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.

POKING AROUND SOULSBYVILLE

I’ve never stopped in the little gold-rush town of Soulsbyville until my treatments at SpineForce brought me here. My friend Jan and I decided to kind of meander and poke around town.

An old sawdust burner caught my eye. They are huge and hard to miss, of course. I didn’t know there were any left. They’ve all been removed or just fallen down. This one is being cared for and preserved. Bully for Soulsbyville.

Soulsbyville is located above Sonora, CA. on highway 108. And while it was a rip-roaring gold town at one time when the gold petered out, it became a lumbering town. Thus the sawdust burner.

And here, you can just pull over and enjoy a feast of blackberries along the road. Of course, Jan and I ate the big fat black ones before I remembered to get out my camera.

Back on 108 headed down hill, I stopped to take a picture of this funky mailbox. A nearby company manufactures that pipe this fellow is made from. Jan wondered why I took a picture of this mailbox.

This question from a woman who builds pyramids in her yard. Huh?  I like pictures of funky mailboxes. And, in fact, I’m in the process of designing one of my own since my mail box post is rotting and needs replacement.

I was telling Jan how I missed the old Byrd House since they widened the highway and voila! There it was, not gone after all. I was truly surprised and even though it is crowded by a power pole and practically touching the electric wires, I had to record this strange building. It was once Byrd Realty Office, many years ago. I’m glad it has been preserved. I guess I like Eclectic things.

We eventually got to the gold-rush town of Columbia. I told her I knew where there was a dragon but it is in someone’s yard and I’ve never gotten a good picture of it. Well…

Jan pointed out that his snout was blackened and he must snort flames.

Isn’t he handsome?  We found the pipe and propane tank hiding near his tail. And, no one came out and took a shot at us. People are pretty laid back here.

As we were leaving the “dragon” road, we spotted this old miner’s cabin. The Motherlode used to be full of little miners cabins. They, too, are falling apart, being removed and are just supposedly useless relics from the past. This miner knew to build on top of a rock to prevent his foundation from rotting away.

I’m glad this old cabin is still around to remind us of the rudimentary places the miners called home. This one is quite big compared to others I’ve seen, and must have housed a wife and children, too. The brow over the window, or former window, is still holding on.

From the front, you can see a modern address and electric meter. It is very possible someone still lives here.
Jan wanted to visit Spineforce and if she hadn’t been with me I’d have probably just headed for home instead of seeing things from a tourists eyes. It was fun.

CHARMS AND DANGERS OF THE MOTHERLODE.

When I return home I never have any doubt that I live in one of the nicest places in California. Murphys Creek runs two miles from my house, right through town, in fact.  My daughter and her two boys came to stay for a couple of days and we drove to the creek to cool off.  The kids like to walk upstream and tube back down while we visit on the bank.

The water is low everywhere this year, and it is kind of fun to float under the bridge.

Or do some fishing from the bridge.  A tented playground is part of the park, visible in the background.

Or you can lounge around an eat cherries and corn chips, which is what we did. Relax. And, for nostalgia’s sake, we walked about two blocks to the Peppermint Stick, an ice cream parlor and enjoyed ice cream sundaes with whipped cream and a cherry on top.  Virginia worked there when she was in high school, and she regaled the kids with stories of working an ice cream parlor and candy counter where kids could order two gum drops, one licorice stick and a sucker and hand over their sticky pennies. Ice cream cones had to be consumed outside.

My daughter, who had just recently done a field trip with students and went rafting down a huge river finally jumped in to get wet and cool off. I’ve enjoyed this creek since we moved here, only more now that I have grand-kids to come and play. It’s a pleasant way to spend a hot afternoon.

While waiting for the garden soup to finish cooking for a light supper, we heard a close flying plane.

The spotter plane is  barely visible in the smoke that we hadn’t noticed until we heard the plane.

Soon the whole sky was a mass of smoke and haze and looked to be very close, which it was, approximately a mile away.

The helicopters began dropping buckets of water and the spotter continually circled to direct them.

A second copter joined the first one and a flurry of cars went up and down the road. We saw folks hauling their horses out of the canyon.

Eventually there were four helicopters and two spotters. The boys wondered why no fire engine came out. We explained to them the fire is in such a steep place, fire fighters can barely get to it. There were fire fighters from the highway side of the fire, we learned later. And my daughter took one camera and I another and we took pictures of every room in the house, every out building and the whole yard…just in case.

The copters were dipping into Utica Reservoir on the highway, and hauling back their buckets. The buckets don’t look like they carry enough water to fight a major blaze, but they do.

After a couple hours of the bucket brigade,  they brought in a long line bucket as the reservoir water got lower.  The helicopters were dumping with their lights on until it got  dark and the ground crews had to hold the lines. Fire tamps down at night and they caught this one right away.

