This episode of California’s Golden Parks, originally aired in January 2005, sees Huell visiting Pio Pico State Historic Park in Whittier. The house was built in 1850, after Pio Pico’s time as governor of Mexican California had come to an end and around the time California became the 31st state. At its largest, Pio Pico’s ranch was 8,894 acres; nowadays […]
Although this one-hour episode of Visiting originally aired in August 2006, I do feel like it’s fitting, as we say hello to a brand new year, to take a long look at the the stars that surround us, to consider our place in the universe, and to ponder where we have been and where we are going. Another more personal […]
I sometimes wonder why Huell is often so worried about “giving away” the point of the show when the title itself is a huge clue! But either way, Huell has a lot of fun in this musical episode of Visiting which originally aired back in October 2000. And while the blurb below mentions Schroeder from Charles Schulz’ Peanuts cartoon, I […]
Concrete boats was not an entirely new concept to me, but until watching this episode of Visiting, originally aired March 2002, I never realized their construction was such a high-tech and complicated endeavor. This ASCE competition for engineering students started in 1988 and is still going on in 2024. The winners of this year’s finals competition were the University of […]
The final instalment of my images from Southlake, Texas, in June 2023. The Kirkwood Branch was swollen and muddy, and although I could see a trail on the other bank, I had no temptation to wade across. I knew if I stayed on this side and kept walking, I would eventually find the Big Guy at whatever spot along the […]
It seems such a shame that progress so often tends to wipe away remnants of the past with its frequently rich culture and diverse ethnic heritage. That was the case in downtown Stockton, where construction of the Ort J. Lofthus Crosstown Freeway impacted not only the Filipino community but also those of the Chinese, Japanese, Hispanic, and other minority groups. […]
Although Huell’s focus was mainly on the places and people of California, there were a few instances when he ventured further afield. This one-hour episode of Visiting, originally aired in April 1997, is a perfect example — and with Thanksgiving in the U.S. this week, as well as wintery weather arriving in much of the Northern Hemisphere, I decided it […]
These days there are Busch Gardens theme parks in both Tampa Bay, Florida, and Williamsburg, Virginia. However, in this episode of California’s Gold (originally aired 20 years ago, on November 7, 2004) Huell begins by talking about a once very popular Southern California tourist attraction — the Busch Gardens in Van Nuys, which closed back in 1979. I never visited […]
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 […]