Unusual Mailbox

One day, many years ago, Ben and I decided to take a drive down to Hollywood and Beverly Hills. We were driving around looking at the beautiful homes and mansions. We noticed that several of them had very unusual mailboxes. This was one of them.

Samoa Cookhouse

When my late husband Ben and I used to visit Northern California, one of our favorite places to eat was the Samoa Cookhouse in Eureka, CA. It is still just like it was when they used to feed the loggers and mill workers. The food is served "family style" and they keep it coming until you tell them you are full.

Butte Creek Canyon

My older brother lives in northern California and the scenery up there is beautiful. He lives in a town called Paradise which is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The town of Chico lies in the Central Valley of California. Between Paradise and Chico, there is a beautiful canyon called Butte Creek Canyon. We try to go there whenever I visit my brother.

Graduation Day

1968. Barbara Folkins (now Wilson), Patricia McCaskill and me after our high school graduation and on our way to our "all night party".

Lombardi Ranch

Every year I visit Lombardi Ranch in Saugus, CA to take my autumn photographs. Took this photo the first year I went there (2007). This year, due to the lack of water for their crops because of our long-time drought, they will not be open for the season. I will miss going there. Hopefully they will be open next year.

Butte Creek Canyon

I visit this area every time I visit my brother in northern California. Butte Creek Canyon is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It runs from the mountains down to the town of Chico, CA. It is referred to as the "Smaller Grand Canyon". There is a cool covered bridge in the bottom of the canyon too.

The Bidwell Mansion

Once when I was visiting my brother Ron in Paradise, CA we drove down to Chico, CA in the Central Valley and walked around the grounds of the Bidwell Mansion the home of General John Bidwell. The grounds are now a State Park in northern California.

High School Daze

This is a picture of me with my high school girl friends...from left to right...Patricia McCaskill, Me, Dawn Johnson and Barbara Folkins (now Barbara Wilson). I've heard that Dawn passed away a few years back, but I have not been able to confirm that. We were in the Class of Winter 1968. Our class name was the Avicenneans and our class colors were black and gold.

The Rock

This is a place called "The Rock Inn" (I wonder why - Ha Ha). It is a bar/cafe/motel in Lake Hughes, CA. It was built between 1927 and 1929. A few years back, my friend Judy and I went out to the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve and we decided to drive over to this place to have lunch. We were the only people there at the time. Food was really good. The manager let Judy and I wander around the place as we wanted to see what the rooms looked like. They were very small, just a bed and a side table and they did not have "in-room" bathrooms. There is one bathroom in the hall that everyone shares. The Rock Inn is now an historical landmark.

Trees Of Mystery - Klamath, CA

This place was always so much fun to go to. Trees Of Mystery in Klamath, CA was always a "must stop" when Ben and I were in northern California. It has a self-guided tour of some very unusual trees. There is also a great museum and gift shop and across the street was a neat little place to eat called the Forest Cafe. The inside of the cafe is decorated like a forest. One side of the room makes it appear that you are dining under water. The food was always really good too.

Palco Lumber Company - Scotia, CA

Ben and I would always visit the Pacific Lumber Company (Palco) in Scotia, CA. They used to have a self-guided tour and we would doe the tour every time we were in that area. Scotia is a small company-owned town with a great museum and quaint little houses that all look exactly alike. The lumber company closed down a few years back.

Old Town Eureka, CA

Another one of Ben's and my favorite spots. This is Old Town Eureka, CA. We would park on one of the side streets and walk around town and then down to the boat dock. Was always so nice and quiet there. Not the hustle and bustle of southern California.

The Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse - Trinidad, CA

This was always one of Ben's and my favorite places when we would visit the north coast of California. Trinidad, CA is a tiny town along Hwy. 101 in Humboldt County. It is just 23 miles north of Eureka, CA. We would go there and walk down to the beach or we'd sit on the cliff near the lighthouse overlooking the bay. Such a beautiful place.

Nevada City, CA

My late husband Ben and I went to visit Ben's sister Donna when she lived in Nevada City, CA. We had never been there before so Donna's husband Rich took us on a tour of the town. What a great place this is to visit. It is an old gold mining town in northeast California in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. If you ever see a movie on The Hallmark Channel called "The Christmas Card", this is where the movie was filmed. I only wish we could have spent more time visiting the beautiful place.

Main Street - Ferndale, CA

Took this photo of Main Street in Ferndale, CA. As I've mentioned before, this was where my late husband Ben and I loved to vacation. If you ever visit Ferndale, stop by the Ferndale Meat Company for a sandwich.

