buzzardnotes

About 18 months or so ago, Jerri and I attended training to become tour guides at the Nevada State Museum (NSM) in Carson City.   This was shortly after I moved to Minden/Carson Valley and I thought it would be a good way to meet people and learn more about Nevada history. This was accomplished and I’ve been enjoying giving tours of the museum and the state capitol to students and tourists. This was basically all I ever wanted to do at the museum and that is how it went for the first six months or so.

Taking the kids on a History, Mint and Mine tour (Photo by RD Schmidt)

Then I was asked to help with Friends of the Nevada State Museum bake sales during the NSM Coin Show (August) and Nevada Day (October). The original chair was involved in a bigger fundraiser for the museum and needed help. Well, that didn’t seem like too much work, so I said yes, I’d help. I think she neglected to tell me that acceptance meant that I’d be a member of the Friends Board. How did that happen?

Then, the same chair (now the major fundraiser committee) asked me to be Black Barbara in the play she and others were writing to perform at the Museum and also the encore performance at the Governor’s Mansion. They said they were desperate and I’d be perfect for Black Barbara. How can I resist such flattery? Soon, I was attending rehearsals and what not, getting ready for the big nights. We raised a lot of money for the Museum and it was good. But, how did that happen?

Accusing Poker Alice the murder (photo by RD Schmidt)

 The year moved on with meetings, tours, and Friends’ field trips to other museums. Then, the Friends learned of a collections crisis in the NSM’s storage facilities. In a nutshell, the museum desperately needs additional space to house artifacts and collections according to standards of the American Alliance of Museums. I could write for hours about this stuff as I have learned so much. I won’t go into the details of the facilities (especially items stored at the NDOT(NV Dept. of Transportation) facility. Trust me when I say our collections are in crisis and many artifacts are in danger of being destroyed by air quality, dust, vermin and pigeons.

Carriage being destroyed by mice and pigeons (at NDOT facility)  Yes, it’s really old but mice are using stuffing for nests and pigeons do their business from the rafters

I began to learn about this crisis when Jim Barmore, Director of the NSM, spoke about it at one of our Friends board meetings. I innocently asked how we could help, thinking he’d probably say that we could volunteer to help clean up the facilities and help with artifacts. But, instead, he suggested that we write letters to the governor and legislators about the state budget, explaining the needs and how critical the situation is. So, we mounted a campaign and I actually wrote quite a few letters. (I NEVER did that in California. I NEVER thought that anyone there would pay attention.) Many of us actually received letters in response. They were diplomatic and didn’t really say much, but I felt good about them anyway.

Then the state budget was presented and the storage addition proposal wasn’t on it. Rats!!! It’s the same old story. There is never enough government money to go around.   We talked about it in our next board meeting.  We decided to write stronger legislative letters including pictures and perhaps contact a TV station and the Nevada Appeal (our local newspaper). I emailed the pictures and a little packet to the Reno ABC affiliate and they actually sent a reporter that very day! The report was aired that evening. Pretty good, huh?

The same day of the TV report, I received a letter from the Senate Chair of Finance. He suggested that I attend the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means and speak to try to make the museum’s case there. So I worked hard to prepare a speech accompanied by the pictures and the packet and I went to the meeting on April 10. (It was a momentous day as it was the first time I’ve worn a skirt since moving to Nevada. A real sacrifice!)  Two other Friends went with me and we made our points. Speaking in front of the committee was daunting and exciting at the same time. Don’t want to do it again, though. How did it go from just writing a one-page letter to speaking at the Legislature? I don’t know. It just happened.

Unfortunately, all this effort will probably go for naught. The Nevada legislature meets biannually for 120 days only. By the time we got involved with the process, budgets had pretty well been set. But, there is a very slight hope that something for the museum could be appended to another bill at the tail end of the session. Another way to look at it is that seeds have been planted. Some of the fertilizer (and it wasn’t BS) that we talked about might stick on the walls and something may come of it in the next biennium.

Oh, in the midst of all this activity, I will become chairperson of the Friends of the NSM in May. I sort of think it was by default because most of the other board members have already served a term. How did this happen when all I wanted to do was be a tour guide?  I think Jerri was smart in stepping back and doing only a few activities with the tour guides.  🙂

So this is my saga about things mushrooming.  This epistle might sound like a giant vent, but it really isn’t.  I’m just wondering how these things happen.

Today was another beautiful day in Minden, Nevada…one that beckoned me to get out and breathe the good air. After all, I had been breathing my own cootie-filled air at my house for almost a week and I needed to get out for a few minutes. It’s been a long time since I’ve been sick enough to stay indoors and not care about picking up junk around the house, checking email or even eat much. An upper respiratory infection will do that to you. One person I talked to said her doctor called it the 100-day cough because folks just can’t get rid of it. I hope my cough doesn’t last that long, but it surely has been exhausting to endure the hacking.

Anyway, back to the adventure. I drove out to the Settelmeyer Ranch where many calves have been born in the last two weeks. They are so cute. I watched one little guy bound back and forth between a ditch and the rest of the herd. He was really kicking up his heels. Others were newbies and were sleeping off the rigors of being born.   Just watching the herd eat, nurse the babies, moo to each other and just sort of watch the world go by was very relaxing and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This little guy in the back left was a bundle of energy as he ran toward the ditch.

The little spot is the same calf bounding toward the herd

In my estimation, cows, up close and personal are not necessarily cuddly type animals.  But, in the pasture, they become relaxing and pleasant to watch and hear.  They are curious but wary and many of the new moms are not afraid to go after a coyote or another predator who might be a threat to their little one.

A view of the herd grazing on some hay

This lady had not had her baby yet, but was kind enough to pose for me after getting a drink.

I wondered why she was the only one in the herd with horns. Perhaps she was a different breed or had special privileges. I don’t have a clue.  Note the decorations on her ears.  I believe these tags are markers as to when she was inseminated and all kinds of other information.

It’s Eagles and Ag week here in the Carson Valley where many tourists come to see eagles feasting on cow afterbirth (I did a blog on this last year). So eagles should be in the pastures. I didn’t see any, much to y chagrin. But I did notice many small birds walking amongst the cattle. They were right underfoot, pecking away at stuff. The cows did not care a whit and paid no attention to them as they grazed on the tiny sprigs of grass trying to come up. (The grass is so sparse that the ranchers are having to put out hay so the cattle have enough to eat) I decided the birds were starlings, as they like to eat bugs and stuff stirred up by other animals. They acted like starlings and scurried around like them.

I’m so glad to have the opportunity to stop alongside the highway and take the time to watch these little adventures transpire. Last year I was able to watch a calf being born. I wasn’t so lucky this year, but to see the little miracles on the pasture gave me great satisfaction. Below is a quote from Ansel Adams that I think sums up some of my philosophy here in the Carson Valley.

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”

A little dogie and its mom

During the last Official Tim Baptista Memorial Crab Cioppino Feed, I won the official cioppino recipe as well as a big cooking pot and giant wooden spoon. Last year, Raley’s, a local grocery store had a big sale on crab and I decided to try my luck at cooking the recipe. It turned out well and I decided to do it again this year…even though the crab sale didn’t save as much as last year.

My good buddy, Dick Schmidt came across the “hill” (aka the Sierra Nevada mountains – at our age, we never say “over the hill.”) from Sacramento to join us…hence the wonderful pictures that will accompany this Buzzard Notes entry.

