KARATE, A FAMILY AFFAIR

 After an appointment in Sacramento, I managed to spend a couple hours with grandsons Owen and Theo at their Karate lessons. Its very much a family affair. My perception was that Karate is a "fighting" exercise taught for defense. Besides defense, good sportsmanship, politeness, camaraderie, balance, coordination, strength, competition and exercise are among its many benefits.

 Kids of all ages line up and learn the moves in a fast pace. To be quick, to be sharp, to never be caught unaware of your surroundings or danger. Girls and boys both find karate appealing.

 More experienced, older kids help younger kids become adept in flash tests.

 Then in sparring gear, students go one on one, all ages, all sizes mix it up. Owen, left,  is known for his ability to kick high and maintain his balance.

During the sparring matches, protective gear, and care not to kick or punch vulnerable places is the method used in training. Here father's and sons, mother's and daughters all participate as a family. This class has a handicapped kid with half and arm is adept at self defense and assumes a great measure of pride in his physical agility and ability. If you've never thought of Karate for your kids, you may want to reconsider. Not everyone is suited to traditional sports, but Karate seems to fit every size and ability.

FRANKLIN, LOUISIANA, OLD BUT MODERN

Home is busy time, and once again I enjoy looking back at favorite places. The small town of Franklin, Louisiana was one of those. Not only did we find friendly people there, but much that was unique about it. It has moss covered trees with old antibellum mansions, but its more than that. Its modern and up-to-date, yet ageless, with great history...well, lets let the pictures speak.

A fancy building facade from 1892.

 A modern clock hangs off the side of a Main St. building.

 Decorative curbside lighting allows theater patrons to disembark their cars at night.

Old time wrought iron graces this building.

 The tires, the tires! Amazing tires. Not junk. It tells of an agricultural presence.

 I wonder who stacked these babies.

 Their old jail had windows, bars on them, but at least a view.

 A nifty museum chock full of interesting stuff. I liked the doily and old silver jewelry.

 And wooden gears from old machinery.

 Mardi Gras costumes hide out in every little town in Louisiana.

LeJeune's is still in operation and is on the National Historic Registry. If the light is on, they still have bread available. We got there in time.

 Maybe not a popular thing everywhere, but they kind of revere their Confederate past.

Citizens here knew two wars. I got a kick out of the "friendly behavior."  I guess a prisoner of war camp in the U.S. was preferred to starving in Germany.

ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF'S ARCHIVE ASSOCIATION

Since my gypsy lifestyle developed, I have been unable to properly serve as President of the Alameda County Sheriff's Archive Association, a project that I care deeply about. Bill Rhodes was elected to replace me and what a breath of fresh air. Enthusiasm, a no non-sense, get-the-job-done, attitude. I was amazed at the wonderful changes in the facility he has accomplished in a few short months. 

Bill, right with Al Iannarelli, discussing a project with Gary Lindsay and Rich Barlow.

Gary is our Media expert. Ianarelli, the author of three books, is invaluable for organizing career books. Bud Harlow, (not pictured) has undertaken to have our Old Santa Rita Jail Doors sandblasted and refurbished.
Rich was interested in knowing if the Archive contains any copies of  The Rap Sheet, a newsletter published by the Deputy Sheriff's Association during the 1970's. We have none that I'm aware of. So, another plea. If anyone knows where copies of The Rap Sheet are hiding, please consider donating them to the Archive.
We had an interesting story surface. A retired deputy with a bunch of interesting old clippings and artifacts from his career stored in his garage had a fire. He immediately realized how endangered those materials were and brought them to the archive. Another danger was cited by my cousin/friend Richard Cardoza.
A neighbor of his who built the Bay Bridge had photos, and memorabilia by the box full that was tossed out by his kids when he died. And pictures his Highway Patrolman neighbor accumulated over a lifetime, huge black and white photos of his early career in Contra Costa County, were likewise tossed. DON'T DO IT. Find a museum and donate before tossing. They are history.
Over the past years, when I attended archive meetings, I  stayed overnight with my cousin, Terri Cardoza from Danville.

She and Richard kindly provided me Bed and Breakfast and made my service to the archive possible. She feeds me and the neighbors rabbit, and a half dozen feral cats she has had fixed, plus four of her own. I am grateful for HER service, and donations to the Archive.

I will still attend meetings when I'm in town, and I intend to continue to do interviews for the archive.