Trinidad Head Memorial Lighthouse

This is one of my very favorite places and view in the world. This is the Trinidad Head Memorial Lighthouse in Trinidad, CA. Every time my late husband Ben and I would visit the far north coast of California, we would make sure we stopped by this spot. This photo brings back great memories for me.

A Building In Arizona

I don't even remember what this building was. All I remember is that I took this photo when I was at the Grand Canyon back in the early 1970's.

Hotel At Grand Canyon

This was 1972 and this was the hotel on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

F-117 Nighthawk.

I worked at Lockheed for over 37 years. They used to hold annual family days where our family and friends could visit the plant. They held them in Burbank, CA before that plant shut down and then held them in Palmdale, CA at the Skunk Works. This is a full-sized F-117 Nighthawk, the plane that won the first Gulf War. The jet was completely unknown to the public until that night in January 1991 during Desert Storm. It was retired in 2008.

Eureka, CA

Viewing the town of Eureka, CA from Woodley Island.

Mendocino Lens

When my husband Ben was alive, he and I loved to vacation in Northern California. Our favorite place was the Victorian Village of Ferndale, CA. We usually stayed there for a week and toured the surrounding areas. This, however, was right in the town of Ferndale at the Humboldt County Fair Grounds. This is the entrance gate for the fair grounds and this is the Mendocino Lighthouse Fresnel lens.

Re-entering California

When I was a kid, our family (Mom, Dad, brother Ron, brother Keith and me) always took Route 66 and headed for Tulsa, OK to visit my Aunt Lucille and her family. When we returned to California, they would always stop us right after we crossed the border of Arizona and California to ask if we were bringing any produce into California. This is a photo of the border stop back in the 1960s.

Coast Guard

This is a picture of the Coast Guard Station on Humboldt Bay near Eureka, CA. I would see this building from a distance when we'd be driving along Hwy. 101, so one day I told Ben I wanted to get closer to it so I could take a photo. This was as close as we could get.

Candy And Ginger

This is Candy and Ginger. Candy is on the left and Ginger is the little girl on the right. Candy was the second dog I had in my life. We got her when she was 3 months old. I was 13 when we got her. My Uncle Glenn's dogs (Tammy and Timmy) had puppies and Candy was one of them. She went everywhere with me. She lived to be 15 1/2 years old and I missed her so much when she died. Ginger was my older brother's dog. She came to live with us when she got to be a "handful" for my brother's family. She calmed down once she was with Candy. I think she thought Candy was her mommy. 

Avenue Of The Giants

Ben and I used to love spending Christmas and New Years in Humboldt County, CA. It usually rained most of the time we'd be there, but that was fine with us, as we don't get that much rain down here in Southern California. We'd always take a drive along the Avenue Of The Giants which runs along the Eel River and Hwy. 101 between Garberville, CA to just below Scotia, CA.

Rotting Away

I remember taking this photo in 1999 when Ben and I were up in Northern California. We were driving around Eureka and I saw this crumbling building in a field and told Ben to stop so I could take a picture of it.

Primm, NV

I don't remember what year it was, but one time Ben and I decided we didn't want to go to Las Vegas, but we did want to do some gambling. There were no Indian Casinos in California at that time, so we drove all the way to "Stateline, NV", now called Primm, NV. For years, Whiskey Pete's had been the only casino there and it was a tiny little place, but they had just built a new hotel and casino across the highway, so that was were we went. I remember it was a beautiful day and I remember Ben riding the roller coaster. I never like roller coasters, so I just waited for him to finish his ride. We stayed until the late afternoon and then headed back home.

My Gated Community - 1994

This is what my gated community looked like back in December of 1994 when Ben and I first moved in. There was snow on the mountain tops that winter. There were not very many homes here at that time. Our house was the only one on our side of the street. I remember how upset Ben was when they started putting houses in those empty lots. Needless to say, we lost most of this view.

Neveda City, CA

One year when Ben and I had gone up to the Northern California Coast on vacation, we deiced to on the way home that we would visit his sister Donna. At the time, she and her family were living in Nevada City, CA and Ben and I had never been there before. The town is an old mining town and very historic. It is nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and the area is beautiful.

Forest Creatures

Ben and I loved the north coast of California. We loved the redwood trees, the small towns and the way of life. We made so many trips up there. We had our favorite spots to visit and this was one of them. The Legend Of Bigfoot Gift Shop just outside of Garberville, CA on Hwy. 101. We visited this shop every time we were in the area and I still have several of the items that I purchased there.

