Joe & Julie

Nine Days in New England

2011-10-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Several years in the dreaming.

A year in the planning.

Nine days in the doing.

Memories to last forever.

Julie and I have wanted to go to New England in the fall to see the colors. Julie's sister Ann and her husband Armond have wanted to go, too. So 2011 is the year we actually pulled it off. After a lot of conversations and advice with folks who have done it and after investigating of several options (cruise, train, bus, self-guided, etc.), we made the decision. We personalized the tour with some high points and enough slack to visit whenever and wherever we had a whim to do. Actually it was Julie who did all the planning and the itinerary. Without her tireless effort this would not have happened as well as it came off.

First things first

Before we go any farther with this blog entry, I have to give you a definition of a TOURIST:

"A person who travels 3,000 miles to get a picture of himself standing beside his car."

So to get it out of the way and confirm that we are real tourists here's the picture.

After that bit of nonsense we can get on with this HUGE pictorial of what we did. With over 500 pictures to choose from, you get to see this set. By the way, hopefully you can click on any of these pictures and see them in a larger format. Some of them are worth it on a full size screen.

We flew into Boston's Logan Airport, met the Ann and Armond there, rented a car (full-size Mercury Marquis) and headed off Steele Hill Resort in Sanbornton, New Hampshire (say that: SAN-burn-ton). In 1747, King James I of Great Britain granted a tract of land to Benjamin Steele, which later became known as Steele Hill. Wow, we were surprised at the facilities. We used this as our headquarters for the first few days as we did stuff in the area.

Two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a large living area with dining room and kitchen.

Julie and I slept here. The other bedroom had a king size bed and a jet tub to go with it. We thought we would be so smart and move the twin beds together in our room. NOT! They were bolted to the wall!

Outside the front door of our group of living units.

A view of the back of our place. We were in the unit with the two windows and doors on the bottom floor on the end (over Ann's right shoulder). You might be able to tell from the picture that we had a picnic table and a a couple of BBQ grills to use out the back door. Did I mention they had pool, hot tub tennis, golf, etc. Armond and I swam in the pool one night.

Chrysanthemums, corn stalks, pumpkins and hay outside the registration office.

Steele Hill is located near Lake Winnisquam. We love this picture of a little stream and a pond that feeds into the lake.

Lake Winnepesaukee

Our first big adventure was to Weirs Beach on Lake Winnepesaukee, largest lake in New Hampshire. 71 square miles, maximum depth of 212 feet. Contains at least 253 islands, half of which are less than a quarter-acre in size, and is indented by several peninsulas. Total shoreline of 288 miles. We took a 2 1/2 hour cruise on the lake.

One of the "inhabited" islands. Looks romantic, eh? Well, we figured that it's is no small undertaking to live on an island. Consider no water, no electricity, no bridge to get there, no garbage service (haul it in, haul it out). How about sewer service? Ya gotta have a boat and a boat dock on the island and a place to launch it on the mainland. How about building your house on the island? Transport all building materials to the island. Mix your own concrete on site (no ready-mix trucks possible). Electricity? A generator and fuel to run it. Drinking water? A water purification system... Need I go further?

Not be be ALL negative, I really do think it would be cool to have a private island.

Governor's Island is the largest island and is the only one that has a bridge from the mainland. So large houses and resorts like this one are possible.
At the far eastern end of the Lake is a town called Wolfeboro; a quaint New England village

Look for the multicolored leaf earrings in this picture. Souvenirs from the boat trip. By the way, notice Julie's hat. It's the one she bought in Carmel (see the previous blog entry). She made interchangeable bands to add variety.

Coming in to Wolfeboro

An island with an observation tower that looks like a lighthouse.

New England Lobster Roll

After a long boat ride, food is a necessary item. Convenient to the boat dock in Weirs beach is a restaurant called Weathervane. Their specialty is Lobster Roll.

Very delicious.

The two in this picture described themselves as "A couple of crabs dressed up as lobsters."

Lots of flowers at Weirs beach. The wildlife loves them, too. Check out details of the next two photos by making them larger.

In spite of being early in the season, some trees jumped the gun for color.

We had to double back slightly on our trip back to Steele Hill so we could get this picture. So pretty.

North Conway

North Conway has rail tours through the trees.

After waiting for the train, we finally saw (and heard) it coming.

Click here for a video I took of its arrival.

http://vimeo.com/30494697

But, ya know what? They unhooked the steam engine form the train and put on a more modern diesel engine. Oh, well, we took the ride anyway. These were really old cars, the kind that had reversible seats. Just pull on the seat back. I remembered these from when I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia on the Pennsylvania Railroad commuter trains.

Even though the rain was coming down, the scenery was still fantastic.

At the far end of the line, the engineer did what's called a "run around." He pulled off on a siding. The engine was unhooked, went back down the mainline to the other end of the train, switched back to the siding and re-coupled to pull us back to North Conway. Oh, the rain, the rain!

North Conway has a number of attractions for tourists. One is a "General Store" with lots of antiques on display. One item was this old wringer washer like my mom used to use when I was growing up.

An old soda fountain was recreated in the back of the store. This is much like the one my sister and I used to go to when we lived in Philadelphia to buy delicious chocolate malts. In fact, she actually worked in one of these as as a "soda jerk" when she was in high school.

Let me interject an interesting part of our travels here. We thought we had arranged a stay at Steele Hill Resort for 4 nights. Something in the back of my mind kept telling me to check with the registration office. So as we were headed out after the third night on another adventure we stopped at the front desk. They confirmed that we were scheduled to check out that very morning(!!) and there were no other rooms available for that night. Oops! After a consultation with "the committee" we talked through our options. We called ahead to our next stop (Pond Ridge Motel in Woodstock, VT). Yes, they could accommodate us in their only double room "suite" a day earlier that we had planned. What a relief! Otherwise we would have been homeless. OK, we quickly went back to our room at Steele Hill, packed up in a hurry and left it for good.

Quechee Gorge

One our way over to Woodstock, we came to Quechee Gorge (KWEE-chee) just inside the Vermont border. Just out of nowhere is this deep gorge. Had to stop and take a few pictures.

I liked this pitchfork (or is it a pickle fork?) tree off in the distance. Very unique.

Woodstock, Vermont

The office at the Pond Ridge Motel in Woodstock. The flowers were what prompted us to take this picture.

I didn't include any pictures here of the damage in this area from Hurricane Irene that passed through a month earlier. But I am including a couple of links to videos on YouTube showing some of the damage. In the first video the "restaurant" to the left of the road was totally flooded and will need to be torn down. It was only about a half mile from where we stayed at the Pond Ridge Motel (on the same road).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=b6KHf3uKKOY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=wlz-RWhpn9k

The motel operator told us he opened up some of his facilities so those who lost homes were able to come and take showers, etc. While were were in town, there was a "chili cook-off" on the village green, the proceeds of which would be made available for flood victims. Very caring people.

As you come into Woodstock right along the Ottauquechee River we saw this old barn behind a music teachers house. He had converted it into a used book store. We had to stop and browse. Two stories worth and crammed to the rafters.

Even a few chairs to sit in and read a book. The equivalent of a small-town Barnes and Noble.

Beautiful flowers in downtown Woodstock.

Whose are these kids anyway? They never seemed to move.

Just along the main street in front of a store.

Lots of shops. One of them was the Mountain Creamery. We ate ice cream there one afternoon and breakfast the next morning. Very delicious.

Shop signs everywhere.

We took off one evening into the back country around Woodstock and found these very picturesque views on Lime Pond Road.

What's a gazebo doing out in the middle of a horse pasture?

We wanted to go visit the famous Sugarbush Farm just out of Woodstock we had heard so much about. We planned it toward the end of the day, remembering that it closed at 5:00 pm. There were so many roads closed and bridge washouts due to "Irene" that it took a long time to finally get there. By time we arrived it was 5:30 but we thought we would just go anyway and drive around it so we could say we were there. Whaddaya know? There was a lady just walking away from it. "We're closed." Yeah, we know we are late but we just want to come see it anyway. "I'll open back up for you if you want." So here is Betsy giving us a personal tour and letting us sample the various grades of maple syrup and the cheeses. She said the "kitchen" we were standing in was the kitchen she grew up with when she lived there as a child. She probably knew it was worth her while to let us sample some of her products. We bought some real maple syrup and some very delicious cheese to take with us.

She was so very nice to us. As we were leaving she asked if we knew our way back due to the various washouts and closed roads. She offered to let us follow her to her house and from there it would be easy going. We bounced along some old dirt roads for a while. After getting to her place, she waved us on to the right road and the way back to Woodstock. Very accommodating, she was. We found most New Englanders were that way.

Some picturesque scenes in Vermont and New Hampshire

Some cool things we saw while going nowhere in particular. Glad we had a GPS to find our way out and back.

During the rain we saw some "waterfalls". They were more spectacular in person than in this picture but I wanted to show that we were there (with umbrellas, of course).

