As some of you may remember, Animated Meat first came to life in 2008 as a way to document some sights that managed to slip through the cracks of most popular travel websites. You may also remember that the original website was built on Apple's now defunct iWeb. From there, it migrated over to WordPress where it met an untimely demise at the hands of Russian hackers. Many of those old, pre-2012 entries have found a new home here in the Before the Now section. I would consider these posts as my starting place as a writer, probably comparable to a musician's first demo tapes. They are very rough, but I took them all seriously and wrote each one with passion. While I would like to believe that I have matured in my abilities as a writer, it is my hope that I carry this same blind passion into all of my new efforts.

Tanaka Farms - Originally Published 2010

February 28, 2019

Once upon a time, Orange County produced oranges. Actually, it produced a whole lot of other farm products, too. In time, the family farms sold off and the suburbs were built.

However, it seems like no one told the Tanaka family that farms were passé. They bravely soldier on and operate a thirty-five acre farm just minutes from the University of California at Irvine. For those that aren’t up on agriculture, the farm is seasonal and features different offerings throughout the year.

During the fall, the farm is a great place for pumpkins. Pumpkins of all varieties. Big pumpkins. Small pumpkins. Bumpy pumpkins. Deflated pumpkins.

I found out from my father-in-law that there are no pumpkins in Vietnam.

The Tanakas also offer their guests a corn maze.

They also have a tractor ride and a petting zoo. This was a really unique outing right here in Orange County. Thanks to the Tanaka family for sticking to their guns and keeping the family farm going.

Heritage Park Pumpkin Patch - Originially Published 2008

July 27, 2018

In the early 20th century, La Verne and much of Southern California was a citrus producer. Somewhere, between then and now, contractors showed up and built the suburbs. La Verne has managed to preserve a few spots; one of them being Heritage Park.

The park hosts a number of seasonal events. Most recently, we swung by to take a look at the annual Pumpkin Patch.

Aside from just a pumpkin patch, there are animals to pet and old, rusty tractors to get lockjaw from. It’s pretty amazing to consider that only one hundred years ago, most of Southern California looked exactly like this place.