It’s Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White

March 3, 2006
The storm came in the middle of the night – 5 am to be precise. The rain pounded the roof and the wind howled and then the hail came down. We snuggled under the covers and hoped Maggie would survive it unscathed and she did. By the time we got up at 8 am, it was all over and we could see blue sky creeping towards us.

It was only a short drive – about 40 miles – into Fresno on a secondary highway, which greeted us with orchards encroaching onto the road from both sides. The apple blossoms were spectacular and the ground was covered with fallen petals like a light dusting of snow. The bright pink cherry blossoms were just beginning to open and the pale pink of the almond trees were well on their way. It was a patchwork of colour.

Having missed seeing our friend who lives in Fresno when we drove south, we decided to try again. We didn’t have her phone number so about 10:30 am, with trepidation, I knocked on her front door. We left Maggie and Caesar in a Walmart parking lot and unhooked our tow car. The door opened and I recognized ‘B’ right away even though I hadn’t seen her for ten years of so. It took her a couple of minutes after I introduced myself to figure out who I was though. I immediately explained that we were just passing through and didn’t have her phone number and asked her to come out to lunch with us. It was so last minute but she said she could be ready within the hour. While she was getting ready, we drove to a nearby commercial area and hunted WIFI with quick success. When we picked her up, ‘B’ came out with a little vase and a gorgeous fuchsia-coloured camellia for us. We had a happy get-together for a few hours, swapping travel tales and reminiscing, and we were on our way. We drove a couple of hours and let Walmart in Turlock provide a haven for the night.