I wound up with a window seat on our pre-Christmas flight from Sacramento to DFW, so I shot a few photos with my phone camera. They’re not the best quality, of course, but there’s always something fascinating about seeing the landscape from an airliner perspective. That viewpoint also highlighted the contrast between the rainy, overcast weather in California and the […]
Although I’ve long been familiar with the name and reputation of Will Rogers, I have to admit I don’t know a whole lot about the man himself. So it was great to hear some personal recollections from his youngest son in this episode of California’s Gold, which originally aired in 2001. I would also say that the family home, now […]
I had a lot of fun on our most recent coastal trip exploring the immediate area around the cabin where we stayed. Sometimes you don’t have to venture very far at all to find fascinating and unexpected treasures!
Two weeks ago for Memory Monday I shared photos of the kids tearing into their presents during Christmas 1983, and this week you can see them after the toys were all assembled and ready for action. You can probably tell this was Southern California (Anaheim) by the fact they were wearing short sleeves and no jackets despite it being late […]
Since we haven’t raked the leaves in our front yard this year, the neighborhood turkey flock likes to come hang out, scratch for worms, and do a little bit of flirting.
I’ve visited the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands a few times now, entering from both the north and south gates, but I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface in exploring this amazing place. I feel lucky to have found it, and I’m grateful that the land was made available to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management so that people like […]
Some scenes from my hike at the south end of the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands, Mendocino County, in September 2021.
This Wednesday I’ve decided to repeat one of my favorite Christmas episodes that I originally featured back in 2018. Just as I wrote the first time I shared this 2004 episode of California’s Gold, I thought it would be good to take another look at where and how these beautiful Christmas flowers are grown and their history in Southern California. Although the Eckes were a huge part of the poinsettia industry for nearly 100 years, the family sold their ranch in 2015, and the job of producing all those beautiful poinsettia plants now belongs to a Dutch company known as Dümmen Orange. I would note (again) that the ‘crazy’ colors that frequently show up in the stores this time of year are not a special variety but are dyed with a substance that doesn’t harm the plants. And if you’re wondering about the best way to care for your poinsettia plant, the Laidback Gardener has some really great advice on his blog. Albert Ecke immigrated from Germany to Southern California in 1902 and opened a roadside stall selling fruits and vegetables. By the 1920s his son Paul started selling some of the wild poinsettia plants that grew in the hills above their stall. From these small beginnings, it is now estimated that over 90% of all flowering poinsettias get their start at the Paul Ecke Ranch. Join Huell as he meets Paul, Paul Jr. & Paul III, who give them […]
This morning I realized that I made a silly mistake when I published yesterday’s post. I had intended to save the Lake Tahoe photos for next Monday — which explains my remark about finishing out the year! It’s not too important, but I did feel dumb; and in next week’s Memory Monday post you’ll see the pictures of my niece […]