Search This Blog

I had to go to Sacramento for my job (the semi part of semi-retired). Since I was done early I decided to visit Old Sacramento. But first a little story. Since I had spilled some chemical down my pant leg and it looked ...um... unseemly, I went out and bought a pair of shorts and some socks, and was ready to go. I'm a member of the California Railroad Museum and therefore got in free. It wasn't a disappointment from a railroad fan point of view. I was however disappointed from a photographers point of view. The museum was quite dark, no tripods allowed, and most of the exhibits were under glass. I did get a couple of inside shots I liked. This is the water injector that put the water in the boiler, a very mundane function but in yesteryear an opportunity to shine. An this is one of the most famous color schemes. It's the Santa Fe's War Bonnet colors. A modified version is used today by the Atchison Topeka and Santa...

Northern Cal

By Dave C - October 11, 2024

My brother Jim took me on a little tour of the North State beginning with the little town of Hornbrook. It's a former major stop for the Southern Pacific Railroad before the Siskiyou Summit. As with most rural areas there are some interesting uses of materials. Before the advent of automatic crossing guards men would stay safe from the weather in one of these waiting to stop traffic from an approaching train. I'm sure without automatic crossing guards or someone controlling the crossing this would work to stop the train. Four dams were removed from the Klamath River. Restoration work is continuing, but for the time being the former reservoirs look like this. It's recently been reported that a few salmon have returned. Go, See, Enjoy, be Safe and Photograph Dave

Manzanar Japanese Relocation Camp

By Dave C - February 13, 2022

I recently visited the Manzanar Japanese Relocation Camp on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in Owens Valley. While I knew a little bit about it I have to say it was an eye opening experience. The wind blowing off of the mountains added to what life must have been like. Imagine going to your new home and seeing this. Eight guard towers and five line barbed wire. I'll bet it felt more like this. There were 11,700 people detained here from 3/21/1942 (just 3 months after Pearl Harbor) in 36 Blocks with 14 Barracks each. The buildings had tar paper for siding with little regard for personal space or ethnic subtleties. The people where allowed only to take what they could carry. Many lost their homes, farms, wealth and health Don't forget these were individuals Their lifestyle, food and language were different than those who planned and incarcerated them. Communal dining and barracks were the standard. Later if you had a family of four or more you were allo...