PHOTO ID NEEDED

 The Alameda County Sheriffs Archive Association has had this picture for many years with no idea who the two interesting people are, nor where the picture came from? At some time back, I put out a search for Jim Crewe that brought results via this blog. So, thought I'd try for identification of this couple. If anybody can help, we'd appreciate it.

It was taken during the early 1970's during a spate of civil protests going on at the time. This may have been a women's support group given the attire. In any case, if anyone has information about this picture, please let us know via this blog.
Today is my day to work the archive and meet with new President, Bill Rhodes, newly retired from the department.

LAUGHTER IS HEALTHY

As some of you may know, I get a little goofy about signs I see along the way. Being on the road so much tends to make you notice things others just speed by, and we actually obey the speed limit. So, it came as a surprise to me to learn about Doug Lanksky's website,  http://www.signspotting.com.
He categorizes them into subjects such as: Accidentally R rated, Lost in Translation, Warnings and so on. Well meant, but funny as in BABY ON ROAD?  The sign was photographed in China. Probably Lost In Translation for Baby On Board. Or a church sign by Pastor John Needham. BEHOLD, I COME QUICKLY.  Or how about these intellectual cows from Laytonville, CA.  COWS! PLEASE KEEP GATE CLOSED. Well, it does validate my own obsession. Doug accepts sign photos from people around the world. I may send him some.

I took this photo on Marthas Vineyard. It was on a T-shirt. The guy wearing it told me he works for the company. I didn't ask him where the company was located.

 

 This shirt was in the bait and tackle shop window.

Humorous quips are always fun but since we aren't television watchers, we don't hear many. Readers Digest printed some funnies. I'll pass on this Jay Leno quip that I liked: "The United States has developed a weapon that destroys people but leaves buildings standing. It's called the stock market."  Too Apt.

And this just before Mother's Day from Barack Obama about his rather rough talking Chief of Staff: "This is a tough holiday for Rahm Emanuel. He's not used to saying the word day after mother."

And how about these fly-ins gleaned from the travel site skyscanner.net by Sam Baldwin:
Batman Airport (Turkey)
Useless Loop (Australia)
Moron Airport (Spain)
Eek Airport (Alaska)
Tsili Tsili Airport (Papua New Guinea)

They are all pretty understandable, but Batman Airport???  Hmmm!
I discovered a few other funny websites while looking around.   http://www.fark.com/ 
On this site, Drew Curtis picks out amusing, dumbass, stupid, etc. items from newspapers.

Another is Michael Bender's http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com

One of my favorites found in an antique shop in Revere, MA.
And this one:

I've forgotten the name of this very small town we passed through somewhere in New England. But, it you need coffee, and there is no other place in site, you are gonna stop.

PERFORMING ANIMAL WELFARE SANCTUARY

Ark 2000, the beautiful gate into the PAWS sanctuary, is a fitting icon for a place that is rescuing animals. This non-profit sanctuary has 100's of acres of freedom for "discarded" circus animals to retire to the peace and serenity of the land.  Good food, no more tortuous routines at the whip or pick. Restful and good.

There are fences, to be sure, but nothing like the cages of their past. These three Bengal tigers, though hard to photograph through the fencing, play and growl at each other in a friendly way while we watch  from a safe distance.

 This old female Bengal yawned on the warm sunny hillside as though to affirm, life here is good.

Richly colored coats of tigers in Calaveras County are so out of place, and beautiful. The lion habitat, nearby, has a huge maned male who couldn't keep his eyes off the females. They are separated since PAWS is not a zoo. They don't encourage offspring. The lions and bears managed to  keep clear of the fencing and were not interested in photographers

 And at each area, the food and wine are plentiful and delicious. Here Jan Hovey pours Hovey Wine. Steve Hovey has been making wine for over 20 years and is now proudly presenting his expertise under his own name.

 This female  Asian elephant has a missing toe on one hind leg and a deformed ankle from long years on a chain. She seemed so happy and comfortable. And it is a cheering sight to see her free at last.

 Man's inhumanity to man is nothing compared to what humans do to animals. This, of course, is not the worst of it. She happily nudges and scratches her trunk on the fencing. Some trees in the sanctuary have steel posts around them to protect them from being pushed over by the pachyderms.
 
 At first the sanctuary did not take in bull elephants. They can be dangerous and are unbelievably strong. They had to increase the fence strength for bulls and now they have two.

 At the final buffet and auction area, near the African and Asian elephant barns, we visitors enjoyed dozens of different wines. A wine glass comes with your ticket and you carry it from kiosk to kiosk. Here Margot Osborn pours Chatom wines.