Grand Canyon Trip - 1972

In 1972, I took my first trip to the Grand Canyon. My BFF from high school went with me. We spent about 3 days tent camping there and exploring the area.

Star Fish

This photo was so "forgotten" that I do not even remember where or when I took it. I'm assuming it was back when Ben and I had motorcycles and we used to ride up Hwy. 1 near Malibu and Zuma and also up into Oxnard, CA and Ventura, CA. We would ride to the beach and walk around and then head home.

Nevada City, CA

One year after Ben and I had stayed in Humboldt County, CA for a few days, we headed toward the Gold Country of California. Ben's sister Donna was living in Nevada City, CA at the time, so we spent a day and a night with her and her family. I loved this little town and would love to visit it again.

Duck On A Rock

Took this photo of "Duck On A Rock" in the Grand Canyon way back in 1972. I thought I was the only one who saw a duck there, but I've seen several photos of it since online.

Along Hwy. 1 In Humboldt County, CA

I think I shot this scene in the early 1980's when Ben and I went up to California's Humboldt County a few months after we were married. I guess you could say that this was our "honeymoon" trip. Thought I'd share this as April 5th would have been our 35th wedding anniversary.

Near Palm Springs, CA

Came upon this roadside attraction many years ago when Ben and I were dating. We had driven down to Palm Springs, CA for the day and happened to notice it along the way.

Main Street - Ferndale, CA

Main Street Ferndale, CA. This was the favorite vacation place for me and my late husband Ben. Ferndale is an historic Victorian Village in Humboldt County. It is near the redwood trees and the ocean. Ben always said that Ferndale was his "Mayberry". We wanted to move there after retirement, but that dream never came to be as Ben passed away in 2011.

Humboldt Bay Marina - Eureka, CA

Took this photo of the marina area of Eureka, CA about 30 years ago. Since that time, they have built it up and it now has a very nice board walk along the water.

Grand Canyon Desert View Watch Tower

Took this photo of the Grand Canyon Desert View Watch Tower on the rim of the Grand Canyon in the early 1970's.

My Back Yard In 1995

Ben and I moved into our house in 1994 and I took this photo in 1995 of our patio. The patio is now covered, so it looks totally different. The bush on the right behind the park bench is gone, as is the palm tree next to the patio door which Ben and I removed and replaced with grass. The tree in the foreground was replaced by a shade tree which has now grown and shades most of the yard. The grass is no longer this plush and green due to the tree blocking it from the sun and of course Hiker runs around back there.

Las Vegas

In mid 1974, Ben and I had been dating for about 4 or 5 months. I loved Olivia Newton-John so Ben and I drove up to Las Vegas to see her show at the Riviera.

The Grand Canyon

Took this photo on a gray morning in 1972 when my high school best friend (Trisha) and I went to the canyon for a few days.

The Fernbridge

This is the Fernbridge. It crosses the Eel River between the town of Fernbridge, CA and the village of Ferndale, CA in Humboldt County (Northern California). There have been seasons when the water from the river is all the way up to the arches. One of the dryer seasons, Ben and I walked down into the riverbed and I took this photo. If you have seen the movie "Outbreak" and if you remember the scene where the military is driving trucks and Hummers across a bridge, this is that bridge.

London Bridge

In 1974, after one of our weekends in Las Vegas, Ben and I drove over to see the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, AZ. It had just been moved there from England. The attraction was not yet completed and it was not actually open to the public at that time, but we were able to take some photos of it.

The Legend Of Big Foot

The Legend Of Big Foot Gift Shop is locate just outside of the town of Garberville, CA along Hwy 101 in the California Redwoods. Ben and I made it a point to stop by there every time we were in the area. Sometimes you can see an artist carving these redwood statues with a chainsaw. I have a small redwood bear that was carved by chainsaw. Also have a nice wind chime and a wind spinner from this shop.

Fremont Street Las Vegas, NV

When Ben and I started dating back in the 1970's, we used to drive up to Vegas every other month for a weekend of fun. We had met a couple who lived in Henderson, NV and we would stay with them. I have not been there in over 25 years even though Ben's sister Donna lives up there now.

The Grand Canyon In 1972

I took this photo with a Kodak Pocket Camera back in 1972 when my high school friend Trisha and I went camping there for a few days.

The Eel River In Humboldt County, CA

Ben and I loved this area of Northern California. We went there at least once a year from the 1970's until the 2000's. For years we wanted to move up there and thought about doing it after we retired, but that plan died when Ben died. This shot is along the Avenue Of The Giants.