THE SONGS OF A NIGHTINGAIL

  Sights seen around a wildfire include fire trucks and their crews standing by, waiting for instructions. Helicopters loading up with water or special retardant to battle a wildfire from the air. And thank heaven for the pilots guided by spotter planes who maneuver their aircraft to drop retardant exactly where it’s needed. But it’s the gritty ground crews with picks, shovels, hoes, chainsaws, and whatever else needed heading into a wildfire on the ground who do the hardest work. We laughed at a fire crew spraying retardant foam all over this café in 1992 during the “Moccasin Fire”, but that’s where many of them were getting free meals!  Retardant foam is a way to save structures from a fire. Another way to save structures is to wrap them in ‘shake & bakes’ – personal protection when ground crews are caught In a fire.  This was an historic cabin in Yosemite wrapped up for protection from an advancing fire.  Wildfires can be a terrifying sight by day . . . . . . ...

Once upon a time there was a young, newly engaged couple who were planning to marry and go on a honeymoon. For her wedding on the 16th of June in 1909, the bride wore a beautiful gown. Once married, they prepared to take off on their honeymoon. The bride appeared in a handsome ‘Going Away’ suit carrying her luggage. And the happy couple boarded a large boat to carry them to their honeymoon destination.  Unfortunately, we do not know where that destination was. They took pictures of themselves on the boat. Looking exactly like the love birds they were, the bride and groom, having arrived at their honeymoon destination, apparently posed for a photograph. They had 3 daughters. Daughter #1 was born in 1910 in Toronto, Canada.  Daughter #2 was born in 1912, also in Toronto.  Daughter #3 was born in 1925 in Chicago! Sometime around 1925, for reasons unknown, the bride and groom decided to move to southern California – driving there themselves.  At some point along the ...

  From the time I was 7 years old my family spent vacations camping at Lake Tahoe on the west shore– either at Meeks Bay Resort, or D.L. Bliss State Park.  Unfortunately, as the years went by, signs like the one above were all too frequently seen.  That’s my Dad standing there hoping somebody will check out so we can grab their space. In the summer of 1963 a new subdivision of lots opened for sale in the Rubicon area between Meeks and Bliss.  Mom & Dad took a look, found a perfect lot with a tiny peek through the trees at the lake, and decided to buy it, went home, and began drawing up floorplans. That November they went back up to the lake.  There was a light layer of snow on the ground, but it didn’t deter them from cutting down a few smaller trees that needed to be cleared from where the cabin was going to sit on the lot, so that year many of us had  beautiful Christmas trees from the lot including me who had just moved into my own apartment. My ...