I can’t help seeing this Classic episode of California’s Gold, originally aired April 5, 1998, as a perfect reminder of the way many different cultures can come together to make our country much richer in so many ways. Of course, small town life isn’t for everyone, but Huell is very much in his element, chatting with various people around town […]
I didn’t shoot a great many photos when we visited Clear Lake last September, but I did take the time to stroll along the lake shore in Nice one morning and found some gorgeous flowers and waterfowl.
It’s not too surprising that visitors to the Historic Downtown District of Williams, Arizona, enjoy strolling the picturesque sidewalks of old Route 66. On our two visits to the town, however, we did most of our exploring in the forest behind our hotel. After a delicious dinner at the Fiesta Mexican Grill, we headed back to the Best Western Plus […]
I slipped my roots round the stony soil Like rings on the hand of a bride, And my boughs took hold of the summer’s smile And grew out green and wide. I grew up in a valley rich in heritage oak trees, and they feature in some of my best childhood memories. The various species found in the Sacramento Valley […]
Every now and then a couple of my interests will happen to coincide in ways I never expected. That happened recently after my fascination for Chinese history and California history brought me to read Heather B. Moore’s novel The Paper Daughters of Chinatown (published in September 2020). Although in novel form, the story, set in San Francisco of the late […]
I do love the season of autumn; but for right now I’m finding comfort in memories of last spring, a season of hope and optimism, when wildflowers sprang up all around and I was able to go out to the Phoenix Park vernal ponds in between rain showers to breathe the fresh air and practice my macro photography skills with […]
Today the chances are high that I’m somewhere in the outdoors, soaking up some natural beauty and avoiding anything to do with current events. And after watching this episode of California’s Golden Parks — originally aired in January 2006 — I would just love to be on Catalina Island exploring this beautiful and unique botanical garden. I’ve been a botanical […]
It’s been awhile since I hiked the Monte Vista Loop, and we picked a day that was pretty much perfect. It had rained overnight, so there was enough lingering dampness to keep down the dust and prevent the burs and foxtails from being too bothersome. I also didn’t intend to hike the full 3-mile loop, but there was so much […]
Today I’m wrapping up my look at our drive through northern Texas last summer. As we left the Panhandle region and traveled south along Route 287 toward the Dallas-Fort Worth area, we crossed the Red River into Childress County. The highway roughly parallels the Texas-Oklahoma state line for about 70 miles. I do wish there had been time to stop […]