Lifestyle Magazine - October 2017

STYLE, ART, CULTURE, + EVENTS OF THE SOUTH VALLEY OCTOBER 2017

HOME TOUR

EPICURE

TRAVELER'S TREK

CRAWFORD HOME

FLAVORS OF FALL

NEW ZEALAND

ECRWSS RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER LOCAL

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COMMUNITY

HOME TOUR

SHARING THE BOUNTY BENEFITS OUR COUNTY

THE CRAWFORD HOME

Bringing the community together to celebrate Tulare County’s abundant agriculture.

Where Creativity and Culture Collide

8 Letter from the Executive Editor 10 WordPlay 12 Refl ections of Visalia: Visalia—An Accommodating

EPICURE

FLAVORS OF FALL A Seasonal Supper for Six

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From roasted baby pumpkins to warm apple crepes, fl avors combine for a seasonal supper you won’t forget

Neighbor for Aviator Cadets 20 Seasonal: Celebrating Fall with Succulents 46 Literary Arts: Lori Rice—Cooking With Real Foods And Beer 50 Local Adventure: Whirlwind Weekend Farm Tour 54 Charity: Saucy September 58 Happenings

TRAVELER'S TREK

NEW ZEALAND A Tiny Country Full of Surprises and Unparalleled Natural Beauty

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COVER: Holly and Travis Crawford have devoted countless hours painting, decorating, and personalizing every square inch of their historic Spanish-style home. One of the many custom features includes a hanging couch-bed with leopard print fabric.

TOP: Most of the architecturally significant aspects of the 1933 home, rumored to be built for one of the Mooney daughters, remain including the home’s outstanding shape.

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DMI Agency 801 W. Main St. Visalia, CA 93291 Karen Tellalian Greg Bitney Marcie Vagnino Chris Bly Kaci Hansen Cheryl Levitan Diane Slocum David Vartanian Jon E. Stern Kelly Lapadula Lori Rice Sue Burns Terry L. Ommen Malkasian Accountancy LLP Gary Malkasian CPA Jeffrey Malkasian EA Maria Gaston Sales@DMIAgency.com 801 W. Main St. Visalia, CA 93291 559.739.1747 • Fax 559.738.0909 Lifestyle@DMIAgency.com www.VisaliaLifestyle.com Issuu.com/LifestyleMagazine Facebook.com/LifestyleMag Instagram: visalialifestyle

RACK LOCATIONS DMI Agency Evolutions Fitness Center, Tulare

Exeter Chamber of Commerce Tazzaria Coffee & Tea The Lifestyle Center

Visalia Chamber of Commerce Visalia Convention Center

COUNTERTOP LOCATIONS 210 Cafe AMCC Arts Consortium Arts Visalia Ashoori & Co. Jewelers Blend WIne Room Bravo Farms Smokehouse Café 225 Chad Clark Hair Salon Charcuterie Chelsea Street Boutique Citizen's Bank CreekSide Day Spa Skin & Laser Center Downtown Visalia Alliance Ed Dena Auto Center, Visalia Exeter Chamber of Commerce

For Such a Time Boutique Franey's Design Center Fugazzis Glick's and Co. ImagineU Children’s Museum Janeen’s Furniture Gallery Kaweah Delta Hospital Keller Williams Reality Max's Cookies Metropolis Day Spa Michael's Custom Jewelry Monét’s, Exeter Pacific Treasures Premier Medical Clinic Renaissance Salon Sage Salon Salon 525

Sherman & Associates Tazz. Coffee The Gardens at Cal Turf The Looking Glass V Medical Spa Velvet Sky Visalia Ceramic Tile Visalia First Assembly Visalia Fox Theatre Visalia Marriott Visalia Medical Clinic Watson's Wildflower Café, Exeter Williams, Brodersen & Pritchett, Attorneys at Law Windows Plus, Inc. Wyndham Hotel

Visalia Lifestyle Magazine is published monthly and is distributed via direct mail to nearly 13,000 homes in the upper-middle and high-income neighborhoods in Visalia. An additional 2,500 copies are distributed at various distribution points around Visalia, Tulare, and Exeter.

Views expressed in columns are those of the columnist and not necessarily those of DMI Agency or its advertisers.

Circulation of this issue: 15,500 © 2017 DMI Agency

From handmade furniture to DIY painting projects, Travis and Holly have turned their home into their creative outlet.

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FR O M TH E

EDITOR

T

he plan was for this month’s letter to be written in a tavern somewhere on the island of Crete.

That was the plan, but alas, it did not happen that way. As I’ve been dealing with the disappointment over our failed vacation, I sit at my desk today feeling grateful and maybe a little bit guilty.

While I am not on the Aegean Sea, I am comfortable in my office in beautiful downtown Visalia. This has been a year of horrendous weather and natural

Tulare County’s abundant agriculture and bring attention to the Tulare County Farm Bureau. “Bounty of the County” played host to some 300 attendees who sampled locally grown or produced food and drink. For a rundown of the night’s events, turn to page 16.

It is somewhat hard to believe that while we live in the “breadbasket of the world”, there are still citizens who continue to be food deprived. This year’s “Saucy September,” a fundraiser for

As we close out this October 2017 issue, we are reminded that we just completed our 14th year of publishing. We are thankful for your readership and know quite well that 14 years does not happen without the support of our entire community.

E X E C U T I V E

E D I T O R

K A R E N

T E L L A L I A N

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SUBMIT A STORY IDEA, CONTACT ME AT KAREN@DMIAGENCY.COM

disasters for our country. From California to Puerto Rico, I doubt any of us has not been, or does not know someone, affected by either hurricanes or fires. At the time of this writing, the fires in both Northern and Southern California are devastating those areas. Dozens of lives lost, thousands of homes destroyed, it is quite simply heartbreaking. Thank you to all the firefighters and first responders who risk their lives every day in order to protect and save us from the dangers we face.

Requests for prayers have taken over social media and our hearts, and I sincerely hope those prayers are soon answered.

Even with all of the negativity this year, we feel extremely privileged to spread a little good news and cheer. People in our community are charitable, and we like nothing more than to share these stories with you.

For the eighth year in a row, the community came together to celebrate

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Congregation B’nai David and FoodLink of Tulare County, was a special night to engage the community in the fight to end hunger. To read about who won the Savory Saucy Trophy, turn to page 54.

If you need a little nudge to help you cheer up, then you need not do anything more than read this month’s Home Tour feature – the Crawford home on page 24. It is without a doubt the most vivid and cheery home we have ever featured. Influenced by a grandmother’s Spanish heritage, the home is filled with handcrafted furniture, metallic painted ceilings, and brightly colored walls.

As we close out this October 2017 issue, we are reminded that we just completed our 14th year of publishing.

We are thankful for your readership and know quite well that 14 years does not happen without the support of our entire community. We appreciate each of you. Know that we are keeping you, your family and your friends, in our daily thoughts and prayers.

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WO R D PLAY News on writing, books + the world of publishing

M

onsters aren’t always supernatural or super human. Sometimes they are part of the family.

Martin is certainly one of these monsters in Gabriel Tallent’s My Absolute Darling (Riverhead Books, August). In this beautifully written, highly praised and powerful, yet horrific, debut novel, 14-year-old Turtle lives with her father, Martin, who abuses her in every way, yet provides her with the only world she knows. Once she begins to understand the appeal of life outside of the Mendocino County wilderness, she needs all the survivalist skills her father has taught her.

The monster in History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (Atlantic Monthly Press, January 2017) is not blatantly evil like Martin and Kreagar (below). Leo is devoted to his faith, but distant from his family, except in his ability to manipulate his wife, even when the life of his diabetic son, Paul, is at stake. Teenage Linda’s life becomes intertwined with this family when she is hired to look after Paul, and that continues to haunt her as she matures.

Other books that feature familial monsters that have already been described in this column include The Wolf Road (Beth Lewis) – a young girl tries to escape from Kreagar, the murderer who raised her in the apocalyptic north woods; The Education of Dixie Dupree (Donna Everhart) - Uncle Ray comes to help after a family tragedy but begins to give too much special attention to 12-year-old Dixie, while her mother hides a dark secret; Bull Mountain (Brian Panowich) – three generations of moonshiners and drug dealers will stop at nothing to carry on their trade, including shooting brothers and turning their sons into monsters like themselves.

VALLEY WRITERS Douglas E. Noll’s latest book, De10 L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less, was released by Simon and Schuster last month. Noll’s book offers instructions on how to calm oneself quickly and then remain calm while defusing the other person’s anger.

Noll’s technique calls for the deescalators to set aside themselves and submerge themselves in what the other person is saying. This involves seeking a core message, guessing what the angry person is feeling, and repeating this back to him. He rejects the common advice of giving “I” messages and instead advises people to put the

was co-authored by Dr. John Boogaert.

WRITING HORROR Cris Freese gives his advice on “The Horror Genre: On Writing Horror and Avoiding Clichés” at writersdigest. com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/ the-horror-genre-on-writing-horrorand-avoiding-cliches. One of his bits of advice is to write about what disturbs you personally, rather than well-used themes.

An example of this is in Alan Averill’s The Beautiful Land. Now, who could be afraid of baby birds? Averill said he is – and his baby birds are like no others.

