Lighting up the holiday nights

When Fred Mezenski flips the power switch to the lights that illuminate his yard this time of year, he gets as much joy from watching the faces of visitors light up with smiles as he does seeing the thousands of lights strung around his home glow against the winter night.

This year, the Mezenskis’ holiday light display is the first-place winner in the Tracy Rotary Club Holiday Decorating Contest for best home and grounds. 

Fred and his wife, Heidi, have decorated their Kings Canyon Court home the past four years with music, strobe lights and even snow, courtesy of a roof-mounted snow machine.

The couple, both 49, have lived at the same address more than 20 years and had always decorated their home for the holidays. Four years ago, though, Fred caught the bug for putting up something special.

When he was growing up in San Lorenzo, his family had always made it a point to decorate the outside of the family house for Christmas, a tradition that began with his grandfather. Edward Mezenski had entered home decorating contests and won several, so when the younger Mezenskis saw a clip of a flashy holiday light show online in 2005, they knew it was time to take things up a notch.

“My sister Lori Cahill (from Redding) showed us the You Tube video on Christmas day,” Heidi said. “We knew we had to find out how it was done and how we could turn our home into a flashing light show to enjoy for the following year.”

After a year of planning, they went to work and started a new family tradition.

“Anybody can throw up lights. Making it your own is hard,” Fred said. “You want yours not to be like everyone else’s.”

While the thousands of flashing lights might seem confusing at first, Mezenski plans his display carefully so visitors can appreciate the Christmas scene. 

“You can look at the display as a whole and sit back and enjoy it,” he said. 

This year’s show features 21 holiday songs that be heard over a car radio to 92.3 FM as visitors drive past the Mezenski home.

“It’s more of a story about a winter wonderland, what the North Pole would look like at Christmas time,” Heidi said.

The couple divides the holiday decorating duties in half, Fred handling the exterior and grounds while Heidi trims the rooms inside, including the Christmas tree. Her front-window display was named the best lighted indoor tree in the Rotary contest for a second straight year this month.

The Mezenskis start to set up their display right after Halloween. The lights and yard decorations go up early in November, working on wiring and final touches so the lights are ready to go on the day after Thanksgiving. Planning for the light show is a yearlong process, though, and the couple visits other displays throughout the area to see what other folks are doing, share ideas and tips, and offer help with setup.

The yard at 850 Kings Canyon Court is decked out with Christmas trees, candy canes, polar bears, three 6-foot-by-30-foot rolls of buffalo snow for the ground and strings of Christmas lights — more than 20,000 of them — that make up the holiday scene. The Mezenskis use low-electricity LED lights, including floodlights, which helps cut down on the cost of the holiday show, but they still see their utility bill rise an extra $500 during the season, approaching $1,200 for the month and a half of the show.

Fred’s Christmas present came early this year: a new snow machine to replace two that broke down. His major acquisition last year, a life-size Santa figure, now stands inside the house, watching lights flash across the winter scene.

The couple, both agents for Realty 1 Team Inc., have seen the hard times that have befallen many local families, and they said they hope the holiday light show can be a bright spot for those who visit.

“It makes people happy, and I feel like a kid again decorating,” said Fred, who also works full time for CHI Doors in Lodi.

During the show, which runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends through Dec. 31, the Mezenskis will collect donations for Tracy Animal Rescue. Cat and dog food, collars, leashes, pet toys, beds and blankets will be accepted. Last year’s show was a benefit for Tracy Interfaith Ministries.

During the nightly shows, the Mezenskis enjoy seeing the smiles on visitors’ faces and the reactions of the children amazed by the snow falling on their winter scene.

 “It’s nice to know the lights are enjoyed and somebody is benefiting,” Heidi said.

The couple hope that one day, their children, Tiffany, 25, and Justin, 21, will carry on the torch to light the holiday nights.

“You find something that is fun and enjoyable, and that is what you do,” Fred said this week. “I don’t want people to get tired of coming by. There’s more pressure to top yourself the next year.”

The Year In Review: Dead in the field

I knew driving over to I-580 this wasn't going to be a pleasant sight.  I had a call from the office five horses had been discovered dead in a field off the freeway.  Baking in the summer sun they had died of thirst and dropped in the tracks in the yellow sun-parched grass of their corral.

Television stations and other newspapers gathered along the freeway shoulder to photograph the scene as the two remaining horse were given water.  Dead horses were strewn across the field as investigators examined the carcasses in the field.

The story has lingered in the newsroom, we never got an official verdict of what was going to happen to the owner who let the animals perish.  It must have been an agonizing death for the horses as they succumbed to the summer heat in the field.  It had to be one of the worst assignments I went to as you start to think what they went through before they died.

A little close to home

Out on the very south part of town on assignment I got a call from the office asking if I had my scanner on.  When I asked why I was told there were police officers just outside the Tracy Press front door crouched down behind cars with automatic rifles at the ready.  Bad sign.  I hopped back in my car and tore back to the office.

Heading down Tracy Boulevard  I hit warp two near Valpico Road as I started to hear details of the call.  An armed robbery had just occurred at the Bank of America next door to the Press office.  And seeing how God hates me I was far from the office.

I managed to get back just as officers were getting ready to enter the bank and make sure there were no other robbers in the bank.  The suspect believed to be a serial robber who has hit six banks within the week managed to escape.  It is just another day behind the crime scene tape, I'm getting to be an expert at that.

The Year In Review: Pray for me, I drive Grant Line Road

Of all the road construction work I have seen nothing equals the horrors of the Grant Line Road construction.  The never-ending road work has left the road surface a nightmare for drivers and residents in the area who have to navigate the pot-marked Ashanti and praying their car's suspension doesn't give out in the process.

The continuous cutting a section of roadway, resurfacing it and then cutting it open again would be comical if they didn't do it day after day.  I have lost track how many times they have cut open the Holly drive and Grant Line Road intersection-maybe they get paid by the shovel full.

It has been a test of strength for resident who live on Grant Line to survive this construction.  From having water turned off with out notice to navigating the rat's maze of poorly marked construction cone lanes to the dips and valleys in the roadway it has been a lot to endure.  If the road construction ever ends, and I have my doubts that it will this will go down as one of the worst road construction jobs in Tracy.  It is a nightmare to drive through and even worse to try and photograph.

The Year In Review: Life Behind the Line

If I have become good at one thing these past months it is shooting behind crime scene tape.  I have had a lot of practice at it.

Just when we thought the insanity of 2009 was behind us a collection of crimes thrust me back behind the crime line.  More murders, arson, and bomb threats to name a few of the crime scenes all had that familiar yellow line.  I got pretty good looking for a dramatic angle to make the crime scene take look more interesting.  It was a challenge to shoot sometimes as the tape fluttered in strong wind or the wording was upside down but it always there in the photo.

The crime scene coverage required me to shift gears a lot.  One moment covering cupcakes the next a killing.  Go shoot an arson scene and then grab the pet of the week.  Your mood and news gathering changed as you came up to the line.  Things get more serious, a lot darker.  It is a life behind the line I don't care for but it is still part of the job.

The Year In Review: The Highs and Lows

So the winner for the high point on any assignment this year had to come over Mountain House.  Somewhere  two or three thousands feet above to be exact.

Working on a story about the new Questa School we thought it would be a cool idea to grab some views from the air.  Pilot Doug Smith donated his time and flew me over the the town in a small homebuilt airplane just barely big enough for the two of us.  I spent a bumpy but fun ride photographing the city and trying hard not to bump his hands on the controls.

The low assignment for the year could be a toss up but I think snuggling down to the ground among the tomato vines as a harvester approached has got to the be the lowest point.  I remembering wondering if I would be able to hop out of the harvester's path on a knee still sore from a torn meniscus.

Winter wonderland

I couldn't decide whether the message on my voice mail was either really exciting or really foreboding.  I had a call from the Tracy Animal Shelter that I could come down and photograph a special pet of the week-their annual attempt to create a special holiday themed nightmare for a dog or cat in search of a home for the holidays.  The shelter staff said they had outdone themselves this year in the Christmas creation and I could by anytime.  Yes friends it was once again  time to Dress the Dog.

