My neighbor, Joyce, came with us on the last day of Christina's visit to see the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, which is located down the mountain on the way to the San Joaquin Valley.
We were a bit early so we walked around the gardens while we waited for the Center to open.
Joyce gave me a hiking staff, made from the trunk of a yucca plant, like this one. It's wonderful, so light, yet so sturdy.
I loved the little duck at the foot of Saint Francis.
Cesar Chavez and his wife Helen are buried here.
Reading these words, I felt emotional about my own life. Not done enough with it, perhaps..... It is a powerful statement, one I didn't know he said and one that I have never heard or read before.
And then we went inside and that was powerful too.
I remember this so well. I didn't eat grapes for the duration. I had demonstrated before, in London, outside South Africa House, so long a go. Against Apartheid. This was the first time I gave up eating something I liked; such a small sacrifice, but it would make a difference when many joined.
Many powerful black and white photographs were displayed. I mainly looked, didn't take but a few pictures.
This is how the farm workers lived then. Not sure how they live now, it probably varies from place to place across the country.
This was his office and I like the way they displayed it. As a light was pointed to different areas of the room, a recorded voice described what we saw. On the middle top shelf of this bookcase, there's a hoe with a very short handle, not sure you can see it. Bending over to work with such a short hoe, resulted in back injuries to the people who had to use them. This really disturbed me. Saving money on wood? Or just not caring, at all? It was so stupid, it really upset me. Fortunately, Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers changed that.
After we left, we went to see the nearby Tehachapi Loop, our local engineering wonder.
Christina and Joyce waiting for a train, reading this:
