Redding Record Searchlight Features

Fill up the gas tank and head for the coast, where temperatures hover around 65 degrees every day. All the locations listed here are free, so all you'll have to pay for is gas. Each site is easy to access and situated along the Humboldt County coast between Eureka and Trinidad. The county has miles of unspoiled coastline; thousands of acres of redwood trees, wild rivers, seaports, farming communities; and many historical areas.

I've got nerves that jingle, jangle, jingle.

Redding resident John Gordon first gave blood in 1967 during boot camp in the U.S. Navy when his company commander volunteered the 60-man company to give blood at Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego.

At the Somavia house, dinner is whatever the kids can make — at least two nights a week.

I suppose I'm getting my comeuppance.

• Logging research contest commences • Plum Valley School looking for alumni • Schools partner to go healthy • College offers piano for working adults

Trimming your food budget doesn’t have to mean serving only hot dogs and ramen. You can plan to eat well for less.

Ronda Nelson thinks Americans have too much refined sugar in their diets. Nelson owns Keva Juice and Restoration Health, both in Redding. Keva Juice offers fresh-squeezed juices, real fruit, nonfat yogurt, sherbet and fat-free milk. Fresh bananas, vitamins, minerals and energizers are added to the blends.

John Fulton’s long career as a fire protection engineer fueled his desire to collect toy fire engines, and a love for his hobby has burned brightly for more than three decades.

Two north state women were recently honored for their achievements in the community by the Redding branch of American Association of University Women.

What a difference six months can make. In February, I threw a birthday party for my husband and invited a few of his co-workers — reporters and editors and such — to help us celebrate.

About 60 people converged on Burnsini Vineyards in Cottonwood at 6 a.m. Saturday to pick Petite Sirah grapes voluntarily.

Remember the old Tom and Jerry cartoons in which a character would hide behind an X-ray machine panel and you'd see a skeletal figure moving on the panel?

A group of seven men stands beside a "Big Wheels" transport for hauling logs. Essentially, these transports are simply a pair of gigantic wheels and a thick axle that could support and tie down massive logs like the one in this picture. The transport is pulled by two teams of horses, supervised by John Aldridge on the far left. To view this photo and other historical photos and documents, go to www.shastahistorical.org.

Everybody loves Walker. So, when he came up missing, we were all distraught. Walker is a dog, a lithesome and lovable golden lab that has become an icon for the Carter family. I'm not really sure which member of the family actually owns Walker, because Walker owns them all, along with everyone else who knows him.

Editor's note: Each week, the Record Searchlight will pose a question to north state religious leaders. We will print the responses as space allows and post the remainder on Redding.com. We invite all faith leaders in the north state to participate and share their beliefs with our readers. Those who would like to participate are asked to contact news assistant Jessica Skropanic at jskropanic@redding.com or call 225-8265.

Vegetable gardens can be a sorry sight right about now. Plants wither, turn pale and get leggy. Gardeners start to fade too. Everyone's weary.

Jan and Patty Benton, Redding: We would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to the Redding Police Department, City Council and the Redding Fire Department for taking the time to come and visit us at our National Night Out. They answered many questions and concerns that we had. Kim Niemer, director of community services, went above and beyond in addressing our concerns about a traffic safety problem we had: vegetation growing up making it difficult to see traffic beyond the stop sign. The following day, Kim called me and said the problem had been addressed and would be taken care of within the month. That very day someone from the city was there and started clearing the vegetation. We felt so grateful to know that we have such a efficient community service staff working for us.

Roger Titus is a self-described railroad "foamer," someone, he jokes, "with a one-track mind." The 71-year-old Dunsmuir man has spent much of his life around trains -- riding them, working on them, photographing them.

Costs are rising and income isn't keeping up. High gasoline and food prices have taken their toll, and inflation is now spreading to other areas, such as tires and waistlines. It's time to tighten our collective belts so we can survive these hard times without resorting to layoffs that could affect the whole family.