The Popcorn Stand: Home Means Nevada

As an admitted transplanted California, Home Means Nevada to me. I’ve been visiting and living in this area since 1989. Although I have to admit I have two homes. I also consider where I came from, where I was raised and where I was born in Southeastern Tulare County as home.

Tom Wolfe was wrong. You can go home again. I do it over and over again, several times a year when I return to my San Joaquin Valley home and then come back to return to my Nevada home. Maybe I’m in love with both places because I notice so many similarities in both places.

Actually what keeps drawing me back to both places is the people. The friendships I’ve achieved over the years in both places are priceless.

Before I became familiar with Nevada even though I wasn’t that far away in California, I pretty much had the same impression of a lot of people outside this state have and it wasn’t good. When I first came to Nevada one of the first things I did notice was that there were slot machines in grocery stores.

But it didn’t take me long to realize Nevada was so much more than that. In Nevada you can ski, play golf and go to the lake all in the same day. I’ve walked around Spooner Lake on a crisp, sunny morning and then came back home to Carson City to watch it snow in the afternoon.

And there’s so much more I’ve taken advantage of, I’ve learned about Nevada in the almost 30 years I’ve been coming and living here.

But most of all I’ve learned Home Means Nevada to me.

— Charles Whisnand