Late Summer Road Trip 2019: Kingsburg

On our drive back to our home in Big Bear Lake, we came across the small California town of Kingsburg.

Located in the Central Valley of California, Kingsburg has a population of just over eleven thousand. It is currently an agricultural town, and one of my favorite childhood snacks, Sun-Maid Raisins, is headquartered in Kingsburg.

All of this is interesting, but it is not the reason we stopped.

Kingsburg is famous for its Swedish heritage. My two step-children are Swedish, so pretty much anything Swedish, catches our eye. We had hoped to find something unique in Kingsburg that we could share with the kids.

Unfortunately, the town was mostly closed for the day. We arrived late on a Sunday afternoon to find the high street a dead zone. We made the most of our brief stop and took some pictures.

Such as, the Kingsburg Swedish teapot water tower…

And the traditional Swedish Dalecarlian Horse or Dala Horse. We have a Dala Horse magnet from our trip to Sweden!

Swedish immigrants moved to Kingsburg in the late 1800’s and some of their descendants still live in the area today. However, it seems like the “Swedish” parts of the town are mostly kept alive through decorations and events. It is definitely a good way of enticing people to visit, and we might have eaten here or purchased something, if anything had been open.

We saw a black cat that looked nearly identical to our black cat, Slinky!

And finally, I saw this sign that was a good reminder that our summer vacation was quickly coming to an end. I like autumn, but summer is my favorite season.

Our stop in Kingsburg was a nice break from being on the road and we took some fun pictures. Kingsburg is worth a stop, if you are passing through.

Late Summer Road Trip 2019: McMenamin's Kennedy School Hotel

During our year of living in Portland, we discovered a chain of very quirky hotels and restaurants called McMenamins. Founded in 1983, the family-owned business has become famous in the Pacific Northwest. Although they are a chain, no two locations are alike.

Our friends from California visited us during the spring of our year in Portland, and they raved about McMenamin’s Kennedy School Hotel, which they visited for cocktails. The location of the hotel was a former elementary school that was built in 1915, it had been abandoned until McMenamin’s renovated it, turning it into a unique hotel with a movie theater, multiple bars and restaurants.

Here is a picture of the Kennedy School in the 1940’s.

And how it looks today…

The entire property takes on an Alice in Wonderland air, as visitors explore the different rooms, passages and multiple levels. The art work that adorns the walls are clearly not original to the school house, as they take on a nightmarish quality. I kept sensing that this would be a fantastic building for a halloween event. It also must be a very trippy experience for visitors who worked at or attended the original Kennedy School.

In keeping with the “school theme” the hotel has a detention bar. The principal’s office has also been turned into a bar, which two of our friends who are retired teachers, really loved.

We parked ourselves in The Boiler Room for the signature cocktail, Ginger Pear Sidecars. The Boiler Room is an overwhelming experience for the eyes: exposed pipes, ornate lighting fixtures, and beautiful stained glass.

Whether you visit the Kennedy School Hotel or one of their other properties in the Pacific Northwest, you are sure to have a memorable experience at a McMenamins! Make sure to bring your appetite for adventure and stomach for a strong, well-made cocktail! Also, if you plan to visit more than one McMenamins Property, make sure to ask for a passport. Each location will stamp your passport, challenging you to drink your way through all of the McMenamins.

Local Honey | Midwest: Miracle Whip

I’m delighted to announce that my essay “Miracle Whip” has just been published in Local Honey | Midwest. Last summer, I responded to a submission call from Local Honey | Midwest requesting pandemic inspired essays. Local Honey | Midwest is an online literary magazine for midwest writers. I’m not from the midwest, but my mom was born in Rochester, Minnesota, and my essay is partially about my grieving her death, so I guess I snuck in by association!

Just to add legitimacy, here is a picture of my grandfather and mom in Rochester back in the late 1930’s.

My essay details the difficulty I had with the sense of taste after my mom’s death, specifically how I could not manage to recreate the way she cooked. I write about how the shuttering of the buffet-style restaurant, Souplantation, triggered similar feelings of grief.

I talk a bit about the controversial condiment “Miracle Whip,” which was a staple in mom’s cooking. I realize that Miracle Whip is on par with the “Does pineapple belong on pizza debate” (for the record, a resounding yes- it’s delicious.) Yet, I hope that wherever your opinions on Miracle Whip or pineapple on pizza fall, you’ll give my essay a read. Thank you!