Carl and Cutter's Excellent Adventure - Part II

When we left the house Saturday, our neighbor was feeding his cows. We stopped to say hello while Carl and Cutter barked at the big "doggies". That's when I saw the newest addition to the herd...

Isn't she (he?) cute. I forgot to ask what the gender was and I don't know that much about cows to know. She is a relica of her mother (upper right) and the most beautiful calf I've seen lately. She was born last week. Mom and baby are doing well.

This one didn't look very hospitable so we said our goodbye's and drove on.
Back to the excellent adventure....
We left Knight's Ferry and drove out to the highway and east toward Jamestown. Twenty years ago, this was were we learned to pan for gold. At the time, we saw this huge mining operation just out of town and decided to take a tour. This was quite an experience. I had never seen an operation like this. It was called The Jamestown Mine. This part was called the Harvard Mill. (click photo to read)

It was an open pit when we took the tour and it was overwhelming and deep. Today it has water in it and I climbed through a fence that had a hole in it to take these photos. Yes, I was trespassing but with good purpose and I didn't get too close to the edge.

 It is still kind of scary and deep but it's a lot more beautiful with water in it.
Then it was on to Jamestown and my turn to hit some of the antique stores. I'm looking for vintage buttons. I need BIG ones for my felted purses and scarfs.
The prospector and the dogs took a nap in the car while I walked around and took a few pictures, asked about buttons at quite a few stores...

...and made a new friend in one of the shops. She owns TrulyMadlyVintage on etsy.com (PaperTiger08.etsy.com) , she teaches tap dancing and she makes jewelry. We got talking about felting and she is learning about it too. She showed me some of her recent felted pieces. We will be in contact with each other. It was fun to talk to someone who gets as excited as I do about learning something new.
I found some buttons and then walked back through this little park...

and the old Jail...

...Walked back to the car and found my husband and the dogs sleeping in the sunshine. The car was warm and cozy. I got in and soaked up some of the warmth. They got their nap while I got my buttons.
We drove out to the Main street and that's when the "ice cream bug" hit. You know how guys are. Once they're on their way they don't want to stop.... but I whined and so he pulled over and stopped in front of a cute store that said "ICE CREAM". I went in and got the Prospector a scoop of chocolate ice cream on a cone.and I got , yes I did.... a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and pecans. That hasn't happen in a long time. I was shameless! I even scrapped the container to get the very last drop of fudge sauce. It was that good.
We left Jamestown and our memories of Woods Creek, and learning to pan gold for the first time with a man named Ralph (who owned the prospecting store in town). We took a short cut over to Columbia so we could avoid the traffic in Sonora and drove north on Highway 49, over New Melones Reservoir...

Through Carson Hill and into Angels Camp. 
These photos are for you Kate (Tatersmama~~~ blogger friend in Australia that is heading home to Murphys soon).

It's all waiting for you Kate. You'll be home soon.

The pups barked at the people on the street and then settled down in the back seat for the ride home. We drove north again, through San Andreas, Mokelumne Hill and into Jackson. Home at last. As soon as we turned on our road the little boys sat up and , without barking at the cows, sat quietly looking out the windows. They knew they were in their territory. They knew it was almost time for dinner and a warm sofa with Farmlady in the middle and the Prospector in his chair.
It was a fun trip but they were tired and ready for a quiet evening of thinking about their excellent adventure, their grand trip to another place, the bigger world where adventure begins and there are a thousand new smells to sniff out.
But right now, it was time to eat dinner and dream about their excellent adventure in the Mother Lode.

City of Angels? Well..,maybe frogs.

Saturday after lunch The Prospector wanted to go across the county line and scout out a stream that he thought might be a good place to use his high banker because this time of the year it has WATER in it and makes it easier to work the sides of the gravel bars along the creek.So at 1:00 p.m. we took off for Calavaras County and the beautiful country south of us. We don't usually leave on day trips this late in the day but it wasn't very far and the weather was perfect for "just a drive".
When we go anywhere near the towns in Calavaras Co., like Mokelumne Hill, San Andreas or Angels Camp, I start seeing new territory for antiquing. I certainly don't need to buy anything else for my home but THAT'S NOT THE POINT. It's a new horizon..., a new venue for "looking" . So part of the deal was that we would go scout creeks for a while and then we would drive into Angels Camp and I could look at a few antique stores while The Prospector took Carl for a walk in the town park. Of course, I happen to have my camera with me. The photo above is Main Street in Angels Camp. Its buildings are so beautiful that they just scream "photo shoot".
This is a collage of the "FROG" mania in this town. Every year they have a celebration. They have a jumping frog contest to see which frog can jump the farthest. It one of the biggest celebrations of FROGS anywhere in the world.., I'm guessing. They have lined the streets with plaques for each of the winners with the year, name of the winners and where they came from, plus the frogs names( some of which are really funny). I also found this chalk drawing of a frog on the sidewalk. Very cute. It's a "frog" obsessed city.

The town is known for this celebration and thousands of folks come here, every year, to join in the festivities. You must get reservations during this gathering because the population explodes and you will not find a place to sleep unless you have a good sleeping bag and tent handy..., or, like a blogging friend of mine, relatives, or friends, that live nearby. It's a beautiful town. Only about an hour from Stockton and probably 2 1/2 to 3 hrs east of San Francisco.

Not only is it a charming gold rush town that's proud of its past but it also has all the modern conveniences. If I can find a clean bathroom and a latte I'm a happy camper.

History
Henry and George Angel were soldiers serving under John C Fremont during the Mexican-American War. When the California Gold Rush started, they tried their hand at prospecting, but decided they didn't like the labor involved, so they set up a trading post, which became a camp, and eventually a town. The placer around their camp were very productive but gave out after a few years and the population began to dwindle until Gold-bearing quartz veins were discovered in the town, which brought people back. Those mines operated for the next few decades, producing over $20 million worth of gold, processed by stamp mills in town. It was said that when the last mill finally ceased operations, the townspeople couldn't sleep, the silence was so loud. The first post office was established in 1851 (and called Carson's Creek). It was renamed along with the town in 1853. The city was incorporated under the name of "Angels" in 1912.
(information is from Wikipedia)

In 1928 Angels Camp paved the main street. To celebrate the occasion they held a frog jump competition. This frog jump competition was modeled after the frog jump in the famous short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", written by Mark Twain. He spent a great deal of time in Angels Camp and first heard the jumping frog story at the Angels Hotel that still stands today. The event became known as the Jumping Frog Jubilee.

Everyone is telling me that they can't see the photos that I posted with this story on Angels Camp. I'm so sorry. I don't know what's wrong. I was seeing photos and now I'm not. I have worked on this all day. If anyone knows what is wrong with Picassa and is having the same problem please let me know. Thanks.