Dick arrived the day before the Fiesta and we took a ride around the Carson Valley to try to espy some bald eagles.   As I reported last year, they arrive as the calving season begins. There were a few calves out in the pastures and we think we saw a couple of eagles about 200 yards away as well as a sand hill crane. No good pictures there. So we went to the Nature Conservancy beside the Carson River where I knew was an eagle aerie off in the distance. Sure enough, we did see 2 a pair of eagles. YEA!   We weren’t up close and personal, but we did see them. The big clump of stuff in the tree is the nest and the dot next to it is one of the eagles.  (Don’t forget that you can enlarge a picture by clicking on it)

The big clump of stuff in the tree is the nest and the dot next to it is one of the eagles.

We walked a bit on the banks of the Carson and noticed some special structures on the banks. Volunteers had cut willows from nearby stands and bundled into “wattles.” Live staked willows were woven into the structure with the wattles that were placed along the banks. We think that not only was this an artistic effort (they called it a sculpture on the sign) that it would also help with a flood control effort in not letting the banks wash away. (Lord knows that we don’t have a chance for a flood unless a miracle happens and we get 20 feet of snow in the mountains soon…the drought continues here in Nevada, too). Anyway, the wattles were interesting to look at.

Wattles on the Carson River

Dick took a nice picture of Job’s Peak reflecting in the Carson River.

As we left the Genoa area, we took the obligatory photo of the ever-present deer that live in the area.  I love to look at them but wouldn’t want all these critters eating up my flowers and lawn.

These four deer were part of a herd of 12 that were dining in a resident’s yard.

The next morning dawned and Dick found me outside feeding “my” birds. I like to get out early before they do so as not to disturb them as they come in for their morning feeding. Bless his heart, Dick held a light and documented this feeding. I also give the birds fresh water each day because the birdbaths and the tins on the ground are often solid ice. There is no other fresh water for the birds and once I started, I felt obligated to continue because they were looking for it.   It was about 19 degrees that morning.

Hanging a feeder

Filling the birdbath and the tin in the background

So it was the big day and after breakfast at a place called “Cowboys,” we began to prepare the cioppino sauce. We chopped, diced, sautéed, opened cans, added wine (and brandy), sniffed, tasted and finally let it reduce for several hours. This was quite a process that was fun to do but kind of tiring.   I didn’t realize how tiring it was until the big day was done. I can really appreciate how hard the Baptistas worked to feed 600 people and I was only feeding 15.

Adding a drop or two of the “sauce”

Dick is the cut up here with the celery

He had a green thumb with the parsley.

Me with the cioppino pot with paint buckets inside.

We stirred and added and stirred some more, all while BC waited around for a handout…except that she doesn’t like crab. What a crazy cat!

While the pot was simmering, we prepared the crab

…and the shrimp

When the sauce was just right, we added the seafood and stirred some more. At just the right moment, Scott came over with his truck and carted the cioppino pot over to Jolee’s house where the Fiesta was to take place. There just isn’t enough dining area in my house for 15 people.

I also want to show you that I donned the appropriate attire for the Fiesta in wearing my new CJ’s Steak and Seafood t-shirt (not from Italy, but rather Princeville, Kauai)

The finished product.

Cioppino servings in paint buckets, ala Baptista Cioppino Feed. They had red buckets, but I couldn’t find them. I also wanted to have lobster bibs but I couldn’t find any place in Carson City that carried them. Next year?

After we were all served, we all dug in, fingers and all and supped with delight. You can see that no one was holding back. We’re already looking forward to the Third Annual Cioppino Fiesta.

After dinner, the little kids went into the TV/living room to play video games. Dick got a cute picture of them playing.

Note Dalan has his own game chair while Megan made her own poor man’s version constructed of a cardboard box. Pretty ingenious, I think.

Monstro, the dog, chilled out with his ball. A dog’s life is tough at the Tristao house

The next morning, Dick caught a picture with a bit of frost on the sagebrush in the open space in back of my house. It’s a pretty sight at dawn…if you like that sort of thing. Good thing I do.

It was back to reality the next morning with a doctor’s appointment and then a tour at the museum. But Dick and I went out to breakfast one last time at Mom and Pop’s, a small café across the street from the NV State Legislature building. The food is good and not pricey.

They serve just about the world’s largest cinnamon rolls as witnessed by this picture. This one filled the entire entrée sized “to go” box. They are pretty good!

Thus endeth the Cioppino Fiesta Saga. It was a lot of fun and I’m so glad the Baptista family had their Cioppino Feeds and that I got the recipe to continue enjoying this terrific food. Hooray!!! (or Ale! in Italian)

*For those of you not familiar with the Baptistas. They are the family who so generously donated their son, Tim’s, heart that allowed Bob to enjoy the Gift of Life for more than 8 years.  Their original Cioppino Feeds plus a Memorial Golf tournaments were the main vehicles they used to create endowed scholarships in Tim’s memory at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep School in San Francisco.  They are all very special people.

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge was named after the galleries of ash trees described in expedition notes from 1893.  This desert oasis, a very rare and unique ecosystem, is where I was from November 10 to 14 and where I learned a lot about a Mojave oasis.

            Top reasons to visit Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge!

1. It’s the largest remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert.
2. Nearly 30 species of plants and animals that don’t exist anyplace else on earth (referred to as endemic species).
3. Ash Meadows has the highest concentration of endemic species in the United States.
4. See relict species of desert fish that have existed here since mammoths drank from these very springs.
5. Have you ever heard of fossil water?  The water here is known as fossil water because it comes from melted ice from the last ice age.
6. This is a photographer’s paradise where ice blue spring pools are a stark contrast against the harsh desert landscape.
7. Ash Meadows is recognized internationally as an important wetland.
8. The mysterious Devil’s Hole over 500 feet deep and the bottom has never been found.
9. My college buddy and roomie, Gale Ritter, is working/volunteering in the Visitor’s Center and invited me to visit her for a few days.
   

   Gale and I in the Visitor’s Center

Gale had to work in the visitor’s center the first full day that I was there, so I took her dog, Sissy, with me to check out some of the highlights of the Refuge. What a great place! You’d never know it was there if you were zooming along the highway and didn’t take time to go on some dirt roads.  We went to see Point of Rocks Boardwalk and Kings’ Spring where some Ash Meadows Amargosa pupfish live. They are often referred to as living fossils because they have survived a landscape changing from a moist and sub-tropical climate to a desert and have adapted to very harsh conditions such as heat, salt and poorly oxygenated water.

Kings’ Spring is perhaps 20 to 25’ in diameter and hosts some of the pupfish as well as crayfish and other predators of the pupfish.

Look for the reddish crayfish in the lower left corner along with a greenish pupfish and the males that have a blue tinge to them. I thought it was pretty exciting to see these fish that have survived so many challenges.

Native Americans lived in Ash Meadows for thousands of years, settling around spring pools and meadows. They hunted big horn sheep, cultivated crops and gathered pinyon pine nuts in the mountains.

Old mortars in the rock near the spring that the Indians had used to grind their seeds and so forth. The brown plants near the mortar are wild grapes.

Our next stop was Devil’s Hole where the Devil’s Hole pupfish have lived for 10,000 to 20,000 years. They primarily feed and spawn on a small rock shelf near the surface of a non-descript hole.  One cannot get close to it because there is a cage around it now to prevent people from trying to capture or kill the fish.  I don’t know why people would do stupid things like that.

Devil’s Hole cage with a bridge to walk on to see the actual hole

Devil’s Hole sign

Sissy and I then drove to the Longstreet Spring, an area settled by Jack Longstreet, a frontiersman who settled there with his wife in 1895.  He built a stone house in front of a cave in a spring mound.

