Town History

Wherever I land in life, I always like to get to know the surroundings and history of the town I live in.  It really is a pretty part of northern California, and there are some natural spots that are considered gems, like the waterfalls on the outskirts of town, and the wonderful mountains that surround the area.  Here is a little of this and that about my town's history.  We are pretty high up in the mountains, with the elevation being around 3,000.  We do get snow, actually a fair amount in the Winter, and the Summers are warm, but not extremely hot.  The town sits at the base of the mountain.  The name of my town gets its name from a man who settled the area during the 1850's.  The falls nearby are incredible, and the waters flow all year around.  People come from all over to do some backpacking, and there are some great fishing spots also.  In fact, I just talked to a young man who was getting the vaccine at the same time as I was.  He was from Germany and was wearing his backpack, getting ready to do some exploring.  There are so many trails to hike on, which my son has experienced since he's been here.  They have the best burgers in this town, and two drive-inns, one which I go to regularly to get a mushroom burger.  One of the drive-inns has been in business since 1956.  The birds that make their appearance are the robin, the woodpecker, the steller's jay, the hummingbird, the quail, and the mourning doves, who are so dear to see on my lawn.  I see the quails every day, there are so many of them here.  Well, that's a little bit about my town.   Here are some pictures to follow.

The sea tells you everything will be fine.  The mountains tell you it doesn't matter anyway.

~Adeel Ahmed Khan

*painting by Kate Petrenko

Have a wonderful week.  Should be in the 90's most of the week.  We do need rain, it's been a dry Summer, so keep us in your thoughts.

~Sheri

Each One Has A Story To Tell

I just got my third vaccine, and the first two I had mild symptoms after, but this one I felt lousy for a couple days.  So, this post will be a quiet one with a little nostalgia from the past.

Last week, my son brought me some cream filled wafers.  When I saw them, I instantly thought about a dear friend who used to give these to my family at Christmastime.  C was always so generous and used to buy the kids many toys and goodies - the kids loved it, and whenever I brought gifts home and told them they were from C, they always got excited.  Jess actually thought she was aunt C, until I told her one day that she was my sister-in-law's mom, but we all still thought of her as part of our family as well.  She was a wonderful woman, and I've been thinking of her lately since my son brought me these same wafers that she used to gift me for so many years.

I've had my grandmother's antique candle holders for a long time, and I've been wanting to get some candles that fit for them.  It's hard to find the tapers anymore, but one day I came across them.  So, I cleaned up my grandmother's candle holders, and lit the tapers, and placed them on my Mom's plate.  They look nice sitting on my kitchen table.

"We leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place, we stay there, even though we go away.  And there are things in us that we can find again only by going back there."

~Pascal Mercier

 I came across this heart box many years ago at an antique shop, and fell in love with it.  I always wondered who it belonged to and the story behind it.

I love the lid on it, so much detail and very pretty.

We all live in the present, with our busy lives and jumbled schedules, but I like to go into the past from time to time and appreciate the ones who were here before us.  They are the teachers, and the sensible women and men who have shown us endurance, courage, patience, and love, and who paved an easier path for us to walk.

"The past beats inside of me like a second heart."

~John Banville

When I used to visit my mother-in-law in the mountains, she had so many things around her house to look at.  I remember going in her bedroom and having talks and noticing the sweetest little porcelain girl with piano sitting on her dresser.  I always loved this little figurine.  No one seems to know where it is, but I hope someday someone will discover it, it was the cutest thing.  I used to take piano lessons for a short time when I was young, and although I'm not good at it, I still know a couple songs.

All these little treasures I have I will pass on to my children.  Nel loves old things, and Jess is starting to appreciate them also.  My son enjoys the stories behind them.  Each one has a story to tell, doesn't it?  This belonged to my mom - I thought it looked cool, cause it's made out of marble granite.  I think I'll give it to Nel, it reminds me of something she'd like.  ; )

  ~Sheri  

Ginormous Flag and Summery Things

Down the road, there was a huge flag hanging around the 4th of July.  I was able to take a picture of it before they took it down.  It's the biggest flag that I've seen.

It looked so nice blowing in the wind when looking down the road from a distance.

Made some pumpkin bread.

Some purple flowers outside the front of the store.  Lavender?

And some yellow ones outside the store.  Not sure what kind they are, but they are unusual and pretty.

Someone spray painted a dollar sign on the side wall of the store.  I don't know what it means, and it puzzles me.

~Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

Proverbs 13:11

I saw this flower pot at Rite Aid - every time I see something with ladybugs, I want to get it.  It was already on Summer clearance.

Look what visited me around the 4th of July!  She came right in my yard, on the side of my house!

I went to see the owner, a, at the antique shop, and gave her a few items she could sell.  She appreciated it, as she lost her husband recently, and is taking care of so many things right now.  Well, I gave 7 things away, so I had to treat myself and bring home something special for me, so I bought a tin of peach tea and a chocolate huckleberry bar.  They are kind of pricey, but the chocolate bar was great, and it's the best peach tea I've had - I've bought it before, and really like the taste.

Jess was getting tired of all the preservatives that are found in store-bought pie crusts and foods, so she decided to make her own mini berry pies.  Francesca helped, and they turned out nicely.

Nel is still on her journey to a far away land, which I'll tell more about later.  This is my favorite picture of Mia at the airport.

We had some breezy Summer days last week.  Still not too warm, and I've been outside working a lot, and it feels good to get things done in the yard.  Have a good week. 

Sheri

Summer Iced Tea Party

Jess had the cutest little tea party last week, and I had to share it with you.  She got everything ready, preparing the foods and tea, and set a fun table for her and Francesca, and she woke up to this!

She used some of the peach iced tea she brought home from Charleston, and it was perfect for a hot Summer day.

They dressed up, and she invited all Francesca's animals, and had so much fun.

She made little sandwiches - salami and toscano Syrah cheese, cucumber and chive cream cheese, egg salad, and peanut butter and jelly.  She also had popcorn, watermelon, peaches, and apples.  And a few pieces of See's.   A bouquet of mini carnations were placed on the table for a special touch.

What a wonderful surprise this tea party was for Francesca.

Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you.  Now tell me about hundreds of things.

~Saki