"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort." Visiting the Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, California, may be the closest I will ever get to visiting a hobbit-hole. In 1901, a young immigrant farmer from Sicily named Baldassare Forestiere traveled from Italy to America to make his fortune. After arriving in New York City, he spent some time working underground on building the New York subway system, mostly to escape the cold, wet weather that did not favorably compare with the warm Mediterranean weather with which he had grown up. He then spent some time in the Boston area, farming the land and honing his skills. It did not take him long to decide to head west to sunnier climes carrying his dreams to successfully grow a variety of citrus fruits in California. He landed in Fresno. With money cobbled together from his previous jobs, instead of lodgings, he bought a large plot of land. By day he worked as a farmer in the scorching summer heat and by night he began to dig, at first simply to create somewhere to rest, out of the sun. Using only hand tools; a pick, a shovel and a wheelbarrow, he began to make a home for himself underground. He dug through the hardpan to create the most beautiful rooms, patios, grottos, garden courts, fish ponds and meeting spaces, all with Italian flair. Without a plan or formal education, Forestiere built arches, roofs and walls with stonework reminiscent of Catholic Chapels, nooks for religious statuary, benches for prayer, and at the heart of it all, he included the most incredible raised beds from which his beloved citrus trees grew. Of course he grew oranges, lemons and grapefruit but he also grew more unusual varieties like kumquats, loquats, jujubes, carob, quince, and dates as well as wine and table grapes. Experimenting with hybrids he even grew a tree that bore both oranges and lemons from the same bough of the same tree. By the time he was 44 years old Baldassare Forestiere had excavated and planted over 10 acres. By hand! The beauty, fragrance and energy of the place was incredible. Palpable. Magical. Perhaps Bilbo Baggins and Baldassare Forestiere shared a distant hobbit ancestor. Belladonna Took has an Italian ring to it, right? I choose to believe Baldy Forestiere enjoyed a comfortable second breakfast just like Bilbo and they certainly shared a love for travel and unexpected adventures. In 1979, the Forestiere Underground Garden was designated a California Historic Landmark and it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Sites. 
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I wish that you could smell the blossoms in this post! The jasmine-like fragrance of row after row of citrus tree blossoms was intoxicating. We walked in the groves of lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruit and even some citrus hybrid surprises that filled the air with the sweet scent of Spring. Dainty flowers with round, delicate petals grasped the stringy boughs in shades of pastel pinks, Easter egg yellows and cool, crisp whites. Some had already lost their hold and lay on the ground like confetti at a wedding. We got lost on the Blossom Trail in Fresno and were amazed by the stretches of citrus orchards that stretched as far as the eye could see. The citrus fruit trees are the signature crop of this region and we were fortunate enough to be there just as they were blossoming. As you look at the pics, see if you can pick out the peach tree with peach pits at the base, all that was left after the fruit had fallen and the flesh eaten by birds, wildlife or left to decompose to enrich the soil for the next season.
My dear friend, fellow Rowdy Mama, award winning YA author, and the American half of a Japanese American family, Sara Fujimura has recently moved to Illinois and I miss her dearly. As we wandered around the beautiful and well tended Shin Zen Japanese Friendship Garden in Fresno, my thoughts wandered to my sweet friend and the next chapter of her life. With the blossoms of Spring still on the trees speaking of new beginnings and affirming life itself, I sent her silent prayers and best wishes. It was all peaceful and zen until Henry inadvertently scared a passing Canadian Goose and we had to quickly scarper as it leapt out of the water to chase us down. Lots of laughter! 
 When Henry was very young, we had a family membership for the Phoenix Zoo and we would visit every week. We did this for a good couple of years. It was part of our routine. He was only 3 or 4 years old and he walked for miles around the zoo in his cute OshKosh short overalls each week, learning about different animals. Often it was the ground squirrels that roamed freely around the park that captured his interest as they would come right up to his feet, but we especially enjoyed the orangutans as they were Malaysian, just like Henry. Every visit was different and presented a new thrill- an unexpected roar, an especially big animal poop, an extraordinary interaction. We have always enjoyed zoos. Fresno Chaffee Zoo was brilliant!
The baby rhino was called Bomani, pronounced Bow-Muh-Nee, which means great warrior in Swahili. The white rhinoceros is the second largest land animal, after the elephant, and we learned that a herd of rhinoceroses is called a 'crash?' Isn't that fabulous? As always, there was something new to learn at the zoo. The baby rhino was our unexpected delight of the day.  |
AuthorLaura Barnes is a retired educator. Mostly she loves books, travels and mischief. She dabbles in writing. 
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