In “Gray Matter – 13 Tips for Writing Horror Fiction” (he did say thirteen), Robert Gray advises that to come up with a good hook, ask “what if…?” For example, what if an impenetrable dome came down over a small town? (You would have Stephen King’s Under the Dome.) The other 12 tips are at hellnotes.com/gray-matter-13tips-for-writing-horror-fiction/ WRITING CONTEST

entire focus on the other speaker.

Noll is the co-founder of the Prison Peace Project where he and his partner honed this technique with violent convicts. Noll has also taught this technique in schools.

Noll’s other three books are Elusive Peace (which won the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution Book of the Year Award in 2012), Peacemaking (the law and human conflict), and Sex, Politics and Religion at the Office (the advantage of diversity in the workplace). The latter

The 45th New Millennium Writing Awards are offered in poetry, fiction, flash fiction and nonfiction. Any subject or style is accepted. Each category winner receives $1,000 and publication. Certain finalists will also be published.

Entry fee is $20 for one entry, up to $75 for five. Three poems equal one entry. Deadline is November 30. Details at: newmillenniumwritings. submittable.com/submit.

THE LAST WORD “There is no life to be found in violence.

Every act of violence brings us closer to death. Whether it's the mundane violence we do to our bodies by overeating toxic food or drink or the extreme violence of child abuse, domestic warfare, lifethreatening poverty, addiction, or state terrorism.” – Bell Hooks (1952 - )

VISALIA

AN ACCOMMODATING NEIGHBOR FOR AVIATOR CADETS

I

n 1938, the United States Army Air Corps was training about 500 combat pilots a year. As it became more and more clear America was going to be entering World War II, the military leaders realized more pilots were going to be needed, but they also knew the limitations of their training staff and facilities. Something had to be done quickly to get more pilots trained. In 1939, Four Star General Henry “Hap” Arnold, the head of the Army Air Forces, had devised a plan—a bold one that could train over 100,000 pilots per year.

His idea was revolutionary, and at the same time relatively simple. The military would contract-out pilot training to civilian airfields and civilian pilots. The plan was not universally accepted. To many, the thought of training military personnel using civilian instructors was going too far. But the military brass argued that the urgency of the times warranted the unorthodox measure,

so the general's plan moved forward.

As it was implemented, dozens of civilian airfields sprang up all over the country and hundreds of civilian pilots, many with prior military aviation experience, were hired as trainers. To mitigate the concern over too much civilian involvement, General Arnold ordered that all of the civilian airfields and training be overseen by the military.

Eventually, 62 airfields were established across the country, and Tulare County got two. The first one was Rankin Aeronautical Academy (or Rankin Field for short), and it was located a few miles east of the city of Tulare. The second was Visalia-Dinuba School of Aeronautics or Sequoia Field, and was north of Visalia about eight miles, midway between the two towns. Rankin was dedicated in May 1941, and Sequoia Field opened its doors a few months later. But before the army opened Sequoia Field, T EXT

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the city and military agreed that all of Visalia's houses of prostitution needed to be shut down. Everyone was concerned about widespread sexually transmitted diseases.

Because of Sequoia Field’s proximity to Visalia, both military and city officials recognized the special connection and the importance of establishing a good working relationship. Meetings were held and understandings were reached. So in 1940, Visalia, a town of about 9,000 people, was on its way to becoming a military town.

Although the cadets were kept very busy with flying, ground school, drills, tests and physical fitness, they were given occasional weekend passes and many of them spent time in town. The cadets were well received by Visalians.

In-season fruits and vegetables were shared with them, and families would take the boys on sightseeing trips up to Sequoia National Park to see the big

O MME N

TOP LEFT: In 1940, Visalia, a town of about 9,000 people, was on its way to becoming a military town.

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trees. But not everyone was happy with the influx of more young men. Local boys didn't appreciate the added competition for the attention of young ladies who seemed to have a special fondness for the uniformed flyboys.

Sequoia Field also had an impact on the local employment situation.

Not only did local civilian pilots find employment as part of the training staff, there was also a push to get women to fill jobs usually held by men. In October 1942, for example, the Visalia Times-Delta spoke to the women of Visalia and challenged them to become airplane mechanics. The newspaper wrote, “You have always had a desire to shelve the makeup and frills and putter around with mechanics, if you only had someone to give you a little help. Well, lady, your answer is right here in Visalia under the program being advanced by the Visalia-Dinuba School of Aeronautics, where a group of women are embarking upon a training and at a regular hourly rate of pay, too, to qualify them to step up and take a front line place in the war when the men are called to bear arms. More women are needed.” The women's group spearheading the effort was the local chapter of the Business & Professional Women’s organization.

Services in Visalia were also used by the Sequoia Field cadets. Even though the base had a small hospital, serious illnesses and injuries were treated in Visalia. When Cadet Foster Anderson of Chicago was flying solo in April 1943, he crashed his plane near Stone Corral School. The Sequoia Field ambulance responded and took

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him to the Visalia Municipal Hospital where he was given a blood transfusion, but later died from his injuries.

Visalia had parades and numerous patriotic events during the war and the cadets of Sequoia Field were well

represented. Bond drives were especially popular and participation by the military men was encouraged. Their presence helped to elevate a patriotic spirit, and therefore helped sell much needed war bonds. In July 1944, for example, they participated in a parade to boost war

bond sales.

Thanks to the cadets, and especially the hard work of the large number of volunteer bond salespeople, Visalia met its quota and actually "went over the top."

The relationship between Sequoia Field and Visalia was mutually beneficial, but August 11, 1944, marked the beginning of the end for the air field.

The military sent a letter announcing that as of October 16, 1944, no more cadets would be coming for training.

The letter acknowledged that "the training of thousands of aviation cadets at the Visalia-Dinuba School is a significant accomplishment which is regarded as an outstanding contribution to the war effort."

For three years the base served as a primary flight training facility and graduated 8,000 cadets. Many graduates became accomplished pilots and distinguished themselves in many ways. A significant number also gave their lives. Captain Darrell Lindsey was one of them, and he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of bravery as a pilot.

Visalia played a significant part in the history of this important training field.

Even though cadets spent only nine weeks in training in Tulare County, many of them had fond memories of Visalia.

For that, Visalians should be proud.

Sequoia Field as a military training base is obviously gone, but thanks to Bruce Baird, a Sequoia Field graduate, the training field site is on the National Register of Historic Places.

TOP: Sequoia Air Field kept cadets busy with flying, ground school, drills, and physical fitness.

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COMMUNITY

SHARING

THE

BOUNTY

BENEFITS OUR COUNTY W

e truly just love sharing the bounty of our county!” exclaimed Naturally Nuts Owner John Oneto as he served samples of stuffed olives, nuts, and chile-lime and pumpkin-spice flavored almonds.

His enthusiastic statement could have easily been attributed to any of the 26 local vendors in attendance at the Tulare County Farm Bureau’s Bounty of the County event on September 29.

Bounty of the County, now in its eighth year, brings the community together to celebrate Tulare County’s abundant agriculture while showcasing the Farm Bureau and the benefits of membership. The event originated as a concept of the bureau’s membership T E X T

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committee, and its reputation and attendance has grown each year.

Committee members are active in planning the event with support from the bureau’s staff. Around 300 guests in jeans, boots, and garden attire were in attendance, arriving promptly at 6 p.m. on a beautiful evening at the Historic Seven Sycamores Ranch, ready to taste sweet and savory foods, and sample beers and wines from the county.

Tulare County Farm Bureau (TCFB) is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year. A membership-funded nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and enhance the viability of Tulare County agriculture, the bureau acts as a bridge between local B U R N S

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farmers and county and state policymakers and legislators. In addition to management of legislative issues and public education, the bureau works to provide a unified voice on key issues affecting Tulare County farmers.

As part of the state-level California Farm Bureau Federation, TCFB does take political stances but is not tied to government agencies.

There are currently approximately 2,000 total TCFB members who work directly in agriculture, or are businesses that do business with or support agriculture in some way.

Oneto has participated in the event every year. He values the opportunity it provides him and other merchants to T R I S H A

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TOP LEFT: Debra Gullord of Service Master by Benevento samples a bacon-wrapped date.

showcase their locally-sourced products and connect with COMMUNITY members of the community.

As he shared his products, guests filled their plates with enough tastings of savory signature dishes and products to make an entire meal. Wood fired pizza; savory cheesecake; steak bites and sausage; bacon-wrapped dates; candied pecans; stuffed penne pasta; and Italian appetizers were generously served by All Fired Up! Pizza, E Street Market, Monet’s, Exeter Meats and Processing, Left of Center, Rosa’s Italian Ristorante, The Naked Nut, Tulare Meat Locker & Sausage Co., and Western BBQ Company.

Live music from the band Take Cover added to the country casual atmosphere.

Stopping to chat on the way to their table, Vianna Del Vecchio and John Bettencourt were looking forward to sampling some of the county’s best with friends who had invited them, saying, “…we wanted to see what it’s all about and of course, support the Farm Bureau.”

