It was always there. Ever since I can remember. Mom said it was there ever since she could remember. Now it is gone. I am speaking about the big gantry at the Texaco refinery at the south end of Fruitvale Ave. I lived in Fruitvale(NOT Rosedale..but that's another topic)as a kid and twice as an adult and it was like a sentinel on the southern horizon. Its pipes, girders and flashing light a reminder of why Bakersfield was an important place. I always wanted to go up on top of it or, at least, to the bottom of it. Not only did I never do that, I don't even have a photo of it! I have no idea what it was originally used for or why it has been dismantled. I do know that I will miss it and I have no idea why. I guess just because it was always there.