Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year's Eve 2012

Sharon, Jack and I had a late dinner at the Firehouse Restaurant in Old Sacramento. We didn't realize that they were having fireworks shows at 9 p.m. and midnight. As a result, Old Sacramento was packed and parking was a struggle. Nevertheless, we had a nice leisurely dinner. Sharon had a filet, Jack had veal and I had scallops. Some neighbors of Sharon's parents were sitting at the next table.

Leaving the restaurant a little after 10 p.m., we walked into a major crime scene. There were cops, police cars, fire trucks and ambulances everywhere on Second Street. The police were in the process of closing off the street. As a result, we had to take a circuitous route back to the car. With helicopters walking overhead, Sharon remarked that it seemed like a war zone. It turned out that there had been a fight and a gun battle in a sports bar half a block from the restaurant. Two people were killed and three injured. The police ended up canceling the midnight fireworks show and shutting down Old Sacramento.

We finished the night on the master bedroom balcony watching some distance fireworks displays to the south. The most interesting thing was listening to the turkeys in the park going crazy from all of the noise...

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Sway by Amber McRee Turner

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Sway by Amber McRee Turner

Code Expiration: March 26, 2013

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love - featuring Mary Lambert

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love - featuring Mary Lambert

Code Expiration: March 26, 2013

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Waymarking in Placer, Yuba and Nevada Counties

With my company spread around Northern California and my job taking me to most of the sites, I started more than seven and a half years ago visiting, photographing and mapping California Historical Landmarks across Northern California. As we have traveled on vacation over the last few years, I have expanded that to other parts of California and other states [Arizona, Idaho, New York, Nevada and Pennsylvania] and to include National Register of Historic Places and some E Clampus Vitus historical markers.

Sunday morning, I made a circle through Placer, Yuba and Nevada Counties, including Marysville, Grass Valley and Nevada City. I stopped at seventeen California Historical Landmarks, including: Home of Lola Montez [#292]; Home of Lotta Crabtree [#293]; Site of one of the First Discoveries of Quartz Gold in California [#297]; Empire Mine [#298]; Timbuctoo [#320]; Smartsville [#321]; Virginiatown [#400]; Overland Emigrant Trail [#799]; Overland Emigrant Trail [#799-3]; South Yuba Canal Office [#832]; North Star Mine Powerhouse [#843]; Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy [#855]; Nevada Theatre [#863]; Bok Kai Temple [#889]; National Hotel [#899]; Holbrooke Hotel [#914], and; First Manufacturing Site of the Pelton Wheel [#1012].

definition: Waymarking

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Frame Family Wine Tasting

Frame Family Wine Tasting

While I took Jack to Outlaws baseball practice and to lift at the club, Sharon, Tim, Kathy, Erin, Dylan and Kevin spent the day wine tasting in Napa. They started at Bouchaine, went to Darioush, had lunch at Hurleys and finished the day at Hope and Grace.

Frame Family Wine Tasting

Friday, December 28, 2012

American River Trail Bike Ride

Sharon and I rode our bikes just under 20 miles along the American River Bike Trail. Starting from Bannister Park in Fair Oaks, we rode all the way to Folsom. We stopped and had lunch at Q'bole. Like our ride in September, I rode my mountain bike. Note to self, I have got to get a new road bike this spring. I struggled to keep with Sharon cruising along on her road bike.


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Thursday, December 27, 2012

Life of Pi

Jack and Drew

After staying up to almost 2 a.m., the boys slept late. We eventually had breakfast at the Waffle Barn on Fair Oaks. Drew and I replaced the battery in Bruce and then he took off for Homewood.

In the early afternoon, Sharon, Jack and I went to see Life of Pi. This was something that was on Sharon's list for the Christmas holiday. Jack had to read the book for his English XL class. Sharon also read the book this fall. I am not sure what to think about the movie...

We finished the day with dinner at reopened Piatti's on Fair Oaks Blvd. The food was only so, so.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Drew


Drew spent the night with us. Sharon made a great dinner of prime rib, baked potatoes and green beans. Afterwards, we exchanged Christmas gifts.

