I fell in love with the look of the classic roll-top desk sometime in my teenage years; ever since then I’ve often fantasized about owning my own, with its locking top and proliferation of tiny drawers and shelves. There was never enough money or enough room in my house, and I already had a perfectly good desk, so the fantasy […]
Earlier this month, in my continuing quest to photograph as many California Historical Landmarks as possible, I drove for nearly an hour from Eagle Lake to Susanville. I was searching for three sites in particular; the first was Peter Lassen’s grave, and the second was Roop’s Fort. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived at what is now Memorial Park, it […]
I have heard many times about the State of Jefferson but never knew the origin story until I watched this 1-hour episode of Road Trip, originally aired February 7, 2008. In fact, I very recently learned that Jefferson is not the only ‘alternative’ state in California’s past: the Territory of Nataqua existed for a short time in northeastern California and […]
I’m not sure how I managed to miss this cozy little houseboat a few years ago on my first visit to San Francisco’s Maritime National Museum. I suppose I was in a hurry to explore the vessels with tall masts just a bit farther along the Hyde Street Pier. I can’t help thinking that living aboard this type of “ark,” […]
As much as I enjoyed the many works of art in San Francisco’s Legion of Honor, it felt amazing to walk into a room and find myself standing inside a lavishly decorated and furnished room from pre-Revolution-era France. There are three such exhibit spaces in the museum, covering the 17th and 18th centuries. I shot all but the top photo […]
Although I have a bit of family history centering on the Yuba City area, I’ve never really explored that region; and I tend to forget that there was a lot of Gold Rush history along the Yuba River back in the 1850s. In fact, a long stretch along the river west of Timbuctoo looks very familiar to me because it […]
San Francisco’s Maritime Museum wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting when I walked in the door. For one thing, the upper floors were closed off and only the main level was open (although it was free to look around). The friendly docent behind the desk told me that if I was interested in maritime artifacts I should check out the […]
Arthur Harold Beal was a true California character, the creator of a one-of-a-kind house that in 1986 was designated California Historical Monument #939. Huell’s visit to the site originally aired on September 25, 2002. Unfortunately, the house was sold in 2022 and is currently listed as permanently closed. But because it was such a popular and quirky attraction, searching online […]
Last Wednesday I took a look at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, so today it seemed appropriate to share photos of some of the Egyptian artifacts I saw recently at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor art museum. It was my very first visit to this fine art museum, and I highly recommend taking the time to explore its […]