Sweet treats were in abundance as well, with apple cider syrup-topped mini-apple tarts and pancakes; dried blueberries, blueberry treats and sauces; petit fours, raspberry almond cakes and pecan pie squares; ice cream bars; caramel corn; ice cream sundaes and coffee milk; and cookies, banana, lemon and marbled quick breads provided

by Ciderhouse Foods, Critchley Family

Farms, Goodies Cookies, HäagenDazs, Puffed Perfection, Rosa Brothers Milk Company, and The Cookie Box. A wide variety of local craft beers and California wines ensured delicious pairings with all of the dishes. Wine sponsors Farm Credit West and Mitchell Insurance Services supplied multiple labels including San Simeon; Barefoot Wines, Cacciatore Fine Wine and Olive Oil Corp. also poured their signature varietals. Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company sampled their craft brews, and Component Coffee Lab (slated to open in downtown Visalia soon) provided mochas and lattes made with single-bean brewed coffee and gourmet chocolate.

Surrounded by majestic trees under a clear late-September sky, guests gathered under strands of café lights and enjoyed food, libations and conversation at tables accented with miniature pumpkins. Tickets in hand, they waited for the drawings for Cacciatore Fine Wines, Olive Oil Corp., and Critchely Family Farms door prizes.

Opportunity drawing tickets were available to purchase for the popular gun raffle, which this year awarded a firearm to three lucky winners.

Crowning the evening’s prize possibilities was a drawing for a DJI Phantom 4 Drone, partly sponsored

by All Drone Solutions in Exeter, who also provided the winner with

a free consultation on how to use it.

This special drawing was open only to new TCFB Agriculture, Business Support, and Gold and Platinum Heritage Members who joined between May 1 and September 29. Another special drawing was held for those who referred new members to TCFB; that winner received a $100 gift card to the store of their choosing.

After making the rounds of vendors under the arbors, attendees voted in the Best of the Bounty contest.

Winners were announced toward the end of the night, with honors (and bragging rights for the next year) going to Tulare Meat Locker for the Most Savory dish; Goodies Cookies for the Best Sweet Treat, and Left of Center for the Best Fresh Product.

Tulare County Farm Bureau Executive Director Tricia Stever Blattler was delighted with the evening’s attendance and offerings. “We’re so pleased to have such great weather and turnout, and fabulous participation from vendors, local breweries, and wine vendors.

Our goal (in addition to encouraging membership) is to help local artisan food vendors connect with the community.”

Without a doubt, those connections and new friendships were formed as community ties were strengthened through sharing, and everyone is already looking forward to next year’s event!

Surrounded by majestic trees under a clear autumn sky, guests enjoyed live music by Take Cover.

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Tulare County Farm Bureau is celebrating its centennial anniversary this year.

Your Home. Your Look.

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SEASONAL

C E L E B R AT I N G

F A L L

W I T H

SUCCULENTS

M

aking their way into stylish home design and onto the tables of trendy coffee shops,

succulents are having their moment.

Dotting landscapes across the country for years, these plants are not new, but the recent rise in popularity has nearly everyone gushing with excitement over their distinctive characteristics and creative uses.

Succulents grow well in Tulare County, but our climate does present a unique set of challenges. They are a hardy bunch, but the harsh afternoon sun and dry climate here can be

stressful for the plants. The good news is that with a little care and attention, you can fill your garden with thriving succulents and your home with seasonal succulent centerpieces.

FALL IS YOUR SEASON TO SHINE “Spring and fall are part of their growing season,” says Devon Brown, a designer at The Gardens in Tulare.

It’s the time of year when new growth is noticeable and many varieties will flower. While the lack of growth in the heat of summer and cold of winter can be frustrating for new gardeners, fall offers an opportunity T E X T

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to watch succulents flourish.

Bre Singleton, owner of Sugar's Succulents in Visalia, seconds that fall is an ideal time for succulent gardening. “Fall is better for us here because it’s not as hot and we don’t get rained out like other regions.”

Cooler mid-day temps, warm sunshine, and limited rain may provide the most favorable conditions for the plants.

USING SUCCULENTS IN SEASONAL DÉCOR When it comes to using succulents, they are easy to propagate. This is something Devon says is great when

R I C E Photo by Bre Singleton

SEASONAL

Photo by Bre Singleton

you are ready to incorporate them into fall and holiday decorations. Once you have a few thriving plants in your yard, you can begin to take clippings. She advises to let the clippings sit a few days until the cut ends callous over with a small scab. Then they can be planted in pumpkins, wreaths, and wall hangings.

“I look at everything and think – how can I put a succulent in it?” says Bre. Whicker, wood, and wire all say fall to her, as well as topping faux or real pumpkins with succulents. She also uses cuttings in place settings such as tucking them into garland or napkin rings.

Kim Rico, owner of Drops of Honey Designs, has seen succulents in all kinds of creative decorating. “Succulents are a plant that most people love and appreciate,” she says, remarking that they are often a gift that keeps on giving. Many of the brides she’s worked with give succulents as wedding favors for guests to take home and plant as a keepsake from the special day.

Kim likes to use the contrast of the green of the plant against neutrals, jewel tones, golden terra cotta, and other warm fall colors. They are ideal for both centerpieces and wreathes.

One of the most creative uses for succulents she’s seen is filling old books as a centerpiece. Vintage store books were stacked on top of each other and the top book had a portion cut out which held an arrangement of beautiful succulents. There are few limits to how these plants can be used.

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TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED If you are ready to grow your own succulents, following a few guidelines will help prevent mishaps along the way.

“When in doubt, give it a drought,” Bre says, laughing about how corny her own advice may sound. But it’s advice growers should most definitely follow.

“The number one way that most people kill succulents is by overwatering,” she says, advice echoed by every experienced succulent grower.

Photo by Bre Singleton

Succulents are designed to hold extra water in the leaves and stems. When a succulent is overwatered, root rot begins. This causes the base to become mush and eventually kills the plant.

Use a well-draining soil designed for succulents and cacti to help prevent overwatering. According to Devon, these soils contain a blend for nutrients along with sand and pumice, which help the soil drain while absorbing excess water.

Allowing plants to dry out completely, which often means two weeks without watering, will benefit the growing cycle.

She also recommends using containers with drainage so that you don’t battle with overwatering as you become familiar with growing the plants.

You will also need to evaluate where to keep your plants. Bre says, “The hardest part is finding where on your property that succulents grow the best. It’s really trial and error.” Every yard and area of your yard is going to be a little different regarding sun, shade, temperature, and moisture.

Keep the plants in a spot with indirect light, or morning light with afternoon shade. As the year goes on remember that while your succulents might do well in one area in fall and winter, this might not be the case in the hot Tulare County summers. “I always tell people to err on the side of afternoon shade in summer,” says Devon.

Even with the favorable fall weather, Devon shares that succulents don’t always grow quickly, and this can be frustrating for beginners. She recommends that gardeners fill up containers so they look nice. A full container is more immediately gratifying than waiting for small, single succulents to grow and fill up space in a larger pot. The gratification will motivate excitement as you master growing beautiful succulents to use in fall decorations year after year.

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W H E R E C R E AT I V I T Y A N D C U LT U R E

COLLIDE

Travis has built many pieces of furniture for the home. The first piece ever built for Holly, a square coffee table accented with metal embellishments and a Talavera and Terracotta tile surface, remains the focal point of their living room.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y

THE CRAWFORD HOME

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etallic ceiling paint. Lime green walls. Yellow kitchen cupboards.

Bright red curtains. Tattoo art murals. Furniture in every color. These are just a few of the tastefully shocking design elements found inside the Crawford’s historic Spanish-style home.

Over the past 10 years, Holly and Travis Crawford have devoted countless hours painting, decorating, and personalizing every square inch of their 1933 Visalia home. The couple’s efforts, however, are more than just a means for achieving a vibrant aesthetic; it’s a way for them to spend quality time together as a couple. From handmade furniture pieces to DIY painting projects, Travis and Holly have turned their home into their creative outlet.

“It’s fun for us because it’s how we spend time together,” said Travis.

“We enjoy it. We’ll turn the radio on, and we’ll spend days on end painting or working on a project together.”

Shortly after the Crawfords were married, it didn’t take long for Holly to discover her husband’s natural

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talent for building furniture. With her creativity and his construction abilities, they worked as a team to fill their home with custom, handcrafted furniture, including coffee tables, end tables, night stands, and dining tables.

“Travis came from a construction

family where they all learned how to build things early on,” said Holly.

“Once I figured out he could do that, I would give him an idea, and if I could explain it well enough, he was really good at executing it. He is so

handy and his stuff is beautiful; I like it better than anything I could buy.”

The first piece Travis ever built for Holly was a square coffee table, accented with metal embellishments and a Talavera and Terracotta tile surface. Fast forward 14 years, and that inaugural table is still the focal point of their living room, having endured years of their children using it as their personal “stage.”

Many of the other handcrafted furniture items contribute their own unique element to the home’s original Spanish design. One of Holly’s favorite pieces is a long, teal dining table that sits on their front patio. With room for 10 people and a surface made of Terracotta tiles, the table is so heavy it had to be built in place.

“I’ve probably built somewhere around 40 tables,” said Travis.

“Sometimes we give them away as presents or even exchange them for things like babysitting services. But it feels good to have something that you build for your house. You have a sense

Holly has been brave when it comes to color; almost every room is painted a different hue.

HOME TOUR

A professional tattoo artist painted the mural on their son’s bedroom wall.

Behind the wrought iron gate sits a 10-person dining table and vibrant orange porch swing.

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Metallic ceiling paint and brightly painted walls are just a few of the design elements found inside the Crawford’s home.

of accomplishment with it.”