I wonder if the horse knew he had such spectacular surroundings.

Rock walls, everywhere. Well, they had to do something with the rocks after they plowed their fields.

Chrysanthemums in a canoe? Well, why not?

The Shedd-Porter Library in Alstead, New Hampshire

This was one of those days we just drove around off the beaten path on some back roads. We actually made a wrong turn and ended up in this really small town that had a backwoods flavor, except for the town library. Holy Cow! What's something like that doing out here. The story behind it reminded us ever so much of Madison Public Library in "The Music Man." We went inside looking for Marian Paroo (Madam Librarian).

Constructed in 1910, the Shedd-Porter Memorial Library has been an impressive focal point in "downtown" Alstead. Designed in the neoclassical style by Boston, MA architectural firm McLean & Wright, it is considered to be one of the most impressive library buildings in New Hampshire. Following a floor plan typical of other small library buildings of its time, it is constructed of choice materials and is marked by unusually sophisticated detailing and fine workmanship.

Like many libraries of the early twentieth century, the Shedd-Porter Memorial Library was donated to the town. Alstead natives John Graves Shedd and Mary Roenna Porter Shedd funded its construction in memory of their parents. Upon its completion, John Graves Shedd purchased and donated 2,000 new books. Today, the library contains 14,500 volumes

Check out this view of the dome from inside.

and the main desk and marble columns.

Hanover, New Hampshire

Based on a recommendation from the Pond Ridge Motel proprietor at Woodstock, VT, we took a scenic drive over to New Hampshire through the towns of White Mountain Junction, Norwich, Hanover, and Lebanon. He thought the leaves would be prettier there. Well, that wasn't so but the quaint little towns and roads were fun anyway. Here are some views of Hanover, NH, home of Dartmouth College.

One of the famous medical school buildings. See the next section on Sharon Vermont regarding the Dartmouth Medical School.
An old chapel on campus. Interesting architecture.

Sharon, Vermont - Birthplace of Joseph Smith

After visiting Hanover NH, we went on over to Sharon, VT (actually now it is South Royalton) where Joseph Smith was born. I love this first view driving into the site. After the trees turn more yellow, it would be even prettier.

Our first stop was at the LDS Chapel located on the property. We timed it to arrive for the Sunday morning session of October General Conference (12 o'clock in Vermont). Here we are 3,000 miles across the country and is was if we were right at home. Instant friends greeted us and we felt the same spirit we feel in any of our buildings. This could happen at any of our chapels throughout the world. We absolutely love being members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After the morning session of conference we went to the visitors center; right close by. Notice the umbrellas. Sprinkling just enough to get good and wet.

One of the interesting things we learned here was that when Joseph Smith had the operation on his leg as a young boy, it took place when the family lived in Norwich, Vermont. We had just visited Norwich that morning on our way to Hanover. In fact they are no more than a couple miles apart, across the Connecticut River which serves as the border between VT and NH. Dr. Nathan Smith from Dartmouth Medical School (no relation to the J. Smith's) was initially the only member of the Dartmouth Medical School faculty. He taught anatomy, chemistry, surgery, and clinical medicine. He essentially served as dean and treasurer of the medical school, also. He emphasized experience rather than theory, and he largely eschewed bleeding and purging, favoring support of the body's own healing powers and attentiveness to the patient's comfort. Using these principles, he was a consultant on the child Joseph Smith, the future Mormon prophet, saving his leg from amputation. How fortuitous the Smith's lived so close to Hanover at the time.

The monument: 38 1/2 tall. One foot for every year of Joseph Smith's life.

We had packed our lunch and ate it in the cultural hall of the chapel on the grounds. Not fancy but filling.

Bennington, Vermont

This was supposed to be a great place to see the leaves turning color as well as several other attractions of note. It was all good except the for the "leaves turning" part, although they had started.

Out first stop was the Bennington Monument. At over 300 feet tall, it is the tallest structure in Vermont. When it was built (1889) it was the tallest structure in the United States.

A little glitch here in Bennington: Our car keys got locked in the trunk. We had to wait an hour or so for AAA to come rescue them. But the weather was perfect and we enjoyed the scenery and the sunshine while we waited.

This monument is a dedication to the famous Battle of Bennington that took place during the Revolutionary war in 1777. It was here the American colonists maintained a store of weapons and food, which British General Burgoyne knew was critical to capture in order to restock his own troops. Interestingly enough, the Battle of Bennington was not fought here, nor was it fought in Vermont. It was actually fought in New York (5 miles to the west). You can read about it at this link:

http://www.virtualvermont.com/history/benbattle.html

General John Stark led the battle for the colonists. He was so dedicated that he made this statement to his men.

"There are the Redcoats. They will be ours tonight or Molly Stark sleeps a widow."

--General John Stark

That would take considerable nerve and dedication to know they could be dead men soon. A bunch of rag-tag volunteers against the professional and well trained British Army. The Lord certainly blessed the colonists in their quest for independence.

There are some windows in the monument at the 200 foot level where you can see three different states-- New York (in this picture to the west), Vermont (north and east) and Massachusetts (south). The leaves are just starting to turn. We were a mite too early.

Looking north

This is "Monument Avenue" leading up to the monument. I like this picture a lot so I included it here.

Covered Bridges

Bennington has 5 covered bridges. We saw three of them. They all look pretty much the same as this one. Not nearly as impressive as some of the ones you see in Vermont postcard photos. Nevertheless it was fun to see them.

While we are on the subject of covered bridges, I am including these to pictures here of my favorite covered bridge. This was way off the beaten path near Nottingham, Hew Hampshire. It's only 20 feet long and spans a little brook. Thanks to a good GPS that got us close enough to find it.

Julie in the window

Meanwhile, back in Bennington, here is the "Old First Church." It's the First Congregational Church of Bennington; designed by Lavius Fillmore and built in 1805. This church is the second meetinghouse of Vermont's oldest Protestant religious organization that started in 1762. It's still in use with a traveling preacher that comes to hold services.

It was originally built with donations for the various boxes that families could sponsor; the more expensive ones toward the front ($500) and least in the back ($200). Their teenagers weren't impressed with sitting as families so they sat in the balconies. Girls on the left and boys on the right. The girls carved the initials of their boyfriends on the railing around the edge; still visible today.

Outside the church is an extensive graveyard; just a small part shown here

Even Robert Frost, one of America's greatest poets, was buried here in 1963.

COLOR... We actually saw this magnificent, but fairly isolated color in Bennington

Antique shops were always fun to browse around in.

One of my favorite views as we drove from Bennington to Exeter, New Hampshire.

Scenic sights north of Kennebunkport, Maine

How about a house like this right on the ocean

Or how about this private property right on the ocean that has it's own stone church.

When president Goerge H.W. Bush wanted to get away for a vacation, he went to his house at Walker Point. Both the US and Texas state flag fly here. What a view!

Check out this short video I took of the waves crashing along the coast in front of his mansion

http://vimeo.com/30495199

A fitting memorial from some of his friends in the area. Walker Point in the background.

Kennebunkport, Maine

This beautiful quaint little touristy town reminds me of Capitola by the Sea in California

You can tell by the refection in the street and the flag waving that it was wet and windy.

Gotta do the obligatory stop in the gift shop for postcards.

The Maine coastline

A small lighthouse outside of Portland Harbor

Portland Head Lighthouse. Operational. Open for Tours (but not in the tower). Too bad the weather was so dreary.

This pair of lighthouses is called "Two-lights". South of Portland, ME. Close to each other but only the first one is operational.

Kennebunkport Lighthouse. 1/2 mile off the coast, so no tours.

The famous Nubble Lighthouse (200 yards off the coast) near Cape Neddick. Very spectacular in person. There's a couple of park benches on the mainland where you can sit on a clear day and contemplate the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps if you concentrated in an eastward direction long enough you could make out England on the far side.

Lunch Break

After having watched an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network, we timed a stop at the Maine Diner in Wells, Maine to try it out.

So here is the special. We figured if we were going to come this far we'd better for for the whole package. We may not pass this way again.

Sea Food Chowder.

Cornbread muffin. Wasn't on the list but it came with the meal anyway. Delicious

The Lobster Pie and other items to round out the main course.

For dessert, I got blueberry pie and Julie got apple crisp with ice cream. These were no small portions either, Kinda like a deep-dish pie and rich vanilla ice cream over apple crisp. Heavenly!

No, we couldn't stuff it all in so we had 'em box it for eating later. Yeah! Ice cream in the box. It melted but it was still terrific.

Ya wanna see the Food Network video where they describe what ingredients go into these famous dinners? Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRWcL5kyRM

Antique Alley

Near Exeter, New Hampshire a part of the old US 4 highway (originally the New Hampshire Turnpike) is known as Antique Alley. There's about 15 miles of road with lots of antique shops. A perfect place to browse but you need to leave your money at home.

