Showcasing the beauty of the Sacramento area. Using my Phantom quadcopter (drone) to photograph and video the beautiful Sacramento Area.
I welcome your comments and encourage you to follow my blog as I explore some of the hidden and not so hidden areas of where we live.
I've lived in Fair Oaks for 35 years and had never visited the RollingWood Athletic Club. It's so tucked away and hidden it feels like you are completely away from any form of civilization. It's the perfect venue to get away for a game of tennis, a cool dip in the pool or a quick workout before work.
We are Fair Oaks California's most idyllic private club. Our natural setting for tennis, swim, fitness & socializing on 10+ acres on the beautiful Sacramento area's American River Parkway is unique. If you're in or around Fair Oaks, Folsom or Orangevale, we'd love to be your chance to getaway, every-day.
There are so many ways to play here at Rollingwood. Swim for fun or fitness, or competitively on our 16-time championship team the Rollingwood Rockets. We offer personalized swim lessons for all-ages, tennis for everyone & a variety of fitness classes which include yoga, Zumba, Functional Training, TRX and the finest Pilates Studio in the area & the only club that features an open-studio concept. We have a large gym floor with cardio equipment, free-weights & more with top-notch personal trainers & fit-staff to help you get the most out of our gym area.
We love our younger Rollingwooders too & have plenty of play for them! Kids Club & Junior Lounge are colorful & game-filled while our year-round fun & fitness oriented programs keep them active. Our summer camp-style includes swim, tennis, arts & crafts, making & doing and adventure & fun.
You may have noticed that we love fun around here. Fun makes everything better & we want to help you put as much of it as you can in your life. At Rollingwood, we believe in more ways to play.
The old oak tree hanging over the bluffs in Fair Oaks is a popular spot for photographers. I don't know how this tree hasn't tumbled to the bottom of the bluffs. It's hard to imagine how all the weight of the tree can be supported by so few roots.
I've been having some battery issues. The low voltage alarm went off on my remote and I had to bring the drone in for a hard landing. I included the landing at the end of the video where the drone flipped over. Fortunately no damage to the drone. Think its time to replace my batteries.
This is the current view of the Davis Ranch in Fair Oaks. After being a single family home and Hotel since the early 1900's the property is being developed into a subdivision. Much to the horror of many in Fair Oaks. A big piece of Fair Oaks history is being destroyed. :(
If you drive on Fair Oaks Boulevard, north of Fair Oaks Elementary, you might miss a 75 yard long dirt road lined with palm trees. This is the entrance to what was once known as the Davis Ranch, with a citrus and olive orchard. Walter Mangum Davis and his wife Oma Bennett Davis moved to Fair Oaks from Texas in the early 1900s with their son, Walter Jefferson and daughter, Elizabeth Catherine. A third child, Oma Bennett was born in Fair Oaks. The girls never married and Walter Jefferson did not have children. Dr. Davis. a surgeon, practiced medicine from 1890 – 1910. He also owned and managed Hotel Madrone on Pine Street in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco. He died in 1925 and the daughters managed the hotel until the 1940s when they sold it and returned to the family ranch. Son, Walter, had been managing the ranch until his death in 1940. Mrs. Davis had lived for a time with her daughters in San Francisco, but returned to live in Fair Oaks until her death in 1950. Throughout these years, 62 of the original 70 acres were sold for development. Elizabeth and Oma, the “Davis Girls,” lived the rest of their lives on the remaining 8 acres in the original family home. Elizabeth died in 1996, Oma in 2005. The family is not related to Jerome Davis, a farmer who is the namesake for the city of Davis. However, in part due to their father’s profession, the sisters donated over $5.5 million to the UC Davis School of Medicine. They established scholarships that provide financial support for medical students. They also transferred cash, securities and real estate to UC Davis in return for income for life. Their final gift after their death was to leave their home and property to the school, ensuring scholarships for many future doctors. Following Oma’s death the furnishings were auctioned and the home has remained empty. UCD School of Medicine has put the ranch on the market for development. The next step is an Environmental Impact Report and then a general hearing on land use issues sometime this summer. Info from the Old Homes Editor
Bella Vista is one of two high schools in Fair Oaks. It was built in 1960 and has an enrollment of about 2,000 students.
The Academic Decathlon team has been a pride of BV for many years. The team has represented Sacramento County in the California Academic Decathlon in 20 of the past 24 years.
Some famous alumni are Joan Lunden, co-host of Good Morning America. Lynn Anderson, country singer and Nicholas Sparks author of several novels that have been made into movies. The Notebook, A Walk To Remember and Message In A Bottle are a couple of his most popular novels.