Jack Longstreet’s stone house with the fossil spring mound to the right

The back of Jack’s cabin is built into a low white hill known as a fossil spring mound. Slow flowing springs trap wind-blown sediments in the surrounding mud and plants. A mound forms. Water pressure forces the spring to the top of the new mound. The cycle continues and more sediment gathers so the mound grows taller and taller. Eventually the spring’s pressure is not enough to overcome the mound and the water stays underground and comes out elsewhere.

Sissy and I with the Longstreet Spring in the background

Sissy and I also traversed the Crystal Spring boardwalk near the visitor’s center. I thought this and the other boardwalk areas were very well done in explaining what is going on with the flora and fauna of the area. As I said, I learned a lot while at Ash Meadows.

Crystal Spring,  out of which flow 2800 gallons of water every minute

Crystal Spring is about 15 feet deep and is a pretty blue because of dissolved limestone in the water that reflects more blue light.  This water has been slowly collecting in limestone bedrock for thousands of years, forming an aquifer. The water from Crystal Spring flows about 2 miles to Crystal Marsh, an important feeding ground for migratory birds. Nearly all the Refuge’s underground water eventually joins the Amargosa River to Badwater Basin in Death Valley, supporting plants, wildlife and people along the way.

The map shows where some of the watershed is as well as little towns I will speak of.

The next day, Gale needed to disperse Ash Meadows brochures in various areas and I tagged along. We visited places with names like Pahrump, Shoshone, and Tecopa. We had a filling lunch at Shoshone in The Famous Crowbar Café/Saloon.

Tasty, comfort food is served here

The Shoshone Museum (an ancient gas station) is next door and sports a lot of local history. I liked the display of local ore that is/was mined in the area. They had hunks of ore with a nice explanation of each rock.

Gravel Fanglomerate is mined and used a lot in Nevada. We called it DG (decomposed granite)…at least it looks about the same.

On the south side of Shoshone, we discovered Dublin Gulch. We drove back in a small canyon a short way and discovered caves that miners had dug and fashioned into houses in the 1920s. They even had smokestacks coming out of the top of the caves.   The black things in the foreground are rusted tin cans. One guy even had a garage dug into the dirt.

Dublin Gulch caves with smokestacks on top

On the north side of the little canyon was a cemetery, still in use.

Usually, one sees rows of graves, but this was laid out in a linear fashion. There were perhaps, two graves beside each other before coming up against the canyon ridge.

Then we drove to the China Ranch Date Farm outside of Tecopa. This is an amazing place. One that I never would have guessed would be in the desert. We drove down a dirt road through a slot canyon that eventually opened up into a lush oasis-like valley. The owners grow organic dates and sell them at their gift shop along date shakes and tasty date-nut bread. We toured the ranch a bit and then hiked along one of the many nearby trails. This place is not far from the Old Spanish Trail and John C. Fremont camped in the area in 1844 on one of his expeditions. He is said to have remarked that the grazing in the valley was perfect.

I didn’t get pictures of the lushness of the ranch but did get this arch/hole in the wall on our way out of the slot canyon.

On our last day together, Gale and stayed mostly in the Ash Meadows area and did a bit more exploring.

An alkali meadow with colorful mountains and strata in the background

Sissy and I played with the Frisbee a bit. I really enjoyed that and I think she did too.

I really enjoyed being with Gale and Sissy but all good things must come to an end. It was time to drive about an hour to Death Valley to meet the family and join their campsite at Furnace Creek.

The original plan was to go to Darwin Falls and do a major hike there but plans were changed and I arrived in time to join them in going to Hole in the Wall just off Hwy. 190. I was very glad that we had 2 trucks with 4 wheel drive as my car would have bottomed out within the first mile of going into this area. We drove almost 4 miles on a rough dirt/rocky road that was on an alluvial fan/river bed just to begin our hike.

Hole in the Wall gap

We guessed that water rushing down from the mountains kept washing and eating at that ridge you see and eventually made a cut through to make the gap. We parked at the base of that ridge and began to hike up an enormous alluvial fan (Sometimes I think that Death Valley is made up of alluvial fans. They are everywhere!) to the base of the Funeral Mountains. From there, we made a left turn into what looked like a box canyon.

Looking back toward our starting place.

Jason, Dalan and Scott checked their hiking guide and determined the route to go.

Allan and I pooped out at the mouth of a faux box canyon but Jerri and the others kept on going. The box canyon made a sharp turn and kept going into a slot canyon with 9 rock falls (meaning it was just rocks and no water at this time). Jerri and Jolee got to the first one but the boys kept going to the 6^th fall. That involved a lot of climbing that Jerri and Jolee didn’t want to do. They didn’t return until almost dark which caused the rest of us a bit of consternation as it was a pretty rugged area. But they were fine and had a great time.

The first rock fall after the faux box canyon.  Not something that I would have wanted to climb.

Dalan is holding a fossil that I found on the sort of trail we were following. We left it there because it’s against the rules to take anything out of the park (except for the dust in our shoes). Allan thought it might be a vertebrae from some long ago critter.

Looking from the box canyon mouth to try to show how much we had climbed from the base of the ridge in the background.

Jerri’s four legged boys were waiting for us at camp. Buddy and Max (Maxwell Von Biddle when he’s in trouble).

We just found out that Max is not half Great Dane, but rather he’s a black mouth cur mixed with lab. Whatever he is, he’s a sweet dog who thinks everybody loves him but scares some folks due to his size. Buddy is a full-grown lab and you can see how Max sort of dwarfs him.

Another indicator of his size is his attempt to get on the bed with Jerri and Allan

We spent time at the Furnace Creek Resort pool that is just heavenly to swim in. It’s filled by a warm spring and isn’t chlorinated. The water is exchanged every 24 hours. We love it!

The big kids enjoying the pool.

Megan loves to swim in it too but seems to always want something to eat afterwards. Here she is enjoying some ice cream

Dalan loves to be in Death Valley too. He enjoys golfing, riding his bike, swimming and playing his video games.

Allan’s roasting the perfect hot dogs

Jerri getting ready to enjoy the hot dogs

We had a campfire every night at Jolee and Jason’s trailer and enjoyed some s’mores as well as other treats. Mark, Jason’s brother-in-law, brought his telescope and we all got to enjoy checking out the heavens. It was amazing to me what we could see many light years away. Mark has a great way of explaining what we saw in terms we could relate to and understand. I’m hoping to get more lessons from him one of these days.

Jerri, Allan and I toured Scotty’s Castle and were amazed again at the story told by our guide. Albert Johnson made ingenious use of hydropower that allowed the Castle to have electricity and refrigeration, making a comfortable home for everyone who lived and visited there.

The Castle is truly a treasure of Death Valley.

My last full day in the Valley found us at the top of Dante’s View. Wow! What a view! Not only could we see Badwater, the lowest place in North America, but we could also see the peak of Mt. Whitney, the highest place in the Lower 48.

Looking down on Badwater in the center right of the photo

Jolee, Jerri and I hiked a bit around the 5475’ peak. It was fun, but a bit cold and breezy. Of course we got to fooling around a bit and had to have some pictures taken.

The Hoff sisters

And it would not be a trip without Scott’s Pose that we all stole from him. Jolee got to laughing, thus adding more levity than usual to the Pose.

That afternoon, Allan, Dalan, Jason and I played golf on the lowest course in the world. It would have been more fun if I could have putt, but the golf holes were pretty and we saw a lot of wildlife.

I got within 20’ of this very well fed coyote when I took this picture. I wish I’d been able to get a picture of the one that ran right by Jason as he was teeing off on the 8th hole. Never a dull moment!

