1952 Bakersfield earthquakes and the Colorado shootings revive the issue of gun control in our society

 * ... EARTHQUAKES: The stories on the anniversary of the devastating 1952 Bakersfield earthquakes triggered this response from a reader: "People say that as an infant you may remember traumatic experiences. In August 1952 I was 18 months old. We lived just west of Kern Medical Center on Flower Street. When the earthquake hit I was in my crib in the living room. My mother and sister were piano players and we had a low top piano in the living room also. I, to this day, can vividly remember the piano bouncing two to three feet off the floor and moving past my crib which was moving the other way across the room. My sister, 9 years old, and her girlfriend were on the front porch and were thrown out into the front yard. I am sure there are others with lasting memories but this is one I can truly say was a memory that I have not forgot." (photo courtesy of The Bakersfield Californian)

 * ... SHOOTING: The horrific shooting at the Colorado theater that killed so many innocent moviegoers has renewed the debate over gun control. Would outlawing assault rifles prevent a recurrence of these tragedies? What about limiting the amount of ammunition that can be bought at one time on the internet? We will talk gun control on Californian Radio KERN 1180 on Monday at 9 a.m. We will also be talking to a vice president of Campbell's Soup company which recently paid $1.5 billion for locally owned Bolthouse Farms. Join us for the discussion.

* ... HITCHING POSTS: Harold Tyner wrote to say he and wife Elaine have one of the old, classic hitching posts erected in his front yard. "I have owned and ridden horses for several years," he wrote. "Hal Wygant's daughter Laurie is married to our son Steven Holcomb. Hal had acquired one of the original hitching posts  that was once in front of the court house.  He offered it to us, and it is now in our front yard, waiting for any would be rider and horse to tie up! " (file photo of hitching posts)

 * ... SPOTTED:  Longtime reader Terry Andrews shared this bit of bad form when he was eating breakfast at the Knotty Pine Cafe. "It was a delicious breakfast (but) there was a man facing us, with three ladies at his table, and he flossed over his plate for 10 minutes after the meal. Ugh!:"

* ... OVERHEARD: A young woman is telling her friend about running into group of city firemen at a downtown woman's boutique. "So we are there talking and in walk a dozen of these young firemen who are inspecting the building and asking questions about the crawl space. They were so nice and polite and these guys were hot! Every woman in the place just stood there in a trance! It was quite a show!"

* ... PAINTER: My post last week on Rich Johnson's crew who painted by downtown home brought this note from reader Karen Kandarian. "Richard Johnson has been doing my painting for at least 25 years.  Richard has a vast knowledge of all the current colors and products on the market.  He is always right on in helping make decisions.  He is fair, honest, trustworthy and reliable.  He always finishes the job and does it well. He is a true professional.  As you stated, he gets all his work by word of mouth. What better recommendation can a person receive than to have so many satisfied customers giving you a referral?  He’s the best in my book."
                               

Three men on classic motorcycles visit all the Bakersfield cities in the country on epic summer adventure

 * ... BAKERSFIELD: Think you had a good summer? Check out the adventure that three Bakersfield men experienced when they set off on motorcycles to visit every city named Bakersfield in the United States: one in Texas, another in Missouri and one in Vermont. It started as an idea between friends Ryan Smith and Jorge Gonzalez, owners of vintage BMW bikes called “airheads," and eventually included Californian photographer Felix Adamo, himself a longtime motorcycle enthusiast.  The trip also included a stop in Cincinnati at the Bakersfield themed restaurant 'Bakersfield OTR.' The entire round trip was 6,500 miles and took 22 days to complete. Said Adamo: "In all we traveled through 18 states, averaging about 350 miles a day. While we did stay with some family, friends and a couple of hotels along the way, a majority of the time we camped at various sites along the way. Everything we needed was packed on our motorcycles." Adamo is planning on an photography exhibition of the trip in the near future. (photos courtesy of Felix Adamo)

 * .... BANKRUPTCIES: The list of California cities in or nearing bankruptcy continues to grow, with Stockton, San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes leading the way.  And according to Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton, Tehachapi is among a new list of cities that are signaling they are in trouble. Skelton said Tehachapi and seven other cities - Arvin, El Monte, Fairfield, Grover Beach, Lancaster, Monrovia and Riverbank - had told potential bond buyers that they are in serious trouble.


* ... TRASH: Regular readers of this blog know how I feel about litter, and my post the other day about the piñata party that left Jastro Park a mess triggered this response from Rosalyn Malamma, a teacher at Standard Middle School. "In my sixth grade classroom at Standard Middle School, the last ten minutes are devoted to cleaning the room. While we have a great custodial staff, my students need to learn to clean up after themselves.  Have a gread day and keep writing!"

 * ... HITCHING POSTS: Remember those old hitching posts that used to be so common around town? Deputy city fire chief Tim Lynch tells them there are two across the street from Fire Station No. 2 on East 21st Street just west of Pyrenees Bakery.

* ... MOTTO: City councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan gave me a call to promote the eighth annual fund raiser to promote "In God We Trust" as our national motto. The event will be held Thursday, July 26, at the Marriott Hotel downtown. Call Tina Miller at (661) 325-7601 for reservations.