Cotton along the roadside

I drove right through the heart of central California's big valley yesterday on state route 46. It connects the main north-south roads of the state, Highway 99 (the old main highway) and I-5 to the west. There is nothing much to see -- dairy farms, many ugly unattended brown fields, and acre upon acre of cotton fields. I bet many people do not know that cotton grows on plants. As a kid, when my family would pass through this area on family vacations, we would stop alongside the road and pick up cotton that lay on the ground. I did that again today -- to show my daughter when I get home. Cotton is picked by machine nowadays, a speedy process compared to olden times when "cotton pickers" did the job. In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a machine that quickly and easily separated the cotton fibers from the seedpods and the sometimes sticky seeds. That was a big deal and enabled the cotton industry to move into warp speed.

Bragging about grandchildren

A car ahead of me today had a license frame that said, "My grandchildren are cuter than yours." Now why would anybody make such a stupid public admission? Everybody is proud of their grandchildren and most think they are as cute as can be. What does a person who advertises such a slogan hope to accomplish? Is to make others laugh? If I were a grandparent, I would be offended if I came upon this slogan. I would want to drive up alongside the driver, roll down my window and say, "No your grandchildren are not cuter than mine!" Don't ever put such a message on your bumper. If someone gives you such a license plate frame as a gift, put it on the wall in your den, but not on your car.

A memorial to the tragic death of James Dean

Actor James Dean died in a violent head one car crash along California State Route 46 on September 30 1955. He was just 24 years old, and already a movie idol to millions. Today, at a lonely outpost on the still-remote highway, a memorial near the crash site pays tribute to the young actor. Dean had just wrapped up shooting on the film Giant and was on his way to compete in an auto race held in Salinas. He had originally planned to tow his Porche Spyder to the race, but at the last minute decided to drive. Speeding 85 miles per hour down a long hill near Cholame, he collided with another car. Dean was killed instantly. Alongside the memorial plaque are a small cafe, a pay phone and a mailbox, and that's all there is for miles around. But people stop all day long to pay their respects. Had Dean lived, he would now be 75 years old.

The Sun-Maid maiden, then and now

Some people never age. Oh, in real life they do, but in other ways they never do. Like in advertising. In 1915, Lorraine Collett Petersen posed for artist Fanny Scafford in San Francisco. The result was a smiling young Lorraine wearing a brilliant red bonnett and holding a basket of grapes. At the time Petersen was earning $15 a week as a part-time seeder and packer. Chances are good you have seen Loraine's portrait hundreds of times on packages of Sun-Maid Raisins and other Sun-Maid products.

Soon after posing for the artist, Lorraine landed a small movie role in ''Trail of the Lonesome Pine." Later, she ran a Fresno restaurant for two years, then converted a former hospital into nursing home and retired as a nurse. She died in 1983 at age 90. The watercolor portrait of Lorraine was recently modernized, but the current image closely resembles the original.

I don't know when the photo above of her was taken, but you can see it in person and learn more about Lorraine at the Sun-Maid Visitor Center in Selma, California. Be sure to stop at the Sun-Maid store next door, where you can buy lots of good stuff made with raisins. I bought a big jar of chocolate covered raisins. Selma is a few miles south of Fresno on I-5 and is the "Raisin Capital of the World."

Multi-level marketing at Starbucks

I am at a Starbucks in Madera, Calif., to work on my blog. I'm trying to write, but a guy named Tim and his wife are a few feet away, pitching a multi-level marketing program to another couple, and it's hard to concentrate because Tim has a loud voice. "Don't worry about money, it will come," Tim just told the other couple. Tim says he and his wife are Masters -- that's some sort of level they've achieved in the organization. Tim said he and his wife have been in other multi-level marketing programs, but this one, which involves nutritional products, is the very best. Tim said they took out a second mortgage on their house to finance the business. The other couple seems interested, but it's hard to tell. Tim and his wife have a big chart that they keep flipping. I can only see the back, but the type is too small to read unless I stare, which would be impolite. Tim's wife said to the other couple that "Tim and I are pioneers." Tim said that everyone needs the product. He just told about a couple that started this business and only four months later were making $4,000 a month. I'm sorry I can't tell you the name of the product, but I can tell you that I have learned that it is powder-based. Anyway, I'd write more, but I have to leave. Tim and his wife look to be in their early 40s. Tim said that he plans to retire in less than four years, which is pretty impressive.

Businesses that rhyme

These businesses need to get together. Ho Hum is in West Yellowstone, Mont. Yum Yum is in Madera, Calif. I think they should open side by side. You could stay at the Ho Hum and eat donuts at Yum Yum. When someone asked you your plans, you could say, "I will stay at the Ho Hum and eat at Yum Yum." People would be impressed. Really, though, these two businesses should merge into the Ho Hum Yum Yum. That would get a lot of attention. The world needs more places like that -- places you can remember. Staying at Motel 6 and eating at Krispy Kream Donuts is boring. I say stay at Ho Hum, eat at Yum Yum. That has a nice ring to it.

The aroma of Blind George's Newsstand

If you are downtown Grants Pass, Ore., and you are hungry, then you may end up eating popcorn. At Blind George's Newsstand on G Street, the popcorn machine is almost always popping, and a vent pipes the buttery aroma right outside. If there is even a slight breeze, the yummy smell will travel a few blocks. Blind George's was founded in 1922 by blind man George Spencer, who first operated out of a tent with an investment of less than $50. Today, the business has a huge magazine rack -- as big as you'll likely ever see outside a big city, plus a big selection of out of town newspapers and a cafe, too. But popcorn is the star attraction, not just to local folks but to people around the world. Every day, countless packages in several flavors are mailed to all corners of the USA and even the world. If you are in Grants Pass, you owe yourself a stop at Blind George's Newsstand and a bag of popcorn. Chances are good that you will smell the store before you see it.