After dinner and presents, Drew and Jack started playing FIFA Soccer 2013 against each other. Drew said later that he and Max played FIFA constantly his senior year at UCI. They were still going strong about 2 a.m. when I finally went down and chased them to bed!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Day 2012


The three of us had a very nice Christmas morning opening presents around the tree. We had a lazy breakfast of french toast.

In the early afternoon, we went out for a movie on Christmas Day for the fourth year in a row. We went with Tom and Kevin to see The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey at the Century 14. Sharon didn't like the film; she found it repetitious and slow. The movie was almost three hours long. While I liked it more, I have to agree with one of the reviews that I read that the film is bloated.

We finished the day with a Christmas dinner of honey baked ham. Jack had requested this specifically.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Rayman Jungle Run

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Rayman Jungle Run

A mad dash from start to finish!

Code Expiration: March 19, 2013

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics - Heartlite

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics - Heartlite

Code Expiration: March 19, 2013

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve 2012

We spent most of the day getting the house cleaned and the food prepared for Christmas Eve. In the early afternoon, the three of us met Tom, Becky and Kevin at St. Ignatius for 4:00 p.m. Christmas Mass. I was surprised to run into the Wackmans.


After Mass, we rushed home. For the second straight year, we hosted Christmas Eve. The group included Tom, Becky, Kevin, Tim, Kathy, Eileen, Erin, Erin's Boyfriend Dylan and Jim Dunn. Of the traditional group, only Eric was missing; he is in China. Sharon made a great dinner of short ribs, celery root mash potatoes and green beans. Tom bought a cheese cake for desert.


After dinner, we exchanged gifts. There was nothing quite as exciting as the 4 1/2 foot sword that Tom came Jack last night. Highlights included a Notre Dame flag and banner for Jack from the Toms.

The evening seemed to run later than usual. Even without starting to get the house cleaned up, it was after midnight before I got to bed.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Mad Men - Season Three


Sharon and I finished watching season three of Mad Men on the AppleTv. Season three takes place six months after the conclusion of the second season (roughly April/May 1963) and ends in December 1963. While the second season ended with the Cuban missile crisis, the third season's ending revolves around the assassination of President Kennedy.

As I mentioned after watching the first season, the series is not what I expected. There are story lines that I find more than a little depressing. Frankly, some of these hit a little too close to home. More on all of this some day when I write my novel...

[Mad Men - Season Two]

[Mad Men - Season One]

Saturday, December 22, 2012

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation


Sharon, Jack and I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation as a HD rental on the AppleTV.

After it was over, Sharon said "I thought that it would be better..."

Virtually Biking Across America - Day 40


On day 40, I rode 17.6 miles across southwestern Wyoming. Starting from the intersection of Highway 28 and County Road 21, I traveled northeast. Exiting Highway 28 at the Lander-Pinedale Stage Road, I turned left on to the Emigrant Trail. I finished the ride at the Pacific Springs Pony Express Station [N42 20 13.0 W108 56 18.0].

The next stretch of the ride cuts cross-country on the Emigrant and Oregon Trails. The trip log for Virtually Biking Across America is here.

Friday, December 21, 2012

California Historical Landmark #1036

Coast Guard Lightship WLV 605 – Relief (decommissioned)
California State Historical Landmark #1036

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
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This landmark is located in Jack London Square, Oakland, California. There are 36 other California State Historical Landmarks in Alameda County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 37° 47.741 W 122° 16.837.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

California Historical Landmark #1036

Lightships were floating lighthouses anchored in areas where it was too deep, expensive, or impractical to construct a lighthouse. Lightship WLV 605 was built by the Rice Brothers Shipyard in Boothbay, Maine, and was one of six lightships constructed by the Coast Guard. She was commissioned in 1951 and served at Overfalls lightship station off Delaware coast. In 1959 she was transferred to the Blunts Reef station off Cape Mendocino, where she served until 1969. In 1969 she was assigned as “Relief” for all West Coast lightship stations. She was retired from duty in 1975, and decommissioned the following year. The WLV-605 is one of a small number of only 22 surviving American lightships in the United States and she is the last lightship in California. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The President and the Assassin by Scott Miller

I finished reading The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century by Scott Miller. I brought the book after seeing the author interviewed on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

I have started a long term project to read one or more books about every American President. This book provides an overview of the life and presidency of William McKinley, but really focuses on the last ten years of the 20th century. The book also tells the story of Leon Czolgosz, McKinley's killer.