We had talked around the office about what this year's adventure could be.  Kittens in a stocking?  Pit bulls pulling a sleigh?  Too mundane.  No this was bound to be something flashy, more than a dog wearing a sweater and mittens.  If they were going to outdo last year's cats in a box they would have to take the pet humiliation up a notch.  Ask and yea shall receive.

Opening the door to the shelter office I discovered what happens when evil minds have time to plan and way too much time on their hands.  Tucked into a corner of the office they had created a little winter scene complete with a dog house decked in Christmas lights, snowmen decorations, and  wrapping paper as the background scenery.  Our own little winter wonderland for a pet portrait.  Who would be our unwitting victim?  Cue Yo-Yo.  Little Yo-Yo, a 7-month-old greyhound and terrier mix  was going to be the Santa for our winter scene.  First thing I noticed was he was a quick little guy, just check out his first camera tests.

Step one was to make a little merry in the office and get in the Christmas mood.

Ok, now lets get Yo-Yo into his costume, which was easier said than done.  Yo-Yo was a chewer so he seemed to want to eat his elf outfit rather than wear it.  After a few struggles, some thoughts of a staple gun the costume was on and were ready to shoot.  Cue the snow.

Yep they wanted snow in the picture.  Not real mountain snow but some kind of instant  just-add-water plastic snow, just like instant oatmeal but more appetizing.  Is it toxic I asked?  Ummm don't know was the answer so hopefully Yo-Yo would be more interested in running through the snow than eating it.  The game plan then became what kind of photo were we looking for?  It seemed the consensus was Yo-Yo was supposed to be emerging from his brightly decorated home as the snow fell around him.  Just like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting.  I was afraid we were going to end up with something more resembling a Salvador Dali painting but I pressed ahead.  

First thing I noticed was some mixed signals coming form the crowd.  Yo-Yo was stuffed into the house and then we would take turns shouting stay or whistling for him to hop out.  I was confused and I wasn't even in the dog house.After a few aborted runs we decided to just place young Yo-Yo outside his abode and photograph him sitting in front of the house with the lights and decorations around him.  All Yo-Yo would need to do is sit still and patiently look at the camera.  Did I mention he was greyhound puppy?

So I am not above bribery especially with dog and since it wasn't my lunch we decided to entice Yo-Yo's cooperation with pieces of deer jerky.  I won't mention how we almost choked him with a dog cookie, but he seemed to enjoy the deer jerky and it kept his attention well enough so I fired away.  Then we noticed Yo-Yo was getting excited, I mean really excited in a male-puppy sort of way.  We thought about covering it up with an elf hat but we just decided to press on.

So with a few hundred photos or so in the can we decide to try and add a Santa hat complete with beard.  that wasn't Yo-Yo's favorite accessory.  We though about adding some duct tape to keep the hat on the right spot but just decided to pull it more over his ears.  Yo-Yo was losing interest in the whole photo shoot and our supply of deer jerky was waning so I laid on the motor drive hard to capture the last few frames of our happy Christmas scene.  A few more camera frames, one or two more uncooperative hops around the floor and we done. 

 Dressing the Dog 2010 was in the history books, Yo-Yo celebrated his picture shoot ending by flailing about as hard as he could to get the hat and beard off.  

It's always an adventure each Christmas  photographing our special pet of the week but it has become a tradition just like decorating the Christmas tree, singing Christmas carols and keeping drunk relatives out of the eggnog.  

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to everyone!

A look back

As 2010 winds to close I'll be taking a look back at some of the events that shaped our lives this past year with the Year in Review. I'll glance back at the high points, the dark days and the assignments we can't forget.

Snack food

I was typing up the information for this week's Pet of the Week from the Tracy Animal Shelter when I saw an odd request.  In the section for donations the shelter is seeking they had a special food request.

I am just not sure who the pork brains would be for, the cats at the shelter or the staff....?