California and Family and some hot days

I'm not saying it was hot when we arrived in Redding, California but it was very hot!!! 104


It was so hot the vacant fields had their own Fire Plugs.


When we arrived it was off to the pool and watching Christian and his "Hulk" floaties


Plus a little ball throwing - nice to swim when its 105 outside.


Jason had a great floating car to drive.


Even Sharyn got into the swim of things.


Sharyn had fun pushing Samantha on her Yellow and purple Dino...

Well I had to get a shot of the colorful trees by the pool.


Steven even got into the pool for some fun.


Then he was mobbed by the kids.


The next day we went out for pizza and were thankful for Steven and Martha's minivan.


We wen to Mike's Pizza on the main drag of Angels Camp, CA


I even got a shot of the Napkin dispenser to feed my artistic side.


I went outside to get a shot of the store next door called Cherokee Flat.


The building marker set the date the building was erected.


Food came and Samantha and Christian dug in.


Davis was waiting for his share of the food.


Samantha had a big smile after lunch and ...

... we went outside for a family portrait with the Giant Pizza frog


On the way to the town of Columbia we went by the Serbian Orthodox church on Main street in Angels Camp.

New Melones Lake is formed on the Stanislaus River.

"The lake is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range at approximately 1,100 feet above sea level. The New Melones Dam is 60 miles (96 km) upstream from the confluence of the San Joaquin and Stanislaus Rivers, 40 miles east of Stockton, and approximately 125 miles east of San Francisco."

Robinson Ferry used to cross the river here. The marker reads:

"In 1848 John W. Robinson and Stephen Mead established ferry transport for freight, animals and persons across river. In 1856 Harvey Wood purchased interest and later acquired property which was maintained by Wood Family until 1911. Charges were 50 cents for each passenger, horse, jenny or other animal. "

Christian had been licking a blue sucker and posed to show the result.


Handsome David and beautiful Samantha posed on the rock wall for a picture.

We were almost to Columbia, California and would also visit Mark Twain's Cabin where he wrote of the Jumping Frog of Calivaris County. Next blog will have some pictures of the Old town.

PS it was 109 when I took this picture. Way too hot.

Scrabble Score Scrabble Queen 324 the contender 318

Quote(s) of the Day ~

“One cool judgment is worth a thousand hasty counsels. The thing to do is to supply light and not heat.” ~ Woodrow T. Wilson quotes (American 28th President of the United States 1856-1924)

“When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” ~ Ronald Reagan quotes (American 40th US President (1981- 89), 1911-2004)

“It ain't the heat; it's the humility.” ~ Yogi Berra quotes (American professional Baseball Player and Manager. b.1925)

Field Burning in Creswell

It was even put on the MSNBC Web Site.

"Creswell (KMTR) – For miles around, Lane County residents and visitors could see a big plume of smoke south of Eugene Tuesday afternoon. And then came a flurry of phone calls and emails to NewsSource 16 from viewers wondering what was causing the fire.

It turned out to be field burning near Creswell. The precise location was south of Dillard Road and west of I-5. Up to 900 acres of grass fields were approved for burning.

The smoke generated a lot of calls to 911. "

The the sky was filled with smoke so thick I noticed the decreased in light and a peach colored hue on everything. So I decided to drive over and look at the fire.


From near our home you can see the plume of smoke over some neighborhood homes.

As I got closer it was apparent the fire was dying out...

But them I saw another field just starting to burn.


I found a spot to shoot at the old Foster Farms Chicken processing plant.


Looking nort and a little west I noticed the fire was getting larger quickly.


Suddenly it looked like a huge explosion.


The smoke began to rise on either side of the main column.


The the main column began to grow at the base.


It was an overpowering and incredible sight.

I
I moved to another location in a new edition being built here in Creswell and that's when I spotted this branch of dark smoke behaving much like a tornado. Having seen a tornado and many "Dust Devils" in the past I'd say this one was somewhere in between.


Then it seemed to spread like a wall of smoke about a quarter of a mile wide.


Then re-consolidated into one column again and I noticed we were getting fallout.


It wasn't fangerous fallout unless you're allergic to straw and ash (more straw than ash) and it littered the streets.


I took one more picture of the fire as I left that new neighborhood.


On the way home I took a picture on a street near our home about 2-3 miles away and it sees we had as much or more fallout as that neighborhood 1/2 mile from the inferno.


The fire had pretty much died leaving a huge cloud over Creswell...


... and this ash ball about the size of a TV remote control in front of our house

Scrabble Score - Scrabble Queen 312 - The Contender 335 Yippie!

Quote of the Day ~

"Emotions are running wild over this election. Cannot imagine what the outcome will be." V.E. Moyers - Texan (by way of Missouri),

While Sharyn took off for the North Coast trail I walked the South coast trail to the back entrance of the garden. We parted company after visiting the indoor observation deck (Oregon Weather requires covered places at times because of the rains).



While Sharyn headed north toward the tennis courts of the old Louie & Cassie Simpson Estate...

... I headed south toward the bleached root ball of a giant toppled tree.


The trail I took was bordered by a fence line along the cliff side. I liked the ornament on top of the posts and took this picture.


There is a bay to the southern side of the trail with a great and powerful arm reaching into the Pacific Ocean.

Deeper inland there is actually a nice beach with tide pools this family was exploring.


After walking the trail I made it to the Gardens (see the blog from yesterday.) then joined Sharyn at the Musemobile.


She couldn't wait to take me back on the North Trail and see the original Tennis Courts of the Simpson Estate...


... and another Gian root ball.


A little further north and we found these cool shapes jutting out of the cliff. I thought this one looked like a turtle.


Sharyn sat on a rock and I guess she didn't see the snake looking shape behind her.


This holey rock even came with a feather.


These weird shapes were all over and they were a creation of nature wearing away the softer material leaving the harder material exposed.


Some were a little more colorful and looked more like fractures than normal wind and water erosion.


This small inlet was like one very large tide pool.

All the trees were not uprooted most were snapped in two probably by the fierce Pacific winds.




I did get another picture of the exposed roots I like them so much.


I also got this tide pool to show just how clear the water was that day.


These were more odd shaped just beneath the observation point.


Another type of weathering is not the shapes of exposed rock but the hollows and holes.


Oh! If you wonder why there is a fence on the trail you just have to look down.


After leaving we stopped at a pullout to get a shot of the Cape Arago Lighthouse.

The lighthouse is out on an islet just off Gregory Point and not open to the public. Light atop 44-foot high tower was illuminated in 1934. Although newest in terms of service, earlier structures were built on site in 1866 and 1908, both succumbing to weather and erosion.

We went back to the Campground and after a good night's sleep went north along the coast in the Musemobile. Sharyn had walked on the beach that night and found yet another view of the lighthouse.


I don't have a super telephoto lens but I did get an OK shot of the lighthouse from there.


I thought this was a nice shot of a couple holding hands and walking their dogs. I thought it interesting she had her dog close and under control while his dog was out doing its own thing. Yes they are both on a leash. I also notice she had a firm grip on her man as well.


This young guy was walking the surf alone and looking like he was contemplating something important.


There was one big swell coming in U got a shot of or maybe the back of a whale (using my imagination).


There were more feathers all around because the birds are plentiful around pacific beaches. Some were half buried..


... while others looked like they fell from the sky.

Scrabble Score - Scrabble Queen is still scratching her head in defeat after The Contender's two bingos.

Quote of the Day ~

"It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity." ~ Francis Bacon was an English philosopher, statesman, and author.