CHICKEN COOP AND VISIT WITH DAO SANG.

On Saturday and Sunday past, Doug, Virginia, Cedric and a helper, Mark Peel, built a chicken coop. Mark on the left, Doug in middle and Cedric  up top.


Meet the chickens, a white leghorn, red mirren mix and a barred rock red mirren mix. Two out of three, Blanche, Della and Cora another leg/mirren is out of sight.

Virginia helped me build feeders that do not spill grain on the ground. No waste.


Two of these will keep three chickens fed for about 3 weeks. The watering tank on the left, showing one nipple will last almost as long. The lay 1 and 1/2 doz. eggs a week on average.

The roof and door are not on yet, but we teased Doug about his taj mahal design. It is a pretty fancy coop that I will paint with enamel later. So far, having chickens is fun. Organic eggs in a store are about $4.50 a dozen. Calculated costs on-line for purchased organic mash, or GMO free mix your own organic feed, run $3.36 cents a doz. A couple cents more for the mash, a bit less for mix your own.
Since that is more eggs than I can eat, I hope to find one customer who will buy one dozen a week for $4.00 to help lower the cost of  eggs. Of course, I’ll never sell enough eggs to pay for the taj mahal. But, then, it is fun to have your own live chickens. I’ve owned chickens at every house I’ve lived in since 1962, except this one. But, for the many chickens I’ve raised, dozens, I’ve never kept them in a coop before. They always ran free in my city yards and my first house in Murphys. It will be interesting.


My friend Dao Sang came to visit and we spent an afternoon together. I hadn’t seen him since 2005. He has lost 40 pounds he can ill afford to lose and has been ill.  But, the first thing he did was peek in my garage to see if I was still driving my Prius. Yup!! We laughed. He needs special cars because he is 6 foot 9 and can’t fit into just any car.


Lunch at Grounds in Murphys is always a good choice. The day was balmy and beautiful. When we stand together, my head fits under his arm. I asked him why he wasn’t wearing his robes and he said, “I’m enough of a tourist attraction with my height. I only wear them when I’m teaching or at temple.” People do stare at him as he walks down the street.


We stopped and looked at the changes happening around town. And, wouldn’t you know we found a statue of Buddha in a store, for only $7,400. Yikes!  Buddha would be horrified. Anyway, sure enough, a guy in the store looked at him and said, 6′ 5? 6’7?  Dao mumbled, “6′ 9.”

I see what you mean, I told him. I lost my husband in 2000 and my dog six days later. Dao’s dog Daisey died and 6 days later he lost his mother. He remembered that about George. He and some other friends spent my first Thanksgiving with me, after George died, at the local free dinner in downtown Murphys.  So, our reminiscing had some sadness to it. In two weeks he, his two sisters and his three daughters will deliver her ashes to Sea Ranch near the Big Sur . I love the Buddhist religion. It is all about kindness, helpfulness and love, a true reflection of Dao’s personality. As Gus Dalsis, he became a Buddhist after his discharge from the Marines as a young man. He was ordained as Buddhist Monk, Dao Sang in 2004.

MANY ROADS LEAD TO BARNS.

On Sunday, Jim and I drove around and took more barn pictures, a bit closer to home this time. We drove up French Gulch Rd. The reservoir holding Angels Camp's water looked peaceful and pretty enough to photograph.

And a lovely old barn stood near it.

Back in Murphys, right where French Gulch and the Murphys Grade Rd. meet is old Judge Kramer's barn. His granddaughter Gail, married John Kautz and it now belongs to the Kauz family. A small house sits on the property and I got a kick out of the basketball hoop attached even though the ground is uneven and rocky.

One block north of Murphys Main St. on Church, are several notable old buildings. This 1920's era garage for one.

This old miner's shack was occupied by a Miwuk Indian by the name of Gus when I first moved to Murphys.

This old miner's shack is of the same era, only painted. The rock foundation is partially gone.

Covered with vines, it still has appeal, unused, but still full of character.

This barn actually forms the corner of Algiers and Church Streets. Whenever I turn that corner I marvel that no one has hit the old barn.
As you can see, it stands right on the road.

The new owners have kept the old privy as well. The property, with a huge yard and house is now a wine tasting place, with room for picnics in the yard. It is entered from Main St.

I like the old weathered wood. The paint has been wearing off for some time.

We then drove out to Kautz's Winery, about a mile from town. This barn with what looks like a grain feeder on the back sits to the left of the road.

And another old wreck on the down slope reveals it's purpose. And old water tank, or fuel tank for  a tractor at work maybe? Hard to tell.