In 1902 a group of interested local citizens banded together to form The Fair Oaks Cemetery Association. The group purchased two and a half acres at Olive and New York Avenues for $250.00 for a community burial ground. The Cemetery Association was incorporated November 3, 1903.
In 1926, a large majority of citizens petitioned the county for a taxing district. Thus the Fair Oaks Cemetery District was formed August 28, 1926 as a Public Cemetery, by resolution of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors.
Two of the earliest burials at the Fair Oaks Cemetery are Lillian Maude Shelton and Nellie Williams, who both died in 1898. The first "official" burial was that of Mrs. Sarah Vail in 1903.
Of the many veterans buried in the Fair Oaks Cemetery, there are about a dozen who saw service in the Civil War.
This was a fantastic event. Thank you Athena for asking me to help. It was inspiring to be around such a supportive group of people, many of them struggling with a diagnosis of cancer but they are still so up beat and positive. You can't help but be inspired by them. If you would like to donate to help fight cancer CLICK HERE
I have always admired the beauty of this church in Fair Oaks. It's on Sunset between Sunrise and San Juan. It's just a brick building but it is so beautiful.
I thought I'd do a quick web search before I posted this blog and I was stunned at what I found. I definitely have to take a peek inside when I get a chance. I can't imagine the pictures on their website do it any justice. Here is a link to the church's website. It's quite amazing to see. Sacramento Serbian Church
The Fiesta was a big success this year. The weather was great and the crowds turned out. Saw lots of families enjoying the day playing in the kids area, sampling the food from the food trucks and local businesses and checking out the hundreds of cars lining Fair Oaks Blvd.
A perfect day to grab a cold drink and enjoy the live music.
There was plenty of food from burgers and beer to lobster and grilled cheese.
If you like classic cars you weren't disappointed.
Took the drone out over Lake Natoma today. Beautiful day to go for a spin. Found a couple out paddle boarding… I think that's what it's called. There was also a pair of Canadian Geese with at least 20 chicks. I didn't want to disturb them with my drone so I stayed away.
I hope this brings back some good memories for all my "I Love Fair Oaks" Facebook friends. This is what the Village looks like today. Some of the old shops are still there. And of coarse the chickens are still all over the place.
The Village Park is a great place to have a cup of coffee and just relax. Lots of shade and plenty of chickens to keep you entertained.
This is one of the first times I took the drone out for a real run. I spent a lot of time in this park as a kid watching softball games and just hanging out. It's always had a special place in my heart. Had my first scare with the drone right after I filmed this. The Phantom 2 has a fail-safe feature. If the drone loses connection with the remote control it is supposed to remember where it took off from and return to that spot and land. I wanted to test out this feature so I moved to the large open soccer field, sent the drone out to the other side of the field and shut off the remote control, and watched. I was expecting the drone to come toward me…. it didn't. It took off in the other direction. Toward the very large oak trees scattered throughout the park. I then realized that the drone was returning "Home" but home was the spot I had launched the drone from before I moved. I took off sprinting through the park. Arriving at the old launch spot just as the drone was coming to a safe landing. Lesson learned.
When I think of Fair Oaks the Fair Oaks Bridge always pops into my head. It's become an iconic figure in Fair Oaks. This is actually the third bridge built in this location. The first was built in 1901 but was washed away by a flood in 1907. A temporary bridge was used for a few years until the permanent bridge was built.
After bridges at Sunrise and Hazel were built in the 1950's and 1960's the Fair Oaks bridge was converted to a pedestrian bridge.
There are so many ways to play here at Rollingwood. Swim for fun or fitness, or competitively on our 16-time championship team the Rollingwood Rockets. We offer personalized swim lessons for all-ages, tennis for everyone & a variety of fitness classes which include yoga, Zumba, Functional Training, TRX and the finest Pilates Studio in the area & the only club that features an open-studio concept. We have a large gym floor with cardio equipment, free-weights & more with top-notch personal trainers & fit-staff to help you get the most out of our gym area. 
We love our younger Rollingwooders too & have plenty of play for them! Kids Club & Junior Lounge are colorful & game-filled while our year-round fun & fitness oriented programs keep them active. Our summer camp-style includes swim, tennis, arts & crafts, making & doing and adventure & fun. 
Dr. Davis. a surgeon, practiced medicine from 1890 – 1910. He also owned and managed Hotel Madrone on Pine Street in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco. He died in 1925 and the daughters managed the hotel until the 1940s when they sold it and returned to the family ranch. Son, Walter, had been managing the ranch until his death in 1940. Mrs. Davis had lived for a time with her daughters in San Francisco, but returned to live in Fair Oaks until her death in 1950. Throughout these years, 62 of the original 70 acres were sold for development.
The Cemetery Association was incorporated November 3, 1903.