Both sections of my adventure were fun, amazing and enlightening. It’s a kick to be able to do these things with friends, family and dogs and enjoy the good life.

One of the official logos for the Sesquicentennial

Nevada has been working up to its sesquicentennial celebration for an entire year, which has been a lot of fun to see unfold. There was a challenge to see if there could be 150 official events and it turned out that there were over 500! And I think more are happening before the end of the year.

The climax was this past weekend with the gigantic Nevada Day Parade and a tour of the Governor’s Mansion…open to everybody. It was great!

The day dawned dark and cloudy with snow in the mountains and rain on the valley floor. But this didn’t deter anyone. There was a 5K race and a pancake breakfast at the Governor’s Mansion (at which the Gov himself helped serve attendees) before the parade and then the mighty parade itself.  Thousands of people were there before 8 AM and the parade didn’t even begin until 10.  Oh my goodness! The Rose Parade has nothing on this one. Anybody and everybody may participate and I think they did. It lasted for a bit more than 4 hours!!! Since it’s an election year, all the politicians were in it with all their campaign propaganda. Governor Sandoval walked the route with some of his supporters. One politician wannabe even had 2 huge semi-tractor trailers emblazoned with his name and “Vote for Me.” There is not much regulation, except that they can’t throw candy from the floats/trucks/tractors/cars, etc. So people walk and hand candy to people on the curb.  It’s an amazing, awesome, down home event.

My part in it was to be in charge of the Friends of the Nevada State Museum bake sale. I was there by 7:30 loaded down with donated baked goods, gallons of cocoa (that I’d made and home and hauled to the museum), coffee, soda and water. Friends helped set up the booth and we were off and running.   The cold, stormy weather helped us sell a lot of stuff. I was beat by 2 PM but I was pleased that we took in more than twice as much as the last bake sale.

After the cleanup, grand-nephew Dalan and I went to the Governor’s Mansion to enjoy the open house. We had to wait in line perhaps 10 minutes to get in, but it was worth it to get a glimpse of the official first residence.

Wikipedia says: The Governor’s Mansion of the State of Nevada was built between 1908 and 1909. Until that time, Nevada’s governors and their families found lodging where they could in or near Carson City, the Capital. State Assembly Bill 10, the “Mansion Bill,” was passed in 1907 to secure a permanent site and residence for a Governor’s Mansion. Mrs. T.B. Rickey sold the land where the mansion now stands to the State of Nevada for $10 and George A. Ferris, a Reno architect, designed the mansion with Classical Revival features and Georgian and Jeffersonian motifs and a construction bid was awarded for $22,700. Acting Governor Denver S. Dickerson and his family were the first residents when they occupied the mansion in July 1909. The building was first opened to the public during an open house New Year’s Day, 1910. The governor’s daughter, June Dickerson, was born in the mansion on September 2, 1909, and was the only child ever born in the home.

 This is the only governor’s house that I know of that is decorated for halloween and the governor and his wife actually give out Halloween candy. Thousands of kids visit the house on Halloween.

The Governor’s Mansion decorated for Halloween (Don’t forget to click on the photo to enlarge it)

The main entrance to the Mansion

Dalan and I took advantage of the Wells Fargo stagecoach. The photographer liked my camera. Me, too!

Several Friends of the Museum dressed in period costumes who were stationed around the Mansion to give an overview of each room.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get much of the furnishings as I was more interested in the costumed people in the house.  Here are our costumed friends.

Tina helped usher in the guests of the day. She also made several of the dresses worn by the other ladies.

Jan was the second greeter just inside the Mansion. People loved her!

Teri was stationed at the beginning of the tour. We are good buddies.

Dalan and I with Governor and Mrs. Sandoval. They are such nice, gracious people.

Anne in a main downstairs room. The clock by the soldier is supposed to be haunted as its chimes ring on occasion. It is not hooked up to anything and has not been wound for years.

Abe Lincoln and me with the Gettysburg Address on the teaspoon

Jerri and Dalan in the formal dining room. Lookin’ good, huh?

Diana in the Governor’s working office at home.

Kathy in the upstairs living quarters.

Alyce, below, is enjoying a good laugh while doing her stint in the informal dining room.

One of our batty neighbors

Yes, the Mansion is allegedly haunted. There are many, many stories about hearing things, cupboards being opened when no one was in the area and other tales. Who knows for sure?

Dalan and I joined a UNR (Univ. of Nevada – Reno) and Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology sponsored tour in honor of Earth Science Week.  We always want to learn more about our area and this was free, so why not? The purpose of the tour was to explore the interactions between Earth’s geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere as we explored several sites around Carson City. This is what we did …visited several sites where we examined and collected a variety of interesting rocks that help earth scientists explain the geologic history of the area.

Dalan looking for the greenish epidote.

Some epidote with tiny garnets mixed into it.

About 50 people joined this tour, many with a lot of geologic knowledge. Dalan probably knew more than I. But I listened and learned a lot. Our first stop was Lone Mountain where we collected epidote, quartz and garnets. I learned that Nevada is one of the most seismically active states in the U.S. — second only to California in the lower 48 states. Historically, we have experienced a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake about once every 30 years. The last ones were in 1954 near Fallon. So I guess we’re due for a good one.

A front was quickly moving through the area and the cloud formations were changing constantly. I thought this picture was pretty neat. There is even a tiny rainbow in the center left portion.

An interesting cloud formation

We went up into the mountains on the north side of Carson City where we espied 14 wild horses as well as many more rock samples. Some of the big boulders (called volcanic bombs because they were ejected quite a distance from the actual cone) pinged different sounds due to their composition. We thought that was pretty cool.

We visited a volcanic vent that is only 1.1 million years old (young geologically speaking) that is being worked by a company called Cinderlite. They use scoria, basalt and other cinder cone contents for landscaping jobs. Cinderlite realized that eagles were nesting in a couple of holes in the cinder cone and decided not to destroy that area. So now there is a large 100’ by perhaps 40’ by 100’ tall area where the birds are free to nest. I think that’s a nice gesture by the company.

The cinder cone with the aeries on the center top

It’s evident these aeries have been used for many years

Dalan got a little bored with all the explanations and did some of his own exploring. He made me a little nervous climbing over many huge rocks, but he was sure footed and got to see more views than I did.

Dalan with his rock hammer

One of our stops took us to a divide between watersheds. If you stepped to the right, the water drained into Washoe Valley. If you stepped to the left, the water drained into the Carson Valley toward the Carson River. I thought that was cool. Also in this area was what geologists call an “unconformity.” Basically, it is the contact between two rock types with a large gap in age. The granodiorite (GD) is about 100 million years old and the overlying basalt is about a million years old.  I first heard of this in the Grand Canyon but never quite got the concept of it until now. I mentioned granodiorite. We know it as decomposed granite and it’s used a lot around here on playgrounds, in landscaping, trails and whatnot.

As we looked west, we could see, obviously, the Sierras and some of the active fault system along the base of the mountains. We were told that as faulting progresses,, the mountain front steepens, the slopes become unstable and landslides occur. We can see that on Slide Mountain, the white spot in the center of the picture. A massive landslide happened there in 1983.

Slide Mountain and Mt. Rose in the background with Washoe Lake in the foreground.

Carson City view from the watershed area.

Again, I have probably made this too detailed and historical. I hope you haven’t been bored by these details.

The field trip was very educational and fun to see things up close and personal.  I hope they have another one next year during Earth Sciences Week.