Our last New England meal

As we were just about ready to leave Antique Alley someone made the comment that before we leave for the airport we need to have one last New England "Lobster Roll." As good luck would have it, just as we were pulling out of the antique shop parking lot there was a sign right on the side of the road saying "Lobster Roll". How fortunate! We just had to go there since it was right next door. You can see from the picture it is just a little roadside stand (dive) with an awning.

So here it is for one last look. Armond had to get a cheeseburger. The owner's son at the store window said it was his mother's shop and the hamburgers were voted best in the state. Maybe so but the lobster rolls were out of this world.

Pervasive New England Decor

Several unique things caught our eye as we were traveling around New England. We made a list of them and got some pictures.

1. Chrysanthemums "are used in all of their decorating." Everything from doorsteps to flower gardens. Very beautiful. We checked out the cost. Three good-sized plants for $15 from the local sellers. Not too bad.

2. Pumpkins everywhere. Anywhere from just one, as in this picture, to wagons full of them in the front yard or on all their front door steps. We figure they must never walk up their front steps as they'll never get past the threshold due to all the pumpkins and gourds.

3. Gazebos. This one was at the Pond Ridge Motel in Woodstock where we stayed. The weirdest location where we saw one was in the middle of a horse pasture (pictured earlier). Never did figure that one out.

4. Cemeteries. Every town had at least one cemetery. But then we figured that people have been dying there since the late 1600's so that's a lot of bodies to put somewhere.

5. Rock walls. This one has been around for a while and not well maintained. We have pictures of some better ones above.

6. Stacks of wood. These people spend a lot of time stacking wood. Some examples.

Here is one in the side yard and on the front porch. (It must get really cold in his neck of the woods.)

The next picture is a close up of the previous one. This family can almost get out to the front door. Which brings us to the next item...

7. Red doors. Lots of red doors.

8. Decroative Stars (even on red doors).

9. Dunkin' Donuts. Every town as at least one franchise of Dunkin' Donuts. We saw them everywhere and even stopped at one at Armond's insistence. We used to have one in San Jose not too far from us but it didn't make it. It is now Sunny Donuts. By the way, we planned this picture to get our rental car in it so we could remember that we are tourists on vacation.

Time to end this blog entry. As we leave you after the great vacation tour I am reminded of the closing words of former radio commentator Lowell Thomas: "So long for now."

I am also reminded of the "Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" in VeggieTales:

And I've never licked a spark plug and I've never sniffed a stinkbug

And I've never painted daisies on a big red rubber ball

And I've never bathed in yogurt and I don't look good in leggings

And I've never been to Boston in the fall.

But now we can't sing that last line any more as we have been there and done that.

Using Sunset Beach as a Hub for Other Activities

2011-09-24T06:14:00.000-07:00

Every September for a quite a few years we have camped at Sunset Beach, just out of Watsonville, CA. We have found it a good "hub" for exploring other fun places. This year we did a Tuesday through Saturday escape. Our friend Ray joined with us camping for the 5 days, 4 nights. Several other friends came later in the week.

DAY 1 (Tue): Set up camp. Ate foil dinners. Tasty!

Day 2 (Wed): Went to the Santa Cruz County Fair in Watsonville with Ray. Turns out this is one of the better fairs in the area with more of the old-fashioned atmosphere of home-made food, antique farm implements and tools, farm animals, arts, crafts, horticulture displays, model railroad exhibit, free entertainment, face painting for the kids, arena shows, circus acts, and miscellaneous entertainment. The theme this year was "Dancing with the Steers." What a hoot! We even had a piece of olallieberry pie made with local berries. The entry price to all this was only $6. The weather was perfect. Hard to beat.

Day 3 (Thu): Julie and I used this day as our day to go to Carmel and Point Lobos. We didn't tour the mission this time. The fee is $10 per person. We have seen it before and felt it was too steep for the short time we would be there.

The Carmel Mission is famous for the view shown in this picture.

But I like this angle better because of the juxtaposition of the towers and roof lines.

Then we were on to Point Lobos State National Reserve, less than 10 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1.

Here is an artist at Whaler's Cove, marked by a very rugged coast line. The cove itself (behind where I am standing) is used extensively by Scuba divers

This is near Devil's Cauldron, a very rugged jut of land out into the ocean where the water churns endlessly. Sea lions lounge on the rocky islands off to the right (out of the picture). Dolphins chase each other and leap and dive in the restless ocean. We got some video of the dolphins but too much to put on this blog. We will have to do as a second best photo; although we are not jumping and diving. (Or was that "dumping and jiving"?)

At Weston Beach we ate lunch. Oops! Eating not allowed in the reserve except at designated areas. Sorry, we didn't know that until after we finished eating. A docent clued us in that we had better scram quick before the ranger came by and saw our lunch papers. Before we left we took this picture of a crab out of it's habitat.

After Point Lobos, we strolled around in Carmel. Some guy came walking by and pointed out a hat shop to us (weird). Little did he know that Julie was looking for a hat for our trip to New England at the end of the month so we took him up on the idea. She bought this hat (shop in the background). She likes it except it is a bit plain, so after we got back she has been fixing it up to be a little more decorative. Our next blog entry (in October) will probably show it with some of her handiwork.

After buying the hat, we found a bunch of narrow alley typical of Carmel to walk through. This one goes back to the Thomas Kincade Gallery which was closed. Maybe Tom was taking a vacation. Cute little walkway though.

This is our obligatory stop at Carmel Beach. A couple of pictures included from there. Maybe you will recognize the area if you have been there before.

More Dolphins. This one is swimming around in the surf at Carmel.

While exploring Carmel earlier we ran across this place so we made a note to come back for dinner. Perhaps you have heard of the name.

As you walk down an alley toward the inn you come to this outdoor area down one flight of stairs. Notice the mural of Carmel Valley on the wall.

Inside, you find this hog's head; the namesake of the inn...

... and you find this picture of the namesake of the owner. He actually shows up about once a month we hear to check it out. We missed him this time around.

The food was just excellent. I had very tender center cut pork chops topped with apple chutney, garlic mashed potatoes and fresh cooked veggies.

Julie had melt-in-your-mouth rib eye steak, cheese potatoes and veggies. Some of the best food we ever had at a restaurant. We recommend it but save your pennies before going. Is this the way to camp at Sunset Beach, or what?

Oh well, the end of a perfect day...

But wait a minute... We didn't make it back to Sunset Beach that night. How about a stop at the Best Western Monterey Beach Resort, 3rd floor with a beach view? Beats tent camping just by a little bit.

Day 4 (Fri): When we got up the next morning there was a cruise shipped docked in Monterey Bay outside our window. Go ahead and click on the picture for a larger view.

We went for a walk. This is a view of the hotel from a rather deserted beach.

We actually did make it back to Sunset Beach later that day and went down to the water to check it out.

Pelicans doing a fly-by.

Our campsite at Sunset Beach. So you see, we actually did camp there. This is along toward sunset...

... so we hiked up to the top of a sand dune overlooking the ocean and snapped this beautiful sun setting into a fog bank lurking off the coast. Just gorgeous.

Day 5 (Sat): We had a group breakfast with about 25 ward members. Sorry... no pictures of that. We were so engrossed in eating a delicious fare of pancakes (homemade cherry and strawberry jam), bacon, eggs, milk and orange juice and talking with our friends we didn't get the camera out at all.

Big Trees Narrow-Guage Train Ride.

2010-08-10T10:34:00.000-07:00

We've lived in the San Jose area for 43 years and have never been to Roaring Camp in Felton to ride the redwood forest steam train. We'll, it was about time. So to celebrate 46 years of marriage we decided to do it. "How romantic!" you say.

A little history
Mountain man Isaac Graham settled in Felton in the 1830s. Soon after, Mexican authorities named Graham’s wild settlement “Roaring Camp.” In 1842, Graham established the first saw mill west of the Mississippi. Fortunately, the redwood trees in that are were spared the woodman’s axe, and 25 years later became the first virgin stand of coastal redwoods to be protected from logging. Some of this area is now part of Henry Cowell State Park.

The first railroad in the here started operation in 1875. The Roaring Camp & Big Trees Railroad is a narrow guage run that starts from the Roaring Camp depot and runs up steep grades through a redwood forest for 2.5 miles to the top of Bear Mountain. The steam engines date from the 1890s, and are the oldest and most authentically preserved narrow gauge steam engines still providing regular passenger service in the United States. The locomotives are not the familiar ones you see but are gear driven at the wheels for power and traction up steep grades. Watch for them in the video. Of course, the weight of the 60 ton #7 engine (Sonora) helps with traction, too.

Originally, two large trestles formed a "corkscrew" loop at Spring Canyon, but these were destroyed by a 1976 fire. Within six months, a switchback was constructed to bypass the severed loop. The switchback has an estimated 9.5% grade, making it the steepest passenger grade still in use.

So join with us on this spectacularly beautiful ride to the top of Bear Mountain. For some unknown reason the stop at the top of the mountain is called "Bear Valley."