The vines exhibit a beautiful mix of colors at this time of year.

The vines cover the hillsides leading up to the nationally renowned Kautz Winery and Events Center.  At one point Jim and I spotted a herd of deer that had somehow gotten inside of the deer fencing.  We tried to photography them, but they ran as soon as we got out of the car. Photographing old barns seems worthwhile to me, but I haven't a clue what to do with them. I've watched a few of them topple in my years here, so I hope this preserves a bit of the past.

MURPHYS IRISH DAY CELEBRATION

This is a view of Murphys Irish Day around noon. People were bundled up but still determined to have a great day, and, they did.

 

That is because earlier, at 9:00, volunteers were out shoveling the white stuff off the streets. Then, once shoveled, where do you put it?  

It had to go somewhere, so it kind of lay piled around in mounds here and there. I saw a few snowball fights, but the kids were respectful and took their fun away from people and onto lawns or side streets.
At the beginning of March, in preparation for this day, the street was painted with two huge clovers and the space between the double lines was painted green for the length of Main St. This is done legally, now. It wasn't always so. The guys who started this affair, Jim Riggs and Bob Bliss,  would invite people over to Riggs Beauty Salon for corned beef sandwiches and beer. Then about midnight, after they'd had plenty of  liquid courage, they'd paint the single yellow line green with the help of anyone else willing to face arrest if caught.  The powers that be laid in wait and caught Jim Riggs, arrested him, and put him in jail one year. The judge was friendly to one of the outstanding merchants, movers and shakers about town, and Jim was released the next morning without charges being filed.  They finally made a deal to everyone's satisfaction, and the practice continues to this day.

The local booths provided good eats and drinks of all kinds. The churches brought home made soda bread and  pies to sell.  The nearby Congregational Church held a pancake breakfast. The Native Sons provided corned beef sandwiches and green beer. There was all manner of barbeque, chicken, fries, corn dogs and other good stuff. I opted to get warm at the pancake breakfast and just missed the parade.

The last event of the parade is the manure scoopers with their little green wagon and shovel, but I couldn't see any horses. I think it must have been a short parade this year.

 Cute glasses.

 The old foggie club.

 I enjoyed the green trappings.

Meeting old friends. Glen Berry is once again President of the Native Sons, he told me to be sure and tell my son, Ken. (They're old school chums.)

And young girls looking for an older boy than the one interested in them.

And the music. They had an Irish band, but this guy with his hammer dulcimer was fascinating to watch and hear.

Here is a very short sample. I was sorry I cut it off so soon.

GHOSTS AND SPIRITS OF THE DEAD-HERE.

The Mother Lode has an abundance of ghosts and spirits that reside or at least visit local hotels. Why hotels? Well, each has its own story. Columbia's Fallon House, had a paranormal researcher use high tech instruments to see if they were haunted. His conclusion? "Yup, You've got ghosts." Visitors and employees have reported ghosts in the Murphys Hotel, Jamestown's National Hotel and Willow Hotel. Columbia's City Hotel, Dorrington's only hotel, Sonora's Gunn House, and Groveland's Hotel Charlotte. But, the most well known is the Hotel Leger in Mokelumne Hill. The ghost has been continually reported from the early gold mining days and people still get spooked in the old inn. None of the ghosts are dangerous, some hug men, others tuck you into your sheets or move things about. So, if you are looking, come on up and try one of the rooms. The employees know which rooms are most likely to experience a visit.

What gets my attention are stories from children who have no idea what sensationalism is all about. Like the 9 year old boy who told his mother, as they drove by a certain spot, on a street in their new neighborhood. "That's where the car hit me!"   She ignored it the first time. Then, when he described being on his bike, and dying. She objected, but he was so chillingly serious she became intent on debunking and defusing his constant attention to that place. She talked to people in the neighborhood, and discovered newspaper articles about a boy who was killed in that exact manner, at that exact spot, many years earlier.

If I knew the mother? But I don't. Still, I've heard a number of them and they give me pause. I have to ask myself, why would a mother put her reputation and that of her child at risk to ridicule? And what benefit does such a tale serve them? Unless it happens to me, I guess I'll never know.

A FOX IN THE COMPOST

This little fox had a partner and they both decided to visit my compost bin about 7:00 a.m. this morning. They are quick as shadows and blitzed out of sight whenever they detected a slight movement from the window. I did manage to get this little one before she dashed for the brush, ears alert, listening for danger. I guess I'll never get beyond the thrill of seeing something wild and beautiful in my yard.

