At least that's what I thought I was doing. I found myself visiting downtown the other day. There's only a few reasons you go downtown.
Reason 1: You work there.
Reason 2: you have jury duty, are on trial, in jail, need a certificate of some kind. In other words you have business to take care of.
Reason 3: You are either artsy or feux artsy and/or wanting to hang at full circle brewery (if you haven't been you should).
Reason 4: you go to a religious gathering down there (Cornerstone, 1st Presbyterian, AA).
Reason 5: Your working your corner or have the "other kind" of business to attend to. I digress...

So those are a broad 5 reasons but they cover most needs for hanging downtown. My reason was along the lines of #2 (I needed a certificate). So as I'm walking towards M street I have some change in my pocket and decide to help meters who have run out of minutes.

I always think to myself..."self, what happen to the days when people did good deeds just for the sake of helping out?" So here I am with extra change and empty meters. It makes sense, so I start pop'n coins in....Then came meterman.

Meterman was not happy that I was helping out. I didn't realize that he was just a few cars down from me until I hear "You know it helps the city". As in: you know it helps the city if people get tickets! OMG, you kid right? I'm being reprimanded because the city only makes 10 cents off my dime I deposited in a meter opposed to the $20 or so dollars that are made if these people conducting business are ticketed.

Where have all the good people gone?
Perhaps, they're the ones parking in handycap even though they don't have the proper license or in the fire lane to "just run in" for a second. Maybe they're just helping out?

I love Fresno for many reasons (I know it's a shocker). We have so many activities and things to do right in our own backyard. Fresno has great trails for walking, running, and biking. Not to mention all the lakes and for the real locals "the slew". Plus we have Yosemite just up the mountain and the beach only a couple hours away. We also have some great parks, a couple water parks, the zoo, ultimate Frisbee field, Kings river, white water rafting, golfing, and much much more.



Here's the problem, the Catch 22 if you will: It's too FRIGGIN HOT to go outside. that's right. we only get 2 decent weeks a year to live out all these activities before the air quality is considered unhealthy and the temperature peaks or drops. I've decided to push beyond the Catch 22. I refuse to let this "Catch" hold me back from activities (see I can be the optimist). So we took the kids to the Japanese Gardens in Woodward Park.



I walked away with a few thoughts:

1. Wow. There's a lot of Peacocks in Japan or at least in their gardens?!
2. The Gardens are beautiful and once again I'm astounded by natures true Artist.
3. Gardens only keep an 18 month old's attention for umm...10 minutes.
4. When it's 105 degrees outside and your surrounded by water your not allowed to go in that's considered cruelty.
5. I'm not an optimist and it's too FRIGGIN HOT to enjoy the town I live in.
6. People who jog through the park at 5am aren't actually stupid.

Just in case you can't tell, here's a close up...