More Delta Country

 

The Sacramento River Delta area is full of stunning, relaxing water views like the one above.  Then when you least expect it, there will be a surprise like the enormous wire sculpture of Jesus.

Ning Hou Gallery, Locke Town

 

The highlight of the trip to the Sacramento River Delta Area was meeting and visiting with Ning Hou who refers to himself as a "New Millennium Master Painter".  His work is breathtaking.  The large life sized oil paintings feature still life, human anatomy, landscapes or animals.  I especially liked a piece with a group of ordinary people riding on a bus.  As we visited with him he was working on two enormous room sized landscape pieces.  Ning is gracious, modest and has a very interesting life story to tell.  For more about Ning Hou and to see some of his work, go to his web site.     Ning Hou's Web site 

Locke Town, California - Chinese Settlement

In the 1850’s thousands of Chinese fortune seekers rushed to California’s gold fields.  After the mines played out, the workers stayed helping complete the transcontinental railroad.  They then settled in the California delta area where they built a complex system of levees transforming miles of swamps into the vital agricultural region it is today.  These Chinese families faced great hardships including poverty and discrimination prohibiting them from associating with or living near Caucasian Americans. Many of their descendants still live along the Sacramento River Delta working the farms while others live in the village of Locke Town.  

  

 

Visiting the historic site of Locke Town is quite an experience. There are generations of Chinese settlers still living in wood buildings originally built in the 1800's.  The structures are were built from scraps and added on to, one on top of the other, as families increased in size.  Yellow tape marks the ones that are condemed but historians are guarding and preserving the town because of its significance.

  Tasting some of the Chinese delicacies at the Locke Garden is a must when visiting.  Food not fabulous, but the people are friendly and readily share stories about the area.

 

There are interesting alleyways throughout the town.

 

Then any visitor must stop in the "Tourist Trap" before heading on to Sacramento along the levee road.