Tom Caudill:
CLASS OF 1964
Tulare Union High SchoolClass of 1964
Tulare, CA
Tom's Story
I left Tulare some time after high school to live and surf in Newport Beach California. Married a long hair blond surf instructor from Hawaii named Sandy in 1970 and had three kids, Gretchen, Shannon and Kevin aka KC. Gretchen is married to Federal ICE agent Wayne in San Diego area, Shannon unmarried and a G I A gemologist, my son KC retired pro hockey player moved back home after my wife Sandy past away in 2009, and is currently running my Textile Chemical Company in Orange County. Although I have not officially retired I am purchasing a avocado grove in De Luz canyon and hope to slow things down a bit and re group after Sandy's passing. I currently spend most of my free time with the Inland Church helping in any way that I can. Still just a beach boy at heart, I'll begin the new life as a avocado rancher and grower. Please look for the Mission Creek Ranch L.L.C Avocado's in your local stores soon.
update 1/10/2012
Now we made the move .... bought the Avocado Ranch in DeLuz Canyon Temecula, we call it Mission Creek Ranch as it has 2 creeks on the property and the home was build to look like and old California Mission complete with bell tower and brass bell. Just moving in now after more than 40 years of accumulating clutter, I hope not to take all this junk with me, so much of this antique stuff should hit eBay soon. The local old town Temecula Antique store will also have alot of our old stuff on consignment sale. Mission Creek Ranch is on 20 acres and currently has over 2000 Haas Avocado trees as well as other citrus, and fruit trees for us to take care of. No full retirement in sight, just plenty of watering and pruning ahead.
update 7/9/2012
Just finished our 2nd picking of the season, one more picking to go maybe in about 4 more weeks. Good crop this season with better than expected prices. Sold this years crop to McDaniel's in Fallbrook that markets the avocado's under the Linda Vista brand. Mostly in Los Angeles markets Gelson's and Bristol Farms, but if you ever see that label in your store.....buy them. We are going to add 500 more trees in January near the natural spring area, got some digging and preparation to do before then. Funny how this simi retirement has turned into more work ..... not going to complain, love the property and land, kinda reminds me of the orange, lemon and olive groves of home.
update 7/20/2012
I just saw our avocados in the Lake Elsinore Costco (Linda Vista Brand) 5 avocados for $5.99 how exciting ...... I didn't even know they were being sold in Costco ..... hey....go buy some
update 9/25/2012
Finished all the picking this season, what a job, never knew that retirement could be soooo much work. Going to add about 500 more trees in January, getting the ground ready now. Ironically the trees are coming from a grower near Tulare. Been blessed with great health so far, only sore back from being on the wrong side of a shovel, but no complaints, love the land and dirt. My Grandfather was an apple grower in the Santa Cruz mountains, I was lucky enough to find some old root stock from his trees, so I'll add apples tress to the ranch early next year, hope they will grow here.
update 1/15/2013
Moving totally sucks ... just moved the business of 30 years from Garden Grove to Lake Elsinore, never knew I had so much stuff. Sold the building and now have moved into a smaller commercial building just off the 15 freeway. Next time I move, it will not be with a forklift, or big truck, or even with one cardboard box, just a book of matches will do. Now that the business is in Lake Elsinore, driving time has been cut down from 1 1/2 hours each way, to 15-20 minutes tops .... practically in my back yard. We were scheduled to add more trees at Mission Creek Ranch this week but I have delayed until this cold spell disappears, frost, ice and high winds for weeks now are not what I need during the new planting, so I am trying to put it off until early Feb. New tree holes filled with frozen rain water now, melts during the day, then more rain and freeze later, burning tons of firewood in the evening and drinking plenty of hot chocolate to stay warm.
update 4/8/2013
new trees now in the ground ....weeeeee ... 494 more holes dug and now filled with the secret fruit, ever heard of Maesil or Ume, maybe not eh, so look it up... going to process some them hopefully next season into a health juice and sell the rest of the crop to Hmart and AR market in LA, that's kind of a hint. The crop will not be in full production for about 3 years, but any little bit will help. Not much else exciting going on here, just water, dirt and watching the trees grow.
update 10/8/2013
another picking season is now behind us, little more production than last year but prices got soft near the last picking, plus the fruit size was smaller as an early winter may have played a part. The new Maesil trees are doing okay but no real fruit yet, we will pick the persimmons trees in a few weeks. Hard to believe another year is almost over, time is going by so fast now ....... I would wish it to slow down. KC my son is now running all the Chemical business and I am now just an on looker. Holiday's are just around the corner, I wish I could say I'm looking forward to them, but I can't.
update 2/4/2014
Another year gone....now 2014....sad but so true everything is in super speed motion, time just fly's by way too fast. Got through the winter without frost damage to the grove, even got through the holiday's without many problems, went to see friends on Christmas eve, had Christmas morning breakfast with Gretchen, and had a beer with Santa at night...well I thought it was Santa. Not ready for full retirement yet, just ran for District 2 board member for the California State Avocado Commission........crazy.....got elected.....term until late 2014, go figure.
