As the home town for Tom Dempsey's childhood, Chico and the surrounding Sacramento Valley and foothills attract him back regularly to visit his lovely parents. Photos from the Central Valley and foothills of California include: Bidwell Mansion, Bidwell Park, California State University Chico (CSUC), Sutter Buttes panorama and sunny oaks with hiker silhouette, almond orchard leaves turning yellow, Manzanita tree flower blooms, pipevine flower, Acorn Woodpecker, child's hand in black bear paw print, California poppies, lavender poppies, Honey Run Covered Bridge built 1894 between Chico and Paradise, fawn lily (Erythronium californicum), and flowers on North Table Mountain Biological Reserve near Oroville.