Our Prime Time Group at The Farm (Dont’ forget to click on the photo if you want a larger picture)

The photo above is the Prime Time Ensemble at The Farm. Note some differences…no beach in the background and spouses are there. As you can imagine, this was a fun, creative, amenable, and food/beverage-loving group.   It was sort of like many different flower petals coalescing into a beautiful blossom. We all arrived and departed a various times on different days, but a good time was had by all.  Diana and Jack, and son Jim are the most gracious hosts at an amazing home. Those who were not able to attend were missed very much and we all hope they will be able to join us at the next get-together.

Several arrived on Monday, the 29^th and we all had dinner at JT’s, a local Basque restaurant. Wow! This was my first time at this renown establishment and it was an experience. If you didn’t get enough to eat, it was your own fault. There were several courses served family style and then your entree arrived, just as you thought you couldn’t eat another bite.  We topped that off with ice cream for dessert. Very tasty! A photo of the Monday night crew follows.

Awaiting the scrumptious food at JTs.

Dot, Bill, Lynda, Evert, Shoo and Alan arrived on Tuesday, making our group complete. Tours of the farm and Diana’s shop were given so that everyone would be on the same page when we were talking about things happening there. There was even a tour of my house because no one beyond Diana and Jack had seen it since the big move from Cerritos.

Honk if you love berries at the Jacobs Family Berry Farm

Evert, Jack and Steve in the berry patch (that’s not the technical name of it, but I don’t know if it should be a field or what. At least I know it’s not an orchard or grove.)

These are the BEST berries I have ever tasted, bar none. YUM!!!

As we do at Pajaro, we chatted, snacked, imbibed in some wine and other spirits, chatted some more, walked, ate great meals. Steve Brock even cooked pancakes for breakfast one morning! The men all pitched to help prepare food, clean up and pour wine. It was a very cohesive, amiable group that created a lot of fun.

Jack and Diana like to take group shots of visitors to the Farm and, of course, we all complied with that wish. I think that Jack felt it was like herding cats to get us all organized, but we eventually got some good pictures. The opening shot is of the entire group and then we have one of the OHS coeds. We felt like celebrities with all the cameras clicking. We tried to get a shot of just the guys, but they were busy taking pictures and messing around. I tried to get a shot of all the guys taking photos and took about 10 shots. But in every photo but one, Steve was trying to get his phone set just right.

The Gals

The Guys

Genoa tourists waving at cute guys!

We took a field trip to Genoa, Nevada’s oldest settlement, to take a nice walk and check out the shops, particularly the oldest thirst parlor in Nevada. Actually, we just looked in the parlor and took a hike to Walley’s Hot Springs and Resort. I had been told that it was only a mile from Genoa, but it turned out to be our total trek amounted to a bit more than 3 miles! Needless to say, some of our party became parched and we had to take a break at Walley’s for thirst quenching and nourishment. Then a few folks found the ice cream portion of the Genoa General Store. No one went hungry (as usual at our gatherings).

Lynda prepared pizza for us that was delightful and delicious. We all enjoyed her biscotti as well. Two more YUMS!

While Lynda’s  pizza crust was being prepared, most of us went to try our hand at bocce ball. There was spirited competition, but I don’t think a clear-cut champion was determined. We’ll have to reconvene again to determine that.

I like this picture of Alan throwing the ball…a la Michael Jordan with his tongue sticking out 🙂

Our party began to break up with the departure of Trish and Steve that night, then with Sherry, Howard, Shoo and Alan the next morning.

The remaining seven decided to go on a jaunt to Blue Lakes that is off of Hwy. 88 in California. Such a beautiful place! We enjoyed a great picnic until the camp host kicked us out for picnicking in an area that was not for day use. There were no other campers but rules are rules, I guess. It was nice, though, that he didn’t disturb us until we had finished eating. So we left and found another area right next to one of the Blue Lakes.

Man and dog… Lucy loves Jack!

And then there were five. Lynda and Evert had to leave us after we frolicked at the lakes and the rest of us headed on back to the Farm, but not before a little side trip to Markleeville,, CA, population 210 and Alpine county seat. Markleeville is very small but it sports a shop that serves tasty ice cream cones. We definitely checked them out.

All good things must come to an end and so our gathering did that Friday. Diana had to go to work at the shop; Jim was in the Bay Area; Jack had things to do; Bill and Dot had to fly home and I took them to the Reno airport and eventually got back to my little black cat, BC. (who told me quite vehemently that she was lonely!) What a great time! It was fun being with a larger group that meshed so well.

We had planned on taking our Boston trip in 2013 but we felt it was best to delay it for a year due to my move to Minden. It was worth the wait as we had a great time exploring the cradle of the American Revolution.

Burr’s Babes – Don’t forget to click on an image if you wish to enlarge it

Because Jet Blue doesn’t fly out of Reno, we had to drive “over the hill” to Sacramento to catch a plane to Long Beach and then take a “red eye” to Boston.   Our good buddy, Dick Schmidt took care of my car and also chauffeured us to

the airport. A great guy he is! An added plus was that Jerri got to finally taste fine dining at Burr’s Fountain.  Love their sandwiches and sundaes!  It took awhile to check in Jerri’s luggage for her hairdo stuff, but we finally made it through security. (Just kidding)

Jerri’s hairdo luggage

The flight was good and we got to our hotel safely. No room was available at 6:30 AM, so we ate breakfast there and figured out what we wanted to do that day. Our first impression of Boston was that of a cacophony of sirens and horns, along with crazy pedestrians and VERY aggressive drivers. That impression didn’t change in our three days there.  But that’s not to say we didn’t enjoy Boston.  It was great to be immersed in so much history and east coast culture!  AND a lot of people were very helpful to us in finding our way around.  We also enjoyed the food…fancy and plain.

We learned how to ride the T (Boston’s subway system) and then took a tour on one of the many tram/bus excursions. It was a great way to get acquainted with Boston and we enjoyed being able to get off and on at designated stops.  Our first stop was at the Charlestown Navy Yard where the USS Constitution is moored since 1897. We first visited the USS Constitution Museum and learned quite a bit of history about the Naval Yard and life aboard a naval vessel. The highlight was actually getting to go aboard “Old Ironsides,” our country’s oldest commissioned warship. Real U.S. Navy folks were stationed on board to answer questions and explain things like using a hammock to sleep in or how they drank their grog. (The sailors were issued a set amount of grog each day and had to drink it in front of the person who doled it out to make sure they didn’t get more than their allotment)  I asked about the heads (bathrooms in sailor talk) and was told there was actually an open-air place at the head (bow) of the boat with commodes to sit on. It must have been awfully cold and uncomfortable in poor weather.

The USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill Monument

The grog barrel

The heads —or a sailing porta potty

After our tour of the Constitution, we elected to walk to the Warren Tavern (1775) and enjoyed some delicious clam chowder.

Jerri and the Warren Tavern diagram

We walked to the Bunker Hill Monument, which commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill that was actually fought on Breed’s Hill because it had a military advantage. This was the battle in which the immortal words, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes,” were uttered. We attempted to climb the almost 300 steps to the top, but we pooped out at 100. The fatigue from the flight and lack of sleep was caught up with us.

Bunker Hill Monument – very similar to the Washington Monument in D.C.

While on this little side trip, we noticed a lot of “Hobbit” doors at ground level of apartments/flats. I assume these are for storage, but I prefer to think that many hobbits live in Boston.

A Hobbit door. Jerri was not invited in.

Day Two saw us getting a day pass for the T and we buzzed along just like pros. We emerged from the T right at the State House, the seat of colonial and state governments as well as a merchants’ exchange. The Declaration of Independence was first read publicly from the State House balcony on July 18, 1776. Part of it was undergoing reconstruction, so we didn’t partake of the tour.