Still watering pretty strong as drought conditions are not helping the grove. We should see picking in a few more months....not sure what to expect this year. My health is still good and I really do not have much to complain about....Even though I never knew it until now, I have always been blessed............
update 5/21/2014
The month of MAY,can be a very testing month for me.......May 1st was my Dad's birthday (he was a twin) .......... May 11th Mothers Day.....Expand for more
......May 15th was my wife Sandy's birthday ...... May 23rd was our anniversary ....... so many memories all jammed into one month .... but to off set this all, we started the first picking of the grove this month. Avocados look a little smaller and not as many this season, maybe due to short winter and lack of water, although my water bill shows very little mercy. It is always fun during this first week of picking. We cater food from one of the local Mexican restaurants, hire a Mariachi band, bring in a few tubs of Budweiser, and party down with the crew at the end of the first week picking, and this year it falls on Memorial weekend......how awesome. This has become a tradition since we started Mission Creek Ranch and although I rarely make it through the whole party now days, it does seem to get larger each year. More pickers, more pickers wife's, more pickers girl friends, just more people at the party, maybe even a few neighbors that I don't even know. It is going to be a FUN weekend. Hoping good health to all and Blessed days for the second half of this year to everyone.
update 8/21/2014
SOLD-SOLD-SOLD
I sold the avocado ranch and home, MISSION CREEK RANCH is now gone..... I can not believe it - but it happened. A local Realtor came by and said she had a cash buyer for my place after he had read a news article in the local farmers market trade magazine about the rare Ume Maesil trees that I had planted, I explained that the place was not for sale, but what the heck, I'm interested in hearing his offer, the next thing I know is he has accepted my crazy number and I now have to move.......so I did......I headed towards wine country in Temecula to a much smaller place, 2 acres instead of 20+ but I am now getting adjusted to it. It is still somewhat country, but not like before, plus it is a few miles closer to church.
Now a glass of wine at the Jacuzzi each night and maybe this isn't so bad after all. At least now I can lock up the place and go travel, I really could not do that at the ranch, so I'll now start reading some of these travel brochures.
I still have a few hundred boxes to open and move inside, well maybe not a few hundred, but a bunch anyway, I hate moving, I dislike lifting boxes, I generally have very little regard towards Realtors, but I do like this pool and Jacuzzi. Still have a few acres not planted, ummmmm maybe some pinot noir grapes and start a small winery....naw, now
where did I put that travel brochure..........................
2/10/2015
And another year just fly's by....time seems to be in some sort of race now, every week seems to just fly by and nothing special to account for it. I really miss the avocado grove, I miss driving the 4x4 in the grove at the end of the day looking for broken branches and falling fruit, I do not miss all the extra work or the heart stopping monthly water bills, but I do miss the quiet , the natural rocks and the sound of the creek during the day. My new place is okay, but I still have not decided what, if anything, should I plant. Just cleared and flattened 2 acres that could easily be planted if ever I get the go power to do so. My health has been great so far, just fighting a nasty cold from January but other than that, everything else is going fine.
I started a new small business and began selling my humidity control equipment to the wine industry, this seems to take any spare time I may have thought I earned or had credit for, but I enjoy the venture. Planning on expanding the product line to accommodate additional industries. It's not avocado growing, but it will keep me busy, just the same.
2015.....it kind of has a special ring to it....don't you think ?
11/15/2016
I just noticed that much time has gone by since I last wrote a brief note in here. I guess not much has happened or maybe not enough fluff in the pillows to discuss, but it should merit a line or two. Since my last pen to print in this good ol' classmate story ledger, recently it seems I have attended many funerals of present and past friends, and at my age I am sure there should be a few more to come before I either out grow my only Black suit or put it on myself for the last time.
It has come to my observation that all families suffer grief for loosing a loved one, and this grief is somewhat shared my many others. I think the loss of not being able to talk or touch the one you have lost is the deepest scar that can be ever left behind. The most recent funeral I was not able to attend, but it has left me with the deepest thoughts, I hope these thoughts soon pass.
Very few words, very little action, very little of anything seems able to comfort ones thoughts of this loss. During these funerals I have sometimes heard tremendous words of well composed sentences, some of which I needed to record or jot down in order to grasps just what this new word or composed sentence actually meant in the limited vocabulary that I had absorbed during my some 69 years. All to find out the true meaning never could really make any substantial movement in the pain and hurt that was currently present.
As I was once told soon after that passing of my own wife of almost 40 years, back in 2009, "give it some time, it will be okay, just give it time" .......... I knew then and I still know now, that is not true, time does not heal, or maybe if it could, there just simply is not enough time left to really do the healing needed. The only true comfort in your loss is to understand, ....that it is just like this life .... a temporary feeling and not really a permanent loss at all. In fact it could be considered a gain. If your heart has been softened by the word of our GOD and you truly understand why he sent his only Son to live and die for all of us, then and only then will some comfort come to you. You will knowing that death on this temporary earth is only the beginning of eternal life in heaven, if you know and believe this to be true, your sadness and grief although never disappearing completely, it will be emulsified within everyone's love each and every future day.......if you do not know this,... then,... and only then,..... is there a real need for daily sadness and eternal tears.
I promise not to write so heavy in the future days, but this last funeral lays heavy on my heart.
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