Photo by Becca Chavez | Hair and Make-up provided by Velvet Sky
W
e all have our list of things to do before we die, and at one time or another almost all of us have said, “One of these day’s I’m going to […],” but few of us actually do. We go from being bored as kids to being overwhelmed as adults, and our calendars are rarely our own. This is not so for one young Exeter native, Jeff Montgomery, who recently quit his job to walk 2,660 miles from Mexico to Canada across the Pacific Crest Trail. Making new friends, wearing out a few pair of shoes, and foregoing common conveniences such as a shower, were only a few of the journal entries Jeff made along the way. To read about the ups and downs on the trail of his incredible five-month journey, see “Seeking New Heights” on page 16. It is February and long-time readers have come to expect the conversation to turn to the obvious … yes, that’s right … baseball. Our office is filled with baseball fans, the majority rooting for the SF Giants, with one lone supporter of that LA team. We get pretty excited when pitchers and catchers report to spring training. We know baseball season is on its way when activity starts buzzing over at Recreation Ballpark. Professional baseball is a big part of Visalia’s history, and since 1946, our rural town has been farming major leaguers for teams such as the Chicago Cubs, Oakland A’s, and now the Arizona Diamondbacks. Recently, the Visalia Rawhide held their annual Hot Stove Banquet where six individuals were inducted into its Hall of Fame, including long-time Visalia residents Pauline Taylor and Stan Simpson. Attendees included Ann Meyers-Drysdale, wife of the late Don Drysdale, and maybe the most famous baseball icon of all time, Tommy Lasorda. We congratulate all of the inductees and hope you will turn to page 40 for more information about the night’s events. If you are looking for the perfect night out but a 2,660-mile hike isn’t quite your cup of tea, be sure to check out our local “Happenings” section inside this issue. From concerts, to art exhibits, to cultural festivals, Lifestyle Magazine brings you the best of what’s going on in your town. As we wrap up another issue, the Lifestyle staff is feeling a new sense of energy. Although we’ve had some missed days due to illness, we managed to take a few hours this month for a little break from deadlines. We normally hit the ground running each morning and don’t take our feet off the gas until the end of the day, so a break was refreshing. The entire team, all 10 of us, spent the afternoon enjoying some creative playtime making vision boards that were personal to each of us. We had a great time, elbow-toelbow with each other, letting our minds wander and our hands create visual representations of how we see life. Although each board was different from the next, there was a sense of commonality that – when a group of highly creative individuals come together with a respect for any differences, art happens, and that is always a beautiful thing.
KAREN TELLALIAN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR For more information or to submit a story idea email Karen@dmiagency.com or www.VisaliaLifestyle.com www.facebook.com/LifestyleMag call (559) 739-1747 or fax (559) 738-0909.
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