There are two major story lines interwoven through the book. First, the late 20th century is marked by the growth of the industrial complex, including large factories and very large market dominating trusts. With few labor laws and almost no unions, workers were disposable cogs in the system. The treatment of workers in most large companies was horrific.

The growth of anarchist movement was partly driven by the treatment of workers. During this period, anarchists assassinated a number of political figures. Czolgosz claimed to have been heavily influenced by anarchists such as Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman. In addition to McKinley, Umberto I (King of Italy), Sadi Carnot (the President of France), Empress Elisabeth (the consort of Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary) and King Carlos (Portugal) and his son, Crown Prince Luis Filipe were killed by anarchists.

Second, the Spanish-America War is a seminal event of this period. It marked America's emergence on the world stage. The United States gained Cuba, the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico as result of the war with Spain. McKinley's motivation for entering the war was at least partially driven by a desire to provide additional markets for American goods produced by the large companies.

Sinking of the Maine plays a key role in the Spanish-America War. We walked through the memorial to the Maine at Arlington Cemetary last year. Additionally, there is a monument to Commodore Dewey's victory over the Spanish fleet in the Phillippines in Union Square in San Francisco.

I enjoyed the book. I love the idea of looking at a historical figure largely in the context of the events of the period. I know a lot more about the late 20th century than I did before. While I liked it, the book is not as crisply written as some biographies as I have read. I grade the book a solid B.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Eric and Jack


Jack with Eric, one of his cousins.. Eric is a sophomore at Gonzaga. He will be study for a semester in Florence starting in January. On his way, Eric will be spending two weeks--including Christmas and New Years--in China with stops in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Tomasins

This is great picture. Tomasin played rugby on Saturday with his two sons and his nephew in a tournament in Chico. David played break (6), Mikey played scrum half (9), Tomasin played fly half (10) and Stephen played wing (14).

Tomasin and I went to the 1991 Rugby World Cup in Great Britain and to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Tomasins

[more Tomasin rugby pictures here]

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Virtually Biking Across America - Day 39


On day 39, I rode 25.9 miles across southwestern Wyoming. I started the ride at an Oregon Trails Historical site near the Big Timber Station Pony Express Station on Highway 28. I rode through Farson past the Big Sandy Pony Express Station [N42 06 34.4 W109 27 00.7] and then continued northeast on Highway 28. I stopped at the intersection of Highway 28 and County Road 21.

The trip log for Virtually Biking Across America is here.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Christmas Party

For the fifth year in a row [2011, 2010, 2009, 2008], Sharon and I went to a Christmas Party at the home of my boss. The group included IS leaders from across the organization, their spouses and significant others.

At the end of the evening, they held a white elephant gift exchange. We took a copy of the Milo Greene CD. Sheri Solhtalab and her husband ended up with the CD.

We finished the night talking to Bobbie, Donna and Kevin. The Heringers and the Gainsleys were the last guests to leave...

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Barboursville

Sharon, Jack and I stopped at the Barboursville Vineyards after visiting Montecello.

Barboursville
National Register of Historic Places #1969000267

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
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This site is located south of the junction of Routes 777 and 678, Barboursville, Virginia. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 09.738 W 078° 16.843.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

Barboursville

Barboursville is the ruin of the estate of former U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of War, and Virginia Governor James Barbour. The house was designed by Barbour's friend and political ally, Thomas Jefferson. Until it burned on Christmas day, 1884, Barbour's house stood essentially as completed from designs by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson designed the house in the then fashionable Neo-Palladian style.

During the fire of 1884 everything except the exterior brick walls, the interior masonry partitions, and the columns of the porticoes perished. The ruins have been stabilized and are maintained as a tourist attraction.

