Buck Owens' Crystal Palace

We have moved to Bakersfield California, and it is nice finally to feel some open spaces. We were so totally surrounded by other recreational vehicles in our last park in Los Angeles, that on our first day here I just stared out over the open land around us. From our home I could look out at the mountains on our left and to the right, within the boundaries of the park itself, are numerous palm trees

 However, we are still plagued by the activities of a busy city. Bakersfield is an excellent crossroads for business and tourists. The only year-round passable road and railroad south of Sacramento for exporting the Valley's goods to the east is here in this town. And our home is sitting close by the railroad tracks! On the highways (which are also close to our home) large trucks filled with oranges can be seen heading out of town. Our first day here, Tuesday, was windy and rainy. We ventured out toward evening to explore the town and to check out Buck Owens' Crystal Palace. We discovered that the country star's restaurant would be opened for the dinner hour, and that a country music band was scheduled to play that evening.

 It was a good show and, much to our delight, they played a lot of oldies from the 60s. The Crystal Palace has on its walls many of Buck Owens' memorabilia (he died in 2006). His Cadillac hangs above the bar.

In the lobby of the building there are many statues of other country western stars, including Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. And, while wandering around the building, I also found out that Buck Owens played with Ringo Starr. That was a connection I had not expected.