The wind had shifted away from us before it got dark and we were able to go to bed with a feeling of safety, but fire is always a danger in the Motherlode. Other communities suffer hurricanes, tornadoes and twisters, or volcanoes, so we all have our dangers and our charms. This turned out to be a 180 acre blaze with no evacuations. We can sigh with relief and go on about our business. For me, it has been a busy month and I’ve missed blogging more than I ever have before. I have been nursing an injured muscle and have three weeks of therapy coming up as well.

And, then this morning, besides hearing the spotters work the sparks, Karen was towed home with an incapacitated vehicle.  It needs a new fuel pump. Not dangerous and not charming. Dang.

CAVERNOUS BEAUTY

Calaveras County has a series of underground venues-Mercer Cavern, Moaning Cavern and Cave City. Since Mercer is near Stevenot Vineyards, that was our first choice.
Mercer is a big cave and dates from 1865. The guided tour history is well done and fascinating when you review how Mercer and his friends went in on ropes with a candle for light, all of which is demonstrated.
Now stairs, (152 of them), platforms, and electric lighting, reveal the beauty of the formations. Mercer Cavern contains a rare formation that has a specimen housed in the Smithsonian. The place, in a word, gorgeous. Don't miss it if you travel to Murphys. Its only one of the reasons to love the motherlode

It was serendipity to meet Mike, the friendly, knowledgeable tasting room concierge. I've been here 31 years and still learned something new about wine. I love the Chardonnay and 2004 Cabernet. Mike found out about my friends, and our finding each other after sixty years. They found out it was his birthday, and serenaded him. So, of course we had to have a picture.
Can you tell we are having fun?

The lady at Upscale Resale in Murphys suggested we come to her store AFTER we went wine tasting. Love her sense of humor. And we did.

FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS

Suzy Hopkins is the editor and publisher of a new magazine called "friends and neighbors" its emphasis is on celebrating seniors, but, as one of her fans wrote, "You might think this magazine is only for seniors. No, not at all..." Shirley Singley. Shirley is right. Its about our friends and neighbors and topics of interest to everybody.
Suzy has generously given me permission to revisit some of her pieces in "Friends and Neighbors" on my blog while I'm recuperating from shoulder surgery. To the right is a link to the magazine so you can peek for yourself at www.tcfan.net
Bay Area people have been retiring to the Mother Lode after visiting here for years. We welcome their expertise and knowledge and many contributions to our communities and Susy is right to celebrate them. Their numbers are expected to grow in the coming years and Tuolumne County is preparing for that influx with emphasis on safe driving, transportation, housing, etc.
The magazine has a very professional staff and great graphics, photos and color. It can be found all over Tuolumne County-free. Just ask a local business person. It is also available to folks in Calaveras County in nearby Angels Camp and Murphys. When you are headed up this way, be sure and pick up a copy.
Now, when you visit the Motherlode, you will meet some of the fascinating people who call it home.

SIGNS OF MANY GUISES

At a writer's workshop years ago, I was fascinated by a teacher who prompted us to find a subject to write about whenever we passed through a new community. Her subject that day was a sign she had seen in town. I can never pass an unusual sign without thinking of her. And while the firewood for sale sign is built of firewood and fits the motherlode perfectly, the sunglasses sign was taken in Yuma, Arizona a month ago, and is certainly an elaborate and interesting way to get to get your attention in sunny Yuma.

IF IT HAS BRANCHES AND LEAVES YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TROUBLE WITH IT

Visitors to the Motherlode pine to live in "God's Country." But, they haven't a clue what life can be like in a wonderful, colorful, quaint, historical, eminently visitable community like Murphys. But, fellow travelers, if it has leaves and branches, you are gonna have trouble with it. Oaks keep most of their leaves through winter. An unaccustomed snow fall can cause a tree fall too. Or it breaks and falls half way. Or it hits a building, or car, or neighbor's building, fence or car. Its happened to me several times. Be warned, flatlander! If on top of that, you have drenching rains, the whole tree can become uprooted and flatten anything it sight.
If, like me, you are lucky enough to know someone like Bob Urban, thought, things can look much better in a short period of time.
Bob teased this huge monster down from its dangerous bend by weakening the arch top with small notched cuts, over a dozen of them. Then, one uppercut and he calmly shoved it over. What a guy! He makes it look easy. This tree was dangerous because a straight cut could have caused it to spring back or snap disable the cutter. Control is the name of the game. And, little dog Bird, Bob's companion, knows enough to stay out of the way. The Urban Duo. The thumbs-up and smile tell the tale and we'll both have wood to keep us warm when the next snowfall happens our way.