The pomegranate fruit may seem fairly intimidating to those of us accustomed to bananas and apples, but they have long been used in cooking and they pack a serious nutritional punch. The pomegranate plant originated in the arid climates of the Middle East — in fact they were one of the eastern Mediterranean’s first domesticated fruit trees — but have […]
I was able to visit the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park about a month ago; it was my first time back in decades, after first seeing the park during grade school. Unlike Huell, we didn’t meet any miners on our visit; but there’s still plenty to see and a lot to learn about California’s Gold Rush history and all […]
There’s an awful lot to see and to learn at the Gold Bug Park and Mine in Placerville. We spent only part of the morning there and had a great time.
This weekend we will be observing not only Earth Day (Sunday, April 22) but also the anniversary of the birth of John Muir (Saturday, April 21), who is often called the “patron saint of the American wilderness.” So this week I’ve chosen an episode of California’s Gold in which Huell has a fascinating conversation with John Muir with the beauty […]
After last week’s post in which Huell paid a visit to San Nicolas Island, I thought I would go ahead and continue the theme of visiting the Channel Islands off the coast of Santa Barbara. This episode is all about San Miguel Island. Unlike San Nicolas, San Miguel is part of the National Park system, so it’s open to visitors. […]
I’ve shared these images before, but I was frustrated at not being able to identify the flowers, especially since I’ve noticed them in a few different places around my area lately. I finally solved the mystery today, but it was thanks to a trip to the Friends of Folsom Library’s annual book sale, where I filled a grocery bag with […]
There are as few as 4000 snow leopards in the wild, and their numbers are declining due to habitat loss, poaching and the impact of climate change — World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
The beautiful Sumatran tiger is critically endangered, with only around 400 left in the shrinking forests of Indonesia. This one lives at the Sacramento Zoo.
In this episode of California’s Gold, Huell takes a ride into the back country of the Starr Ranch in Southern California. The Starr Ranch Sanctuary is a beautiful haven in the middle of suburban Orange County; once a working ranch, it now remains as a precious remnant of “old California.” Ever since I first saw this episode I’ve been periodically […]