This is “Almond Hill” in my town, the southwestern vista we look at every day. In late February through March, the old almond orchards bloom. During my L.A. years, I came back home many times to see the almonds bloom. I took the photo on my blog header from up on these hills.
We called ourselves “The Almond Capital of the World” once, and our almond display won a first place silver cup at the World’s Fair in 1904. We had the largest concentration of almond orchards in the world and a splendid almond-processing plant.
The decades passed. As a child in the mid-60s, I played in orchards and made money harvesting almonds. Then the market turned. The plant closed, and by the ’70s the Almond Capital turned to grapes. Now we are a notable wine country.
And that’s where you are when you visit me: the former Almond Capital of the World. I still love the old orchards, many of which are dying off from age and neglect. But Almond Hill still blooms.Wednesday is haiku day at You Know That Blog. This week’s theme is “Generosity.” In honor of the almond orchards, I wrote this haiku:
Petals drift like snow
An end to winter’s resting
Trees burst with seeds
What do you think of almonds? Most of the almonds you eat came from California, although not from my town anymore. What kind of curious thing is your town noted for?
Fog makes ghosts of trees
