I went out looking for some possible photos along hwy 4 just west of Angels Camp, between here and Copperopolis. Here is what I was able to come up with. Parking old vehicles in fields is a thing here. I don't know why this is done exactly, but it is a common practice. In some places, folks even seem to do this as a way of decorating the scene.
And so it goes.
Twenty years ago, I had just moved from South Carolina to Virginia and begun my career at James Madison University. Although it happened later for Elizabeth since she was staying behind to sell our house, my move north fell between a month long trip to South Africa and 9/11. A time of extremes...just like now.
Along with the deer and foxes that frolic in the neighborhood, we also have flocks of Rio Grande Wild Turkeys. The other day a flock of females came past our house making it easy for me to get a few images.
These are indeed handsome animals. Their colors blend well with the browns and greys of the landscape. It is fun to stand and watch them explore the world.
Mom is done with this feeding even if all the kits are not. Once she get clear of them, that's all there is. She doesn't let them near here again this afternoon.
It turns out that the family of foxes are living under the neighbor's back deck for now. In the mornings and afternoons they come out to frolic and investigate the world.
I typically go for my morning run about 5:45 or so. The sun is up, or soon to be up, but it is not yet peeking over the higher Sierras to our east. I often see animals. Lots of Black Tailed Deer, families of California Quail, and the occasional Grey Fox. But on this morning I was greeted with a fox posing on a rock in our front yard.
I continue my exploration with the new lens. Today we try the shorter extension tube, 11 mm. It seems to work much better. I'll probably stick with this one on this lens.
I've been coveting a new lens for the smaller camera (X-H1) for some time. I have a variety of reasons for this but foremost among them is it complements the 10-24 mm lens I already have and gives me a good kit for travel. This new lens, formally known as XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR Lens, now lets me cover the range from very wide to modest telephoto. This combination is great for travel.
Angels Camp has not one, not two, but three cemeteries (at least). Today we explore the Serbian Cemetery. It seems those Serbs are a traveling crowd of people. We find them nearly everywhere we go. there are two Orthodox churches in Angels Camp. One is Serbian Orthodox.
The Protestant Cemetery is located just across the street from the Catholic. These folks are generally less expressive with their gravestones. But this set caught my attention.
It is interesting to see these old wagons. So many parts of them persist and appear in our present day cars. For example, the brakes on this wagon have "shoes" made of a piece of wood that can be replaced when it is worn. And like the covered wagons we saw in Baker City, OR, there are "parking" brakes (the iron piece on the floor) that attach to the wheels to lock them completely. as with the covered wagons, these were used not for parking but for controlling the downhill speed of a loaded wagon.
In our small town of Angels Camp is a pretty amazing museum. It has a wide collection of all things Angels Camp. There is a good collection of jumping frog competition memorabilia. There is also many items from the medical community spanning the last century and more.
After recent views of cemeteries and small towns, It seems like a good time to show you a little of the countryside around us. Nearly every where is carpeted with golden brown grass. Grass that grew to seed and is now without water.
Like many towns, Angels Camp has a downtown and a section of strip malls and big (-ish) box stores. Today we have a look about the traditional "town" part. As in the case of most of these places along hwy 49, there are antique stores filled to the brim with things I don't need.