The prevailing Spanish influence found throughout the Crawford’s home is rooted deeply in Holly’s heritage, passed down from her mother and grandmother. As early California Spanish settlers, her grandmother’s family arrived in Camarillo, California, on a Spanish land grant. When her grandmother married a rancher and left Camarillo, she moved to Northern Nevada where she raised seven children. Today, her children and many of her grandchildren continue to carry on their family’s Spanish legacy,

and furniture pieces.

“The first house we lived in wasn’t Spanish style, but I decorated it that way because I liked it,” said Holly. “So when we got this house 10 years ago, my stuff fit right in.”

Originally, the Crawfords planned to build on to their Tudor home, but when Travis came across an old Spanishstyle house near downtown with plenty of charm, he knew Holly had to have it.

“We got an estimate for how much our add-on would be, but then I found this house,” said Travis. “It had

whether it’s through their home décor or by riding horses.

“My grandmother had great style with her clothes and her house, and my mom is like that, too,” said Holly. “She’s got amazing style and was a fashion designer years ago, so I think this all comes from them. And that influence from my grandmother has been carried through all of us; you see it in my whole family.”

Even when the Crawfords moved into their very first home—a small, Tudor-style house in Visalia—Holly implemented her heritage by painting the walls red in the kitchen and decorating with vibrant Spanish décor

everything on the list that I thought she wanted in a home: a red tile roof, wood floors, Spanish-style architecture, and crystal door knobs.”

Holly fell in love with the Spanish home as soon as she saw it, so they made a quick decision and sold the Tudor home within 10 days. But, as with every old structure, it came with its unforeseen challenges.

When Travis and Holly initially viewed the house, the owner— who was an antique dealer—had wall-to-wall furniture, making it difficult to see what the home really looked like inside. Once all of the furniture was moved out and the Crawfords got the keys, Holly experienced a short L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

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HOME TOUR

Holly’s grandmother’s family arrived in California on a Spanish land grant, and that prevailing Spanish influence is found throughout the Crawford’s

period of buyer’s remorse as a result of the home’s seemingly dilapidated state.

“When everything was out, I could see that it was pretty beat up,” said Holly. “I walked in and I saw all these things that needed to be fixed, and it was suddenly overwhelming. We had worked really hard on our other house and got it to a point where we liked it, so moving here felt like starting all over again.”

Before Holly could totally secondguess their decision, Travis and his trusty tool belt came to the rescue.

Room-by-room, he came up with a solution to fix each problem, such as wires sticking out of the walls, light switches with no purpose, and other damaged or broken fixtures.

While the house had quite a few cosmetic issues, the most architecturally significant aspects remained in outstanding shape. The 1933 home— rumored to be built for one of the Mooney daughters—still had its original wood floors, original tile in the master bathroom, beautiful sturdy walls, 80-year-old handmade roof tiles, and unique arch-domed ceilings.

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“There’s so much charm to this house,” said Travis. “These old homes were all custom built to whatever the owner wanted. We just love the feel of an old house.”

While the coved ceilings are one of the Crawford’s favorite aspects of

the home, their fluid design is both a blessing and a curse. When choosing a paint color, Holly says she really has to commit since there’s no separation between the wall and the ceiling.

Despite a slight fear of commitment, it’s clear Holly has been brave when it comes to color. Almost every room is

painted a different color, from taupe green in the kitchen, to orange in the office, and metallic paint in two of the bedrooms. And as if that isn’t enough color, Holly hired a professional tattoo artist to paint a mural on their son’s bedroom wall, complete with a coiled snake, a pirate skull, and lightning bolts.

“I don’t think there’s a surface in this house we haven’t touched,” said Holly.

Travis added, “Oh yeah, we’ve painted every wall, every ceiling, and we even filled in a door that was in the living room that used to go into our son’s room.”

Some of the other one-of-a-kind features in the house include a hanging couch-bed with leopard print fabric, a teal washer and dryer set they had painted at Mayco, and French casement windows in the dining room that open out onto the patio.

Perhaps the most charming corner of the house is the covered front patio.

Shielded from the street by a tall hedge and wrought iron gate, the quaint patio has a quintessential Spanish-California aesthetic. With a 10-person dining table and a cozy seating area featuring a

HOME TOUR

The patio is so pretty it is used often, especially in the evening.

vibrant orange porch swing, the patio acts as an extension of the dining room.

“The patio is really pretty in the evening; it’s like having another room,” said Holly. “We eat out there almost every night during the spring and summer.”

When Travis isn’t building furniture or attending to his yard—which he landscaped himself—he works at his environmental planning and consulting firm, Crawford & Bowen Planning, Inc. Holly also works part-time as a dental hygienist for

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Williams Family Dental in Visalia.

Along with their childrens’ activities, sports, and rodeo competitions over the years, the Crawford family has maintained a very busy schedule.

Even so, Travis and Holly still make time for their home. Whether she has an itch for a different paint color or a concept for a new piece of furniture, Holly says she enjoys playing around with new ideas and working closely with her husband in the process.

“My style is constantly evolving and changing. If it didn’t, I would

still have those puffy 1995 bangs,” laughed Holly. “So we switch things up every few years, and it works out well because it’s what we like to do together. We’ve had fun decorating it, and even though our home may be little, it’s full of character and charm.”

For the Crawfords, their home is not just the place where they sleep at night; their home is a place where heritage, creativity, art, culture, and family collide, all under one, red-tiled roof.

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Fall FLAVORS OF

EPICURE

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R E C I P E S

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ll V A R T A N I A N ,

P H O T O S

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T A Y L O R

P R E S S

J O H N S O N

ROASTED WHOLE BABY PUMPKINS WITH JARLSBERG, SPICY SMOKED CHICKEN, AND CREAM INGREDIENTS: 6 baby pumpkins 4 oz Jarlsberg cheese 8 oz smoked chicken, diced 2 T hot chili sauce 1 onion, chopped 1 T butter 6 oz heavy cream 1 T chives Salt Freshly ground pepper DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place pumpkins whole onto a baking pan, cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until the pumpkins are soft.

Using a sharp knife, remove the tops of the pumpkins, discard the seeds and season the inside of the pumpkins with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a sautĂŠ pan and cook the onion over medium heat until soft.

In a bowl combine the smoked chicken, Jarlsberg cheese, cooked onion and chives. Mix well and then season with salt, pepper, and chili sauce to taste. Fill the pumpkins with the smoked chicken mixture and pour one ounce of heavy cream into each pumpkin. Place the tops back onto each pumpkin, cover with aluminum foil and roast the pumpkins in oven for 15 – 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

To serve, place one ounce of lemon butter sauce on each of six warm plates and place a pumpkin on each plate. Serves six as a first course.

LEMON BUTTER SAUCE INGREDIENTS: 2 shallots, diced 1 C white wine 1 oz champagne vinegar 2 oz heavy cream 6 oz sweet butter Juice of one lemon Salt Freshly ground pepper 1 T chives DIRECTIONS: Combine the shallots, wine, and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and reduce by one half. Add the heavy cream and reduce again.

Over low heat, whisk in the sweet butter piece by piece. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Add chives just before serving.

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CRIMSON PEAR SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTO SALAD INGREDIENTS: 6 C assorted baby greens 1 red onion, sliced 1/4 C sun-dried tomatoes 3 ripe pears, sliced 6 slices prosciutto 3/4 C toasted pecans* (see footnote for recipe) 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled 1/2 C dried cranberries BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS: 1 shallot, diced 1/2 C balsamic vinegar 3/4 C olive oil 1/4 C fresh basil, sliced Salt Freshly ground pepper DIRECTIONS: Whisk together the vinegar and shallots. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper.

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl and toss. Add just enough dressing to lightly coat the greens. Garnish with one slice of prosciutto on top of salad. *Beat one egg white. Toss pecans with egg white and ¼ C brown sugar. Toast in oven for about 20 minutes.

WARM APPLE CREPES WITH CARAMEL SAUCE & SUGARED PECANS APPLE FILLING INGREDIENTS:

CARAMEL SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

2 oz sweet butter 3 Granny Smith apples 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/3 C sugar 1/2 C raisins

2 C sugar 2 C water 1 1/2 C heavy cream 1/2 C pecans

APPLE FILLING DIRECTIONS: Melt the butter in pan. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Cook until apples are soft.

CREPE BATTER INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 C flour 1/3 C sugar Pinch of salt 1 1/4 C milk 2 eggs, beaten 2 T butter, melted CREPE BATTER DIRECTIONS: In a bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk and eggs. Add the melted butter. Prepare the crepes in a crepe pan.

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CARAMEL SAUCE DIRECTIONS: Combine the sugar and water in a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the sugar begins to caramelize and turns a golden brown.

Reduce the heat and add the heavy cream very slowly, being careful not to boil. Add the pecans.

TO ASSEMBLE: Divide the filling among the six crepes. Fold the crepes over the filling and place on warm plates. Top with the caramel sauce and garnish with whipped cream.

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ROAST NEW YORK STRIP LOIN WITH GARLIC HERB CRUST INGREDIENTS: 1 - 5 lb boneless, New York strip loin, trimmed 8 cloves garlic 6 tsp fresh thyme leaves 2 tsp fresh rosemary 1 C parsley 1/4 C olive oil 4 tsp salt 2 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

With the machine running, drop garlic into food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add the thyme, rosemary, parsley, oil, salt and pepper. Process until a fine paste forms. Rub meat with herb paste. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Place meat in oven, fat side up. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees.

Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 20 minutes prior to slicing. Slice the meat approximately 1/3 inch thick. Place serve on warm plate.

BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING WITH CARAMEL & SEA SALT INGREDIENTS:

CARAMEL SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 C cream 1/2 vanilla bean 1/2 tsp salt 6 oz butterscotch chips 5 egg yolks 2 T brown sugar 1 T water 1 T scotch 1 T cream Caramel sauce (see recipe below) Sea salt

1 C water 1 C sugar 1 C heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

TO ASSEMBLE:

Combine cream, vanilla bean and salt in pan. Heat and then add butterscotch chips. Whisk together until chips are melted.

When ready to serve (and pudding is set), sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over pudding. Ladle a layer of the warm (not hot) caramel sauce over pudding.

Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over caramel sauce. Add dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Place egg yolks in a bowl and whisk. Add a small amount of butterscotch mixture to the yolks to temper. Add the remaining butterscotch mix and whisk together.

Combine brown sugar, water, scotch and one tablespoon of cream in a sauce pan.

Bring to a boil, then whisk in butterscotch mix. Pour into a pan and cook in a water bath for 60 minutes and then strain into glasses. Let cool in refrigerator.

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CARAMEL SAUCE DIRECTIONS: Combine the sugar and water in a sauce pan and cook to a light caramel stage. Add the cream carefully. Let the mixture cool slightly and then serve with pudding.

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TRAVELER’S

TREK

TOP: The historic 1912 golden brown Ferry Building stands out in Auckland's concrete and glass monochromatic Waitemata Harbor.

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BOTTOM: The size and steepness of the fijord walls are more fully appreciated when sitting next to a good sized tour boat.

NEW ZEALAND A TINY COUNTRY FULL OF SURPRISES AND UNPARALLELED NATURAL BEAUTY

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ew Zealand is proof that good things do come in small packages. Similar in size and population to the state of Oregon, New Zealand is phenomenally diverse in geography, and filled with friendly residents ready to show it off on a little “walk about” (‘little’ bearing no relationship to length or difficulty).

Meeting life with a “no worries” attitude, they embody the native Maori welcome “kia ora” (good health). Completely sincere and unpretentious, no one here is ever “in a ratty” (a bad mood) since adaptability and hospitality are highly valued qualities.

That alone might explain why this small island country is often on the top of travelers’ bucket lists. But it’s the experiences and sites only found here which visitors come to see. In fact, its vistas and clear blue lakes are so dramatic that they were the setting for the mythical Hobbit film trilogy. And just as art can mimic real life, there are quite a few other things which make New Zealand’s two islands more than a little “otherworldly”: • Scientists believe the visible land is only the highest five percent of a submerged land mass meeting all criteria to be Earth’s eighth continent.

• The kea, a giant parrot indigenous to the south island, routinely pulls rubber strips off windshield wipers and car door windows.

• Home to the world’s smallest dolphin and heaviest insect (the giant weta), there are more species of penguins here than anywhere else. There’s also a giant carnivorous snail with a shell three inches in diameter.

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• The first country to have commercial bungee jumping as well as voting rights for women (completely unrelated facts!).

• Sheep outnumber people nine to one.

• The logo for the New Zealand Air Force is a Kiwi (a flightless bird). It’s also a fruit and the name for a New Zealand citizen. This little nocturnal bird is quite shy and almost extinct.

(The “almost” remains unproven to us after every attempt to see one failed). The Kiwi’s near decimation

from imported predators explains why the government strictly monitors what visitors bring into port.

• In 1990, the government appointed a national wizard. Originally an eccentric tourist attraction in Christchurch, this man grew into a national treasure and was given the duty of “casting out evil spities.”

Much of New Zealand is rural.

Choosing to drive (with a ferry linking the islands) is scenic, but limited roadside amenities and the challenge of driving on the opposite side of the road A N D

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Every port in New Zealand was filled with cut trees, as lumber is a major export.

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make it difficult. In fact, with so many accidents caused by travelweary visitors (especially after long flights), rental companies are often reluctant to lease.

Gasoline is also expensive and with the boom in tourism, last minute lodging is rarely available. With no destination greater than 80 miles from the sea, the easiest transportation is by ship. But since cruises rarely dock for more than a day in any given port, passengers must choose between many compelling excursions. With research beforehand, those choices become clearer.

Normally beginning or ending in Auckland, cruises travel along east coast ports. Below are the most frequented harbors and the highlights of what each offers.

Auckland - Located at the top of the north island, Auckland’s population of 1.5 million is greater than that of the entire island to the south. The building boom of the last 30 years has unfortunately left little historic and architectural charm since demolition has far surpassed renovation. And with white concrete the predominant building material, even new construction often lacks any dynamic or modern features. Auckland’s iconic Sky Tower landmark may have been built in 1996 but looks like it stepped out of the 1970s (and it allows visitors to “step off” its observation deck attached to bungee cords). Located in the Central Business District, the tower’s rotating restaurant offers spectacular views of the city and harbor, as do the 46 dormant volcanoes throughout the city, especially from the highest of these, Mount Eden.

One thing that was completely L E V I T A N

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New Zealand Marlborough wine country outside Picton.

The magnificent ocean cliffs outside Napier where the largest Gannet colonies in the world reside.

The so called Champagne Pool in Rototura has pink and yellow coloration from dissolved minerals.

Sky Tower in Auckland.

But it’s the experiences and sites only found here which visitors come to see. In fact, its vistas and clear blue lakes are so dramatic that they were the setting for the mythical Hobbit film trilogy. And just as art can mimic real life, there are quite a few other things which make New Zealand’s two islands more than a little otherworldly.

C H E R Y L L E V I T A N novel was the “scramble” intersection.

Less frenetic than it sounds, signal lights stop all traffic at one time, allowing pedestrians to walk in every direction (including diagonally), simultaneously. To the unsuspecting it looks like chaos, but in reality it makes crossing extremely easy.

With the highest ratio of boats to people of any city in the world, Auckland’s renovated Waitemata Harbor is a hub of activity with warehouses now housing boutiques, restaurants, and the National Maritime Museum. An extensive ferry system is accessed through a beautiful but oddly out-of-place NeoBaroque terminal providing easy access to the olive groves and wineries of Waiheke Island, charming parks and shops in Devonport, and a myriad of scenic day trips and harbor tours.

Auckland’s Ponsonby suburb is filled with Victorian-era homes, artist’s studios, and two popular destinations: Ponsonby Street (restaurants and boutiques) and Karangahape Road (bars and clubs).

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Tauranga - With a population equal to Visalia, Tauranga is the fifth largest urban center in New Zealand.

Located in the Bay of Plenty, it’s a mecca for fresh produce and connects by bridge to the beach and hot saltwater pools of Mount Maunganui.

An hour’s drive southeast is the cultural and geothermal center of New Zealand: Rotorua. Home to indigenous Maori, excursions often include performances of traditional Haka war dances (designed to frighten enemies with fierce shouting and outstretched tongues) and Hangi feasts cooked over geothermal steam pits. A visit to thermal hot pools, geysers and alien-looking landscapes (complete with sulfurous smell) are a “must do”. Government Gardens are the oldest tourist venue in the southern hemisphere, complete with an original bathhouse where early 1900s Europeans sought “medicinal” volcanoheated mineral baths. Surrounded by a modern city, Kui-tau Park’s bubbling pools may look colorful and harmless, but the heat and chemical “stew” can kill.

Lord of the Rings fans can travel 45 minutes southwest from Tauranga to the rolling hills and lush pastures of Matamata and the movie set of The Shire. Nearby is yet another experience found only in New Zealand the glowworms of Waitomo Caves.

Located in subterranean caverns, these moth larvae attach to the ceilings by sticky silken threads. Their mesmerizing, blue bioluminescent displays attract unsuspecting insects (then caught in the sticky lines) as well as many tourists (whose fate is decidedly better). If you don’t relish traversing muddy, pitch black caves dressed in a wetsuit while bobbing in an inner tube through cold streams and rapids (while dodging random stalactites and giant Weta crickets), experience it on YouTube instead!

Napier - Rebuilt in the art deco style after a devastating 1931 earthquake, Napier’s real claim to fame are the renowned vineyards and foodie haven of Hawke’s Bay. Also nearby are the largest nesting Gannet colonies (6,500 pairs of birds) in the world. Overseen by the

Ou r

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Department of Conservation, private tours are available.

The first chicks hatch in early November and the last leave in May for their solo migrations to Australia. Returning five years later, they find mates and stay for life.

Wellington - The southernmost capitol city in the world, Wellington sits at the base of the north island.

Compact and easy to walk, its waterfront, beaches, and cable car up Mount Victoria are popular activities.

Ride up for spectacular views and the cable car museum, but walk back down through the botanical gardens.

Picton - Located at the head of the north island in Queen Charlotte Sound, wine tours through neighboring Marlborough abound, as do ferries to Wellington.

Akaroa - A quaint seaside town, it’s the closest port to Christchurch after earthquakes destroyed Port Lyttleton.

With Akaroa’s “Giant’s House” gardens and mosaic sculptures (reminiscent of Gaudi), colonial architecture, and tours to the rarest and ocean’s smallest

dolphins and blue penguins, cruisers often stay around town. Tours to the nearby Canterbury plains and high country offer thrilling jet boats rides in the steep, walled gorge of the shallow Waimakariri River.

