Gems In The Hood

Gems In The Hood

The first home, this spanish beauty.

The front porch wrapped in wisteria.

Original, ornate chandelier.

Beautiful hand hewn beams overhead.

A cozy fireplace.

Original tile...

This wall was originally the outside wall

but was later enclosed.

I love the arched doorway.

An indoor barbecue was once

an outdoor barbecue.

All the door latches were original

and absolutely beautiful.

Okay, so if you want to buy it,

bring your tool belt and $250,000

and it's all yours.

Second up, an MCM charmer.

I was immediately smitten with the fireplace...

and the wall of windows...

Original cabinetry and hardware...

I like it.

The stair railing looked pretty deco.

And it still had the Nutone Radio Intercom System intact!

About the same price as the Spanish Senorita.

Nice!

George Post

1906-1997

Acclaimed watercolor artist George Post spent time in Sonora in the 1930's. He was hired by the Public Works Administration in 1936 and was assigned to do a mural (pictured above) for Sonora High School. The mural depicted Sonora's main industries, logging, mining and agriculture. It is currently displayed in the high school library.

My wife discovered, quite by accident,

that the piece of property we purchased

last year to build our home, is the site of the

little red cabin that George Post lived in

during that time.

Serendipity!

Fall Into Winter

Here in the Sierra foothills

we experience an explosion of color this time of year.

It always seems to catch me off guard.

The trees start to change slowly and just when I think

it may not be a stellar year for color,

It happens.

And each year,

it takes my breath away.

These photos were taken

on our morning walk a week or so ago.

The following photos were taken

right outside our window.

Jamie snapped the fall colors

Saturday morning.

Saturday night while we slept,

winter crept in.

Our Slice of Heaven

My wife and I have been looking for a piece of property

to build our retirement home on for awhile now.

We finally found just the right spot, in the country

but only a mile and a half from town.

We are very excited.

I will post periodically about

the trials and tribulations

of building a home.

(we know there will be plenty).

Having never built from the ground up,

it feels a little daunting but we are up for the challenge.

We hope to incorporate many green features and use

recycled and repurposed materials whenever possible.

I won't bore you with daily details, we'll just hit the highs and lows.
Our celebratory dinner. The weather was perfect.

Stay tuned....

Table Mountain

Today was perfect weather for a hike so we decided to trek to Table Mountain. Our local paper had an article on the wild flowers in the area and Table Mountain was mentioned. We were not disappointed. The trail head is on Shell Road in Jamestown. (about a 5 minute drive from downtown Sonora) The trail is a bit treacherous at the very top but otherwise not a difficult hike. We met several families with young children on the trail. Once you reach the top, you are rewarded with a blanket of wild flowers and gorgeous vistas. I would definitely recommend this hike and now is the perfect time. Catch it soon before the wild flowers are gone.

From the trail head looking up at Table Mountain.

View from the top. Well worth the hike, wouldn't you say?

New Melones Lake

Like I said, the top of the trail is a little tricky.

To the top and back down again.

Sonora Celtic Fair

Sonora Celtic Faire

Friday my son Will and I went to the Celtic Fair at the Sonora Fairgrounds. We had a great time in spite of the weather. Even in the rain, the action was fierce during the jousting competition. This was the day that was geared for kids so the cost was only $5.00 for kids and $10.00 for adults. The participants in the fair have great costumes and really get into their characters. The fair is always held close to Saint Patrick's Day so check it out if you enjoy this sort of thing. Saturday (3/20/10) Murphys will be holding their Irish Day Celebration. Check it out if you can. Luck of the Irish to you!

The Daffodils Have Arrived

Jamie and I spent the afternoon in Murphys on Sunday . We had lunch at our favorite spot, Alchemy, then headed out to Ironstone to see the daffodils. If you are in the area but have never been to Ironstone Vineyard this time of year, you should definitely check it out. After the daffodils have performed, the tulips take over for the second act. We also checked out the art show at Ironstone. Aside from lunch, it was a free afternoon. In this economy, we are always looking for entertainment that won't cost us a pocketful. And....lucky for us, there's lots to do and see in our own back yard.