The "Sewer Tewer"

2010-05-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

What do people do for fun when they retire? Here is a good example. Last Saturday we (Julie and me and Ray A and Karen W) went to a free SEWER TEWER (my name for it) at the 175 acre water quality plant. The official name is the "San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant." It claims to be one of the largest advanced wastewater treatment facilities in California. It treats and cleans the wastewater of over 1,500,000 people that live and work in the 300-square mile area encompassing San Jose, Santa Clara, Milpitas, Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Monte Sereno.

Wastewater from sinks, toilets, and drains inside homes, businesses and schools in most of Santa Clara Valley travels through an underground pipe system, known as the sanitary sewer system, before it arrives for treatment at the plant. That journey from house-to-plant can take up to 10 hours. About 18 hours later, 99% of the impurities have been removed through a highly sophisticated treatment process that simulates the way nature purifies water, but at a greatly accelerated rate. This is a separate system from the storm sewers that flow directly to the bay.

To me, the plant appears to operate just the way any otdinary septic tank operates but on a much larger (industrial strength) scale. After the FOG (fats, oils and greases) is skimmed off for recycling, yeast and bacteria are introduced into the process by using highly concentrated WAS (waste activated sludge). From there the anaerobic bacteria (which don't need any oxygen) take over and process the waste water. After extensive pumping, settling, and filtering, the recycled water is pumped into an extensive non-potable water pipe network for irrigation use. All excess effluent is pumped into the south end of San Francisco Bay through Coyote Creek. It's cleaner that the water already in the bay so there is no danger of degrading that resource.

I was amazed a the number of people on the tour; maybe 60 people on this one. There was an earlier tour that morning. Attendees ranged from young high school and college students to interested ordinary citizens to retired people.

We met in a conference room for the first 20 minutes or so to get an overview of what this facility does. We walked by the computer room (lots of monitors) which shows the status of various pumps and valves in numerous tanks, basins and ponds. From there we boarded buses (there were two), nicely air conditioned for our comfort and with minimum odor intrusion.

OK... enough of this talk. Here is a video compilation of some pictures I took. I was more taken by shapes and colors rather than documenting the process. So, for the next two minutes, turn up the volume and watch this intriguing display while listening to the strains of "Piggie Woogie" performed by the Zeet Band. (Pigs gotta boogie, too, ya' know!)

San Jose Municipal Rose Garden

2010-05-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

A week ago we had such a beautiful spring day after a rainy spell. We, along with Karen W. and Ray A., made a short excursion to the San Jose Rose Gardens after stopping at Subway for sanwiches for a picnic in the park.

Thousands visit this park each year to view the beautiful varieties of roses in a profusion of colors and types. The park also includes a few fountains, a beautiful Rose arbor entrance and a reflecting pool, making it a great spot for mid-day picnic. There is something very peaceful about sitting in this 5 1/2 acre park and enjoying the color and beauties of nature.

I read somewhere that the garden was once a prune orchard, but was bought by San Jose over 70 years ago. It features more than 3,500 rose shrubs representing 189 rose varieties. I had a hard time narrowing down my 150 pictures to these 24. Ya just gotta come and see this some nice spring day.

So enough with all these words; let's see the pictures! Don't forget to click to make the picture bigger.

Our annual "Why We Live in Northern Californnia" blog entry

2010-02-16T12:06:00.001-08:00

Back by popular demand...

We love it here in February. This marks the 44th February that we have been here. In fact, just before we moved here from Provo, Utah, in February 1967, I spent EVERY DAY of the last week of January shoveling the snow out of our driveway (due to nightly snowplow activity). Everything was brown and drab. When we arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area everyhting was so green and lush. By contrast, we thought we had come to the Garden of Eden. Now we know there are more lush places that this but we love it here just the same.

These pictures come from around our yard. I won't try to describe what each picture is but look for oranges, lemons, grapefruit, daffodils, hardenbergia, bouganvilla, pansies, potato tree blossoms, peach blossoms, hiacynth, succulent stars, to name a few. We don't have any popcorn on our apricot tree yet but any day now...

Enjoy!

Some pets we've had

2010-01-14T11:24:00.001-08:00

Emily called the other day and said she was drawing pictures of the pets her mom had when she was growing up. She was asking questions about their names, what they looked like and so on. Could we remember any details about our small number of pets? Not much. So we went to the family albums a dug up this set of pictures for everyone to see.

Parents: BE SURE TO SHOW THEM TO YOUR CHILDREN.

From 1974, Derek and Stef with Explodie. Derek named him. He said he looked like he had exploded.

Another 1974 picture of Explodie

Explodie was the son of Mama Cat. So here is their two-generation picture while eating.

At the end of 1979 I want away on an extended business trip to Georgia. When I got back, Stef had a new dog. She named him Trisket. This is him and Stef at "dog obedience" school. He was probably the least well behaved dog there.

A few months later, here is Trisket lounging around on our cement patio. How uncomfortable! But Trisket was not one to complain. In fact, he rather enjoyed it.

I used to ride my bicycle and take him on an exercise run around the neighborhood. I pedalled as hard as I could up and down the streets. Trisket would lope along in front of me and wonder why I couldn't go any faster. Here is Stefani gaving him a well deserved drink out of the garden hose.

This is a picture of Rameuptum in 1982 who aopears to have taken lessons from Trisket about lounging around. However, she chose a more comfortable spot.

Somewhere in 1982, a small yellow kitten showed up on our doorstep. We kept him for a while but one day he just never came around any more. We have no idea what happened to him. Pretty little kitty, though.

In 1983, we had another cat named Wamba. I don't remember much about the details about this one but it looks like Shannon checking out his eyes.

But she also made him feel right at home with a comfy bed.

This is Halloween in 1985. Is Rameumptum trying to blend in with the jack-o-lanterns?

The picture below will serve to explain how Rameumptum got her name. No matter where she was resting, she always had to be at the highest point. For instance, if she climed up on the coffee table, it just wasn't enough to be on the table. She had sit on top of even a single sheet of paper which was also on the coffee table. When we organized our garage one time, we had boxes sitting out in the driveway. She had to climb up to and sit on the top most box in the stack. The picture below shows her sitting on top of some boxes on the top of a bookcase.

So because of her penchant for high places, we named her Rameumptum in honor of the rather apostate Zoramites in the Book of Mormon who prayed each week from their very tall "holy stand" named the Rameumptum. We called her Rami for short. I took her to the vet one time and was asked to explain how we came to give her that name. It was a good missionary experience but the vet wasn't interested in learning more.

Ocassionally, Rami would get inside a box... but only if it was upside down and she couldn't climb on top of it. She did the best she could under the circumstances.

This is Shannon in 1986 man-handling Rami in the back yard. Rami never seemed to mind this at all. In fact, occasionally Shan would drape her around her neck as you would a fur piece.

Here's Stef feeding Rami some ice cream (1986)

In 1987, Rami helped Shannon unload the dishwasher making sure to get the silverware in the right slots in the drawer.

In 1987, we (Derek, I think) adopted a stray cat. For lack of a better name, he became known as just "Yellow Kitty" or "Yellow" for short. How creative, you say! It doesn't look like we were feeding him enough 'cuz he decided he wanted some of our breakfast cereal.

1989: Rami having a well deserved nap on the back of our couch.

Rami napping again on the foot rest of the couch.

No garden hoses for this cat to get a drink.

1990: Rami is waiting for that all important phone call.

1992: Rami doing some weird contortions while lying aound on Shannon's lap.

1992: Yellow goes for getting drinks out of the swimming pool

1992: Yellow resting on a bench

And he finally goes off to dreamland

After the winter weather (1994-1995), Rami's coat had grown so thick and matted and she smelled so bad that we took her to a pet grooming place to see what they thought. The suggested that she be shaved to the skin and let the hair grow out again. They shaved everything but her head. So here she is in her most humiliating moment... afraid to be seen in public and wondering what had happened to her. By this time she was 13 or 14 years old. It wasn't too long after her hair grew back again that she died.

Twas the Week Before Christmas --

2010-01-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

The other day Shoonie said she has been looking for pictures from our adventures in Arizona during our Christmas trip. Well, before we get to that let us show you some surprises that popped up while venturing out to look at lights in San Jose the week before Christmas. In fact, just watch the video (with sound) and you'll see and hear.

Fun in Hawaii

2009-11-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

We recently spent a week on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. But this time we met up with Pat and Ellen Warren, our good friends that used to live in San Jose; now in Albuquerque. They had never been to Hawaii before... but their luggage had made a round trip without them (but that's another story).

You can click on most of the pictures to get a larger view

DAY 1
Here is where were stayed in Princeville. This island is known as the Garden Island. It gets an average of over 400 inches of rain a year! We think that's more than Seattle gets.

A very picturesque view of Hanalei Valley just down the road from where we stayed. That's the Hanalei River at the left. Taro plant grows well here. The roots of the Taro plant are used to make the famous Hawaiian "poi" that everyone just loves to eat.