Irish has  Pog Mo Thoin, which is Irish for a mixture of whatever is left over. Well, sort of. It has three varietals and was quite tasty at that.

 This marvelous dish of pesto flavored broiled tomatoes with mozarella was stellar, but the caterers, Jeff Newland and llFornaio, prepared pumpkin ravioli to die for. Of course, the whole luncheon is vegetarian. I keep promising myself to commit to becoming a vegetarian. Living on the road as much as Jim and I do makes it a harder fit.

 At the parking lot, is a recycled old derelict put to good use. It reminds us not to stay over long. PAWS, the Performing Animal Welfare Sanctuary has a program where families can visit. This event was adults only. They are very protective of their charges and the employees know them by their names and can identify one from another. They have pictures of the animals with their names and can tell you stories of their muddled past. A great project that we in Calaveras County enjoy along with out of town visitors.

MARK TWAIN REMEMBERED IN ANGELS CAMP

"All you need is ignorance and confidence and then success is sure," quipped Mark Twain, AKA Samuel Langhorne Clemons. In truth, success didn't come easily for Twain. He had ups and many downs; he suffered hunger, poverty, despondency and had at one time decided to take his own life over his failures. Lucky for us, news of his story's success, "Jim Smiley And His Jumping Frog,"  reached him in time and brought him back from his depression so he failed at suicide, as well.
 
He was in Calaveras County at the time, where the jumping frog story was generated by a conversation in an Angels Camp bar. Gold mining was one of his failures and he tried journalism as a more profitable job. But it was a hungry, cold time for him. He wrote in his diary: "January 23, 1865. Rainy, stormy. Beans and dishwater for breakfast...dishwater & beans for dinner, & both articles warmed over for supper. January 24th. Rained all day-meals as before. Jan 25th. Same as above."
 
 Before moving West, he loved being a Mississippi river pilot, it was lucrative too. He once bragged he made more money than the Vice President of the United States.  But Missouri was a Confederate State, and he and his brother headed west when war was imminent.
  Before he got his Mississippi River pilot's license, he found work at a Newspaper and worked in printing as an assistant. He'd occasionally insert humorous things in the paper anonymously when the editor was absent.  He inherited his red hair from his mother and probably her sense of humor as well. He was pulled at least nine times out of the river in a "substantially drowned condition" at which she scoffed, "People who are born to be hanged are safe in the water." She never expected the runt to live. He was always in trouble.

This bust of Twain is borrowed from the Bancroft Library along with many other artifacts in a very well done exhibit at the 3 acre Angels Camp Museum. While Mark Twain lived in Angels Camp, he met Bret Harte and other famous writers from San Francisco, where he eventually moved. He was a humorist to be sure, and he is famous for his wry quips, such as: "A classic is something that everyone wants to have read and nobody wants to read."   And "The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice." But, of course, for this community, he is of paramount importance which is why they are celebrating his many accomplishments over this weekend. Its certainly worth the drive. Especially since the Museum Committee has published all five of his various Jumping Frog story variations in one volume for sale at this event.  

 This community had no paved roads in 1928. Someone suggested they have a frog jumping contest, as in the famous Mark Twain story, to raise enough money to pave Main St. Angels Camp.  And, so it was done and has evolved into the largest such frog jumping festival in the world. In fact, the Little Flower, New York's Mayor La Guardia came to see the frogs jump along with other famous people over the years. 

The contest held the 3rd weekend in May attracts an average of 10,000 people to come see "the jumps." Its old home week. kids who once jumped frogs, return in May with their children and grandchildren to try their hand at the $1,000 prize, but mostly for the camaraderie. 

 Gold may have been a big industry all those years ago, and established Angels Camp, but Mark Twain put Angels Camp on the map.

TWO EXTREMES OF TORTURE, NEW AND OLD

 We take our footwear for granted. We can slop around in flip-flops, or casual sandals. Or opt for some cliff hangar spikes for a sexy night out. Some shoes are designed for torture, maybe appealing to masochists. But, old time shoes could be just as uncomfortable.

 Buttons tightening on the ankle made it difficult to bend. Narrow toes, tight fitting, they warped feet and personalities.

None, of course, were as bad as the Chinese 'bound feet' shoes that crippled generations of women for life and banished them to their gardens.

Even so, to me, ordinary objects of fascination.
 For a bunch of funky shoe photos check out this link:http://picasaweb.google.com/1579penn/Shoes#