So what about 2023?

My goals are:
1. Deal with my backlog of pics for places we've been, as there are lots! Tons of train photos!

2. Check out local museums.

3. Create the ultimate donut list.

4. Get my ass in gear to start writing about architecture and neighborhoods. It takes planning.

#Modesto #EmuYE

What do you suggest I check out in the Central Valley?

10. Finally, it wouldn't be #Modesto without Graffiti Weekend, which culminates in a gigantic car show.

I learned to drive stick on a car like this one (it was old then -- a bf's family restored old cars).
#Modesto #EmuYE

9. While we're further afield from Modesto, I gotta HEART the Haggin Museum in Stockton, which is small but mighty. Curation there cares deeply about developing a topic thoroughly and about engaging with local history.

This image is from an exhibition on J.C. Leyendecker because it's striking.
#Stockton #EmuYE

8. If you need a bigger poultry fix, there's the Stanislaus County Fair, held every year in neighboring Turlock.

It is small and I love it. In 2023, I intend to enter the baking competition.
#Modesto #EmuYE

7. While we're on food, The Fruit Yard is our local version of a classic kind of California stop: restaurant, gas station, and store that sells dried fruit, pies, and such. The restaurant makes the best pancakes and bacon I've found locally.

It also has chickens.
#Modesto #EmuYE

6. To compensate for pizza disappointments, the DONUT scene is amazing. There's Mr T's Delicate Donut, voted 13th best in the nation. There's Scotty's, where you don't go for the ambiance but you do go for the raised donuts. This particular donut is probably from Tony's, a funky ol' shack that does a great cake donut.
#Modesto #EmuYE

5. While we're doing food, I have to admit disappointment in the local pizza scene. I lived in New Haven, CT, which has the best #pizza in the U.S.

However, I get to have my childhood fave, Round Table, a regional chain that's as close in style to New Haven apizza as we're likely to get here.
#Modesto #EmuYE

4. Our final downtown stop -- Preservation Coffee, the hipster coffeehouse with an excellent local baking program (including this almond tart) that hosts exhibits of local art.

(Though if you want gluten-free, Culture Coffee Bar on McHenry is the place to go.)
#Modesto #EmuYE

3. Also, while we're downtown, Michelin Gallery! I'd wondered how I suddenly got into local art (admittedly, mostly at the greeting card level)... and it's because this gallery does so much to make it available.

Here's one of my favorite images, the TIllie Lewis water tower, by water color artist Virginia White. #Modesto #EmuYE

2. While we're downtown, the murals! There's a whole series of alleys lined with murals. Here's a typical #Modesto image.
#EmuYE

It's time for a year-end list. Since I moved to #Modesto six months ago, how about a list of 10 Things I Like About Modesto and Its Surroundings?

This is by no means exhaustive. You can mute #EmuYE if you dislike mentions of any org that sells things.

1. The Giant Poppy downtown. This speaks for itself. It is a giant poppy.