A view of Hanalei Bay in the foreground. The (short) pointy peak at the right end of the mountains in the background is at the end of the road near Ke'e Ke'e Beach (a picture of that beach later.) There is no "freeway" on Kauai. The main road only goes around 3/4 of the island leaving the northwest part of the island free of vehicles. The road is mostly two lanes wide; some sections have an additional passing lane for uphill traffic. The TOP speed limit on the main road in very few places is 50 mph. You'll see some pictures later of the extremely rugged and spectacularly beautiful Na Pali Coast on the northwest.

We ate at Bubba's Burgers in Hanalei the first night. Much better than McDonald's and not as good as In 'n Out Burgers (or Kirk's Steakburgers) in our opinion. Bubba's motto is "We relish your buns."

DAY 2

We travelled along the picturesque north road to the very end. This picture is at the far west end of "Nurses' Beach" (actually Lumahai Beach) where Mitzi Gaynor sang "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair" in the movie South Pacific.

This is a dry cave with Pat at the very far end, Ellen in the middle and Julie in the foreground. It was formed by a lava tube .

Now for a wet cave... also a lava tube but there is no way for the water to escape. It's an interesting shade of blue.

Ke'e Ke'e beach at the end of the road on the northwest. A nice lagoon sheltered from the waves of the Pacific Ocean by some reefs several hundred feet out from the shoreline. Very popular for snorkeling.

Some very interesting root systems on these trees at Ke'e Ke'e Beach.

On the way back on the north highway, we turned onto a residential (dirt) road to see how the locals live. A sign said "local residents only." At very frequent intervals along this road there were signs admonishing us to "slow down", etc. By the time we got about a mile down the road we were going so slow that we almost had to shift into reverse. When we finally decided to turn around we saw this sign and laughed our heads off.

Before going to dinner this night we thought we would go to the end of the road where our apartment was to see the extremely expensive and posh Ritz Hotel. Here is the entrance...

... and the lobby...

... and a view west from the outside balcony at sunset. Wow! Loved it.

So then we drove down to Hanalei and ate at the Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant.

Had some great seafood, although Pat an Ellen didn't look too happy for some reason. Maybe it was the price of the meal.

DAY 3

This was the day we reserved for the so-called dinner cruise. Well, we wouldn't call it a cruise or a real dinner but it was fun nevertheless on a catamaran with a capacity of maybe 40 people. We took off from the south-central part of the island (Port Allen) and headed west around the island to the Na Pali Coast Line. Somewhat choppy water. Breath taking views.

There were actually two boats for Captain Andy's large group. This is the duplicate of our boat from Captain Andy's Sailing Adventures.

The entire Na Pali Coast is very rugged like this dotted with out of the ordinary rock formations, caves, occasional sandy beaches...

... beautifully blue and clear water.

The little spit of flat land at the left in this picture is Ke'e Ke'e Beach as viewed from the south. We were there the day before by road at the north. It was right about here that I dropped my cell phone overboard. Oops! So at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean there is some fish answering our phone. Gurgle, gurgle!

Don't you just love this picture. So many jagged ridges on this coast line; like no other in the world.

After turning around to go back to Port Allen, they served chicken, beef, salad, rice, and bread buffet style. Our laps were our tables. But the food was good and we are not complaining. The captain was trying to make good time back. This was a four-hour round trip. We went through the edge of a fierce rain squall. Several people on board lost their meals at the back end of the boat along the "too much fun" rail.

Day 5
We drove to a waterfall called Opaekaa Falls. It is inland a little ways from Kapa'a along the east central part of the island.

In that same area is a restored Hawaiian Village (kinda like a museum). The setting reminded us somewhat of the tropical rain forests we saw in Nigeria. Here is a thatched hut with palm leaves for a roof and banana trees.

There was a guy in one of the huts weaving baskets and hats. Those are coconuts in the lower right.

Ellen bought a basket.

They told us we could pick any fruit we found there and take it with us. Pat has a coconut.

These bananas were not ripe so we didn't take any.

This is the famous Noni fruit that cures all aches and pains. At least it did until the Acai Berry came along. We took a Noni fruit with us but when we tried to cut into it later it was not ripe. So we don't know how it tastes.

This is a Breadfruit. It was about the size of a cantaloupe. We cut it open and cooked it. It has the consistency of a potato but it needs some kind of flavoring to make it better. We found some recipes for Breadfruit but we had none of the ingredients.

A gecko on one of the thatched roofs

We don't know what this tree is called with the strange looking roots, but we saw several of them around the island.

A lovely Plumeria flower for Julie

This is a petroglyph carved in the rock from some old Hawaiian history. So you don't think you can make out what it represents? Well, this rock had rolled down the hill years ago and landed on its side. Rotate it 90 degrees counter clockwise and you can make out a "running man."

This is called the "Love Rock." It's not what you first think from the name. Observe the shape and notice the crack. It's a "broken heart."

We saw these strange natives and thought we should get a picture of them.

After the Hawaiian village, we went to the famous "spouting horn." It's kinda acts like a geyser except it is a lava tube fed by waves. It's a very touristy spot so there are all these little gift shops with jewelry that you have to pass by to get to the horn. Julie got a nice braclet for only $2.00. Not bad.

The wave forces water through the lava tube and spits it out the opening at the top. (video below)

We also went to the "Grand Canyon" of Hawaii on this day. It's called Waimea Canyon. The first "view point" is at about 4,000 feet elevation. Unfortunately, it was raining up on the mountain that day and all we saw was clouds and we got soaked checking it out. But if we could have seen it clearly, it would have looked like this panoramic picture of the canyon we took in 2008 when we were there.

DAY 6
The Kilauea Point Wildlife Sanctuary and Lighthouse. This is the northern-most point in Hawaii. It is home to Leysan Albatrosses, Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Great Frigate birds, and (my favorite) Red-footed Boobies. It is also home to home to Hawaiian Monk Seals, Green Turtles, and, in winter, Humpback Whales.

We saw this baby bird preening itself along the trail. Not sure what kind it is.

After such a busy week, Julie and I went swimming in the Pacific at Anini Beach (the Kilouea Lighthouse in the background on the right (you can almost see it). The water was warm and very Salty. I am a real "sinker" when it comes to water. I was able to float here as if I were in the Great Salt Lake. The little island in the center used to be attached to the main part of the land years ago. The Warren's went swimming in the resort pool and spent time in the outdoor spa.

A good time was had by all.

Now for a video of the Spouting Horn and one of an Albatross at the wildlife sanctuary.

A movie from the Christensen Reunion

2009-08-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

At the Christensen reunion in July one of the activities was wake-boarding at Lake Lowell in Uncle Mike's boat. Here is a video of Kristen and her attempts to get up. She finally makes it. HOORAY!! I tried getting this movie out on some downloadable site so you can see it with better qaulity than in this blog but this looks like an easy way to get it out there. Quality later.

A Weekend in Monterey

2009-06-05T08:34:00.000-07:00

We have had this "vacation" on our calendar for a few months and looked forward to going to Monterey for a fun weekend. It's only 70 miles south of us. We have been there on countless day-trip over the years... but we never really stayed there overnight. We decided to make a 4-day, 3-night stay at the plush Monterey Plaza Hotel on Cannery Row.

Well, perhaps it wasn't that plush... we had an "inland view" rather than a "bay view" but we loved it just the same. This is our room.

And this is a view from the plaza behind the hotel. A dolphin fountain on the right.

You get an interesting perspective from the side and can see how the hotel is actually built out into Monterey Bay.

Old Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey is a touristy place ...

... but there weren't a lot of people there until the weekend

It's next to the marina. Here you can see some old fisherman displaying his catch.

We checked out a number of restaurants on the wharf. This one right out on the end had an observation deck looking out over the bay. This old guy was holding up his lantern to light the way. The old Monterey Fish Company is located on the pier to the right in the background.

Well, after checking out a lot of the restaurants and trying all their clam chowder samples, we picked Old Fisherman's Grotto (you like the guy out front welcoming us in?) ...

... and ordered a bowl of their famous clam chowder ...

... and a delicious carmel apple pie with strawberries and ice cream. How is that for a presentation? We were sorry to have to destroy its appearance but the taste was out of this world.

Cannery Row is a must-visit place in Monterey. In its hey-day (1917-1950) it produced a major part of the world's supply of canned sardines. The canneries failed after the collapse of the fishing industry in Monterey Bay in the mid-1950s. Before that, the fishery was one of the most productive in the world due to the rising of cold, nutrient-rich water from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean that is funneled to the surface via the vast underwater Monterey Canyon. In 1945, John Steinbeck wrote his famous book "Cannery Row" whose characters were based on the lives of many of his acquaintances and conditions in the fishing industry. Here is a view of modern Cannery Row with the street overcrossings for the canneries now preserved but with modern markings.

Julie had to walk through a lot of the overcrossinhs just for fun.

But even though this is a touristy spot, there is a lot of history preserved in places such as this "Wax Museum" where a history is told of this part of California in a very well done presentation.

