Here is another look back to photos from earlier this year — this time my visit to the Petrified Forest near Calistoga in late May. I drove about 1½ hours from where we were staying on the northeast shore of Clear Lake, taking Highway 29 south toward Calistoga. While it was kind of a long drive, the trip was fun […]
The third California mission established in 1776, San Francisco de Asís is more familiarly known as Mission Dolores. I finally got a chance to visit last month and spent an afternoon exploring the original mission building, the basilica next door, and the small cemetery. Here are just a few of my images, although I have a lot more!
Over the past 8 years, I’ve really enjoyed sharing links to episodes of the various shows Huell Howser created during his time at KCET in Los Angeles. And I’ve always been very happy to showcase the Chapman University Archives in doing so. But recently their page has changed one single aspect that’s making it very difficult for me to continue […]
More mid-morning images from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in late October 2023.
If you’re into history (like me) and if you love trees (again, like me) this episode is the perfect fit! Although this episode originally aired over 20 years ago on October 10, 2003, both trees still survive — more or less. You may not see the historic Vizcaino-Serra oak tree standing tall in its original location, but if you are […]
I have heard the story of San Francisco’s great earthquake and fire in 1906 countless times, but walking around certain parts of the city can still bring the history back to life in unexpected ways. Visiting the California Academy of Sciences in 2016, I entered the earthquake simulator and experienced first the shaking of the Loma Prieta quake in 1989 […]
There are a number of different Chinatowns in California these days. The one in San Francisco is probably the best known, as it’s fairly large and still thriving, very popular with tourists. In contrast, San Luis Obisbo’s Chinatown has very nearly disappeared, with only one original building remaining — Ah Louis store, first built in 1874. One of the main […]
Whenever I’m able to spend a few days in San Francisco, as a rule I try to avoid doing the most obvious tourist stuff. Of course, this rule must occasionally be broken — like when I visited Alcatraz for the first time back in 2018. And this year I feel like I broke the rule again when I ventured to […]