Dining al fresco before the temperature rises to 106, beware of those sting rays at the beach and lamenting the dying coastal redwoods

 * … HEAT: Are you ready for 106 degrees next week? How about 108? It seems improbable after

this incredible mild week we have had, and I took advantage of it by dining al fresco: dinner outside at Uricchio's Trattoria, brunch on the patio at Tahoe Joe's, and appetizers at Wiki's Wine Dive. Remember this week when the sidewalks are frying in a few short days.

 * … FOODIE: And speaking of food, my recommendation of the week is the tuna salad atop a bed of avocado over at the Union Station Deli downtown across from the Post Office. The tuna comes with diced green apples and cranberries.

 * … DROUGHT: One of the long-tail effects of the drought: the sheer number of coastal redwoods dying about town. From the east side out to White Lane, hundreds of these water-needy trees are brown and dying. Beautiful trees true, but not suitable for our dry climate.

* … SUMMER: My friend Howdy Miller had some sound advice about visiting the beach this summer. Listen up: "Just a reminder to all those who enjoy the ocean by swimming - surfing - or wading in it! Please remember to SHUFFLE IN AND OUT to eliminate any possibility of stepping near, around or in my case on a cruising stingray. Happens about 1,500 times a year on the beaches of California, Texas and Florida. Last September I came out of the water in Solana Beach (near San Diego) stepping on top of a relatively small stingray. It reacted by giving me a four inch slash on my ankle and I still do not have any  feeling in the big toe of my right foot. The barbs and venom deposited by said stingray resulted in great pain and discomfort that could have been avoided by a simple shuffle. My podiatrist suggests the response may indeed last a year or longer. I love the ocean and will be surfing again this September, but lease learn to do a simple shuffle to avoid a lot of discomfort or worse!"

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Oh, you hate your job? There’s a support group for that. It’s called 'Everybody' and we meet at the bar."

 * … SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "If you want to test the strength of your willpower, just try ignoring a mosquito bite."

 * … PIE SHOP: Superior Court Judge Thomas S. Clark wrote to say he was among those who remember Scotty's Pie shop near Brundage and Highway 58. "I remember the pie shop well.  I grew up just to the east of Chester, a couple blocks away.  I have fond memories of the pies, but I only got to patronize the shop on very special occasions. The building is still there.  Unfortunately, I don’t know what type of chocolate they used, but it was very good.

They hyperbole and cynicism over the call for a ban on 'assault rifles,' Griffith Field at BHS gets a makeover and lamenting the death of the library tax

* … GUN CONTROL: In the wake of our nation's bloodiest mass shooting, it is only human to demand something be done, be it expanding background checks, doing more to keep weapons out of the hands of the mentally ill or outlawing so called "assault rifles." The focus today seems to be on the AR-15 'assault rifle,' but let's remember some basic facts: the technology behind the

AR-15 was first developed in the late 1890s and is the same technology used in rifles for deer hunting or target shooting. Yes the AR-15 looks menacing, but at its core it is simply a semi automatic rifle not unlike those used to shoot varmints or squirrels. It is not the rifle or the design that makes it lethal, but rather the ability in some states (not in California) to use it with high capacity clips along with "push button"magazines to make for easier fast reloading (also outlawed here). Those are two distinct issues; the look of the weapon and the larger clips that make it lethal. The idea of regulating designs that "look" menacing is akin to banning Corvettes because they look faster than my Subaru. Both are capable of inflicting great harm in the wrong hands. I am all for a robust debate on how to keep weapons out of the hands of madmen, but concentrating on the cosmetics of design seems to appeal more to emotions, rather than logic. A good first step for the rest of the country may be modeling their own gun laws on those of California, which already outlaws the configuration of the AR-15 used in Orlando. (Below a 1940 assault rifle with the AR-15)

 * … DRILLER FOOTBALL: The renovation of historic Griffith Field at Bakersfield High School is well under way. The field has been torn up as have some of the field buildings. It's worth a look-see if you are passing through the downtown area.

* … LIBRARY TAX: Still reeling from the defeat of the library tax, Pete Parson offered this assessment: "Is it merely coincidental that the number of voters who opposed the library tax and the number of illiterate persons in the county are approximately the same?"