Of course, that includes flowers. These tulips are just opening and stepping into their rightful beauty. Since I have only days left in Murphys before I hit the road again, I can enjoy these lovelies. Along with the bleeding hearts and columbine in the garden.

I've had several iris bloom and hopefully I'll get to see my favorites come out before I leave.

TEST RUN, WALK THROUGH ON TERRA

WAITING!!!

It was somewhat unusual to take delivery on the new motor home in July and finally get to inspect it and drive it yesterday, 09-09-09.
La Mesa RV service people showed us how every little doodad in the thing worked, then we waited while they fixed a broken rivet on the exhaust and adjusted the parking brakes. The tech went through and replaced some screws, tightened stuff, showed us how to remove the radio and television, checked the air conditioning and so, on. Motorhomes are fairly complicated equipment and I have a new appreciation for Jim's knowledge, knowing what questions to ask, and seeing to it that all was taken care of adequately. Quite an all day process. We boondocked at Camping World where we proceeded to pick up a lot of handy built-in type gadgets, and arrived back in Murphys about 3 p.m. About a 200 mile trip. YIKES! Since I drive a Prius, its hard to accept the low mileage these beauties get. We are going to put up a sign, GAS POOR BUT HAPPY!
The test run was a success. The Fleetwood Terra performed very well climbing these hills and we'll be on the road again after Christmas.
(That is supposed to be a picture of Jim above, but I really wanted to show the compact rig behind him that I was drooling over.)

BRICE STATION WINERY

Brice Station Winery owner, Stu Mast hoists a glass at the end of a long, busy weekend.
His friend, Fred, and father-in-law Paul Quyle helped drink up the half used bottles after a busy day in the tasting room. In fact, Delores Quyle-Mast was still serving customers as the rest of us finished off the opened reds. As Fred proclaimed, its a necessary job, somebody has to do it.
Umm, yes, lovely job. I was only too glad to help.
However, it didn't make me delusional. Fred claims he has exray vision. His only problem, he doesn't want to see that well. He is tired of looking at bones and he is trying to refine his exray vision to just seeing through clothing.
I'm for thinking he may be taking this job too seriously.

Pam Quyle seemed to think so,too.
But, I don't know...that exray vision thing...Oh, that I could somehow...

Well, never mind. What I do know is, the wines at Brice Station are non pariel. The company is great; Pam's pottery across from the tasting room makes Brice Station a more interesting stop. When you are wine tasting don't miss it, four miles above Murphys.
And a good time was had by all!

THE DOORMAN HAS SPIDERWEBS

I've always been a traveler, but RVing for long periods of time is new to me. Homecoming is wonderful. But...things have a way of changing in your absence. The doorman has cobwebs.

The candles melted in that week of 105* temperatures.

The apples are numerous and small sized because they didn't get thinned.
But, I came back to a new deck, picnic table resurfaced, my gate posts widened to accomodate the new, wider motor home, a new set of stairs. Magic?
No. My talented son, Doug, the carpenter and caretaker, produced the magic. How nice it is. Makes me think If this life style catches on, who would want to stay home?

FLOTSAM AND JETSOM TECHNO DUMMY!!!

This is sunrise over Lake Minden in May of this year.
This is sunset at Lake Minden, last night. Kind of hazy and cloudy.

Today is Saturday. Its only going to be 100 degrees and "Weather Wimp Jim" is shuddering. (I can't blame him.) He is used to weather between 66 and 73 degrees. I'm going to spend the day in the lake with my daughter and grandkids and just vegetate. That way, I won't have to listen to Jim cry.
We are parked at Thousand Trails Lake Minden which is 20 miles north of Sacramento. We started our trip on May 27th at Lake Minden and we'll end this trip, our last night in the old motor home, here at Lake Minden.
I'm Looking forward to heading back to Murphys, loading into the new motorhome, and the new adventures to come. Plus, Thailand in December. (Not in a motorhome.)

We've just become acquainted with a blog at this link http://thebayfieldbunch.com/
which referenced Jim and I as partners with separate blogs. Very fun site.
Which also acquainted me with squawmama Donna.

I hate being a techno dummy. To some were given talents with complicated stuff like how do you get a message to POST to your blog. I read them, click the button, click publish this message, and nothing? I just bumble along. If it weren't for my partner, Jim, I'd be living in a techno swamp unable to post anything.
Anyway, squawmama, Donna left me a message and I clicked all the buttons and it still doesn't appear on my blog. I WILL FIND YOU.

Life is good and then you blog. (sounds like something someone does when in trouble, no?)