The ruin is now owned by Barboursville Vineyards and sits within the winery's property. Visitors to the winery can visit the ruins. On summer evenings, theatrical and musical productions are presented at the ruin.

Barboursville
Barboursville

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

ESPN Films 30 for 30: You Don't Know Bo


Sharon, Jack and I watched You Don't Know Bo after the Heisman Award Ceremony on Saturday. This is the fifth installment of ESPN's 30 for 30 Vol II. An episode guide for Vol II is here.

You Don't Know Bo looks at the athletic career of Bo Jackson. Bo was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports.

In baseball, he played left field and was a designated hitter for the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox and the California Angels of the American League in Major League Baseball. Bo was voted to start for the American League All-Star team in 1989. Bo was named the game's MVP for his play on both offense and defense. He is one of two players in All-Star Game history to hit a home run and steal a base in the same game (the other is Willie Mays).

Playing football after the baseball season ended, Bo played running back for the Los Angeles Raiders. In 1990, Bo was named to the NFL Pro Bowl. He also ran a 40-yard dash in 4.12 seconds which is still the fastest verifiable 40-yard dash time ever recorded at any NFL Combine.

Bo played football and baseball at Auburn University He won the 1985 Heisman Trophy, the prize annually awarded to the most outstanding collegiate football player in the United States.

In 1989 and 1990, Bo starred in a series of ads for Nike along side Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Bo Diddley promoting a cross-training athletic shoe. I have some very strong memories of the "Bo Knows" advertising campaign.

I was really looking forward to seeing this documentary and was not disappointed; it was very good. I was surprised that they said almost nothing about what Bo Jackson did after this career was over.

Sharon said afterwards how much she enjoyed the film. Additionally, after the game on Sunday, Jack said that he was just like Bo when he turned on the jets going from first to third against the Golden Spikes. Obviously, the film left an impression on him too!

I am not crazy of how they used a few cartoons to illustrate a couple of sequences early in the film. The same technique and maybe even the same artist were used in Benji.

You Don't Know Bo is available on iTunes.

A trailer for the film is here.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Mad Men - Season Two


Sharon and I finished watching season two of Mad Men on the AppleTv. The second season opens on Valentine's Day, 1962 about fifteen months after the events of season one. Season two takes place between February and October 1962, culminating with the Cuban Missile Crisis.

I am frankly surprised by the amount of adultery depicted in the series. I tend to think of the 60's as a simpler time, but that is probably naive.

I am fascinated by how troubled a person they paint the lead character, Don Draper. As I said after watching Season One, this is not what I was expecting.

[Mad Men - Season One]

Sunday, December 09, 2012

2012 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #15 Day #2

Back at the Mather Sports Complex for the Super Series Smushballs Winter Freeze baseball tournament, the Outlaws were seeded first for the elimination games. They played the Golden Spikes. Although they played a Golden Spikes team once before, this team had a completely different line-up.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 3 with a triple and a run scored. In his first at-bat, Jack fell behind 0 and 2 in the count. Protecting the plate, he hit a soft grounder to the right side and was thrown out at first.

Jack crushed a 3 and 1 pitch into right center in his second plate appearance. He told me later that he didn't realize how far the ball had gone until he rounded first. The ball one bounced to the wall. At that point, Jack turned on the jets and motored into third for a triple. He scored on a suicide squeeze bunt from Josh.

In his third at-bat, Jack lined a 3 and 2 pitch into centerfield for an out.

As we were walking to the car after the game, Jack said that he was disappointed that they didn't win and play the second game because he felt like his swing was starting to round into shape...

In the field, Jack played four innings at first base and three innings in centerfield. He had 7 put-outs and 2 assists. Jack took five throws from the pitcher, the second baseman and the shortstop for put-outs at first. While he was at first, he handled two pop-ups to the left side for outs. Breyton also picked off a runner for a 1-3-6 put-out. While he was in centerfield, Jack ran down a line drive in short right center and made a great throw to second base to force out a runner.

Committing three errors and giving up two unearned runs, the Outlaws fell to the Golden Spikes by the score of 4 to 2 and were eliminated from the tournament. The Outlaws managed only three hits: Jack's triple and a single and a double by Breyton. The box score is here.