 * … RETIREMENT: Thanks to all of you who were so kind to reach out to me noting my retirement. Barbara Fleming sent me this sweet valentine which I so appreciate: "I know you announced your retirement, and being retired myself, I am glad for you. Knowing this and opening my Monday morning paper to your column, I yell -'NO!'  I don't see your face but a stranger looking out at me. On a serious note, I want to thank you for your sometimes humorous and sometimes serious reflections about we, as citizens of Bakersfield, and concerns for society as a whole.  Your writing has made my soul smile and my brain engage." Thank you Barbara, and remember I will still occupy this space on Wednesday and Friday.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I can't decide if I need an XL coffee, a hug, eight shots of vodka, 826 chicken nuggets, or two months of sleep."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I hope I get a chore list cleverly disguised as a Home Depot gift card again this Father's Day.

 * ... PIES: And finally there was this query from Donna Boyt: "I am just wondering if people remember Scotty's Pie shop that was located what would now be between Brundage Lane and the Highway 58 on ramp, facing Chester Avenue? Best pies ever, and always a line out the door waiting to purchase one. Does anyone know the type of chocolate they used?  Have never tasted it anywhere else."

Bakersfield mayor's race headed for runoff while the main event in November will pit Councilman Terry Maxwell against challenger Andrae Gonzales

 * ... MAYOR'S RACE: So now it's down to two in the mayor's race, former homebuilder Kyle Carter and nonprofit director Karen Goh. Both are Bakersfield natives, yet both bear the burden of re-introducing

themselves to the community to earn our votes. Goh is relentless in attending every chicken dinner and non profit event, but that tells us little about who she is, her values, and what makes her tick. Goh is a former supervisor (she was appointed to finish a term and lost to Leticia Perez in an election) and she is widely assumed to wear her political ambition like the scarf around her neck. Carter is the more relaxed and open of the two, yet he too will need to spend more time explaining who he is and why this job appeals to him. Let's hope, over the next few months, we can dig a little deeper into the personalities, views and values of these people who want to be our next mayor.

 * ... CITY COUNCIL: And now that the June primary is behind us, we can start looking to the November election when one of the main events will pit Ward 2 Councilman Terry Maxwell against challenger Andrae Gonzales. Like others I wish Maxwell would end his Don Quixote-like opposition to the 24th Street widening (sorry Terry, I just don't buy your arguments) but he does play an important role in questioning spending and refusing to kowtow to City Manager Alan Tandy's pet projects. And say what you will about Maxwell, you always know where he stands. Gonzales will position himself as a more thoughtful, younger, inclusive member of the council, and no doubt he be a formidable contender. This is one November race to watch.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I love when strangers smile at me and I smile back and we have that nice stranger smiling moment."

 * ... BAD FORM: A pox on the house of whoever decided to dump their ashtray full of cigarette butts at the entryway of the 24th Street Starbucks. Hey genius, there was a trashcan less than five feet from your car.

 * ... OVERHEARD: Outside a local In Shape City are two homeless couples, both with dogs on a rope. One greeted the other with this: "There seems to be more of us every day."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: "I need to stop lying to my therapist. I also just need to stop lying. I don't have a therapist."

 * ... LIBRARY TAX: Local Realtor Ken Barnes had this to say about the defeat of the proposed library tax: "I only wish it were possible for me to face each person that voted against Measure F so I could look them in the eye and ask why they could not afford an extra one penny for every $8 they spend. Shame, shame on all of them."

 * ... MEMORIES: Paul Poor shares these memories of being a young man growing up in Bakersfield: "My memories of downtown are summer camp and swimming at YMCA at P and 23rd streets, Vincent’s Cyclery 18th across from post office, Jumbo drive-in on 24th between Union and Golden State, Bakersfield Bowling Academy 24th and Golden State, Farmer Johns Coffee Shop at Union and Golden State, original Lorene’s (24th Street Café), Royal Palms Golf Course Union at Columbus, Stan’s Drive In (Funny Farm) at 19th and Union, Stan’s Car Wash at L and 24th. As ki’s my brother and sisters in the 1960s 1970s we would ride our bikes from northeast Bakersfield to downtown and back again (or catch a ride home with our parents). We were 8 to 15 years old. Those were the good days in Bakersfield."

