More of This and That

We hiked to Summit Rock. 

In by gone days the boys and I used to come up here to play laser tag

Rachel conquering Summit Rock

The view, the view - Silicon Valley. 

You can see the circular Apple headquarters.

Most days smoke from the surrounding fires creates "orangie" ugly gray skies.

One really appreciates the rare blue sky day 

The electrical side of my water heater has not worked for quite a while. It was no big deal since I mostly boondock. Here at the house I am plugged in, so I took a look at it.

The first thing I checked was the thermostat. 

Melted wire could be a problem.

Then I checked the resistance of the heating element.

It should be around 10 ohms, mine was 30 ohms.

Got a new heating element.  Got hot water now.

The tomato plants were taking over the yard.

An hour of bush whacking did the trick

The girls made their own water slide.

At the doctors office. 

This man is serious about protection

Eight weeks in and Emma is crushing 2nd grade

School begins at 8:25.  I have to be up at 8, ready or not. A couple of phrases have reentered my lexicon after a 9 year absence. It is hump day and the all time favorite TGIF.  I can't wait to return to EVERY DAY IS SATURDAY

Do I need to say what Emma's favorite color is?

Emma dancing with her doll.

Rachel's online ballet lesson

I am enjoying family time and life is good. I hope that you are safe.

P.S.  I am still in a steep blogg learning curve. For years comments would not show up on my blog. Then last year they started appearing, why or how I don't know. Then I set it up so that post would show up in my email for approval. Next big aha, TodayI clicked on comments in the lay out/design section and there were 8 comments that has never shown up in my email. I do enjoy hearing from you and apologize for not getting your posts up earlier.

A Little of This and That

This winter I was participating in the Kevin Read Mexico Bootcamp tour. The daily walking and hiking was whipping my flabby body into shape. Then the quarantine hit. Quarantine translates to boredom and self medicating with food. You know where it lead.

My son and family are very active and I have finally started getting some exercise again. On weekends we hike the nearby hills. 

This hike is 2 miles with a 500 foot elevation gain and a gorgeous view.  On the Kevin Read hiking scale it rates maybe a 1.5/10.  Boy am I out of shape. 

Some nice homes in these parts.

Rachel posing for dad

Poison Oak everywhere, but easily avoided

Remnants of what must have been spectacular gardens that surrounded 

 a wealthy San Francisco's summer home back in the day. 

The pay off, a gorgeous view of smoke choked Silicon Valley

I LOVE pizza and first thing I do when returning to the Bay Area is head for Pizza My Heart. Their master pieces the best pizza I have ever had. Many are award winners. My favorite is the delicious  Big Sur with 40 Cloves of Roasted Garlic, Organic Tomato Pizza Sauce, Pepperoni, Sausage, Portobello Mushrooms & Green Onions. If you are ever in the San Jose/Santa Cruz area, treat your palate to the best.  

Battlebots

The girls and I love Battlebots. 

I have not been able watch it since I cancelled my direct TV. 

This is a real treat.

Family Time

 I left Cliff's place in Carson City, thank you,  and headed up into the Sierras to self isolate for two days before arriving at my son's place in San Jose. When I arrived Derek had an antibodies test for me. I tested negative and was good to go. 

Playing Qwirkle with Rachel

It is over a hundred and the pool is greatly appreciated 

Playing Rhino Hero. Not for old guys with fat fingers

Emma, a future Qwirkle Queen

Lets get dad

Parents working online from home.

 Derek works for apple and Adriann is a speech therapist at the local school.

First day of school 

I am helping the girls with their online schooling. Rachel is in 4th and a real self-starter . 

Emma is in second and need a little more help.

Boy am I glad I am not teaching anymore. 

Teaching over a computer is tough.

Celebrating the first week of school with a game of Qwirkle. 

Adriann won and Emma, the future Qwirke queen, was second.

Ichthyosaur

Shonisaurus popularis, a species of Ichthyosaur, is Nevada's state fossil. Shonisaurus were giant marine reptiles that reached lengths of 49 feet and gave birth to live young. They appeared in the Earth's oceans 250 mya and prowled the ocean depths seeking prey for the next 155 million years. 

For years I have wanted to visit the Shonisaurus fossil site, but it is off the beaten path and I never took the time to make the long drive out there. But since Cliff and I were experiencing a little cabin fever, we decided the cure was a road trip. 

38.873787, -117.591216

This is a life size relief of  Shonisaurus

The Shonisaurus fossils were discovered in 1928. Excavations began in 1954 and continued for the next seven years. A total of 37 fossils were unearthed at 6 different fossil sites

Shonisaurus vertebra 

Shonisaurus ribs

There is a very nice campground here with shaded tables, water and a dump. All for $15 a night

Berlin  

Adjacent to the fossil site is the small weather beaten mining town of Berlin. Silver was discovered here 1863. The Berlin Mine was in operation form 1897 to 1910. It was a 60/40 mine, 60% silver and 40% gold. In the 13 years of operation they extracted $849,000 in precious metals. 

The mill is the largest building on site

An abundance of old rusty stuff 

Looking out at the long long road to Berlin. Only the last mile unpaved

The old stage coach stop

Back in the day