Jack will start work-outs with the Jesuit baseball team in early January. The try-outs will be held in early February. The Jesuit baseball team is supposed to be one of the hardest teams to make at the school. I am hoping that the Outlaws will play one tournament in January.

Saturday, December 08, 2012

Virtually Biking Across America - Day 38



On day 38, I rode a short 14.6 miles across southwestern Wyoming in the morning before work. I started the ride near the Green River Crossing Pony Express Station on the west bank of Green River above the mouth of Big Sandy Creek. Heading north to Highway 28, I turned right and headed northeast. I finished the ride at an Oregon Trails Historical site near the Big Timber Station Pony Express Station.

iFit rolled out an upgraded web site. I like the new maps, but a number of other features are in disarray, including the ability to display the workout in Google streetview and build longer rides.

The trip log for Virtually Biking Across America is here.


Friday, December 07, 2012

2012 Outlaws Baseball Tournament #15 Day #1

Super Series Smushballs Winter Freeze

The Outlaws played in the Super Series Smushballs Winter Freeze tournament at the Mather Sports complex. I have been after the team for the last month to play at least one tournament in December and one in January. After last weekend's NCTB 14u bracket was dropped they moved to this weekend.

The Outlaws played the Brown Sox in the first game of a rare Friday night game under the lights. The Outlaws lost to the Brown Sox by the score of 15 to 3 in September.

At the plate, Jack was 0 for 3. In his first at-bat, he grounded a 2 and 1 pitch to the right side. Leland was forced out at second and Jack was safe at first. Jack stole second and went to third on Josh's sacrifice bunt. He made too big a turn and was tagged out. With the bases loaded in the third and two out, Jack drove a 0 and 2 pitch into left field in his second plate appearance. I thought that it might drop, but the left fielder made a nice running play for the out. In his third at-bat, Jack struck out swinging on a 0 and 2 pitch.

In the field, Jack played two innings at third and four innings in centerfield. He has expressed an interest in playing some outfield in order to get better prepared for high school baseball. Jack had one put-out and one assist. While at third, he handled a grounder to the left side and made a nice throw for the out at first. In center, Jack handled a high pop-out for an out.

With the score tied 4 to 4 in the bottom of the sixth and time expiring, Breyton struck out, but the field umpire had called time-out. Given a second life, Breyton walked. Kyle then walked and Nick singled. JJ laid down a perfect bunt to score Breyton and win the game. The Outlaws won the game by the score of 5 to 4. The box score is here.

The Outlaws turned around and played the West Coast Prospects. Although, I recognized the names of a couple of the boys, this is not a team that they have played before.

At the plate, Jack was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. In his first at-bat, Jack fell behind 2 and 1. He fouled off two pitches, took a ball and then grounded a 2 and 2 pitch to the left side into the hole. The shortstop got to the ball, but hustling up the line, Jack was safe at first. He stole second and went to third on Josh's ground out, but ended the inning there. Jack walked on five pitches in his second plate appearance. He went to second on Josh's walk, to third on Breyton's fielder's choice and scored on Kyle's single. In his third at-bat, Jack struck out swinging on a 1 and 2 pitch. Jack also ran for Josh in the third inning. He stole second, went to third on Breyton's single and scored on an error by the third baseman.

In the field, Jack played three innings in centerfield and three innings at third base. He had one assist. With runners on second and third, a ball was grounded to the left side. Jack faked the throw to first and ended up with two runners at third base. He threw back to second base to get the runner trying to return to second.

With the temperature in the high 30's, the Outlaws beat a weak West Coast Prospects team by the score of 6 to 3. The box score is here.

I try not to get too emotionally involved in the games, but I lost my temper during the second game for probably only the second time in the last few years.