Kern High School District to comply with federal policy on transgender access to restrooms, the crowded Bakersfield mayor's race and more memories of old Bako

 * ... KHSD: No matter how you feel about the issue of transgender rights, the Kern High School District board of trustees did the right thing in voting to comply with the new - albeit controversial -

law regarding open access to restrooms. Now, with that said, I do believe President Obama erred in not allowing a full national debate on the issue before handing down the guidelines, but that's the way it rolled out and we have to deal with it or potentially forfeit millions of dollars in funding. As for trustee Chad Vegas' decision not to seek reelection because federal law conflicts with this religion, that was the right move for a pastor who believes his personal religious views trump civil policy. Jesse Aguilar spoke to it eloquently: "The board has no authority in deciding which laws the district
will follow and which they will not. If the latter is what some board members want to do, I suggest a run for the state legislature or congress. Please do not use our Kern High students as political hostages for personal, ideological agendas."

 * ... MAYORAL FEE: Did you know it only costs a $25 filing fee to run for mayor? So is it any wonder we had 25 candidates, some well meaning, some a bit odd, some resembling Manchurian candidates and all vying for our attention? Is it time to raise the cost of entry, if for nothing else to attract those who are truly serious about serving our community?

* ... KERO: I ran into KERO TV anchor Tim Callahan the other day, and he introduced me to Jacki Ochoa, his new evening co-anchor replacing Jackie Parks, who left to join her husband in Maryland after 27 years in the local market. Ochoa is a native of California who most recently was a reporter in Seattle. She also worked in Phoenix, Omaha and Redding and is a graduate of the University of Denver.

* ... SPOTTED: "Cardigans. Because you don't want to be murdered while pulling a sweater over your head."

 * ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I live for those really small but special moments in life, like when I see the waiter bringing my food to the table."

 * ... GOOD FORM: Susan Reep wrote to brag about the white-glove customer service she received from Lupe Sanchez, assistant service manager at Jim Burke Ford.  "He told me that he loved reading about the old days and he remembered Krauter’s Nursery on Kentucky Street where he grew up. He said they had lots of animals around there and once they found a big snake in their yard and called Mr. Krauter who came with his forked stick and got it and took it back to his place. "

 * ... ICE CREAM: Earle Murie is among the readers who remembers when ice cream came packaged in paper cubes. Said Murie: "I distinctly remember cubed ice cream because my father worked for the Arden Farms Milk Company from the early 1930s to the 1960s when he retired. In 1948 my mother opened a restaurant in Pomona, where we lived and where my dad was assistant manager for Arden. He was excited about the new product his company was promoting: cubed ice cream. So he convinced my mother to include the product in the menu. I was working for my mother at that time, having graduated from Pomona High School in 1947, and experienced the frustration of trying to make a milkshake or iced cream soda from a cube that had to be unwrapped before it could be placed in a container. Needless to say, cubed ice cream did not last long, at least with Arden!"

 * ... MEMORIES: Marjorie Poor Payne wrote that her farther was a dairyman who shipped milk to the Carnation plan on Union Avenue years ago. "My other and I plus four to five siblings would drive into Bakersfield to shop and one sibling took piano lessons at Toons Music Studio on Chester Avenue. I remember driving by the big Carnation plan and stopping for a milk shake - always a special treat - and they served food also."

Hats off to all those high school graduates earning academic scholarships, a hunter's lament on California gun control and another walk down memory lane

 * ... GRADUATION: Hats off to all the high school graduates who have won hard earned academic scholarships to prestigious universities across the country. Kern County has always been well

represented on the athletic front, but we also produce outstanding students known for their academic prowess. And with college tuition steadily rising both for California and out of state universities, these partial and whole scholarships often make the difference between staying or going. So to all these unsung achievers, good luck.

* ... TRASH: Hats off to the city maintenance crews who descend on our local parks to clean up the bottles, trash and sandwich wrappings that so many of us carelessly leave behind after a picnic. Do you think these folks do this to their own homes?

 * ... GUN CONTROL: Bud King is a hunter with a clean record, and his frustration over new gun control laws moving through the California legislature is shared by many recreational shooters. Said King: "I am a hunter, a shooter, and a law abiding citizen, but with the new gun laws I will become a criminal. All my rifles whether it is bolt action or semi auto, has some kind of button to release the magazine. It will be just up to the judgment of law enforcement if my firearms bought legally make me a criminal or not.  I know the people coming up with these hare brained ideas would not live in my neighborhood without armed guards to protect them.  People are at their breaking point with their rights being taken away little by little each day. "

 * … SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "The true test of any loving relationship is having two phones and only one functioning charger."