The State House in Boston

From the State House, we went to Faneuil Hall (AAA says it’s pronounced “fannel,” but I kept hearing something like “fanuel”, similar to “Samuel.”) At any rate, it’s an interesting place. It’s an old market built at the site of the old town dock (it’s amazing how Boston’s shoreline has crept out over 250+ years). Town meetings, held here between 1764 and 1774, heard Samuel Adams and others lead cries of protest against the imposition of taxes on the colonies.   Many market stalls are on the first floor just as they were in Paul Revere’s day. There are also many, many stalls and restaurants on the outside of the building…a very interesting place to visit and shop.

Faneuil Hall with Samuel Adams in front

From Faneuil Hall, we began to follow the Freedom Trail, a three-mile trail that begins at the Boston Common and ends at Bunker Hill. It allows one to discover a Revolutionary past that is embedded in modern Boston. The Trail is marked by a red line (generally red bricks) and is easy to follow.  Markers such as this one are by each historical site on the Trail. Actually, the Trail is a Godsend for people like us who don’t know their way around Boston’s little curvy streets that don’t seem to follow a general north-south grid like many of our streets out west.

You can see the bricks emanating out of the Freedom Trail marker.

We next visited Paul Revere’s house, which is now located in Little Italy. It was a big house for those times…out of necessity, I think. He had 8 children with his first wife and 8 more with his second wife! Actually, we were told that only 9 kids lived there at one time. But, still…

Paul’s house is the gray one. You can see the cobblestones still on this street.

What would a visit to Boston and the Old North Church be without a picture of Paul Revere on his house riding out to alert the colonists that “The Regulars are out!” I always thought he said “The British are coming,’ but at that time, the colonists still considered themselves British. We learn something every day.

Paul Revere’s statue

Revere’s statue is in a courtyard/alley behind the North Church and we walked around the church to get this view. Its spire is very imposing and I can see why it was chosen to give the alarm. One can still see it from many parts of Boston. Built in 1723, it is Boston’s oldest church building and remains an active Episcopal Church.  It still sports the individual family pews that a family could “decorate” with pillows, cushions and/or comforters in the winter.

Old North Church

Inside Old North Church

Just a block away from the Old North Church is Copp’s Hill Burying Ground founded in 1659. Thousands of merchants, artisans and free blacks are buried here. The Mathers, Prince Hall and Edmund Hartt are buried here as well. This is also the site used by the British to train their cannon on Charlestown during the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.  Many of the early gravestones are engraved with a skull with wings. It is here that we learned this represents the soul winging its way to heaven. We thought it looked kind of creepy

Copp’s Hill grave tone with its soul going to heaven

It was lunchtime when we left Copp’s Hill and began to retrace our steps to follow the Freedom Trail. We had been noticing many people carrying huge slices of pizza, which all smelled very good. We finally discovered Ernesto’s Pizzeria and enjoyed the cheapest meal we had in Boston. Check out this serving for $4! It was very tasty and filling!

This was a great lunch…and very filling!

Throughout our trip, we noticed street and other signs that are very different from what we have here in Nevada. For example, we’d be driving along and notice a highway sign that said “Blind Child,” “Handicapped person” or “Elderly-Slow-Complex.” We know for what they are intended, but it’s just different. Here are a couple of others that we saw.  The “Nut Roasters” struck us funny as did the mutilated T sign telling where to go to catch the T to “A Wife.” Alewife is a Boston suburb and the name is for a herring fish that is in the ocean and some rivers.

The Nut Roasters kiosk

Great place to find a wife!

We took a harbor cruise that gave us some pretty skyline vistas of Boston as well as a stern view of the USS Constitution. It was tough to get pictures other than silhouettes because the sun always seemed to be in the wrong position. Oh well, at least we got to see these things and enjoy them.

The Boston skyline

Because of the cruise, we ended up joining rush hour on the T. Oh my goodness! We had experienced something like this in Washington, D.C., but this had it beat. Talk about being packed like sardines! We survived and tried not to repeat it again the next day.

We bought another T day pass to get out to the JFK Library and Museum and then do some other visiting to historical places. The library is located on the University of Massachusetts campus and we were joined by many students commuting to their classes. It was kind of fun to be with them. They didn’t pay us any mind, though, because they were all on their phones or tablets communicating in one way or another. None of them talked. It is an amazing thing to watch. But, then, I’m old fashioned and sometimes out of step.

This is the Orange Line arriving to take us to transfer to the Red Line. It’s not crowded here because it’s between rushes.

The Orange Line T arriving

We really enjoyed the JFK Library as it recreated JFK’s Presidency, his life, legacy and leadership. It was inspiring to hear his inaugural speech once again as well as many of the other speeches and/or comments he made during his Presidency.  Lots of people were there but it didn’t seem crowded (except at the cafeteria line and the gift shop)

Enjoying the JFK library!

We enjoyed the library so much that we decided to take the T to Brookline and visit JFK’s birthplace. The house is now owned and operated by the National Park Service. JFK’s parents moved there in 1914 shortly after their wedding. They called it a modest house, but it had more than 2000 square feet with room for servants on the third floor! It was one of few houses on the street and the Kennedy children could play outside to their hearts’ content.  The family lived there in this very ordinary neighborhood before moving in 1920 to a larger house to accommodate a growing family. The new house was just about a mile away from this house on Beals Street.

JFK’s “modest’ birthplace

Since it was nearing dinner time, we opted to go back to downtown Boston (since we had to change T Lines there anyway) and have dinner. We chose to eat at the Bell in Hand Tavern that we had seen before on the Freedom Trail. It looks like a skinny building, but it stretches back into the building, thus giving it quite a bit of dining/bar space. Jerri had a salad with steak tips that were huge. It was quite a tasty dinner.  Mine must not have been so good as I don’t remember what I had.

The Bell in Hand Tavern. There really was a large sculpted bell in a hand inside.

You can see that there is an alley to the right of the tavern. The Freedom Trail is in that alley and there are several taverns across the alley as well. We happened to espy Ben Franklin chatting up tourists, especially the young women. It amused us greatly that he remained in character until everyone had left, then he pulled out his cell phone to check for messages. Right after that, he reverted back to character and strolled into a tavern.

Ben Franklin – ever a modern man! Note his shoes and socks as well as his phone.

These fire alarms are all over Boston. The red globe lights up when it is dark. It seems to be a handy thing to look for rather looking for a pay phone if you don’t happen to have a cell phone.

A fire alarm in Brookline

Yea! It was Friday and we rented a car to leave Boston and follow Mass. Ave. (what the locals call it) about 14 miles to Lexington and Concord to see where the Revolutionary War’s first shots were fired. Our first stop was Lexington because that’s where the British first encountered the Minute Men on the Lexington Green. Shots were fired but it’s not clear if the Colonists returned fire. So there is a controversy about exactly where the Colonists fired first to begin the War.

Minute Man statue on the Lexington Green

The contrast between Boston and the outlying areas (even if it was only 16 miles) was dramatic. The pace of life is more leisurely and QUIET. There were no sirens, horns or other disturbing noises. We were quite happy to enter this area, as we seem to be country folks now and not used to the hubbub of a metropolitan area. We really enjoyed Boston’s history and many of its people, but it was too frenetic for us.

Mass. Ave. is the basic road the British marched to Concord to seize a cache of ammunition from the colonists. Part of the original trail is still visible and is now part of the Minute Man National Historical Park. There, we were intrigued by a short multimedia introduction to the events of April 19. 1775.