Christchurch is two hours by car, or 15 minutes by helicopter, from Akaroa.

With earthquakes in 2010, 2011, and again in 2016, many of the historic stone buildings are damaged or destroyed. But this city is resilient and in the midst of a cultural rebirth. The parks and botanical gardens are best enjoyed while sailing on the Avon River in a flat bottom boat (called a punt), complete with a punter (gondolier), in waistcoat and straw-boater hat.

Dunedin - This city’s name is old Gaelic for Edinburgh; the street names, stone buildings (complete with gargoyles and gables), kilt maker, statue of Scotland’s national poet and whiskey distillery could convince visitors they were there. Larnach Castle (more mansion) and its bagpipes speak to a time when Dunedin was the wealthiest and most influential city in New Zealand.

The Taieri Gorge Railway’s two trains, one departing from Port Chalmers (where larger ships dock) and the other from Dunedin’s magnificent train station, sweep through the rugged inland. Completed in 1904, this is the most photographed rail station in the world. No visit would be complete without touring Baldwin Street. With the steepest grade anywhere in the world (35 percent), the tough 10-minute trek to the top has homes built on flat foundations, which causes them to be at extreme angles to the street.

Otago Peninsula tours to the breeding habitats for royal albatross (the only place where breeding occurs so close to human habitation), seals, tiny blue and/or yellow-eyed penguins, and (no-show) kiwi are another option.

Milford Sound - One of the world’s top destinations, the dramatic fjords, spectacular waterfalls, and snow-capped peaks at the base of the south island also are home to unique flora and fauna.

The Taieri Gorge Railway’s two trains, one departing from Port Chalmers (where larger ships dock) and the other from Dunedin’s magnificent train station, sweep through the rugged inland. Completed in 1904, this is the most photographed rail station in the world.

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The cable car in Wellington takes visitors to the museum and botanical gardens.

Beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound.

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Vineyards in famous Marlborough wine country region outside town of Picton.

Otago Peninsula eightwheeled jeep nature tour outside Dunedin on our quest to see kiwis.

Unique to New Zealand, the hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguin, is one of the world's rarest penguins.

Dunedin's magnificent train station is the most photographed rail station in the world.

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LORI RICE

CO O KI N G WITH R EAL FO O DS AN D BEER

W

hen Lori Rice moved from Kentucky to Brazil, she couldn’t find grated cheese. Her city LITERARY was fairly modern, yet she ARTS had to learn to do without many of the convenience foods she had been used to in America.

This problem turned out to be a blessing.

“In Kentucky, I cooked a lot from packaged things,” she said. “Not necessarily bad packaged things. At this point, I get embarrassed that I got upset that I couldn’t find shredded cheese.”

What she did find was the pleasure and benefits of using what she considers real food.

“After I came back, I realized how great it was that I didn’t have access to all that stuff,” she said.

If you need a little convincing to eat healthy, Lori’s photos of food can be persuasive.

Tomato and kale pasta with goat cheese and walnuts; crispy prosciutto fig salad with lemon, chive and honey dressing; baked Peruano beans with Mexican chorizo. If the words can get the mouth to water, the proverbial picture is still worth a thousand of them.

Lori shares her photos and recipes on her blog Fake Food Free: Real Food from Every Corner of the World. Here, she hopes to inspire her readers to use real food – food cooked in their own kitchens from ingredients that are “naturally and humanely raised, minimally processed and from scratch, or pretty darn close to it,” she writes.

She also has a new book just out this month, Food on Tap: Cooking with Craft Beer. The recipes make use of the wide variety of craft beers to create such dishes as sausage crusted helles and kale quiche, summer saison tomato bisque and barleywine beef short rib stew.

Lori got her start writing about food and health working for a cooperative extension in Kentucky. Her degree is in nutrition and exercise science, and that led to her employment with a grant-funded outreach program designed to encourage people to improve their health through exercise and nutrition. She wrote articles and fact sheets translating research into T E X T

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language that was easily understood and usable by the public. Her writings also appeared in peer-reviewed research journals.

When her husband, Daniel’s, work took the couple to Brazil, she left her job behind and sought other ways to continue contributing through health-based writing. As time went on, her emphasis shifted more toward food.

While she was in Brazil from 2007 to 2009, and for the first few years after the couple returned to the United States, her articles appeared in online publications such as Livestrong.com.

“It was definitely small-potato kind of stuff,” she said.

She also started her blogs during this time.

Her first endeavor in 2007 was a blog about her experiences as an expatriate. A year later she debuted Fake Food Free.

Her first book, published in 2011 by Adams Media as part of the Everything series, is The Everything Guide to Food Remedies: An A-Z Guide to Healing with Food. The book has more than 150 recipes (but no photos) to promote health and combat ailments such as insomnia, acne, and cholesterol.

Her first article in a popular print publication came out in 2013. Since then, she has had articles in magazines such as Plate Magazine and Hobby Farms Magazine. She has provided recipes and photos for the National

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Lori also was the photographer for Madge Baird’s Simply Soup, published in August.

“My main freelance work right now is photography,” Lori said.

“Part of the reason I like writing cookbooks is when I’m allowed to do the photography myself. That’s definitely a passion for me.”

to her publisher and through that she signed with an agent who sold the book to Countryman Press.

“I like the art of writing the book,” she said. “Making the recipes, testing the recipes, photographing, obviously.”

Food on Tap features 60 recipes and 75 color photographs to tempt the reader’s palate. The beers used in the recipes range from floral India Pale Ale (IPAs) to rich porters and stouts, tart Lambic ales and glutenfree options. The beers are used to give complex flavor and surprising twists to new and classical recipes.

on how to stay healthy, and her earlier articles followed that pattern. Now, she wants to be more indirect.

“I live a healthy lifestyle,” she said. “I want to encourage through example.”

Even though her focus is on good health, not everything in her cookbooks is what could be considered super healthy. She does have desserts made with sugar and flour.

“But for the most part, everything reflects what my values are – pretzels made from scratch, beans made from dried beans,” she said.

Now that she lives in Visalia, she

Lori’s book, Food on Tap, evolved over several years. She and her husband traveled in Europe often and enjoyed the beers, which led her to become interested in craft brewing in the U.S. She pitched her idea for a book incorporating craft beers into recipes to agents. She learned that her proposal needed more work than she could put into it at the time.

“There are a lot of people who have really put a lot of time into their food blogs and as a result have written books based on their blogs,” she said. “Because they have such wild popularity, publishers are giving them contracts because they know they are going to sell.”

Her blog was not one that was wildly popular, but the topic simmered in her mind for two or three years.

Eventually, a friend connected Lori

Lori’s website, Fake Food Free, also is loaded with recipes – dishes that reflect her interest in real foods, food culture, and travel. She started the blog as she came to realize a lot of her education in nutritional science was based on fake food – food that was over-processed and included artificial ingredients, foods such as fat-free yogurt loaded with artificial sweetener, food that was touted as health food.

She feels that when she received her Master’s Degree in 2004, the consensus was just moving out of that fat-free phase.

“But there is still a lot of industry pressure that here’s this packaged food and it’s healthy, but we packaged it for convenience,” she said. “Sometimes they’re okay, and sometimes they’re not.”

When Lori was working in Kentucky, her job required her to offer advice

has an abundance of fresh, local ingredients to supply her culinary creativity. Her husband works in agriculture, so when the couple looked for a location to relocate from the Bay Area, Visalia was a natural.

“I’ve always liked being close to agriculture, so that’s a big perk for me,” she said.

One thing she isn’t quite used to is the intensity of the summer sun. She is still working on growing her own fruits and vegetables.

“I have a huge herb garden,“ she said. “In the winter I try to grow kale. We have a few citrus trees.”

Once she gets used to the climate, we can be sure she will have even more ways to blend real foods into healthy and delicious meals.

48 L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

Photos by Lori Rice.

es n i . pp y l i a m a e. nh f n u o f ent. nd ny m o t a a a s re o s t t g h d t n n wi in e l d e p e te p fri a i a v h e m l l n a ro a e c b Get Back To n a sc Enjoying Life m o

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WH I R LWI N D WE E K E N D

I

FARM TOUR

am California born and raised, traveling the I-5 and Highway 99 more times than I can count.

During the long drives I remember gazing at the quiet, calm farms and orchards we passed, never imagining how much was happening beyond my view.

My perspectives expanded when, as a food blogger, I began attending farm tours throughout the state with the California Farm Water Coalition (CFWC), a nonprofit, educational organization that provides fact-based information on farm water issues to the public. (The “Food Grows Where Water Flows” banners seen along Highway 99 are posted

by CFWC.) In August, I joined them for a packed weekend in the Modesto-Turlock area.

The Coalition takes food bloggers to see member farms and meet the farmers; afterward, we share our experiences on our blogs.

Seeing firsthand how our farmers work tirelessly to produce the best foods as efficiently and effectively as they can, with the utmost care and attention to the smallest details, brings an increased appreciation for our food. Every tour is different; all are extraordinary.

We began in Modesto on a Friday afternoon at the Almond Board of California, which represents 6,800 almond growers (of whom 90 percent

T E X T

Almonds shaken from the tree dry on the ground for a few days before being picked up.