 * … MORE TWITTER: "The challenge of modern relationships is proving more interesting than the other persons smartphone."

 * ... MEMORIES: It was Susan Reep who started the avalanche of memories about the old Carnation ice cream shop on Union Avenue, and now she shared another memory from her husband Mark Smith. Said Reep: he seems to remember a guy in Mettler in a peanut suit and people along the route trying to attract travelers into their restaurants, which was all very exciting to a 5-year-old kid. And then his parents always took the kids by the big horse and the big shoe on Chester. Such wonders!"

 * ... MARY: Howard Polland dropped me a note to recall taking his three daughters to the Carnation plant for ice cream, but he also sent thanks to Realtor Mary Christenson for sponsoring this blog. I thank Mary too, and from my experience, you could not have a better Realtor than Watson's Mary Christenson.

 * ... MORE MEMORIES: And lastly, another reader (who requested to remain anonymous) asked if anyone remembers "ice cream cubes back in the 1950s. They were about 2 inches square, packaged in a fold out light cardboard and lots of different flavors. I’ve been thinking they were made by Carnation and at that same plant. But, Peacock was another ice cream plant in Bakersfield and I wonder if any of your readers can help solve this nagging question."

Bernie Sanders takes on fracking in California, ties it to groundwater contamination, prompting backlash from the energy sector

 * ... FRACKING: Bernie Sanders is seriously obsessed with fossil fuels and hydraulic fracturing, and while campaigning in Delano he again linked fracking to water contamination, a charge that has been debunked at both the state and federal level. All this triggered this response from retired oil executive Lynn Blystone: "I doubt that neither Bernie

Sanders nor his audience listening to Mr. Sanders criticize fracking were aware that the largest single stage frack west of the Rockies was performed without incident in 2005 beside where they were standing at the 'Forty Acres' in Delano on the Sunrise-Mayel gas well (1.3 million pounds of sand) and the deepest frack west of the Rockies (18,500 feet) was performed in 2005 without incident on the Ekho No. 1 oil well without incident just a few miles west." Thanks Lynn, but remember this is the political season and politicos feel they have a license to ignore the facts.

 * ... CSUB GRADUATION: Good news out at Cal State Bakersfield, where the university will hand diplomas to the largest graduation class in history, some 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students.

 * ... CALIFORNIA PRIMARY: A local voter is commenting on all the robo calls and political advertising before next week's California primary: "I voted absentee two weeks ago as did most of my friends. All this last minute advertising is just wasted money."

 * ... GUN CONTROL: The California legislature is rushing through a new series of gun control laws, believing that new restrictions on law abiding citizens will somehow have a beneficial effect. One of the best challenges to this came in an opinion piece in the East Bay Times, which read in part: "Changing a culture of violence does not begin with weapons and it certainly does not begin with wholesale suppression of civil rights. It begins with understanding the source of violence and treating the disease, not the symptoms -- were guns a source of violence, then nobody would walk out of a gun show alive. Instead, violence is seeded within subcultures. In America, it is uniquely tied to inner-city cultures that support and even praise violence as a means to petty ends. Changing violent cultures has to be an evolution and no legislation will cause this to happen."

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "I’m beginning to believe that successful relationships come down to Netflix compatibility."

 * ... MORE TWITTER: "Don’t refer to them as voices in your head. Do as the professionals and call them your ‘team of writers.’"

* ... LORRIE MURPHY shared this warm experience when she and a friend walked their dogs to the Park and RiverWalk for the lowering of the flags on Memorial Day weekend. "It was a beautiful ceremony with the circle of flags reflected in the lake as the sun went down and a light breeze was blowing to keep the flags standing out straigh.  But what impressed us the most was the families that were out with their children. Not a cell phone or electronic device is sight! Children laughing, riding their bikes, skate boards and roller skates  Little children laughing at the joy of kisses from dogs.  Families taking pictures with the flags in the background.  People looking you straight in the eye when stopped and talked to you. Made you proud to be an Americian and especially from Bakersfield. You just knew that no matter what the news said everything was going to be OK."

