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.