A historic train ride through California countryside

 

Denene and I recently turned a lazy Sunday afternoon into a fun excursion into California history. And we did it by riding the rails through the countryside.

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Along the way we were treated to glimpses inside antique rail cars that were once used as main sources of transportation between Bay Area cities, towns, and other points of interest.

So hop on board, but it’s best to have exact change ready.  And please stick around until the end to view a brief video of our ride slow ride through the hills. You may even see…well, you’ll see.

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We enjoyed the scenery while riding an antique electric rail car that used to run its Bay Area route in the early to mid 1900’s. When it reached the end of the line conductors would stop the car to manually turn the power connectors in the opposite direction for the backward return trip. They’d also switch all the seats so that they, too, faced the opposite direction. It took only a matter of minutes to make the switch, as we saw on our journey.

By the way, the windmills you see have the capability of generating enough power to run the city of Fresno. Also, the landowner earns approximately $5,000 annually, per windmill. There are 350 of them in this one area. Fun fact: It takes winds of 6 mph to turn the blades.

Spring Unfolds

 

Soon will the lovely spring unfold

Her blossoms to the breeze;

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And give with fruits of green and gold

Temptation to the trees.

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Young April with her silver showers,

And tender tears of dew;

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And beauteous May tho’ blooming bowers,

Their charms again shall shew.

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Delightful Spring are long shall spread

The vale with varying green,

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The strawberry and the cherry red,

In every grove be seen.

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The garden gay and fertile field

Shall gild the earth again;

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This brings its flowers, and that shall yield

The golden glittering grain.

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I love to see the blooming bud

A rich red rose undo;

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The apple blushing as with blood,

The plum with veins of blue.

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To see the long prolific vine

It’s precious product mould;

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And in the Summer’s sunbeam shine

Large grapes of glossy gold.

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The poetry above is an excerpt from The Seasons by Dr. John Lofland, published in The Poetical and Prose Writings of Dr. John Lofland, The Milford Bard (1855).

Lofland, by the way, was a great friend of Edgar Allan Poe.

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*The flower photos were taken yesterday in our backyard.

Forget the cold and snow

 

One of our favorite locations in the U.S is Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, where we used to have a weekend place. Our little hideaway was a welcome retreat from a week of Boston rat race.

One of the activities we enjoyed, in addition to kayaking and biking, was attending the popular sand-sculpting championship, an event that attracted master sand artists from all the world.

Over 300 tons of special sand was trucked to the beach for the event. Each contestant was given ten tons of sand and just twenty-one hours to complete their masterpieces.

Denene and I were on hand for the action.

So put away the snow shovels and enjoy a few moments of sun and fun.

Forrest Gump by Merideth Corson took the fourth place honors.

Michele Lepire’s Tropical Paradise placed third in the overall contest, but took home the most prize money, winning both the People’s Choice award and the Sculptor’s Choice award.

Salvador Dali Lama by Fred Mallet won the fifth place honors.

Steve Topazio of Rhode Island created this angry sun blowing down a sand castle.

Tim Russert remembered in sand.

Morning Bath by Carl Jara took the second place spot.

The winner of the Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting contest was titled Japanese Garden by Karen Fralich of Ontario, Canada.

Below, Karen adds a few finishing touches to her masterpiece.

When your car breaks down in the African bush

 

Not every African expedition goes as planned, and there’s nothing like car trouble while in an area that’s home to lions and other critters that sometimes consider humans to be the ultimate snack food. So, until help arrives there’s nothing left to do but…PUSH!

Yes, that’s Paul Beecroft on the left.

Next came attempts to tow. When that, too, failed, it was time to swap the Land Rover for one in better working order.

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Then it was time for the hotel bar.

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Views from inside the bar.

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Local book shop

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Tourist shop

Okay mystery writers and puzzle-solvers, Paul took this shot while out in the African Bush at night. Do you know what it is that he captured with his camera lens? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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The sun goes down…

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…and the moon comes up.

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Today’s photographer, Paul Beecroft, has spent a good deal of his life in law enforcement, in England. He’s worked Foot Patrol, Area Car, Instant Response Car and also as a Police Motorcyclist. Paul currently works as a coroner’s investigator and has traveled all over England, Wales, Scotland and even Germany to investigate crimes.

What happens in Monterey

 

Last weekend Denene was a featured presenter at a conference for medical doctors in Monterey, Ca. I tagged along and played tourist for the day while Denene was on stage lecturing about the latest on meningitis.