 * ... ANIMAL SHELTER: And finally there was this from Annette Lindquist: "I thought you might like to hear a feel good Memorial Day story. The Kern County Animal Shelter and Bakersfield Republican Women teamed up for Animals for Armed Services and Pets for Vets. Within three hours eight dogs and one cat went to a loving vet's home with a new bed, dish, food, toy, treats, collar, leash and an application from The Bakersfield Pet Food Pantry to receive complimentary food each month.  Several times we were brought to tears as we watched an abandoned dog select its new owner with a "paw hug" around the neck and wet kisses on the face. It was a win-win situation, for sure. We were honored to be a part of such an incredible event for our military and stray animal population."

It is a walk down memory lane for Bakersfield old-timers remembering an ice cream shop, when Union Avenue was the old Highway 99, and life was safer and simpler

* ... MEMORIES: Last Friday I posted a query from my friend Susan Reep about an Carnation ice cream parlor that once served weary travelers on the old Highway 99 (Union Avenue) through

town. No fewer than 72 of you (last count) emailed me (two people even called Realtor Mary Christenson, this blog's sponsor) to share your memories, a response that speaks to the affection so many of us feel about growing up when Bakersfield was a much quieter place. With apologies to the dozens of folks I could not quote, let's hear from the readers:

* ... BOBBI WOMACK said the Carnation ice cream plant was located on the northwest corner of Second Street and Union Avenue. "My brother, Robbie Hackett, scooped ice cream there and was then promoted to cook when he was only old enough to ride his bike to and from work. That would be the late 1950s. He would call me to tell me to get my spoon ready, he was on his bike bringing home five gallons of creme de menthe ice cream! What a  treat!"

* ...SUSAN FRYE SEAMAN noted "the shop was owned by Joe and Martha Mooney who later opened Farmer Johns Pancake House, and many others. My mother, Opal Moles Frye, met my father Lewis Frye while working there. Lewis worked for the Carnation dairy after the war. "

 * ... RICK ISLE said he "grew up at 128 T Street, in the 'Carnation tract' that ran from Brundage Lane to 4th Street with T street on the west and Union on the east. The milk plant featured a restaurant and that featured ice cream that I believe was made on premises. It had a counter and booths with each having individual stations where you could select offerings from the Juke box."

 * ... HOLLY LAZZERINA remembers growing up in Los Angeles and stopping at the Carnation store when her family was on the way to Yosemite or Sequoia every summer. "Driving tree lined 99 in August 100 degrees... Carnation ice cream, YUM! When we moved here 40 years ago I was really disappointed the ice cream parlor was gone."

 * ... RHONDA BRADY of Tehachapi also recalled that "along that strip of Union Avenue was Maison Jaussaud, (where I saw Carol Channing) The Plunge (where we spent summer days) The Hacienda Hotel,(where my sister worked) , Motor Truck Sales and Service (where my father worked) lots of thriving businesses."

 * ... JAMIE HENDERSON said he was "an elementary school kid in the late 1950s and my mother worked at the Saddle and Sirloin restaurant at First and Union (the circular building is still there and is now a ministry outreach facility). The Saddle and Sirloin was an upscale steak house frequented by many of the local television media (Burleigh Smith, Harry Mitchell, George Day). At Second and Union was the Carnation Ice Cream Plant - the warehouse stuff in the back and the Carnation ice cream shop right on Union. I remember it was very clean, had those great ice cream shop aromas - it was very popular, and a great place to go for your favorite ice cream. The building most recently was CLS Imports I believe. I have fond memories of my dad taking my sister and I by the Saddle and Sirloin to see my mom and then popping into Carnation for some ice cream. The Saddle and Sirloin closed in the sixties and the building became a Basque restaurant for a while."

* ...  JOHN PRYOR remembers it as "a large bulk ice cream production plant for Carnation, as I recall, with a very attractive, clean, spacious, high ceiling, and well-lighted retail outlet facing Union Avenue. I think their color scheme was predominantly red and white. At that time, Union Avenue was part of Highway 99 - and why the Tomerlin family built The Motel nearby - and coined the word 'motel' from 'motor hotel.' (it became the Bakersfield Inn later as they overlooked their opportunity to copyright that name and it quickly became part of the public domain.  But that's another story.) So it was logical that someone from Hollywood driving through Bakersfield en route north would stop at Carnation for a treat. And then Highway 99 was re-routed. Carnation, the Bakersfield Inn and other tourist-related businesses on Union Avenue began to disappear."

