A California Picture Day

Today, I taught HS Spanish.  I didn't actually teach it.  I gave a test.  It wasn't bad.  I also bought the fourth book in the Percy Jackson collection.  Several students planned on attending the movie this evening.  I admit to being a little jealous.

I made another printing of our Transportation Coloring Book.  Sold a few books today.  It's been a good week.  Still, I don't have a lot to write on, so I thought I would share some pictures from when we lived in California.  It is hard to believe we have been back from California for five years now.  We arrived back here on on the 16th or 17th of March, 2005.  FIVE YEARS!  It seems like yesterday.  These photos are of our time there. 

Below is a covered bridge that was in a valley below Paradise, Ca.  There was a Geocache there.  We found it, but in the meantime enjoyed a very nice day near a covered bridge.  

Below is my lovely little niece, probably sometime after we were back, but I still wanted to put it in because she looks like an angel here.  She was about a year old and already charming the shirt off her uncle.  

One Christmas when we had come back to visit, but Father-in-Law decided he wanted to go fishing.  I believe this was Christmas Eve Day of 2004.  Just the two of us went fishing that day.  We were on the Columbia.  It was a good day.  Even though we didn't catch anything.  I have always liked this picture of him.  

One day, Cora and I decided to take a day trip to Yosemite Valley.  On the map it looked like about a 3 hour drive.  I guess we didn't look close enough at the squiggly path of the road, nor did we know that the speed limit was a paltry 35mph at times.  It took us five hours to get there!  Being the two stubborn people we are, we kept going despite the way the hours were flying by and we were not nearing our destination.  We just waited it out.  It is a lovely valley.  Fully worth the drive.  Worth the wait.  (How many times have we heard that during this adoption?  Yeah, I know, but that doesn't make the drive any shorter.)  Don't I have a lovely wife?

This last photo is at another Geocache.  Cora gave me the GPS for our fourth anniversary.  We did a lot of Geocaching during that time.  This particular one was on the East side of Beale AFB.  It had been used by the US Army to train in the attack of Pill Boxes (Armored places where machine guns or artillery was housed).  We took Toby and enjoyed our hike.  I think it was August or September...it was a hot day, either way.  Note the Live Oak in the background.  That particular tree species is a a hallmark of California. 

We had good times there.  I miss it, though, I think it is safe to say Cora does not.  We were far from family, though.  I am glad to be back, and although we don't see my nieces and nephews often, we see them more often than we did down there.  We have more friends up here and I think it safe to say we are more a part of the community here.  Maybe I will return for a short visit one of these days, if only to see the aircraft that I miss so much.  

So, there are some pictures and I still can't believe its almost been five years since we were there.

Remember, Kiss!

Cora and I like covered bridges. I can't explain more than to say we have a history. (Remember, kiss!) This particular covered bridge is in Northern CA, not far from Chico and Paradise. We found it via a geocache. It was a pretty nice day. It was coolish fall day...could have been as late as November, you will note our heavy coats and boots. Might also have been mid-winter. Wish I could recall better. Probably would help if that area of Cali had more than two seasons.



I finished my BA in History at CSU Chico. This is a tree I studied under several times. At least, until the day some ants decided I wasn't welcome. Then I studied not quite as close to this tree as before.

I liked CSU Chico. The campus was close in size to CWU, however, there were MANY more students...and student bodies...err, like History club and stuff. Hey, it was California!


Which reminds me...what, exactly, was the utility of girls wearing shin-high fleece boots with a short skirt and a down coat? They would say it was cold, but the temperature rarely, if ever, dropped below 40F during the daylight. I used to walk around in a shirt, or light jacket if it was raining. Fellow students would ask me if I was cold, and I would tell them this is spring weather for me! (Middle of December and early February in California)

I liked California. I know I have said it before. I liked all the things that were close and all the things that could grow. I taught sixth grade literature all this week. We read a story by Ray Bradbury called "All Summer in a Day." I reviewed all sorts of literary terms I dimmly recalled from my classes and also struck upon some History, given the story's 1959 copyright. I pointed out how people actually felt about the possibility of life on Venus or Mars. I pointed out that Sci-fi is often a mirror of society.