I love Monterey, Ca. We’ve been numerous times over the years and each time I’m there I see something new, and fun. This time, though, I was there just a few days after the Writers’ Police Academy and I was still in “wind-down” mode. So I took advantage of the situation and set out on a walk. And I walked, and walked, and walked, and walked… And this is what I saw.

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Steinbeck. I gave him an earring.

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We enjoy Louis Linguini’s. Their calamari, by the way, is really good.

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Finally, this young lady gave me the cold shoulder. It was time to move on…

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Castle Hill

 

Ipswich, Massachusetts is home to a sprawling 2100 acre estate known as Castle Hill (est. 1634). The property is the former summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Crane, Jr. (Crane Brass and Bell Foundry). The estate consists of a fifty-nine room mansion, twenty-one outbuildings, a casino, a saltwater swimming pool, bath houses, cabanas, guest houses, a sunken garden, a huge grass mall, and an indoor ballroom.

In 1987, the movie The Witches of Eastwick starring Jack Nicholson and Cher was filmed on location at the Crane Estate. The film Flowers in the Attic also featured the Crane mansion.

Not so long ago, Denene and I attended a New England clam bake at the mansion. We also took a stroll along Crane Beach at the rear of the estate, a half mile from the main house.

The Crane mansion

Terrace overlooking the waterfront.

The food was absolutely delicious. We started off with a bowl of authentic New England clam chowder and then worked our way through a variety of mussels, barbecued chicken, lobster, and strawberry shortcake.

The path to Crane Beach

Alone again naturally

 

In a little while from now

If I’m not feeling any less sour

I promised myself to treat myself

And visit a nearby tower

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Click on the video below to enjoy the music as you scroll slowly through that place called Loneliness.

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It seems to me that

There are more hearts

Broken in the world

That can’t be mended
Left unattended

What do we do? What do we do?

Alone again, naturally ~ Gilbert O’Sullivan

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Out and about in California

 

California, where you can visit the beach, mountains, vineyards, marshes, working ranches, almond and pistachio orchards, deltas, and major cities and small towns, all within a matter of minutes from your house.

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And, here’s the last Friday the 13th full moon until 2049.

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The next image is from England, courtesy of Paul Beecroft.

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And the next image is, well, a full moon of a different kind…

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*Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

Please, children of all ages, be sure to take advantage of the time you have with your father. When they’re no longer around, well, let’s just say you can’t get that time back. It’s gone forever.

Mt. St. Helens

 

In 2004, we stood five miles away from the volcano known as Mt. St. Helens. Missing from the mountain was nearly 1,300 feet of its top. In its place was a huge gaping maw. A plume of steam spewed upward from the center of the massive hole, where a three-hundred foot tall dome of lava was slowly but steadily growing upward.

Standing there, my wife and I couldn’t help noticing the silence. There were no birds chirping, no tree branches creaking and clacking together in the breeze. Nothing. Not a single sound. It was extremely eerie. Yet it was extremely calming at the same time. There was a definite feel of overwhelming peace and tranquility. How odd in a place where such devastation had occurred.

The threat of danger to human life on the day we were there prompted officials to enact the five-mile “keep away” boundary. Still, the volcano was an awesome site, and the distance between us did nothing to diminish the power that I knew was churning and roiling below the surface. I also knew the history of St. Helens. She was a killer.

Twenty-four years prior to my trip to the area, on May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted with such force that it blew off the top of the mountain, leaving the crater you see in the photos. As a result of the eruption, the mountain’s snow pack melted and caused flooding, and hot ash started forest fires.

Fast moving gases and rock were propelled down the mountain in what was the largest debris avalanche in recorded history. It flattened everything in its path, including all trees, vegetation, and houses and other buildings within 230 square miles. 57 people were killed. Had there been more in the area, they, too, would have perished. No living thing in the direct path of destruction survived. Nothing and no one

I wish I’d taken a better photo, one that showed all the dead trees on the ground. As far as the eye could see, they looked like thousands upon thousands of matchsticks, all pointing in a single direction, facing away from the volcano and the force of the blast.

Nearby hills where tall evergreens and other trees once stood.

The bridge to Mt. St. Helens

Today, plants, trees, and wildlife have returned, and the area is definitely well on its way back to normal…until the next time when the mountain can no longer contain the pressure from within.

Below – Steam rising from the growing lava dome. The mountain is attempting to rebuild itself.

Below – An ominous message of the past, and of things that could come again, and probably will.

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Cal-I-for-nia

 

Living in California definitely has its benefits, like taking a Saturday afternoon drive through the countryside where scenery worthy of a postcard awaits around each bend of roadway.

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Harbor seals sunning near Stinson Beach

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