Stephanie Blackwell’s vision of California is desert and Hollywood.
She sees flat, open spaces.
Of course, Blackwell’s never seen California, only heard about Great Aunt Bertie’s orange grove and almond trees, the garden and maybe geese at Bertie’s home in Selma, Calif.
But after a late summer road trip spanning more than 2,000 miles, an estimated $1,000 budget for gas and about 10 states, California will be her new home for Blackwell and her son, William Smith, age 9 almost 10.