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Saturday morning brought us to Fiscalini Cheese Company, a dairy and small batch cheese LOCAL ADVENTURE producer since 1914. Laura Genasci and her brother Brian Fiscalini are the fourth generation working the farm with their father, John. The dairy operates “247-365”, with 1,500 cows milked three times each day. Care of their animals is top priority; a veterinarian, nutritionist and breeder are onsite to ensure their health and contentment.

Using their resources, rotating feed crops are grown on their 540 acres, with manure from the cows as fertilizer. Methane digesters convert manure into gas, creating energy to power the dairy and cheese facility; some of the energy is sold back to the power provider. are multi-generational family farms), Artisan cheeses are made and 105 almond processors in the state. by hand and designated “Farmstead” Their research involves production, (meaning they use milk from only environment, nutrition, almond quality, their own cows to produce cheeses food safety, and Honey Bee health. onsite). With Laura and cheese-maker, Findings help to update and create best Mario, as our guides, we said hello to practices. We learned almond trees the cows, and saw where the cheeses use about the same amount of water are made, aged and packaged. In one as many other California fruit and nut room, 36,000 pounds of award-winning, trees, while yielding not one but four bandage-wrapped cheddar wheels products: the kernels we eat, hulls are turned by hand daily as they age. used for livestock feed, shells used for Satiated with samples of signature and livestock bedding, and the tree itself, specialty cheeses, we were on our way. ultimately recycled to create alternative Our next stop found us in Wood energy and improve soil quality.

Colony Nut Company’s shady walnut

A N D

P H O T O S

The Roberts Ferry Bridge is one of only a few covered bridges in California.

B Y

S U E

B U R N S

Paul Wenger explains irrigation in the walnut orchard.

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orchard with Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation. The Wenger family has farmed their land since 1910, starting with dairy cows before switching to walnuts.

During the walnut harvest, mechanical shakers release the nuts from the trees, and windrows are created. A machine sweeps up the nuts, twigs and leaves, depositing the debris back on the ground, where it is rototilled back into the soil.

Just outside the orchard is the largest walnut tree in California. The first walnut tree planted in Stanislaus County in 1904, it measures 36 feet around the trunk; so large that we were challenged to fit the whole tree into our photos!

Sitting down to lunch in Turlock with Fred Souza, former mayor of Gustine, LOCAL ADVENTURE

alfalfa and oats for dairy feed. One large project in process is the restoration of salmon spawning grounds and habitat along the river that will help native fish to recover their populations.

The recovery and stabilized water supply will be a win for farmers, too.

Roberts Ferry Nut Co. was a perfect snack stop. Famous for their "awesome products from a real place you've never heard of", almond butter milkshakes and handmade caramel corn top the list. The shop opened in 1983, an offshoot of a sixth-generation family farm up the road. Current owner, Stacy Humble, began her working career labeling bags of popcorn at the shop.

Sunday morning was all about sweet potatoes at Alvernaz Farms in Livingston. There we met fourthgeneration farmer, Jim Alvernaz,

Almond hulls are one of many byproducts used in feed mix for the cows at Chuck Ahlem Ranch.

we learned about his life in the dairy industry, working almost 46 years in agricultural lending. He reinforced our observations that farming is a very emotional endeavor for the families committed to maintaining their farms. Farmers see raising animals and growing food for others to be a great privilege as well as a great responsibility and feel an obligation to do their best for their families and everyone who trusts and relies on them.

After lunch we met Herb Smart from the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) on the Roberts Ferry Bridge over the Tuolumne River. Founded in 1887, TID is one of four irrigation districts in the state providing both water and electricity to homes, farms and businesses.

Regional crops grown with water from TID include: almonds, walnuts, corn, peaches, sweet potatoes, and 52 L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

whose family started farming with horses before electricity existed. He values the benefits today’s technology brings, but still uses his two-row John Deere planter to harvest almost 100 acres of potatoes annually.

Back to livestock at Chuck Ahlem Ranch in Hilmar, we toured the large-scale dairy producer for cheese making. Chuck is former California Undersecretary of Food and Agriculture, and manages the ranch with his family; his son, Mark, operates seven dairies from the ranch.

Here, too, animal welfare and efficient use of resources are priorities.

Employees trained in all aspects of the ranch are certified in animal safety and handling, and supervised by experienced employees. A megawatt onsite solar field produces 80 percent of the ranch’s power. Byproducts from other industries

that would otherwise be waste are used to make feeds mixed for cows’ specific nutritional needs. Manure water fertilizes their crops. Water from an onsite lagoon is continuously recycled, with solids filtered out for compost and filtered water returned back to it.

Our final stop brought us to Hilmar Cheese Company, one of the largest single-site cheese and whey processing facilities in the world. Twelve farming families (including the Ahlems) founded the company; 11 are active now (in their third and fourth generations).

Education/Public Relations Director Denise Skidmore explained milkdelivery and processing, and showed us cheese curds being pressed into large boxes that yield blocks of cheese weighing 640 pounds (the only place in the world where you can see this!).

Among the sweet potatoes, Jim Alvernaz gestures toward his father's original 40 acres that are still farmed today.

Resource optimization includes water reclamation and methane digester (supplying water and energy to the plant and the community) and recycling (the plastic liners used in making the large blocks are remade into products like railroad ties).

Lunch at Hilmar Cheese Company’s restaurant was a delicious way to close our tour weekend. We headed to our respective homes tired but energized, with new knowledge and reinforced respect for the enthusiasm and innovation of the farming families we met. Their dedication to their craft and the community is unsurpassed. If you get an opportunity to tour a farm, my advice is to seize it! Hillmar is open to the public for tours, hosting 15,000 students and 300 tour buses throughout the year.

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SAUCY

S E P T E M B E R T E X T

B Y

J O N

E .

S T E R N

|

P H O T O S

B Y

T R I S H A

D E A N

E

B’nai David has asked local restaurants

and vote on the best pasta sauces in

to “bring the sauce” to the competition,

Tulare County,” Norma Goldstrom,

Saucy September event on September

and this year the community’s response

co-chair of the event, said. Votes

16, hosted by Congregation B’nai David

was overwhelming. Café 225, Sequoia

were tallied, and Café 225 won the

and FoodLink of Tulare County. With

Brewing, Monet’s Wine Bistro, Pita

prestigious trophy. “But there were

pasta sauce in hand, local restaurants

Kabob, Planing Mill Artisan Pizzeria,

no losers tonight,” Goldstrom added,

waited with anticipation as attendees

Tommy’s Restaurant, and Bravo

“all the sauces were outstanding.”

gathered to taste and vote on who

Farms took off the cooking mitts to

would take home the coveted Savory

bring their own unique twist and style

Congregation B’nai David and FoodLink

Saucy Trophy.

to the pasta sauce competition.

of Tulare County, is a special time to

veryone was feeling saucy as temperatures cooled and the sun set in Visalia for the 10th Annual

CHARITY

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L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

For the past 10 years, Congregation

“Attendees had a chance to taste

The dinner, a fundraiser for

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CHARITY

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not only help raise funds for the congregation, but to also bring hunger and nutritional awareness.

“This is the second year we successfully partnered with FoodLink of Tulare County,” said Goldstrom. “We believe this partnership and event is an excellent opportunity to raise awareness toward hunger in our community.”

“Hunger is not a problem of the individual,” said Jon Stern, FoodLink funds and communication director.

“It is an issue only our community can solve, and we feel fortunate not only to partner with B’nai David, but also to work with community partners to end hunger and nutritional inequity in Tulare County through events like this.”

September was Hunger Action Month, a month-

long effort to engage the community in the fight to end hunger. “Food literacy is about understanding our food, from farm to table and back to the soil and how this food impacts our health, environment, and economy,” said Sarah Ramirez, executive director of FoodLink of Tulare County.

Ramirez also encourages the community to visit FoodLink on October 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., for Food Day. “We will have cooking and art contests,” she added. “Free lunch, entertainment, delicious food samples, Nutrition on the Go Market, gardening workshops, and more.”

For more information on Food Day, or how you can help end hunger, call (559) 651-3663, or visit www.foodlinktc.org.

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HAPPENINGS

T H E AT R E & A R T S

STEPHEN STILLS AND JUDY COLLINS

STANDING IN THE GAP OF THE HERE AND IN-BETWEEN WITH JAMIE BOLEY

Come down to the Fox Theatre to enjoy the music of legendary artists, Stephen Still and Judy Collins.

Tickets start at $40.

Come down to Arts Visalia to admire the paintings of Jamie Boley.

Admission is free.

When: Oct. 4-27, 6-8 p.m.

Where: Arts Visalia Visual Art Center, 214 E Oak Ave. Contact: (559) 739-0905, www.artsvisalia.org

When: Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Visalia Fox Theatre, 300 W. Main St. Contact: Michael S. Cavale, (559) 731-4693, www.rainmakerpro.net

DRIVING MISS DAISY Based on author Alfred Uhry's life with his grandmother, the play depicts Daisy's relationship with her African-American chauffeur, Hoke. Set between 1948 and 1973, we see Daisy, a Jewish woman of Atlanta, adjusting to the “indignities” of her perceived loss of independence when son Boolie hires Hoke to drive her.

Tickets can be purchased at the Visalia Players website or at the Icehouse Theatre in Visalia.