I felt I did an excellent job, and the other sixth grade teachers intimated that they would not mind me as a teammate. A couple even said I should apply for the next opening...and to let them know, so they could get into the ear of the appropriate person to have me hired. Cool, huh?

Back to the kids: We watched the movie version. They had to begin a compare and contrast essay concerning the movie and the story. I noticed Eucalyptus trees in the background of the movie...Hmmm, could that have been filmed in California by a great movie producer? ...Or maybe....SATAN?!(Sorry, 1980s Saturday Night Live Flashback![I might also be channeling Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, if you don't remember]) Sorry. Anyway, far from being filmed on another planet, this was obviously filmed in CA! The kids thought I was a genius for knowing this, but if you are a closet plant geek, you know what a eucalyptus tree looks like.

California. Winter is wet. After I graduated, I had lot of time on my hands. Cora suggested, bless her heart, I volunteer for an air museum. Since only one air museum was within range, I checked into volunteering there. I did. On one of my first days there, it was VERY rainy. I ended up spending an hour in the cockpit of the aircraft pictured(Yes, EC-121) with several veterans. We discussed such things as air traffic control and AWACs over North Vietnam. One of the veterans there had several thousand hours in the type. He was probably in his eighties. It was probably one of my most educational hours in CA. Well, maybe not...

Lost Files, Found Files, Cost Files, Round Files

Tonight I was searching our collection of backup discs searching for something specific...I will relate it in a later post. The point is I find that my best efforts to back up important files are somehow lacking. I have numerous CDs with duplicate pictures on them, but I seem to be missing several word files that are important to me. I meant to post a wonderful letter I had written some 8 years ago, but instead found a stupendous array of photos. I decided to share a few with you tonight.


I was looking for the letter I had written the eye doctor that had done surgery on me. It was pretty funny and I thought posting it might be easier than coming up with new shit. Shit. I was also attempting to ignore the socially inept characters on Grey's Anatomy, which Cora insisted on watching because I was engrossed in my computer. I was not, but you can bet I tried. She tried to discuss the show with me, but, attempting to sound like very caring and considerate man I am, I told her to post a comment on Blissfully Caffienated's blog and leave me alone (because Blissfully will certainly be ogling all the *blyech* "hunks" on that show).


I drove to CSU Chico everyday to earn my BA. I found Chico to be a town I liked. Here is a picture I took, wishing I had a better camera and more choices for lighting. Still, a bit of cropping and viola, it might be a master piece...

And this one was also in Chico. Same building, actually.

And Campus had its share of pretty sites, this is the most appropriate.

We went on a vacation to visit home. We drove up the California Coast and then the Oregon Coast. We found an animal park and this is a picture of the young me holding a bear cub...he was strong, but unimaginably cuddly, or he would have been without the claws.

We went to San Francisco one time(Several, actually) and were amazed to find gas prices so high! Crazy High we thought! How wrong we were! Those were the good old days!(thanks Em for taking this picture!

We also visited Yosemite...a three hours drive that turned out to be five...I am not sure Cora has forgiven me yet for that slight miscalculation...

These would not be pictures of California if I did not show a close up of rice...

On our fourth anniversary Cora bought me a GPS. I began geocaching almost immediately. Here is a picture of me at the end of one of our earlier excursions. This happened to be a group of pillboxes used during WWII for training. They are not far from Beale AFB.
Also, pictures of our area of CA would not be considered very accurate if you do not show a Live Oak...here are a few.

I always thought acorns grew from twigs...apparently there were several wood peckers or some other critter that thought Acorns belonged in the tree that shed them...


And the front end of Toby as a puppy...



and the back end...fitting as the last! Note: Grass stain, he was ALL BOY!