In Steinbeck's book, one of the characters was Lee Chong, a shrewed Chinese owner and operator of the neighborhood grocery store. Lee Chong and his store were modeled after the Wing Chong market. The building still exists today and is still owned by the Chong family.
Immigrants from several nations (Portugal, China, the Phillipines, and others) lived in little shacks such as these that are still preserved here. ["Future house!!!"; ... an inside joke]

Another of Steinbeck's characters was Doc. He was a marine biologist who studied and collected sea creatures from all along the California coast. Doc was based on Steinbeck's friend Ed Ricketts. Ricketts was a noted marine biologist. This is Rickett's real Pacific Biological Laboratories, which stood at 800 Cannery Row in which he lived and worked from 1928 to 1948.

Here is Ricketts' building as it appeared in the early 1940's. It looks pretty much the same.

What vacation to an old historical place is complete without a visit to an antique mall? It was fun to wander around in here for an hour or so. No... we didn't buy anything.

There is so much fun sea life to see in Monterey Bay. Here is a sea lion balancing on a rock. It stayed there for a long time without moving except to look around occasionally.

A star fish in a tide pool.

At the end of this blog is a video of some sea otters playing in the kelp beds. Good stuff.

One of our unique and fun things was to take a Hollywood Movie Tour bus around Monterey where we saw the places, heard the stories behind, and watched movie clips from movies made in the Monterey area over the years. Part of this movie tour took us on the famous 17-Mile Drive.

Of course there were the normal scenic things to stop at beside learning about the movies. This is the Lone Cypress growing out on the rocks. This tree has been around for along time. They estimate it will last for another 40 years at least and then they'll have to come up with another tree to plant in its place (maybe plastic the next time :)

By the way, this is picture of what it looked like 76 years ago. My dad, J.T. Lindsey, took this picutre in 1923 when he made a tour of California from Utah. Not much has changed.

While we were at Cypress Point we found these to crows getting rather cozy in an old dead tree. Love is blind. [I've got an 18x lens on my digital camera that makes these shots possible. Just incredible!]

This is the back of the Pebble Beach Lodge. We wanted to do this picutre especially because we had just watched scene (on the Movie Tour bus) from a 1956 movie named "Julie" (with Doris Day playing Julie). In the movie, Doris ran up these stairs and into the lodge. Here here is a modern-day Julie going up the same stairs and into the Lodge.

Just for your information, The Pebble Beach Company owns all the land within the 17 Mile Drive, in the last few years was sold by a Japanese company [who were very good stewards of the property, by the way] to three well known people (Clint Eastwood, Arnold Palmer and Peter Uberroth) and about a hundred other lesser known, but wealthy individuals.

Whike at the Lodge we ate lunch at The Tap Room. Great sandwiches!

From the back of the Lodge we have this famous view of the 18th hole at the Pebble Beach golf course. Green fees on this course are $495... but that's not all. In order to play golf here, they also require that you stay at least TWO NIGHTS at the lodge!

Don't you just love the crutch on this oak tree?

We just had to show you one more restaurant scene. This is Domenico's at Fisherman's Wharf. We loved the food there, too. Julie had a shrimp pasta and I had tilapia.

On Sunday, we decided to go to church at the Monterey Ward (real close to the 17 Mile Drive). When we got there the parking lot was just jam-packed and out onto the street. Turns out they were creating a new ward that day. Now there are the Monterey 1st and 2nd Wards. The bishop of the Monterey Ward (now 1st Ward) was retained. His name is Bishop Fazal Hussein from the Middle East. It would be interesting to hear how he joined the church and how he came to be in Monterey. A very good meeting and some very spiritual thoughts from the stake president and the two bishops. We even saw three people there we knew in San Jose.

We had a wonderful weekend.

A Day-Trip Just in Time for Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

Filoli Gardens at Woodside, CA
Bud and Kay Nichols invited us to go with them to Filoli Gardens last week. It was the "$5 admission day" (normally $12 but still a bargain at that price) just before Mother's Day due to the house being closed to tours while they decorate it with plants and flowers for the weekend crowd. But the outside gardens are available for a self guided walking tour. We jumped at the chance to go see this beautiful spot.

Filoli was built for Mr and Mrs William Bowers Bourn, prominent San Franciscans whose source of wealth came from the hard rock Empire Gold Mine in Grass Valley, CA. The name Filoli is made up of the first two letter of the key words in Mr. Bournes credo: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellowmen; Live a good life."

The gardens are situated on about 530 acres of land. The house itself has something like 43 ROOMS. (That reminds me of a movie line about "pretentious snobs." And, "The bathroom is upstairs; seventh door on the right.")

The house was mainly used for relaxing, entertaining, socializing and partying. These people were real socialites. In 1975, the estate was given to the National Trust for Historic Preservation along with an endowment for support and maintenance of the property.

These gardens are along the line of several other beautiful botanical gardens throughout the world: Buchart Gardens on Vancouver Island, British Columbia; Longwood (Dupont) Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; Manito Park and Botanical Gardens in Spokane, Washington, etc.

The garden entrance here...

... takes you into the Garden Shop where you can spend exhorbitant amounts of money on plants and other accessories ...

Such as beautiful glass paperweights with colorful flowers.

On top of the garden shop is a weather vane with a proud rooster pointing the wind direction.

But a closer look shows a regular old bird who is not intimidated by the rooster.

Some beautiful pools and planters with people all over the place taking pictures (us included).

Fox gloves

Columbine

Can't remember the name of these bright red flowers.

Fields of resplendent wild flowers.

An avenue of Chinese Ewes

A brick walkway through part of the gardens.

Not as many roses as in the San Jose Rose Garden but an abundent supply in any case.

How about those California Poppies...

... that contrast with some (can't remember the name) purple plants.

Julie's favorite... the huge Peonies

Very impressive white globe

I did this picture more for the effect. I like the resulting image.

More globes of some kind...

What a great picture for a painting

Julie didn't pick this Friesia. She found it on the ground after one of the grounds keepers had transported some plants into the house.

Of course, we had to stop for lunch. Julie and I had a Roasted Turkey Panini and a cheesecake drizzled with chocolate and caramel.

All this walking around deserved a rest on a bench amongst the beautiful surroundings.

We have only shown a few of the over 150 pictures we took. Altogether, they make a great screen saver slide show. Thanks for enjoying this much of it with us.

A Kitchen Face-lift

2009-04-23T17:54:00.001-07:00

Five days of being out of the kitchen was a small price to pay for an updated look. Some of the old hinges were breaking and the doors and drawers were getting pretty beat up. So... time for a face lift. We dug up a couple of "before" pics and matched them with similar "after" pics. Check it out. We love the brightness it gives now.

In this pair of pics, notice that the microwave is now an over the range type and the old really-slow range has been replaced as well.

In this combination of before and after, see how the kitchen looks so much brighter.

In the next pic, you can see that the old "telephone book" shelf has been replaced with a built in cabinet with drawers.

The single nic-nac shelf has been replaced by three. And the over-the-sink light is now a can light.

A head-on view of the range and microwave...

And, what's a "dad" picture-set without some kind of panorama. This one is a 180 degree view from atop the snack bar. Hopefully you will be able to click on these pictures to see a larger view.

A Reunion... (of sorts)

2009-04-07T12:46:00.000-07:00

This is the three of us (my sister, my brother and me) 60 years ago outside our house in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. Then, we were called Catherine, Richard and Joseph. The family's 1941 Ford at the right.

This is the three of us 60 years later this year in Visalia, California. Now we are known as Joe, Cathy and Rich. It was a happy reunion. We hadn't been together for about 10 years (since our dad died).

Because Cathy lives near Sequioa National Park, we decided to go visit General Sherman. On the way up to the park, we stopped in at Three Rivers on the Kaweah River to stroll through the historical museum. Later, we stopped and ate lunch along the river. Very picturesque.

After getting into Sequoia Park, we stopped at Hospital Rock, saw some huge and racous

ravens...

... and a black bear coming up the hill toward us. We stayed there only long enough to snap a

couple of pictures and then we got out of there.

(Yeah, yeah. I know it's "brown" but technically speaking brown bears are also known as grizzly bears and black bears can also be brown in color. This one is not a grizzly.)

Hospital Rock (don't know why it is called that) is a picnic area with a short trail that leads to the middle fork of the Kaweah River. At the end of the trail is a waterfall of cascading water over some rocks with spectauliar colors. This one reminds me of an ice cream sundae with caramel topping.

At one time in history, the western Mono tribe lived in this area. Evidence of their existence is shown in the pictographs painted on the rock. You can see the red markings on the rock at the right but a close-up view below shows the markings better.

There are some much smaller waterfalls in this area as shown here.

After leaving Hospital Rock we continued on to see General Sherman, a giant sequioa tree of 52,500 cubic feet. It holds the title 0f the world's largest living organism (measured in volume). It stands 275 feet tall and the trunk alone is estmated to weight 1,800 tons.

Did we mention that General Sherman is at the 6,600 foot level. It was cold in March with lots of snow and icicles.

And here are three more giant sequoias at the General Sherman visitor center.

A panoramica view of the road coming down from General Sherman. Still some snow along the side at the 4,000 foot level.

Had to the the obligatory picture at Amphitheater Point with Moro Rock (6,725 feet) rising in the background. Check out the web site below for a 360 degree panoramic view from this point.

http://virtualguidebooks.com/CentralCalif/SequoiaKings/KaweahRiver/AmphitheaterPointL.html

And thanks to both Irv and Cathy (and Quentin) for their hospitality and letting us have a fun week with them.

10 reasons why you should come to California in February

2009-03-04T10:44:00.001-08:00

February is such a beautiful month in this part of California. Here of some recent pictures from our back yard.

The Gazebo with daffodils and hardenbergia

The dwarf peach in blossom

Star blossoms on the succulets...

Even green grass that I had just mowed

And something for the kids to sing about...

Popcorn popping on the apricot tree

Canadian Rockies Trip

2008-10-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

Our recent vacation trip was with Ann and Armond to western Canada (British Columbia and Alberta). Flew to Vancouver BC and spent three days being tourists. Crossed the Canadian Rockies by rail (two days). Toured around in Banff National Park (two days). Visited Fay (Julie and Ann's cousin) and Gardiner Smith in Bowden, Alberta. What a great time!

Day 1. Cab from the airport to downtown Vancouver. The driver is from New Delhi, India. He has a family he wants to bring to Canada and is waiting for visas (maybe another year) to get them there. He is not Christian. He looked into it but decided the various religions are not unified in their beliefs about Jesus Christ and so was turned off about it. I told him his observation was correct. However, what if Jesus Christ personally came to the earth again and restored that which has been lost; that he appointed a prophet on the earth to straighten out the confusion. Would he be interested? Yes. Left him a "Finding Faith in Christ" pass-along card. He said he should like to receive the free video and learn more about it. I should have gotten his name and address but I didn't. Hope he follows through on getting the video.

After arriving in downtown Vancouver we checked in to the Pacific Palisades Hotel. Nice place.

We ate a late lunch at the Flaming Wok...

... and took a cab to the Capilano Suspension Bridge north of Vancouver. Very touristy but, hey, we are tourists. Bit the bullet and paid the price. We thoroughly enjoyed it and the peaceful surroundings.

Day 2. I dropped my camera on the pavement first thing in the morning and broke it. Had to rely on the Garner's camera somewhat while we went to Vancouver Island. Then I hit upon this marvelous idea... When we got back, I checked out Google Images and found other people's vacation pictures that paralleled our adventures so I was able to make up the camera loss with supplementary pics for a couple of days. I even found pictures of killer whales that looked just like the ones that passed by our ferry on the way to Vancouver Island. We just didn't get our group of four people in any of those pictures.

The ferry holds over 350 cars on level 4 and also filled level 2 with trucks and buses. It is a massive operation and makes several trips a day. A round-trip by car costs a whopping $150. If you "walk-on" the fare is only $12.50.

We saw a pair of killer whales on the way.

World-famous Butchart Gardens is on Vancouver Island. Here are three pictures of this marvelous garden spot. You could spend many days and evenings and even different seasons just wandering around the grounds. It is constantly changing. This is a good place to work if you are a botanist or horticulturalist.

The Sunken Garden

A Passion Flower (watch out!)...

Vancouver Island is the location of British Columbia's capital city of Victoria. It is only accessible by ferry and seaplane; kind of a bummer for easy access to government offices. One of the most famous sights is the very posh Empress Hotel.

We ate a late-lunch/early-dinner at the Blackfish Cafe down along the Inner Harbor Promenade (just to the left of what is shown in the picture at boat-level). An excellent choice. We also watched a few street artists. One called "Plasterman" was funny with the passers-by.

In late afternoon we retraced our path back to Vancouver via the bus and ferry and got back very late due to a delay at the ferry terminal.

Day 3. Started today with a tour by bus of the Vancouver area. Stopped at many of the best attractions and drove past some of the others. Not enough time in Stanley Park or at Granville Island but we enjoyed what we saw.

The public market at Granville Island:

Vancouver Pubic Library modeled after the Coliseum at Rome

View of Vancouver from Stanley Park:

Steam powered clock in the Gastown section of Vancouver:

That evening we passed a drug store on Robson Street on our way to dinner. I bought another digital camera. Now I'm back in the "personal" photo business. So here we are eating dinner at the Savory Coast ("Cucina Mediterranea"), an open air cafe.

Day 4. This was the start of the Rocky Mountaineer trip throught the Cascade Range to Kamloops.

Great service, plentiful food (remember how airlines used to serve real food on their flights?) and warm hospitality. The hostess for our coach was Amanda...

Very picturesque scenery:

We went to a dinner theater presentation in Kamloops that evening. Buffet-style food and a fun melodrama-type show to watch with singing, dancing, comedy and a very thin plot. The audience got involved as well.

Day 5. Continued the rail trip to Banff through the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

There were a number of houseboats on this lake. Apparently there is a pizza place in a town nearby that accepts phone orders and delivers by motorboat.

Got into Banff just a bit late. By then the Mt. Royal Hotel...

... was jammed packed. We were fortunate though because they were out of normal rooms so they upgraded us free of charge to a full suite. We loved it. Even had a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. Garner's had a "regular" room with a really tiny bathroom. This is a panoramic picture of our Living Room.

We found out right away that Banff is a very pricey town. Restaurant fare and everything else is pretty steep. The least expensive dinner prices are around $25.00 each and go up drastcally from there. The first night I had "Pear Pizza" at an Italian resturant named Giorgio's (not related to the Giorgio's in San Jose).

Wild Grizzly Bears are known to frequent the mountains. This friendly one was in a candy shop.

What a beautiful setting in Banff!

Day 6 in Banff. Breakfast in the hotel was buffet style and cost a mere $14.00 each! However, we found a coffee shop diagonally across the street from the Mt. Royal that opened early so we could be out of there to catch the tour buses we had booked. On the way to the Columbia Icefield we stopped at Lake Louise. Better in person than any pictures I have ever seen of it.

It had snowed lightly the night before so there was a white dusting of snow on the Lodgepole Pines adding to the beauty.

We stopped at the Crowfoot Glacier ...

... and Peyto Lake; supposedly is the outline of a bear but we thought it looked more like a coyote with no legs.

Then on to the Columbia Icefield and the Ice Explorer ride out onto the glacier. There are really interesting facts about icefields and glaciers but there is not enough time and space to include them in this blog.

We even scooped out a drink of glacier water that should add a hundred years to our lives. [Well maybe not, but it could put hair on my chest.]

Day 7 in Banff. Great scenic tour of the Banff area. Beautiful gardens at a former Parliament building (now a museum).

In the background is the famous Banff Springs Hotel.

A ride in the gondola to the top of the mountain was not in the package but we decided to spring for the extra bucks and do it anyway. Very well worth it. Very invigorating (Uuuhh! Cold is a more descriptive word) on top of the mountain.

A view of Banff (left) and Tunnel Mountain (right) from the top.

Then we caught the bus to Calgary but instead of flying home from there we rented a car and drove about an hour north to Bowden to visit Fay and Gardiner whom we haven't seen for a long time. In fact, we had never been to Canada to visit at all. Spent the night with them.

Day 8. Toured around the Bowden area in the morning and then headed back to Calgary for the flight home. We were impressed with Bowden's community spirit. The "Main Street" has hanging baskets of flowers for its full length. This picture is out in front of Fay and Gardiner's house.

Oh! And we found our cell phone in the Seattle airport on our way back through. Well, it wasn't really that easy to find it but that's where it was. And I sold my broken camera "as-is" on eBay for $12 plus shipping.

A week later... Brad took this picture of us showing the fantastic souveniers we purchased while in Canada. It doesn't show the necklace mom bought. It also doesn't show the genuine Canadian Maple Butter we also bought. Wow, was that ever delicious!

Did I mention that a good time was had by all?

Sumpter's - 2nd Weekend

2008-09-29T10:56:00.001-07:00

When we got back from Canada, Karen and Miranda had already claimed squatter's rights in our house. Steve still had one more week in Reno. Sorry Steven and Karen... Miranda is still the star attraction when you guys come.

Miranda thought Brady was a hoot when he was sliding cars across the floor. There is a video at the end of this blog entry that shows her laughing at him.

She reads the newspaper like a pro.

Miranda is becoming a convert to the beach.

She couldn't figure out why the sand kept slipping through her fingers. (The thought just occurred to me that some people have touble that way with money.) Notice the seagull in the background.

How could we go to Santa Cruz without going to Stagnaro's, our favorite seafood restaurant on the wharf, and eat dinner as the sun is setting. We were in the corner by a window and Miranda was facing a blank wall. She spent most of the time there turned around in her high chair watching the people behind us. Brenna does the same thing.

Remember the Weebles tree house? We've still got it but there is only one Weeble left. The "airplane children" work just fine.

Brady entertaining Miranda

Miranda sticking her toes in the Ocean

I almost forgot. When Steve came back from Reno, Miranda was so excited. She let out one of her deafening (but happy) screams.

Sumpter's in California - First weekend

2008-09-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Sumpter's were in the California area recently so they made a trip to San Jose. While Steve was doing a "rotation" in Reno on Sports Medicine for two weeks, how could they not come another 4 hours to see us. They actually came the weekend just before mom and I scheduled to go on our Canadian Rockies trip we had planned earlier this year (more on that later). Miranda is growing so much (9 months old now) and a very happy baby. Whenever someone makes a noise like a panting dog, she does a good imitation. Watch the video to see a sample. More to come in the next blog.

Theriaut's in California - June 2008

2008-09-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

These blog entries are out of order but I'm sure you can handle it. Janet and Steve and family came to visit in June. Talk about party time... Emily even stayed a week with us after the rest of the fmaily went home. She had a different kind of adventure by herself on the airplane back to Texas. But I think we spoiled her. She probably thinks all we do is party around here.

We did the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad trip at Oak Meadow Park

We played at the park but here is Afton and Emily resting

We ate back yard meals

Went to Castle Rock

The Children's Discovery Museum

Geocaching

And a couple of videos at the Santa Cruz Beach

One is Steve, Austin and Noah on the Log Ride. The other is Emily, Austin and Steve in the surf

Fossil Beds and Crater Lake in Oregon

2008-09-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

On the way back from the Banks in Spokane we stopped at the Fossil Beds at Kimberley, Oregon

This is one of two huge logs of petrified wood found in the area

One of the displays of fossils inside the museum

And we stopped at Crater Lake. Last time we visited Crater Lake, the snow was so high we didn't get to see very much but it was spectacular. This time it was spectacular, too, but in a different way.

Landon Banks Born

2008-09-26T12:02:00.001-07:00

After the Christensen Sibling Reunion, we headed over the mountains on a dirt road in the wilds of Idaho to Riggins and then headed north to Spokane to see grandchild #22 Landon Banks. The road over the mountain was full of switchbacks and not well travelled but some beautiful scenery. We picked wildflowers to take to Shannon and Aaron.

Baby Landon was just adorable. Everyone loved to hold him

While in Spokane we just had to take advantage of some of the attractions...

Maggie Moo's Ice Cream

Acres and acres of beautiful flowers at world-famous Manito Park

Mobius Kids (childrens museum)

Cat Tales (small wild animal zoo)

and Mirabeau Park (near the Spokane River) just to name a few places we visited

What fun it was to be with the Shannon and Aaron and Sydnie and Wesley and Landon.

Christensen Sibling Reunion July 2008

2008-09-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

Since the last update on our Hawaii Trip we's had lots of stuff happen. In July we went to Idaho to Mike's cabin above McCall for the first-ever Christensen Sibling Reunion.

Three days in the wilds of Idaho was fun with nothing to bother us. Good food provided by Tawana (and Mike's BBQ'd tri-tip). Good conversations about lifes challenges. Hike to the local pioneer cemetery with Aunt Jill's stories about one of her friends who is buried there and her horse trip to Loon Lake (the site of a 1943 WWII bomber crash). Swimming in the Burgdorf Hot Springs. Games and movies.

Us to Hawaii!! - Ya gotta be kidding

2008-06-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Who woodda thought Mom and I would go to Hawaii. Well, we had a chance to use someone else's timeshare so off we went. After 5 hours of flying from the mainland we made it to Honolulu, changed planes and jumped over to Kauai, rented a car and drove up to Princeville to the Bali Hai Villas. The first picture is the entrance with dolphins in the pool.

Next, the stairs to our upstairs condo.

Our fantastic kitchen

And a sunset view from our balcony one evening

The temperature was just perfect while were there... maybe a little muggy, tho. We ate out on the balcony/porch most of the time (when we ate at the timeshare). I set some cereal bowls out on the table one morning, poured in a little cereal and went back in to get some raw pineapple, milk, etc. When I came back, the birds were sitting on the table pecking away at the cereal. They didn't miss an opportunity to get some free food.

The first night we drove on down to Hanalei (about 4 miles) to a seafood restaurant. First we stopped at an overlook to see a panoramic view of the Hanalei valley. Very spectacular! If you click on the picture below to get the full view, be sure you scroll left and right to see it all.

At the restaurant we had window seats (open air) looking right out into their lush gardens. The birds came to see us there, too, looking for food. Did we mention that the food was absolutely delicious.

One afternoon we went a boat ride to the Fern Grotto (state park), a tour of the "Tropical Paradise Gardens," a Hawaiian Luau and an after dinner show similar to the Polynesian Cultural Center on Oahu; not on such a grand scale but very well done.

The Fern Grotto was formed where water runs continually over the edge volcanic formations. Over 19,000 wedding have been performed there since it was set aside as a state park over 60 years ago. You can see a dark area in the left center of the picture which is a former lava tube. The bride and groom stand in the tube behind a veil of water which falls down in front of them. Very picturesque. Interestingly enough, while were there, the guide asked if there were any new marriages in the group. The most recent one was 3 days old. Turned out to be a couple, now from Colorado, who were married in the Salt Lake Temple. The bride is from Salt Lake City. We even sat across from them at the Luau later that evening. A nice coincidence.

The Tropical Paradise Gardens (and luau and show) is a family-run attraction. How about this peacock in the gardens?! Wow! What color!

We bought some birdseed and the peacocks knew how to get it.

After the pig came out of the "imu" pit, the feast was on. Very delicious... even the poi was "good" on bread dipped into it. Over 300 people attended.

Hawaiian music and other entertainment was provided throughout the evening.

And then there was the culturual show which included of course, the trditional fire dancer from somwhere in the South Pacific. He was good.

All the beaches in Kauai are plentiful, beautiful and FREE. This is the one where much of South Pacific was filmed. The color of the water is just gorgeous.

I'm sure you are wondering if we ever got totally wet in blue Pacific Ocean. Of course we did. This was a secluded beach called Anini Beach. It was superb. I got in, too but we didn't get a good picture of me.

By the way, the little island you see just above Mom's head is the northern-most point in the state of Hawaii.

One other big attaction on Kauai is Waimea Canyon. It is called the Grand Canyon of Hawaii. This picture was taken from an elevation of almost 4, 000 feet . Very spectacular. The picture is a panoranic view, so be sure to scroll left and right as you view the large image of it. This is the day it just poured rain in the morning and we weren't sure we were going to be able to drive to this place at all. But we took a chance on it clearing up and it did for just a few minutes just as we got there. Then it clouded up and rained again.

Well, there are lots more pictures but we are not going to post them here. We'll just close this part of the blog with two more pictures. One is a beautiful evening picture of some palm trees in the village of Hanalei and the other is map of Kauai. Notice there is only a road around 3/4 of the perhipery of the island. The northwest coast is not accessible due to its terrain. OK, OK. We'll throw in one more picutre of the beautiful Napali Coast even though we didn't make it there. You can only get there by boat, by helicopter or by hiking. That's it.

Miranda comes on the scene

2008-01-11T16:38:00.001-08:00

Here are some cute pictures of Miranda Sumpter. It was good to visit with her and her parents.

Storm Damage

2008-01-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

While we were away in Michgan, the SF Bay Area was hit with a huge wind and rain storm. When we got back, our back yard looked like this. Must be Mother Nature's way of cleaning the deadwood out of trees.

Kyle and Trevor came over and piled up a lot of the larger branches for us. (Thank you very much.) We are slowly getting it cleaned up.

Gingerbread House with Trevor's class

2007-12-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

Trevor's kindergarten class made gingerbread houses today. He invited me (grandpa) to come and assist. We had a wonderful time. Thought you'd like to see some pictures.

Sunflower room

2007-10-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

Here they are... some pictures of our sunflower bedroom. Mom's pride and joy. I think she did a great job coordinating everything and "tying it together" (whatever that means).

Pitcher shelf

2007-10-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Now that Mom got the urge to decorate, she found a shelf she has stored for quite some time. So after a coat of paint and mounting it on the wall she has a place to display some of her pitchers (or is that pictures?). Click on the picture for a detailed view.

Entertainment Center

2007-10-30T10:45:00.000-07:00

At long last... the entertainment center is finished. Mom is especially excited. She was beginning to think it would never get done. We only started it in 2005 and now it is 2007.

We'll let the pictures speak for themselves. The first ones in 2005 you saw before. The component cabinet came out really well with full extension drawer slides and, best of all, a rotating base for easy access to the cables in the back.

After completing the bottom section we decided we needed to break up the boxy-ness of it all with some kind of fireplace mantle type shelf. The picture from June 2007 shows the framework under the shelf with a cable trough in the back.

The last group of pictures shows the finished product. Mom did a great job of the finish work and the room decor.

Now maybe I can use my spare time to create these blog entries.