Thanksgiving in Gold Country

Paul and I enjoyed Thanksgiving with my aunt and uncle in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains. They live in a tiny town (population just over 400), but there's plenty to do and see in the area because of all the history.

We stayed in the town of Murphys where we walked around and saw a woodpecker filling a telephone pole with nuts for the winter.

Hanging out at Uncle Dale's waiting for Thanksgiving dinner.

We had breakfast at Grounds - yummy!

I liked the iron work outside the restaurant.

Picture of downtown Murphys.

We spent the day after Thanksgiving going to Ironstone Winery, which houses the largest crystalline gold nugget in the world. The nugget, weighing 44 pounds, was found in the nearby town of Jamestown.

The fall colors are still changing in the California foothills.

Paul and Uncle Dale at the winery.

After the winery we headed to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. It's a small park that has dozens of Giant Sequoias - the largest trees on earth. Here we are on the stump of one that was cut down decades ago to make a dance floor for visitors.

These are the marking that show how the giant tree was cut in order to bring it down.

Uncle Dale and Aunt Laurie at the base of one of the giants. The walkway was slushy due to recent snow.

Here's Paul at the bottom of one of the trees that had fallen naturally.

The family walking between one of the fallen giants.

Another tree that was damaged by humans decades ago just so they could drive their cars through the tree.

Pizza night in Angels Camp with my aunt's sister and mother.

 It was a short, but fun, visit. Happy Thanksgiving!

First snow of the season

For Paul’s Mom

As I mentioned in the previous post, Paul’s parents came out to visit and were a tremendous help in preparing our front yard for plants. There are no plants yet – winter is coming and they probably wouldn’t survive right now – but the front yard is ready once springtime comes around. Here are some shots of the concrete work that was recently completed.

The walkway going from the front of the house to the backyard. Eventually there will be grass between the walkway and the street and shrubs along the side of the house.

The back patio. There will be plants between the patio and the back rock wall and trees on the far side.

The back patio from the other direction. The stairs connect the walkway to the back patio. There is also a planter in front of all the rock but the picture doesn’t show it very well. The mountains recently got some snow but we haven’t had any along the valley floor.

The garden terraces along the west side of the house.

Tucker had to come outside with me while I took the pictures.

The front yard looking west. Each section will have plants and tall grasses. These are the plots that Paul’s parents prepped for us.

The front yard looking east.

Random

Paul’s parents visited a couple weeks ago to help us with our yard. (The yard still needs work, but I’ll post pictures of the progress another day.) During their visit we went for a drive on the Nebo Loop to see the fall colors. It’s a scenic drive around Mount Nebo that took a good four hours round trip.

We took Tucker along so he wasn’t home alone.

The family near the peak. The road reached a summit of 9,345 ft. We had our first snowfall the week before, and the snow on the mountains made a pretty backdrop during the entire drive.

Naturally, there was an old television in the parking lot.

A view of the valley – this would have been a great picture if it was a clear day.

We stopped for a picnic and a walk around the Payson Lakes area.

Paul’s sister asked his dad to make her a derby race car in the shape of the yellow submarine. He carved the block of wood and then asked that I paint it. So while there were here I enjoyed a little painting project. Here’s how it turned out – minus the wheels and a propeller.

I finished another art project while the parents were out. It’s a painting of Landscape Arch from a picture I took during our last visit to Moab and Arches N.P. I think the shrubs might need a little help, but it’s up and I’m done working on it for now.

And finally, I think Tucker is adjusting well to his new home.

Meet ?

This weekend we got a new dog from a rescue center. His current name is Nicholas, but we don't think he looks like a Nicholas. We'll let you know when we come up with a new name. He's a feisty little guy with an attachment disorder - he just wants to be next to the both of us all day.

Hello

Our summer ended with a visit from some of my family. Their visit started with a hike to Stewart Falls.

The kiddos on the trail.
We made it to the falls.
Mom and daughters resting by the falls.

The next day we headed to Snowbird and rode the chair lift to the top.

We decided to celebrate Paul's birthday early. He got a new fondue set and lots of goodies to dip in the birthday chocolate fondue.

Dear Grandpa…

Last month my grandpa celebrated his 90th birthday. Paul and I headed to California to join the celebration. Unfortunately, my grandpa has Alzheimer's and doesn’t remember any of the family – I’m not even sure he remembers my grandma. During the party we showed pictures of grandpa’s life on the TV, and even though I’ve seen the pictures a million times, I cried. I was saddened by the fact that some of my most wonderful childhood memories are because of my grandpa, and those memories are lost to him. I was saddened because the things that were his everyday life are no more.

From the time my sisters and I would arrive at my grandparent’s home when we were kids until the time we left, grandpa was constantly engaged with us granddaughters. It seems like he took us to the beach or Knott’s Berry Farm nearly every summer weekend. He taught us how to bowl, play cards and board games. There was no time for TV. If we were in a play or had a recital, grandpa showed up. He would push us on his tree swing and share his half gallon of ice cream – yes, he ate that much in a day or two with a sprinkling of peanuts on top. Grandpa always had time for his grandchildren, and I’m a better person because of his care.

If my grandpa’s memory returned I would make sure he knew how grateful I am to have a grandpa like him.

Grandpa George

Grandma and grandpa

Paul and I at the party

A boy and his ice cream

The family

There were several more family members at the party – aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents – because we celebrated not only my grandpa’s 90th but also my mom’s 60th, my aunt’s birthday and my sister’s birthday. However, I’m not sure how they would feel being on my blog so I opted not to include those pictures. But I’m so thankful for all those who showed up, it was a blessed day of memories.