You may have noticed I haven’t done much hiking this year. Guess you’ll have to be getting most of your trail information from other sources. I’m sorry; I would like to hike more. (Take up the subject with my feet.) So, we walk. Down the road to Cold Springs Campground, through the campground to the […]
Mineral King Road Thoughts (and photos, of course)
When I first worked at the Silver City Store (4 miles below Mineral King) in 1985, at the end of the summer my car stereo fell out whenever I drove uphill because the rough road vibrated the screws loose. (1977 Honda Accord, my first car, because I know you care about such things.) The road […]
Learning, Working, Hanging Out in Mineral King
Learning Trail Guy and I accompanied Laile, who is an archaeologist/historian (I think those are her titles) to show her something we found. She cleared up a mystery about a rock platform that we always thought was a cabin foundation. Nope, it was a ride-by bar! George Thurman and his wife Hattie had a bar […]
Away in Gilroy, Chapter Three
QUICKETY CORRECTION: Yesterday’s flowers were NOT zinnias; they were dahlias. I couldn’t remember the name so made a substitution. Thank you, Jane, for setting me straight! After finding lunch on our beach day (easy drive from Gilroy to the beach), we thought about heading back to Gilroy, but there was way too much traffic heading […]
Away in Gilroy, Chapter Two
Yesterday we were at Rio Del Mar beach with my Texas friends who were staying in Gilroy (hence the title of this series of posts). Mrs. Texas carries a bag at the beach to collect pieces of driftwood for making mobiles, one of which hangs at my kitchen window. The sun came out in the […]
Away in Gilroy, Chapter One
Do you remember (or care?) that I went to Texas last year? (Here is a link to the opening chapter.) My Texas friends are in Gilroy, California (yeppers, the garlic capital of the state or maybe the country or even the world), and since that is only 3-1/2 hours from me, I went to see […]
Good Reception, Going Quiet
The reception was well attended by people from all different parts of my life. I was especially touched to see several of my drawing students there (no extra credit for attending; no demerits for skipping.) Here are some photos provided by attendees. Why is this chick so smiley? Because: A. Her favorite dress still fits […]
Socializing in Mineral King
(HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROL!) Some weekends in Mineral King are just action packed, all about the people. Who has time to hike? Or just sit quietly while contemplating matters of consequence? Go home if you want solitude, you delusional creature! It was the annual cabin owners meeting, which is traditionally the weekend when we see the […]
Mineral King Road (and Men at Work)
The road is under construction, and the schedule keeps changing. The two men on Sequoia’s hazard tree crew came to do some work on the most recent red fir dropped by our place. We always stop by the dumpster on the way down. Trail Guy rearranges the bags of trash so we can get the […]
Odd Sights in Mineral King
This first one isn’t odd. I’m just warming up here. It is a plant called Coulter’s Fleabane, which I misidentified in Mineral King Wildflowers as snowberry. Maybe. Still trying to figure it out. The cottonwood was prolific, abundant, and fascinating. Very soft to the touch, but elusive when one tried to gather it. Once again, […]