Delano, CA

I was sitting here, trying to get started on writing for the night, when I started thinking about Delano. Its a small city about 30 miles north of Bakersfield, which is home to alot of farmworkers. Those of you who took some history might remember that Cesar Chavez's farmworkers union was based in Delano--grape boycotts, his hunger strike, etc...is what put the town on the map. Anyway...I pretty much grew up in Delano. Even though my actual house was in Bakersfield, I spent way more time in Delano during my formative years. Long story short, I was thinking about how I loved it when I was a kid, then as a teenager, hated it. It was too small...there wern't any good stores...there was nothing to do...everyone drove too slow...etc. The only reason why I ever went there was because most of my family still lives there...my grandparents lived there...and my favorite uncle lived there (still does)....whatever, this is babble. What I'm trying to say is that in the last five years or so...I have learned to appreciate Delano. I was looking at some pictures online...all of the memories I have of my childhood--my best memories anyway...are tied somehow to that town. I use to go to the library every week and check out like, 15 books when I was in first grade. We use to go to movies at the Sierra Theatre...my grandpa would buy me ice cream at Thriftys...We use to go walking around in the orchards...once a day I would walk with my grandma to the liquor store so she could get a pack of ciggerates (kool's)...I got all my shots there, I even went to first grade there (Fremont School)...My grandparents lived in the same house till they both died--my grandpa died on the porch...all my family was raised in the same house...and extended family lived three houses down. My mother and father met at Delano High School...and everyone is buried in the cemetary there. Everyone knows everyone in Delano. I use to make fun of my uncle and tell him he should move away, but the more and more I think about it, I am glad he still refuses (he is the only one that still lives there).

This whole post probably sprung out of the fact that that house we all grew up in and spent all of our holidays at has just been sold, so i can never go back there. I will say that when I tell people that I am going to Delano for Thanksgiving or Christmas, they ask me why in the hell I would want to go to Delano. It is pretty ugly and run down. There still is nothing to do there, the streets are all cracked and they still cant drive there...but now that I am older, I really think Delano is....rad.