Rhode Island Reds and Governors Mansions

With DocRock visiting I took the day off today (well, I needed to make up for Avian Flu hours from last weekend, dang). After a leisurely morning we ambled to Vacaville on a fruitless expedition for shorts, to Higby’s the feed store in Dixon (26 Rhode Island Red chicks were for sale) for three straw bales for mulch for my garden; and to Sacramento where we took a tour of the Old Governors’ mansion.

1950s formica mixed with 1880s velvet. Water balloons hoisted on trick-or-treaters mixed with First Lady teas. Dynamite attacks in the pantry mixed with claw-foot bathtubs. No wonder the Reagans decided to abandon the mansion, originally in the “country” but now on a truck route, for a ranch-style house that could accommodate adequate Cold War security. It was wacky. The weirdest thing was Maria Shriver narrating the tour on the video in the gift shop, showing footage of her uncle John F. visiting the mansion, with no mention of where she and the current governor live.

Sacramento has its charms. I tend not to look into them much, but am glad of the opportunity of an interested visitor to explore.