Slide-tanic?

Of all the fairs I have attended, I have never seen a slide that resembles the sinking of the Titanic until this past weekend. I haven't quite decided if this is suppose to be amusing or done in poor taste.

However, if you ask any kid like the one coming down the 50 feet slide in the picture, he will tell you that it's cool.

- Karen

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Was Suggested By Cindy

1st Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo
59 years old from Spanaway, Washington
August 18, 2009


Tidbits taken from www.guamnewsfactor.com
"Whatever fueled Crisostomo's contagious ability to bring people together was not quelled by four tours in Vietnam, nor even by the improvised explosive device that took Crisostomo from us on August 18, 2009. Crisostomo's disarming personality also affected Afghans, who "packed the memorial service for the man who was known for leading morning physical training by carrying an American flag as he ran around the track and always called the Afghans 'brother' and 'sister'. For any other soldier this kind of attendance may have come as a surprise, but not for Crisostomo. This remarkable individual possessed an innate gift that allowed him to connect with people across cultural lines under the most proscribing conditions."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

The Three Horsemen

It is rare to get a glimpse of California Highway Patrol officers riding horses instead of their motorcycles or patrol cars.
In this picture, they were providing security for the State Capitol building in Sacramento.

- Karen

Dog Beach Rocks

Saw this nice ensemble of rocks at the South Lake Tahoe dog beach we happened to come across. A bored or imaginative sort decided to make use of the abundant of rocks in the area and created art.
It almost looks like our "rock man" is running & pointing. What do you think?
Have a nice weekend!

- Karen

$3 Slogan

One of the notable landmarks of Central California's city of Modesto is its 25-ft. high & 75 ft. wide arch.
The catchy slogan "Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health" was selected during a 1911 contest to be placed on the arch.
The winner received a $3 prize which was probably a nice sum in those days, but more rewarding, his words have lasted generations and have become part of Modesto history.

- Karen

Wednesday Hero

Lt. John Madea


Lt. John Madea holds his daughter as she is baptized with holy water from the ship's bell of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). This is the fourth person baptized aboard Tortuga since the ship's christening in 1988, and her name will be inscribed inside the bell as a tradition of the U.S. Navy.

Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy
Taken By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

A Smorgasbord

Walking through an unfamiliar town, I noticed this colorful "get it all" sign outside a window. The shades were drawn and I have no idea what the store sells or service it provides. No luck searching for it on the internet.
Got any ideas or guesses?
- Karen

Frog Country

Angels Camp established by George Angel was a quartz mining camp back 1849, but it was Mark Twain's “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” story that really catapulted it to amphibian fame. The annual Calaveras County Frog Jumping Jubilee is still held here every 3rd weekend in May.
The building in this picture holds the tourist information center.

Main Street is littered with frogs. You can spot one on this corner amongst the town's historical buildings.

Here it is close-up.

Here is another.

Like the Hollywood Walk-of-Fame, winners of each year's frog jumping contest is commemorated on Angels Camp's sidewalks with a bronze plaque.
How cool is that! Folks, get your frog ready for next year's contest!

- Karen

Go Horsey!

Want to go for a ride on a recycled tire swing?
I was told the rope can hold up to 200 pounds or 90.7 kg.

Have a nice weekend,
Karen

We're Open

I have seen a series of these neat artwork, but I have no idea what they are called or who is the maker.
For now, I shall call them "flat silhouettes" for a lack of a better title.
If you know anything about these, please enlighten me. Thanks!

- Karen

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Is Via Gazing At The Flag

PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker
24 years old from Madras, Oregon
B Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
June 16, 2006


Flag Gazer has a great post up on the dedication of the PFC Thomas Tucker memorial.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Any Volunteers?

Such an odd sign especially over an ATM machine.
You probably never would have guessed it is an advertisement for a gondola ride. You know, the kind that takes you up the ski lift, but this doesn't give me a lot of confidence to ride it.

Happy Monday!

- Karen

Merced River Bridge Perspectives

On a recent road trip from Mariposa to Sonara, through the heart of California's gold country, I see the Merced River Bridge from an overlook.
Can you spot it in the distance?

Same bridge, but a lot closer.

A view from the bottom.

Driving on the bridge. Thanks for riding along.

- Karen

Remembering 9/11

It it hard to believe 8 years has passed since 9/11. So much has happened in the world and in each of our lives, but we cannot forget these heroes.

Here is the local Flight 93 Memorial complete with a 25 ft. flag pole and hand painted tiles by local students.

A closer look at the "Circle of Hope" base.

A sample of the "vision of the future" painted by local school kids.

You can read about the Heroes of Flight 93 here.

To see complete details of the construction of the Circle of Hope and the Circle of Remembrance memorial sites in Union City, CA, refer to this link.

- Karen

A&W Drive-In, Part 2

At the same Modesto A&W Restaurant, the vintage "Papa Burger" character forever stands proudly holding his favorite A&W sandwich and Soft-Serve Cone.

"Baby Burger", the youngest of the Burger family.
Just like the 2 characters, if you ordered a "Papa Burger" sandwich you would get double the meat than the "Baby Burger".
There was also a "Mama Burger" and "Teen Burger", but I do not remember their contents. Does anyone remember?


These "Mama Bear" and "Papa Bear" characters were posted outside the women's and men's bathroom doors, respectively. A customer or two spied me taking pictures of them and they probably thought I was a nut case. Oh well, it is a minor sacrifice to entertain readers.

A little play area for kids.

- Karen

A&W Drive-In, Part 1

I've been on a little road trip so I haven't been able to post anything the last few days, but now I have some new pictures to share.

During my road trip through Central California, I visited the oldest A&W Drive-In still in operations. This is the exterior outside the Modesto restaurant. Hungry patrons can order their burgers and drinks right from their cars. Although I didn't see any roller skating waitress coming out to take orders, the nostalgia is still there.

A close-up of the exterior menu board.

The owner promotes 1950's-style rock & roll karaoke on Saturday evenings. I wished I was there to see that.

Interior seating

Order counter

A&W is famous for its root beers and in 1919, Roy Allen opened his business and served his first frosty mug root beer for 5 cents. As a child, I remember it was a treat to go eat at an A&W restaurant with my parents, but now, an A&W is a little harder to find plus there are a lot more fast food competition than back in the 1970's.

Do you have any A&W stories to share?

- Karen

Wednesday Hero

Slideshow compliments of Kathi

Fancy Colors

I fancied the colors and the table & chair arrangements. I hope they brightened your day.

- Karen

The Fish Tree

A San Diego public art sculpture to depict the city's rich tuna industry. I didn't know this before, but San Diego was at one-time the tuna capital of the world.

Happy Friday,
Karen

More of the Same

I frequent this particular hotel whenever I am in town. During my initial stay, I thought this piece of artwork was quite charming. But in subsequent stays, I noticed the same framed print was in each and every one of the rooms I stayed in over the years.

After taking a peek inside the hotel's storage area during this last stay, I now know why that is.

- Karen

Night Knight

While wandering through the streets of San Diego aimlessly over the weekend, I had a close encounter with this knight belonging to Cafe Sevilla.

The restaurant was closed as were most of the restaurants in the area as I discovered the Gaslamp District is mostly a nightspot. So, Mr. Medieval Knight was off-duty at the time of this photograph as you can tell from his slouching.

- Karen