The Outlaws ended the day seeded first in the tournament. In an odd format, they will skip Saturday and play on Sunday afternoon.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Hike from Corniglia to Vernazza

When we were Italy this summer, we hiked parts of the trail in Cinque Terre, including the section from Corniglia to Vernazza on July 5. Using data from Runkeeper on my iPhone, I generated the following views of the hike in Google Earth and a map in Google Maps. I didn't start recording until we had gotten a little ways out of Corniglia. I need to post some pictures of the climb from the train station to the city of Corniglia; the train station is on the bottom left side of first image. The trail from Manarola to Corniglia was closed due landslides.

This hike and the hike that we did in Amalfi are definitely on my top ten list of highlights from the trip.




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Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Fort Churchill Post Headquarters

Wandering home after this year's Petersen Shootout, this is one of the places I stopped. I visited five Nevada State historical markers [Buckland's Station #192, Camels in Dayton #199, Halls Station #200, Chinatown #163 and Dayton #7] and three Pony Express Markers [Nevada Station, Dayton and Fort Churchill] and wandered through the Fort Churchill ruins.

Fort Churchill Post Headquarters
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps

This waymark is located in Fort Churchill State Historic Park, Silver Springs, Nevada. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 39° 17.600 W 119° 16.182.

A list of Pony Express Waymarks that I have visited can be found here. You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

Fort Churchill Post Headquarters

Indian raids and the interruption of Pony Express mail service spurred the construction of Fort Churchill on the banks of the Carson River. Captain Joseph Stewart and his men began building the fort on July 20, 1860, as a permanent installation, consisting of adobe buildings erected on stone foundations. This fort housed the Pony Express station in its headquarters building, which is still standing. When Richard Burton arrived on October 19, 1860, he gave it a positive review and named Captain F. F. Flint as the commander.

Fort Churchill Post Headquarters

Post Headquarters

The commander's office and courtroom were located in this building which served as the administrative headquarters of the fort.

Between the post headquarters and the officers quarters ran the Pony Express. The rider would stop here momentarily to pick up mail.

Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Rod Stewart - Silent Night

The complete list of Starbucks iTunes picks of the week is here!
Starbucks iTunes Pick of the Week - Rod Stewart - Silent Night

The legendary singer brings his inimitable voice to one of the enduring classics in the Christmas canon.

Code Expiration: February 26, 2013

Monday, December 03, 2012

Milo Greene in the United Kingdom

Milo Greene will be touring England, Scotland and Ireland in January!

Tickets: http://www.milogreene.com/live
Album on sale in U.K. iTunes Store on January 21: http://bit.ly/TkiCp2

January 22nd - Bristol - Louisiana
January 23rd - London - St. Pancras Church
January 25th - Manchester - Castle Hotel
January 26th - Dublin - Whelans
January 28th - Glasgow - King Tuts
January 29th - Leeds - Brudendell
January 30th - Brighton - Green Door Store

Sunday, December 02, 2012

California Historical Landmark #585

Pioneer Express Trail
California State Historical Landmark #585

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps

This landmark is located in the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, Beals Point unit, 0.3 miles north on levee, Folsom in Placer County, California. There are 20 other California State Historical Landmarks in Placer County. The GPS coordinates for this location are N 38° 43.510 W 121° 10.320.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

California Historical Landmark #585

Between 1849 and 1854, Pioneer Express riders rode this gold rush trail to the many populous mining camps on the American River bars now covered by Folsom Lake-Beals, Condemned, Dotons, Long, Horseshoe, Rattlesnake, and Oregon-on the route to Auburn and beyond.

California Historical Landmark #585

Saturday, December 01, 2012

2012 Farm Credit West Christmas Party

For the second straight year, Sharon and I went to the Farm Credit West Christmas Party at La Provence in Roseville. The group included a number of people that I knew when I worked at banks, including Norma Udell, Chris Doherty, Jeana and Larry Hultquist, Dan Mattos, Ernie Hodges, Dan Clawson, Dave Hackett, Ed Nishio, Kevin Ralph and John Boyce.

Sharon and I took a copy of the Milo Greene album as the white elephant gift. The first person who got it was confused about who it was, but the CD was then stolen by the Dohertys and finally the Hacketts.

It was a joint Christmas party with the Bank for Cooperatives. I was amazed at how young some of the Bank for Cooperatives employees and their spouses looked.