Fri Sep 30, 2005
Trip on the Tahoe Queen
It has been a while since I have posted any of my trips and I am sorry about that. But this trip had to be shared. I live in Sacramento California and about 2.5 hour drive we have one the largest lakes in the west. Lake Tahoe is well know for its resorts and beauty. The lake is 12 mile accross and 22 miles long with the average depth of 1000 feet. Now that is a large body of water. The water is so clear the color is a brilliant blue where it is deep and an emarld green when you are in the shallower water, hence the name of our destination "Emerald Bay. My wife and I have photographed the bay many times from the road high on the mountain but this time we thought we would take the Tahoe Queen, a river paddle wheeler, and view this beautiful place from the water level. The following photographs were take on this trip. I hope you enjoy them and if you ever get a chance to vist Lake Tahoe I suggest this is a trip not to miss.
This is a photo of the people boarding the Tahoe Queen.
As we parted the harbor you can look back and see State Line. State Line is a city just inside the Nevada border where gambling is allowed. what you are looking at are the Casinos.
Since Dorothy, my wife, and I were in the front of the boarding line we pick two perfect chairs on the second deck on the bow of the boat. There were only 6 chairs and 2 benches in this area of the boat. What a view, but on the third deck was where most of the passengers road and they were crowed even on a Thursday. This photo show the mass of people. If you go on this trip, be there early and pick the good seats.
This is the mouth of Emerald Bay. Again I will say the color of the water was deep blue. The color of the photo has not been modified. The water color really was this deep blue.
In the middle of the Bay is Fannette Island. Although it is a very small island it is one of the most photographed places on the lake.
This is the "Tea House" on Fannette Island. I do not know the history but some day I will take a boat to the island and walk up to the Tea House just like the person in the photo did. Looks like great fun.
Although the total time of the trip was 2.5 hours, it went by so fast. The boat had a full bar which I did not partake but they did have fresh home made cholate chip cookies. Not that I could not pass up. I got a large cookie for Dorothy and my self and sat watching the water pass us by while sitting in the fron of the boat. But all good things have an ending and so did this boat trip. Here the passagers are departing. For us we got into our SUV and followed the road around to the other side of the lake where we know a viewing platform of the Bay. As I was approaching the parking lot our friend , who join us on our trips hollowed out "watch out for the bear. Before I could think a bear ran into the road and I had to stop inorder to not hit the animal. He simple gave me a dirty look and went back into the woods. I have heard there were bears in the Sierra but usually in the back woods. I have never seen one until yesterday. What a treat. Well that is about it for this trip. I hope you enjoyed the photos. (by the way the bear moved so quickly, he was gone by the time I had the thought grab the camera.)
Fri Mar 11, 2005
Feather Falls, California
Feather Falls, California
Well yesterday was Thursday, our day to leave town and it was bright and sunny and most important, dry. Lately we have a lot of cloudy days with at least threat of rain. With the sun finally make itself known, Dorothy (my wife), Vick (our dear friend) pack up our camera gear and headed north to Orville. Orville is about a 2 hours trip and the parking lot at the beginning of the trail is another 30 min. into the mountail. We parked our car and started on the path to the falls. This will be a 8 mile round trip hike up and down the hills. Now we walk 3-5 miles several times a week but we found out quickly that it was not enough to put us in good shape for the hike. Also because I did not know what to expect I brought all my lenses in my back pack. With my camera, lenses and water the pack must have been at least 20 pounds. That will be the last time I take the pack. There times that I did not know how I was going to contiue, but I did. I was not going to leave my camera gear!!! Here are the photos of the falls. Feather Falls is the 6 tallest fall in the US. It was well worth the effert.
Sun Feb 13, 2005
Some Interesting History
Some Interesting History
I am getting some photos ready that I took in the Sacramento Wetlands, but meanwhile my daughter sent me an email with a history of some of famous sayings. I thought you might like them So here they are.
.....................................................................................................................................................
In George Washington's days, there were no cameras. One's image was
either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed
him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back while others
showed both legs and both arms. Prices charged by painters were not based
on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be
painted. Arms and legs are "limbs," therefore painting them would cost the
buyer more. Hence the expression, "Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and
a leg."
**************************************************************
As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year
(May and October)! Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their
heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford
good wigs made from wool. They couldn't wash the wigs; so to clean them
they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake
it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence
the term "big wig." Today we often use the term "here comes the Big Wig"
because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.
**************************************************************
In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one
chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was
used for dining! The "head of the household" always sat in the chair
while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who
was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during a
meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They
called the one sitting in the chair the "chair man." Today in business,
we use the expression or title "Chairman" or "Chairman of the Board."
**************************************************************
Personal hygiene left much room for improvement. As a result, many women
and men had developed acne scars by adulthood. The women would spread
bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth out their complexions. When
they were speaking to each other, if a woman began to stare at another
woman's face she was told, "mind your own bee's wax." Should the woman
smile, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile." In addition,
when they sat too close to the fire, the wax would melt . . . therefore,
the expression "losing face."
**************************************************************
Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front. A proper and
dignified woman. as in "straight laced". . . wore a tightly tied lace.
**************************************************************
Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax
levied when purchasing playing cards but only applicable to the "Ace of
Spades." To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead.
Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be
stupid or dumb because they weren't "playing with a full deck."
**************************************************************
Early politicians required feedback from the public to determine what the
people considered important. Since there were no telephones, TV's or
radios, the politicians sent their assistants to local taverns, pubs, and
bars. They were told to "go sip some ale" and listen to people's
conversations and political concerns. Many assistants were dispatched at
different times. "You go sip here" and "You go sip there." The two words
"go sip" were eventually combined when referring to the local opinion and,
thus we have the term "gossip."
**************************************************************
At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized
containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep
the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was
drinking in "pints" and who was drinking in "quarts," hence the term
"minding your "P's and Q's."
**************************************************************
| NEXT page |
|
 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
 |
<< # vivid ? >> < ? digital eye # > « # picture this! ? » | ||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||