Jerri and I are standing on the road, which was bounded on either side by a short stone fence. I think it was about 30 feet wide most of the way. Today, it’s a bike/jogging trail of several miles. Quite a few people were using it while we were walking on it.

On the road that the British marched on to Concord

You might be wondering when the funny stuff will happen with Jerri and me. Believe it or not, we didn’t get trapped in any building, didn’t fall in a river, or basically didn’t do anything too stupid. I know this is a shock to all of you who have followed our adventures. The only thing that happened was that Massachusetts’ signage is the pits and it’s difficult to figure out exactly where one is.  We made quite a few u-turns and recalculations.

Our next stop was the North Bridge that the British needed to cross to get to the weapons they thought were stored in Colonel Barrett’s barn. It seems like an unlikely, small place at which to begin a war, but this was where “the shot heard ‘round the world” was fired. Another amazing thing is that the British marched out to Lexington, engaged in a battle and then went on to Concord, engaged in another battle and then returned to Boston while being harassed by the Colonials all the way. Those hardy troops marched more than 32 miles and fought, all in less than 24 hours.

The North Bridge

Concord was fun. We visited the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery (no relation to the Headless Horseman) where authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Alcotts and Nathaniel Hawthorne are buried (plus many other people). I think we almost got locked in there as it was dusk, but we escaped in time to go to a tasty dinner at the Colonial Inn, built in 1716 and still going strong.

The next morning, we drove by Walden Pond. What a beautiful place! I can see why it inspired Thoreau. You can see how serene it was that day. Some people were canoeing and others were swimming. We were wondering what type of polar bear he was because it was early in the morning and quite brisk.   There is a nice trail around the pond and we checked it out.  Someone stacked some stones at the pond’s edge, just waiting for my photo. I thought it was pretty neat.

Walden Pond

A serene scene

From this tranquility, we drove south to Fall River, home of Lizzie Borden. Wow! We toured her home where she was accused of taking 40 whacks to her father and step-mother and then acquitted. It’s a violent story, one that seems difficult not to convict, but, then, I wasn’t on the jury.  Maybe the axe didn’t fit her hand or something.

Lizzie Borden…guilty or not?

The house is now a B & B and one can spend the night if one dares. Many folks, apparently, have given up and left in the middle of the night because the spirits were bothering them. Jerri originally wanted to spend the night, but changed her mind after we took the tour.

The next stop was New Bedford, a once great whaling port. The best part is that is it on Buzzards Bay (some of you may know that one of my nicknames is Buzzard). We were hoping to score a sweatshirt or something with Buzzard’s Bay imprinted on it. No such luck. We did discover the Buzzards Bay Coalition that is dedicated to keeping the bay clean from icky things. But, alas, they were closed until Monday and we were there on Saturday. There is also a Buzzard’s Bay Brewery in the area but they were also closed until Tuesday! A bummer all the way around. But we did have a great lunch at Freestone’s Tavern that is housed in an old bank built in the 1800s..

Jerri liked her lunch at Freestone’s

Then we zoomed on to what we thought would be the coup de gras of the Buzzards Bay quest…the little town of Buzzards Bay, population3859. Well, guess what, no shirts, no sweatshirts, not even a nice Buzzards Bay welcomes you sign. I guess it’s too small for such frivolity. This street sign is the best we could do…and it was just a little side street barely bigger than an alley.

The best we could do in Buzzards Bay town

At that point, we vowed to go back to New Bedford and visit the Coalition place on Monday. In the meantime, we would visit Cape Cod the next day.

Cape Cod is a beautiful place that must receive thousands of visitors all year long…picturesque sand dunes, villages and parks. We really enjoyed our drive. We happened to espy yet another graveyard and what should be pecking around on its perimeter? Yep, some turkeys. They are all over the place in Massachusetts. I wonder if these birds are as tasty as the farmed ones that we buy for Thanksgiving?

Turkeys in the cemetery

Here is Jerri on the sand dunes as we visited a beach. It was cloudy all day and threatening to rain, but we still thought it was pretty. I don’t know if it would be real humid in the summer time. That might be a deal breaker for me.

These dunes have a very fine sand, unlike sand on the west coast.

We visited the little town of Chatham that was delightful. It would have been nice to visit it on a sunny day. We also visited Hyannis to see what we could see. This is a house on the Hyannis shore. Just a small summer cottage? It was right beside a small memorial for John Kennedy, but was not where he stayed in Hyannis.

Just a little summer house?

We motored back to New Bedford the next morning in hopes of scoring some good Buzzards Bay stuff. It turns out that they didn’t have much because of the pending winter and things are beginning to shut down.  We bought some t shirts and found it very interesting to talk to the volunteers at the Coalition and learn about watersheds and so on and why they are trying to “Save Buzzards Bay.”  We also learned there aren’t many buzzards in the area, but the Pilgrims thought the numerous ospreys in the area were small buzzards. Hence, the name of Buzzards Bay.

The Buzzard saving the Bay!

We weren’t able to visit the brewery, but we did have dinner at a place that served the brew.  It was ok but not the best ale I’ve ever consumed.   The best part was when the bill was delivered. Finally, a real buzzard logo!

A buzzard logo!

Many of you know that Massachusetts is a primary producer of cranberries. It so happened that we drove through the primary cranberry bogs (except they weren’t bogs yet) on our way to Plymouth. When the berries are ready to be harvested, the fields are flooded thus making the berries float and easier to gather.

These cranberries don’t look real tasty yet.

Plymouth is a fun little town with much to see. There is the Plymouth Rock, encased in its portico for safekeeping, the Mayflower II, Plimouth Plantation, a Wampanoag village, cute shops, the Pilgrims’ Burial Hill and many more places to explore. We did it all!

Plymouth Rock

I think the Rock is protected because too many people would want a piece of the Rock (so to speak) and it is already a shadow of its original self. So, all you can do is take a picture even though the sun is NEVER right for it.

The Mayflower II is an exact replica of the original Mayflower. It’s amazing to me that any of the Pilgrims survived their voyage unscathed. All 102 Pilgrims and their livestock were kept below decks for the entire voyage. That would not be a pleasant experience to say nothing of being weak from seasickness and then having to go out to build homes in December at Plymouth. It’s no wonder that half of them died during the first winter.

Mayflower II at the dock in Plymouth

How about some wine?

After visiting the Mayflower II, we drove out to Plimouth Plantation, a living history museum that contains a Wampanoag homesite (local Native Americans) and a 1627 colonist village with homes, barns, gardens, and a fort. Visitors are free to ask questions and learn as the inhabitants go about their daily routines. We thought it was a great experience to talk to these folks and learn about their 17^th century cultures.

Jerri and her handsome Pilgrim

We were able to enter the Wampanoag dwellings and learn that while they were pretty efficient for their time and probably would have been warmer than the Pilgrims’ houses.   They used bench type affairs for beds that were made comfortable with animal pelts. The dwellings were used primarily for sleeping and storage while most activities were outside. The Wampanoags wore long pants way before the Pilgrims did. I suppose there were stubborn people on both sides who did not want to learn from the others.

Not the most comfortable house, but it was cozy

We are standing by one of the houses that was built in 1627 style

We were free to go into each of the houses and talk with the inhabitants and find out what they were doing.

These fellows were hewing logs for a fence.

During our last morning in Massachusetts, we drove around some local villages.  They are so pretty being nestled in nooks and crannies of big and little bays. We visited Scituate, which has a lighthouse dating from 1636 (at least that’s what the sign said). Congress voted money to refurbish it in 1810 and that was done. During the War of 1812, Abigail and Rebecca Bates, daughters of the lighthouse keeper, played a fife and beat on a drum to frighten away a British naval force who planned to sack the town. The girls have gone down in history as an army of two!