 * ... MARLENE HAWS said back in 1955 or 1956, the Carnation plant  was a meeting point for several Marines traveling back to Camp Pendelton on Sunday evenings. "We were young, newly married, I would drop my husband Ronald Harr off around 9 p.m. A Sgt. Martinez, coming from Northern California, would pick up the local boys. Ron has been gone since 2006, but the memories remain."

   * ... BURT ARMSTRONG recalled "a typical Sunday for our family, mom, dad, two younger sisters and me was First Presbyterian Church early 9:30 a.m. service, followed by early lunch at Carnation (of course with malts or a cone), so we could continue on to the Fox Theater for a double feature starting at 1 p.m. It was a colorful place, light and cheery, but you needed to arrive early to get a seat. In this 1940s and 1950s time frame, it had considerable clientele, as Highway 99 had not yet been built, and Golden State Avenue was the 99 main highway, anchored by the Bakersfield Inn, the largest motel in America.”

 * ... AND FINALLY, there was this note from my friend Darlyn Baker: "Good morning Richard.  You'll be able to answer your Memories question Susan Reep asked in your column today.  It sparked my curiosity so thanks to Google I found the following at bakersfieldobserved.com on Tuesday August 9, 2011, you thanked Rhonda MacGillivray-Brady of Tehachapi for letting you know of her fond memory of the Carnation ice cream plant and parlor on S. Union where she enjoyed an ice cream cone and her Mom liked the hot fudge sundae. That location makes sense since that would have been the main route between southern and northern California. Thanks for spurring our curiosity about bygone days."

Memorial Day in Bakersfield, Monsignor Craig Harrison readies for a 10-day fast in an Italian cave, and the end of an era on local television

 * ... MEMORIAL DAY: Did you know Memorial Day was initiated to honor those in the Union and Confederate armies that died during our Civil War? Originally called Decoration Day, it was first

celebrated on May 30, 1868. On this Memorial Day, I took time to remember Harold Swysgood, a young infantryman who died in the battle of Anzio in January 1944. He was 20 years old when he died in Italy. His younger sister back in the tiny hamlet of Saint Marys, Ohio, was my mother.

 * ... FATHER CRAIG: I had a chance to catch up with Monsignor Craig Harrison at a dinner party this weekend, and he shared that he is headed to Italy next month for his annual pilgrimage to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan religious order. This will be Harrison's 44th trip to Assisi, where he spends 10 days alone in a dark cave (no bathroom, no electricity, just a notepad, one candle - it has to last 10 days - and the barest of meals that show up at the cave entrance). "I don't see anybody for 10 days, nobody," he told me. "It's a time of reflection and you find yourself talking to butterflies and birds." Harrison called it a "Franciscan cleanse" and it is something he looks forward to every year. Curiously, I find the whole concept appealing.

* ... END OF AN ERA: When Jackie Parks left KERO TV after 27 years in Bakersfield, it truly seemed to mark and end of an era when local anchors stayed on and embraced this community as their home. Within an hour of her last newscast last Friday, Parks joined fellow former anchors Lisa Kimble Edmonston (KGET, KERO) and Robin Mangarin Scott (KERO, KGET) at the home of former KBAK reporter and marketing director Don Martin to share stores and toast the future. Parks is headed to Maryland to join husband Todd Karli at a local affiliate.

* ... SPOTTED ON TWITTER: "Whenever I start to hate my job I think about the camera crew who has to follow the Kardashian’s 24/7."

 * ... SPOTTED ON FACEBOOK: Friend at Memorial Day BBQ: I see you wasted no time with the white pants. Me: These are my legs.

 * ...MEMORIES: My friend Susan Reep submitted this tidbit to see if it would spark any memories: "I have lunch quarterly with a group of Hollywood High alums, and one said her family used to stop for ice cream long ago in Bakersfield on their way up the valley. She thinks it was Carnation. Does anyone remember a Carnation ice cream shop or plant? By long ago I mean 60 years or thereabouts."