When: Various dates and times between Oct. 27-Nov. 12 Where: Arts Visalia Visual Art Center, 214 E Oak Ave. Contact: (559) 734-3900, www.visaliaplayers.org

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HAPPENINGS

HAPPENINGS

PHILLIP PHILLIPS CONCERT Come out for a night of music by Phillip Phillips, known for his expansive brand of earthy guitar-fueled rock. All proceeds will benefit the Central Valley Health Foundation. Tickets start at $63.

When: Nov. 4, 8 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Where: Hanford Fox Theatre, 326 N. Irwin St. Contact: www.foxhanford.com or call (559) 584-7423

TULARE COUNTY SYMPHONY LEAGUE PRESENTS: “COMING HOME TO COUNTRY” Experience the sounds of Brandon Pasion while enjoying a deep pit barbeque dinner and live auction. All proceeds to benefit the Tulare County Symphony League’s Youth Music Program. Tickets: $75.

When: Nov. 4, 6 p.m.

Where: Merryman Station, 20898 Highway 198, Exeter Contact: Tulare County Symphony, (559) 732-8600, symphonyleague2017@gmail.com

BEHIND THE CZAR: PROTEST AND PRAISE The Sequoia Symphony Orchestra invites you to come listen to the sounds of Russia, featuring music from Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Borodin.

Tickets start at $22.

When: Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)

Where: Visalia Fox Theatre, 300 W. Main Street Contact: Sequoia Symphony Orchestra, (559) 732-8600 60 L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

DIVERSIONS & EXCU R S I O N S 6TH ANNUAL SCARECROW CONTEST Scarecrows are returning to Exeter and will be on display for your viewing pleasure. Come to Exeter and vote for your favorite! This is a free event.

When: Oct. 1-31 Where: Exeter Chamber of Commerce, 101 West Pine St. Contact: Exeter Chamber of Commerce, (559) 592-2919

DIABLO TORO BREWFEST Visalia's very first Halloween Brewfest located at Rawhide Ballpark, presented by Golden Road Brewing. Enjoy beer tastings, DJ, food vendors, and costume contest for a chance to cash prizes. Tickets: $40 (or $10 for designated drivers).

When: Oct. 27, 6-9 p.m.

Where: Rawhide Ballpark, 300 N. Giddings St., Visalia Contact: Caitlin Carter, (559) 732-4433 ext: 4, info@rawhidebaseball.com

BUS TOUR TO SACRAMENTO’S CROCKER ART MUSEUM Sign up for a chartered bus tour to Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum, which is made possible by Arts Visalia and the Visalia Art League. Bring your own food and drinks for the trip.

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When: Oct. 28, 6 a.m. bus departure Departs from: Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia Ave. Contact: Arts Visalia Visual Art Center, (559) 739-0905, or visit www.artsvisalia.org

38TH ANNUAL HARVEST OF HANDWOVENS Featuring a fashion boutique, yarn shop, demonstrations and raffle. Peruse a variety of hand-woven garments and household items for sale.

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When: Oct. 28, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Where: Exeter Veterans’ Memorial Building, 324 N. Kaweah Ave. Contact: Nikki Crain, (559) 561-4048, or visit www.hwotv.org

FALL FLASHBACK: A TOTALLY AWESOME 80S PARTY Enjoy beer, food, and live music by 80’s cover band, Flash Pants. Dress up contest with $500 in cash prizes. This event is open to all ages.

When: Nov. 4, 6-10 p.m.

Where: Rawhide Ballpark, 300 N. Giddings St., Visalia Contact: Caitlin Carter, (559) 732-4433, info@rawhidebaseball.com

Autumn Greetings

MCKELLAR FAMILY FARMS’ CITRUS CLASSIC You’re invited to join McKellar Family Farms for their first annual Citrus Classic, a Veterans Day cycling ride. This inaugural event will honor veterans while raising funds for McKellar Family Farms’ educational initiatives. Cost ranges from $30 to $45 if you register by November 7.

When: Nov. 10, registration at 6:30 a.m.; race begins at 7:30 a.m.

Where: McKellar Family Farms, 32988 Rd. 164, Ivanhoe Contact: mckellarfamilyfarms.com/events or info@mckellarfarms.com

(559) 697-5277 www.TheAndersonREGroup.com cal bre 01853488, 01987353 L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

61

CVWN HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE BOUTIQUE 2017

10 MINUTE LUBE OIL-N-FILTER

Come down to the convention center for the marketplace boutique put on by the Central Valley Women’s Network (CVWN).

Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded.

When: Nov. 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Nov. 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Where: Visalia Convention Center, 303 E. Acequia Ave. Contact: Sharon Allison Crook, (559) 827-3494, www.cvwn.org, cvwnemail@gmail.com

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Gather at The Creative Center for live music, a marketplace of handcrafted gifts, and free gourmet soup. The Creative Center is a non-profit community arts center for adults with developmental disabilities. Event proceeds support the Creative Center and its artists.

When: Nov. 16, 5-7 p.m.

Where: The Creative Center, 410 E. Race Ave., Visalia Contact: Steve Daniels, stevid@thecreativecenter-visalia.org

25TH ZONTA CLUB CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR AND ARTISAN BOUTIQUE Head east to tour four of Porterville’s most festive holiday homes. Also, be sure to visit the artisan boutique either before or after the tour. Tour to benefit the ZONTA Club of Porterville an organization with programs that benefit women and girls both internationally and locally.

When: Dec. 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (artisan boutique); noon – 4 p.m. (home tour) Where: Various locations, Porterville Contact: Giovanna DePaoli, (559) 361-0640

EXETER WOMAN’S CLUB HOME TOUR

Active Medical Staff Member of Kaweah Delta Medical Center for the past 29 years Past President and Current Member of the Tulare County Medical Society Dr. Lyle B. Stillwater is an ENT-otolaryngologist and is a founding partner of Sequoia Surgery Center in Visalia Veteran, U.S. Army Reserve ( Maj. U.S.A.M.C. (ret))

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Come tour four beautiful homes dressed up for the holidays in Exeter this season. Hosted by the Exeter Woman’s Club, hot cocoa and snacks will be served at the clubhouse, as well as entertainment by pianist Frankie Magnano. Event benefits its historic clubhouse and Exeter’s youth. Tickets are available for purchase at Franey’s in Visalia and Antiques by the Water Tower in Exeter; $20, or $25 day-of.

When: Dec. 8, 4-8 p.m.

Where: Various locations, Exeter Contact: www.exeterwomansclub.com

HAPPENINGS

C H A R I TA B L E E V E N T S 6TH ANNUAL KAWEAH DELTA HEALTH CARE DISTRICT PINK TEA PARTY Featuring guest speaker, Kim Becking, a nationally recognized author, motivational speaker and cancer survivor.

The Pink Tea Party is an event celebrating those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer. All proceeds go to help pay for the cost of mammograms and breast cancer care for low-income women. Tickets: $25.

When: Oct. 22, 1 p.m.

Where: Visalia Convention Center Exhibit Hall, 303 E. Acequia Ave. Contact: Jennifer Corum, (559) 624-5283 or (559) 679-7323, jcorum@kdhcd.org

Opening Doors

for the M O M E N T S Y O U M A K E Mortgage Loans Made Simple Your Goals + Our Planning = Total Strategy

FIRST CAPITAL GROUP BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS GOLF CLASSIC AND SOCIAL SWIRL

119 E Main St, Visalia, CA 93291 • (559) 697-5322 • www.firstcg.com

Come down to the Visalia Country Club to enjoy the Golf Classic (Nov. 10) and Social Swirl (Nov. 11) events, a great opportunity for corporate sponsors to network as well as wine-and-dine clients and guests while supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sequoias.

First Capital Group is a division of Right Start Mortgage, Inc. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act; RMLA#4131234.

Corporate NMLS #35960 | Branch NMLS #1207011

When: Nov. 10, 10 a.m. registration, 11 a.m. shotgun start; Nov. 11, 6 p.m.

Where: Visalia Country Club Contact: Lynn Dodds, (559) 592-4074, lynn.dodds@bgcsequoias.org

COMMERCIAL CLEANING SERVICES

WINTER CARNIVAL: A NIGHT BEHIND THE MASK Join Habitat for Humanity and Franco Productions for the Winter Carnival and Masquerade Ball. This event is a fundraiser, supporting Habitat for Humanity of Tulare/Kings Counties.

When: Nov. 10, 6:30-10 p.m.

Where: Sons of Italy Enrico Caruso Lodge, 4211 W. Goshen Ave., Visalia Contact: Deanna Saldana, (559) 734-4040, info@hfhtkc.org

Janitorial Service For dependable commercial cleaning service ServiceMaster Clean can help. daily, weekly, or monthly janitorial service Medical & professional office cleaning

Office system cleaning

Aggregate floor cleaning

Nearly any other cleaning you want

Tile & grout cleaning

Window washing

Carpet cleaning using various processes

ServiceMaster by Hellstern

Ron Hellstern owner 559.738.8927 Serving the Visalia area | Locally owned and operated for over 25 years L I F E S T Y L E | O C TO B E R 2 0 1 7

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Lasting Beauty Facelift/Browlift Eyelid surgery

Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon Alex Lechtman, MD, FACS is ready to take your impossible and transform it into your reality.

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DrLechtman.com 5530 AVENIDA DE LOS ROBLES VISALIA

559.738.7572

ALEX LECHTMAN,

MD, FACS Board-Certified Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon