If trees have souls...

To our south, across the Mokelumne River is the county called Calaveras. This word means "skulls" and was named for the great quantities of human skulls found along the lower reaches of the river. These human remains were some of the native Miwuk people killed by Spanish soldiers.
This county is known for deep caverns, placer mining and Mark Twain's jumping frogs. It is also known for some very big trees. They are the giant Sequoias of the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. That's where the Prospector and I spend the day yesterday.

These giant Sequoias, Sequoiadendron giganteum, occur naturally only in groves (about 68 altogether) on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada  Mountains of California.  They are named after Sequoyah (1767–1843), the inventor of the Cherokee syllabary . He wrote a syllable based language in the late 1810s and early 1820s.

Giant sequoias are the world's largest single trees and here they are... right in our own backyard.

I'm almost embarrassed to say that, in all the years that I have lived in Amador County and the years growing up in the Bay Area, I had never gone to this state park before. Yesterday we remedied that situation.

 These are truly massive trees.

Some reaching 300 ft in height and over 50 ft in diameter.

Sequoia bark is fibrous and can be 3 ft thick at the base of the trunk.

 It provides significant fire protection for the trees.

This is a seed cone.

Each cone has 30–50 spirally arranged scales, with several seeds on each scale, giving an average of 230 seeds per cone. The giant sequoia regenerates by seed. Young trees start to bear cones at the age of 12 years but then most of the seeds remain green and closed for up to 20 years before the cone lets go of them in very hot weather, forest fire heat or damage by insects. This is probably why the trees are dying out. We have prevented fires for so long that the seeds aren't able to grow successfully.  Fires also bring hot air high into the canopy, which in turn dries and opens the cones. The subsequent release of large quantities of seeds coincides with the optimal post fire seedbed conditions. Loose ground ash may also act as a cover to protect the fallen seeds from ultraviolet radiation damage. These seeds also need wildfire to clear competing vegetation and soil humus before successful regeneration can occur. Without fire, shade-loving species will crowd out young sequoia seedlings, and sequoia seeds will not germinate.
Right now, the park is clearing thousands of smaller trees, mostly dogwood, from the grove to give the young sequoia seedlings room to grow.
The dogwood is beautiful but has taken over the groves and is becoming a threat to the large trees.

Because of  the Dogwood's root system they have to use a special tree removal system to be sure they get the whole bush. As you can see, the Dogwood is a beautiful bush/tree and has an exquisite flower on it.

 Most of the flowers were gone now and the few that were left were drying up. It's a shame that something so beautiful is so detrimental to the Sequoia. In nature, everything is connected. Each thing is part of the whole.
When man chooses to change the system by not allowing fires, he creates a different system that then has to be remedied. Now we, in our "wisdom", are trying to save these huge trees by removing other trees. Sometimes I think we should leave Nature alone. I really believe that after we are gone, Nature will heal itself and find the balance that we have destroyed. We want to save everything and in the process we have created more damage. Just my opinion.
So we walked about a mile and a half around the North Grove... following Jim, our very informed volunteer docent.

Our small group consisted of Jim, the Prospector, myself and two ladies from Mexico (mother and daughter). We walked the tour of the North Grove backwards so that, as Jim explained, we would not have to go with the flow of folks who were walking by themselves and so we could choose to stop in between the crowds.
The ladies were so cute. Mom only spoke Mexican (Spanish?) and the daughter translated. Mom walked with an umbrella to protect herself from the hot sun.

As we passed other folks, Jim would shout out "Hi, how are you. Isn't it a lovely day. Hope you're having a good time." He was so nice to everyone and seems to love his "job". He knew his history and he liked people. Very pleasant man. 

We finally walked through the iconic Pioneer Cabin Tree. At one time this was a drive-thru tree. This Sequoia had a tunnel carved through it to compete with the grand and more impressive Yosemite Valley. The tunnel damaged the tree irreversibly. Visitors can only walk thought it now.

 The ladies took our picture in front of the tree.

I hope you can read this.

"Today, the injured tree is hanging on to life by only one branch. Look up, the single bough with foliage is working to photosynthesize for the entire tree." It's dying because of man's actions. What a shame.

We saw so many ways that man has damaged this area but thanks to some dedicated people and the State Park system, we may be able to protect these natural wonders from any further damage. 

We saw the wild lilac....

and a small flower

I think this is Wood's rose. Beautiful!
And the ever present Dogwood leaves.

And the multitude of ferns.

But with all this beauty... the sadness of one tree brought tears to my eyes. Again man, in his attempt to make a profit from nature, did this horrible thing to one of the Sequoias.

In 1854 this tree was stripped of its bark to be reassembled and displayed in New York and London , as a money making venture. The tree is dead.

You cannot strip the skin from anything, or abuse it... or starve it... or neglect it... for profit, narrow-mindedness or stupidity. That includes animals, plants and humans. We are all keepers of this world and everything in it and I do believe that if you know this and still do damage... then you will be held accountable somehow.  This once beautiful Sequoiadendron giganteum is a reminder of the shortsightedness of man.

I have more photos and I will finish on a lighter note next time. This was a day of beauty and reflection. It only took us a bit over an hour to drive up there. It was definitely worth it. I can now say I have seen the "BIG TREES" and it was well worth the drive.

Isleton... another sleepy Delta town.

Too much to do and not enough time to do it... but being busy is good. Right?
I told you, on Saturday, that I would travel on to Isleton, CA. on our road trip... and Rio Vista and beyond. Well ... It didn't happen yesterday because we drove to Apple Hill, in Camino, CA., to meet our daughter in law and "the Beans", (our grandsons). We spent the day picking apples and having lunch at the farms, playing with the Beans and wearing ourselves out. Now I have another post to write about this week, about our fun day with the family.
But first....

Over another bridge... this time we are leaving Walnut Grove, crossing over the river and heading for Ryde where the big pink hotel is almost the only place in town. But it does have another tall old water tower. I love these towers. Every town along the river has one...Then on down the river to Isleton.
This is another sleepy little river town. My friend, "C" fell in love with a house, here, last week. She even went back to see it with a realtor on Sunday. It's a charming house on the river road. Well, not really on the river. It's on Main St. It's a two story white house with a second story porch, a beautiful front yard and a tiny view of the river. I may be visiting her here, instead of just driving through.

 This is the Bing Kong Tong Society Building.

 Here is some interesting history on this society and it's beginnings.

 There are some busy places that seem to bring in the locals, like the Levee Cafe.

and the Bessie Toy Chinn Memorial Garden...

...which I couldn't find too much information on. It says "future site of..." but it already looks like someone has started a garden.
There was some information, online, about an excavation that was done after a fire in 1926. They found coins. One, a Chinese coin, dated back to 1906. It was copper, and had a dragon on the front. How cool is that?

We picked up a flyer on the house that "C" has fallen in love with and I found a site that shows the listing... here. Pretty isn't it? We'll see what happens. It's a great price and well... you just never know what directions your life will take when you are "just looking". Sometimes you come across a house that speaks to you. You never know when your life will take a new turn.
I'm very tired tonight so I'm going to leave you in Isleton and hopefully, tomorrow, I can continue on to Viera's Resort and Rio Vista... and the Ryer Island Ferry.
See you then...

A Visit to "C"s and a Road Trip.

First let me say that, as you know, I've been waiting for my new camera... and it finally arrived.
The new header photo was taken with my amazing new Nikon D5100 camera. This is a technique that is done with a special effects mode... INSIDE the camera. It's called color sketch.
I'm learning about this wonderful new camera... reading the manual, learning how to use it properly and taking a lot of pictures.

 I think that I've died...

 and gone

to CAMERA HEAVEN. 

Could there be such a place?

Allow me a few more days of fun and serious learning. Then I will give a review and more examples of what this amazing camera does.

*************

For the next few posts I would like to tell you about the Road Trip that my friend "C" and I took last Wednesday. We took a drive through the California River Delta. This area is reclaimed marshland. Please read about it here. It's fascinating!

I arrived at my friend's home in Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon. It was still frying pan hot... and, even with a small breeze, it seemed like the middle of summer. The evenings have been cooler and it makes the day's heat more tolerable knowing that the nights are showing signs of Fall.

 "C" lives on a lake and it's very nice.

She's my good friend with the little dog... Max.

Who was tired of being cooped up in the house.
So when he overheard us talking about taking a drive... he perked up.

The next morning he was packed and ready.

"And don't forget my water bowl... and some biscuits."

We left Wednesday morning and drove out to the highway and turned south. Then we drove west to highway 160, the old River Road and our first stop, Courtland.

 Courtland is located along the Sacramento River, 17 miles  south-southwest of Sacramento. This town  was named after Courtland Sims, son of James V. Simes, a landowner who opened a steamer landing in the community in 1870.
It's a small town with some big buildings.

And some that were for sale.  This house (below) was built in 1925. It's got 7,513 sq. ft. of space inside. Heck... for around $500,000 we could all move in together and each of us could have a whole section of the house to ourselves. The Prospector could have a man cave and fish all day.We could even have a special "dog" room for Carl, Cutter and Max. It's a HUGE house. I can't find any history, but I think it might have been a school or lodge originally.

 It has a blue insignia over the entrance. I think that it's odd that there's a Masonic "compass and rule" insignia over the doorway. I guess it was probably not a public school.

There was a funky little market on the highway.

 And really old places that were sagging a bit.

This one seemed to be apartments. The Chinese came to built the levies in the 1870's, so there are a lot of buildings with Chinese names and writing on them.

Some of these places are still occupied, but others have a notice posted that says they are not livable and are condemned. Houses with nobody in them... but with history hanging from their walls. I would love to know all of the history here.
"C" is looking for a small house near the river. She would like something with character and history, but these old places have a bit too much character for anyone.
 We move on...
To LOCKE.

 I don't remember ever visiting this town except, maybe, when I was a very young child. My Dad might have taken us here on one of his wonderful day trips. He would pile us in the car, very early in the morning and we would go traveling all over the place for the day. I would come home tired but happy, about all the places I had seen. It's a good memory. But, I don't remember Locke.
 "C" remembered visiting a lot of these towns and camping here, on the Delta, with her family. She told me that she had great memories of being here with her Mom and Dad, when she and her brother were young.

You must read about this town. It has a wonderful history

It is a town built completely "by the Chinese for the Chinese". This is Locke's one-room Chinese language school, established in 1926. Now it's a museum. At the entrance stand two large bronze busts, on pedestals, of Confucius and Dr. Sun Yat-sen.

The main street of town is a combination of deserted houses and businesses in a state of arrested decay and some with open businesses and stores.

Some buildings are bulging and look like they will collapse at any moment. I love the second story door (upper right) that goes out onto a long vanished balcony.

Some are old entrances to forgotten attractions.
This one says it was the entrance to the Star Theater.

There were also some open businesses and stores..

 I love the name... STRANGE CARGO

A rather modern art gallery...

and an old sign...I'm not sure if this was a recent restaurant or just an old sign.
We drove around the town for a while and I made a mental note to see this place, again, and take more pictures, spend some time in the shops and visit the museum. 

Max was anxious to move on.

"Which way next?"

Tomorrow we will drive through Walnut Grove, Ryde, Isleton and Rio Vista. Come back and read about a house that "C" might be interested in and our grand adventure over the Sacramento River and beyond...

Fun Times and Cool Weather

I got home Wednesday afternoon, returning to the heat of the Foothills. The weather was wonderful down in the Bay Area. The fog hung on the hills like lazy clouds, resting in all the crevasses and valleys. It was so beautiful and cold at night. I wanted to bottle the fog and bring it home with me. It's very hot here.
Sis had been working on her garden and it looked beautiful. She grows Hydrangeas that are so big and beautiful that it's hard to believe they are real. She says that she doesn't fertilize them....it's just the right spot and the right soil. Everything looked so nice.

 On Sunday night my son and his family stopped by after dinner. They had been swimming all afternoon so they didn't go swimming in Sis's pool but they had so much fun just being around it. They watched Uncle "J" skim the water and were fascinated by the pool cleaner that crawled back and forth, cleaning the bottom and sides of the pool.

The really funny thing was watching the dogs watch the boys. Especially Lily, the German Shorthair Pointer. She could not figure out what these little guys were doing and followed them everywhere. Look at her expression in the photo above. (click the picture for a close up.) She watched their every move. I think she might have been the first to jump if one of the boys fell in. I think she was being  "Nana".You know, from Peter Pan. She was so concerned.

The Bean and his bro would watch the "creepy crawler" until it started up the side of the pool toward them. Then they would move back and laugh. What fun! It was like a "monster" that was trying to get them. Then it would move back down and go across to the other side and off they would go to see it come up the other side.

 It was kind of creepy down in the deep water...., all wiggly and moving.

I stayed with the Bambinos on Saturday night while Mommy and Daddy went to the movies. We had a good time. "I promise I won't let them stay up so late next time... but we had to see what happened at the end of the Chipmunk movie."
Sunday Sis and I drove out to Oakland, up in the hills, to see my oldest son. He is working on his house. He has a new bathroom. It's beautiful. I have more photos...tomorrow. Sunday night was when The Bean and his family came over to be terrorized by the pool sweep.
Monday Sis and I went to lunch and that night I took dinner over to my son's house and then we went to the school playground down at the end of the street. I have MORE photos....you do want to see them don't you? I promise I will edit them. I don't want to bore you with hundreds of pictures of grandchildren on swings and bambinos riding Razors (do you know what this is?) and Trikes. But, you know how it is if you're a grandma.

Tuesday Sis and I went to Home Depot to look at flooring for my sons new addition and then to Trader Joes. I love this store. I got my wonderful blue cheese and the Multigrain Baking and Pancake Mix.
That night I met my oldest and we went to dinner in Oakland and ate ice cream at Fenton's. If you live in the Bay Area you know what I'm talking about. ~FENTONS~

It is one of the best ice cream places in Northern California. Steak at a very good restaurant and Ice Cream. Yea! That's the good life.
On Thursday, yesterday, I was so tired that I did mostly.... nothing. I sat at the computer, wrote a easy post, caught up on my email, watered the garden, clipped the old flowers, talked to the animals, NAPPED, sat on the couch, fell asleep, fixed dinner and went to bed.
Today I had a bit more energy.... but now I'm pooped, again. Guess I'm gettin' old. When did that happen?