Scituate lighthouse

From there we successfully drove back into Boston the Logan Airport.   Jerri navigated and I drove. We were pretty excited that we made it to the rental car return without being honked at. Jerri yelled at me when I almost missed a turn, but we made a pretty good team in returning the car without any mishap.

Jerri took this next picture from the plane as we flew over Cape Cod. We knew it was big, but seeing it from the air made it seem even bigger. Follow the clouds and that’s where the Cape is.

Cape Cod under the clouds

It was so good being together on this trip and enjoying each other’s company as well as the many sights available to us. I know some of you are disappointed that we didn’t get into more trouble, but maybe next year. We’re already planning next year’s trip which will not be to the East Coast but rather to our own Southwest and we hope that proves to be as much fun as this one was.

This is the year that those of us born in 1944 turn 70, much to the chagrin of many of us. How can this milestone happen so soon? It’s sort of bothersome to be this old, but I guess it’s just a number and you’re only as old as you feel. I certainly don’t feel 70. I hope this feeling continues for a long time.

Jerri and Jolee decided this birthday was worthy of a bigger celebration than our usual tradition of a small family dinner. So, together, they concocted a small list of friends and relatives to get them to the celebration. They wanted to make it a surprise, but I’m glad they ended up telling me because it was really fun to anticipate the event.

Shirley and Connie from Colorado (Don’t forget to click on the image if you wish to enlarge it)

My Colorado buddies, Shirley and Connie, flew in Thursday and after touring Virginia City, we attended a Boogie Woogie concert that evening. That got our feet tapping! I think that concert is the only time we weren’t talking, discussing, making puns and/or laughing. Such great conversations about all kinds of topics!

We went on a hike around a portion of Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe on Friday. All of us are in pretty good shape, so there wasn’t any panting when we tromped up a hill. Pretty good for 70 year-old folks! It was such a pretty day with a slight breeze that kept us from getting too hot. Of course we got to horsing around as evidenced by the following picture.

Do you think the pine cone helps to balance Connie?

We drove through Genoa on the way home and saw some of their trademark deer that over run the town. I love to see them but wouldn’t like them eating my flowers and tromping all over my yard.

There was a strange cloud formation that afternoon that made me think of pictures I’d seen of approaching sandstorms. This was just clouds that arced over the horizon. There was no storm (at least over us) and it went away by sunset. But I’ve never seen anything like that formation.

Do you think it’s an omen?

That night, we sat outside, sipping a glass of wine while the moon rose. It was the beginning of a super moon that got brighter for the next couple of days. It was the first night in a long time without bugs attacking me. It was lovely!

It’s sort of blurry, but you get the idea about the colors

Saturday morning, we toured the Nevada State Museum and now they know more than they ever wanted to know about Nevada.   They liked the museum a lot, but I think I added too many details as I often get carried away with my stories.

Connie spent the afternoon with Jolee buying flowers and making centerpieces and various floral decorations for the party. They did a great job and everything was beautiful. Connie even made a floral Snoopy that still looks like new 7 days later. Her imagination and creativity run amok sometimes and she creates many wonderful, original floral displays.

Also Saturday afternoon, our Uncle Bev flew in from Colorado. What an honor to have him at the party. He’s our dad’s youngest brother and looks, sounds, and acts quite a bit like him. He’s fun to be with and I love hearing his stories.

A happy Uncle Bev

Sunday, the actual birthday, Connie and Shirley spent quite a bit of time plotting and scheming to perfect their act (or was it a roast?) for that evening. Curiosity almost got the best of me, but I didn’t sneak up on them to overhear what they were dreaming up. I was saving my laughter for later on. And laugh I did.

Finally, it was time to go to Jolee’s, site of the festivities. The first thing I saw was a 1944 price list.   Who would guess that gas was only 15 cents per gallon and that a gallon of milk was 62 cents? Amazing! I don’t imagine that we’ll ever see that again. But then annual wages were only $2400.

Can you believe these prices?

I was so honored that folks would want to come to celebrate. What a fine day to savor every moment. I tried to soak up every second along with every comment and was sorry that I couldn’t listen in on every conversation. It was just a great day!

Jerri and Jolee worked many hours to make prepare appetizers, homemade rolls, potato salad, beans, fruit salad and birthday cakes. I appreciate all their effort and the TLC they used to make it a special fiesta.

Jerri resting after all her work.

Jolee taking a time out in her own way

A special thanks to Allan, my brother-in-law, (who is more like a brother than an in-law) for getting a day off work, making homemade ice cream and also cooking the tri-tip on his trusty barbie. He did a fantastic job and I scarfed up more than my share.

Cutting up!

I had mentioned that the presence of the attendees was present enough, but I found that there were many cards and gifts on the table. Of course, many of them were pretty good jokes and jabs at old age. I’ve probably dished out much more than I received, so turn about is fair play. We celebrated buzzards, quail, Donate Life, Mended hearts,  being 70, Snoopy, gardening, wine, pictures, flowers, Jacobs Berry Farm berries, and so many comments, gestures and puns that I couldn’t keep track. All I know is that my mouth muscles were tired from laughing so much.  I wanted to make this blog as funny as the event was, but many of the things mentioned above don’t translate into the printed word.  So I think that I’ll share some pictures of this part of the festivity rather than describe it all.

Vintage, is the word of the night, I think. A 1969 picture along with a new coffee cup and a good glass of wine.

A photo book from the wonderful people at the Donate Life Office where I used to volunteer. I miss them, too.

It’s true. It’s a Buzzard Thing

A touching moment for me was a large print containing many quotes from so many people who wrote a few words about me or how I’d influenced them.  Note the centerpiece flowers that survived to be moved to my house.

Jerri and the torch.

The plotters/ roasters/entertainers

The audience

I would also like to thank my good friends, Dick Schmidt and Jan Haag for documenting the evening.  Dick and Jan no ka oi.  Wrong verb, but I don’t know the Hawaiian word for “are.”

Jan showing Connie the ropes

Getting every possible angle

Dalan and I looking at a documentary of 70 years worth of photos. Oh my goodness!

The party sort of broke up after the roast/comments but there was still another event to happen. Several of us climbed the stairs to the attic where there just happens to be an exercise pole.   Some folks heard about this and wanted to try it. Jolee gave us a few pointers and then we tried our hand/foot or body. However you want to put it. I’m only going to share one photo from this escapade.

The three of us before the grand experiment.

This party was the best ever and I am blessed to have family and friends who love and support me and give me so much joy. You are all too cool!  Thanks to all who contributed to the celebration.  With that I am closing this episode with the following picture.

You might remember a few blogs ago when I was whining about the squirrel varmints eating my sunflowers. Well, they continue to eat what they can but after building Fort Knox (as Jerri put it) around more sunflowers and applying much TLC, the trials are turning to triumph.

You can see by this photo that they are growing tall and are beginning to blossom. These are supposed to be the type called “mammoth,” but the blossoms are not huge.

Happy flowers!

Perhaps they are still growing, I don’t know. Jerri has some just like these and hers are about 10’ tall. However, hers were blown over in our “Storm of the Century” (according to the newspaper). They have since been staked and do seem to be surviving. Mine were younger and shorter and didn’t receive the battering that hers did.

The next obstacle will be when the sparrows and other birds discover these blossoms and begin to devour the seeds. The birds are all over Jerri’s plants. But right now, the bees and wasps are enjoying the blossoms. Don’t you think the blossoms look happy in the sunlight, looking up at the blue sky?