May Day

Cinco de Mayo weekend (which I hadn't realized until that following Monday), we decided to take a road trip with our dear friends the Red Sultans to the town of Locke, "the only town in the United States built exclusively by the Chinese for the Chinese." We love this charming, quirky town!

At the end of this street (pretty much the main street), there's this smart, hilarious note describing a store's hours -- not your usual time/day schedule, but a paragraph that amuses the chance passerby with a convoluted explanation of why they may or may not be open at this given point in time. It's prose at its best, and humor at its highest.

We had the good fortune to meet the amazing Ming Hou, resident artist extrodinaire, whose work has recently been the focus of a PBS segment. The artist is humble and congenial, a pleasure to meet, and most evidently in love with his wife. One of his works entails lumber (think 2x4s and 2x6s) arranged in the shape of giant heads, boulder-sized in diameter and almost as tall as me. Unfortunately, all photographs were prohibited, but no matter, seeing them in person will only make the appreciation greater. So if you get a chance to stop by this lovely town, please visit the Ming Hou Art Gallery. You'll be glad you did.

Afterward, we headed to the chinese restaurant (only restaurant?) in town. The food is delicious, the proprietors are very friendly, and the candy section is a treasure trove for the asian palate (think chocolate covered peach jelly and white rabbit chews). Plus, they have this cool altar. Definitely worth checking out.

Since the last time we visited (a year or two ago?), they converted one of the lots into a cute sitting-park.

You know how the bees have been disappearing though? Well, I believe some of them are doing just fine down there in Locke. That building with the slatted screen in front behind Tia D has them in their exterior wall.

As a matter of fact, BedHeadSid (BHS) was stung on the palm shortly before entering the chinese restaurant, and I had to whip up a poultice on the spot! The proprietors were kind enough to lend some baking powder -- a really effective remedy for bee stings if applied immediately after the sting.

In fact, there were a couple of buildings in town infested with bees. The old chinese school had them buzzing in the walls! I saw the entry at the top of the 15+ ft walls but could hear them buzzing at the bottom! That usually means a big, big colony has established itself.

So I guess the town of Locke is so alluring, even the wandering bees have decided to stay!