Redding, California....It was the worst of towns...It was the best of towns._by Earl Allen Boek

Photographer Unknown
















Looking across the river to the area we parked at as kids (and some fell off of)
known to us then as The Red Cliffs, now known as North Bechelli Lane,
home of the Enterprise Lion's Club American Flag,  seen by tens of thousands
a day heading North and South, on the highway that runs north and south from
Mexico to Alaska known as Interstate  5, that passes right through the heart
of our remote Northern California city called Redding.

So I'm standing around in front of Walmart on Dana Drive at about 5:35 AM
waiting for 6 am so I can legally purchase that 4 bottle box of Oak Leaf's White
Zin and the 24 rolls of toilet paper for the girls and I.  Since they all moved in
I've noticed a big increase in the decrease of this very important paper supplies
on hand.

I nice looking burgundy Mustang pulls in in the space closest to the entrance
of the store, next to my own Ford Crown Vic. The driver appearing to be of
Mexican decent throws open the door and starts throwing out garbage onto the
island next to his driver door.  Looks like a tall energy drink can and now some
papers and get's out of his car and starts stretching from what appears to be a
long drive or night, not sure which.

"Sir", I yell across the drive way, "your not in Fucking Tijuana now, this is
Redding, Ca,  your in now, this is the place I grew up, your in my town now,
and   I'd appreciate you going over and picking back up all that shit you just
threw outta your car."  The driver appears to me going a bit on tilt and I hear
a women who I cannot see telling him, "no just get back in the car, stay here"
She might have said "it's one of those Redding rednecks we were warned about."
And I'm sure I hear the word RACIST coming from the man as he starts across
the drive-through toward me and the entrance to the front of Walmart.

Right at the very moment my ex-military police training kicks in and my eyes
start racing up and down his body looking for his hands, a knife maybe, more
likely a gun, "we've got a brave little son-of-a-bitch here it looks like,"  I'm
thinking, "now you've gone and done it old man."  You've touched a nerve
somewhere in this young man and someone could die for it and since all you
have on you is a  old Al Boek Real Estate Investment baseball cap, it's not
looking real good for your side. Smile.