Its moving day

Monday, January 19, 2009

After a bit of frustration with Blogger I have decided to move my blog to a different host. Thank you to everyone in the Blogger community for visiting my site. My hope is that you will come and visit me on the new site. http://www.mrmapper.wordpress.com/

Blog with you soon!

Mr. Mapper

Foundations

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Over the weekend we did a little exploring on the Folsom Lake (puddle) lake bed. The current water level at the lake is VERY low due to little rain over the past two seasons. This low level has exposed the foundations of buildings that have been covered with water over the past 60 years. Mormon Island, the exposed city was a thriving mining town during the 1850's gold rush. At it peak it had over 2500 residents 4 hotels a large dairy and large scale winery.

When Folsom dam was built in the 1950's the town was razed and the area was filled with water to form what we know today as Folsom lake. During our exploration we found many "treasures" that have been submerged during the past 60 years. Explorers before us had started to make treasure piles on tree stumps and flat surfaces to display their findings. Since Folsom is a state park you are not allowed to remove any of your findings from the park. We did our part to contribute to the piles.

One of the "treasure" piles.

A very low Folsom Lake. Folsom Dam in the background.

Yosemite half moon under bright sun

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Yosemite in Winter

Monday, January 5, 2009

I spent this weekend in Yosemite with some of my photo friends. We spent many hours standing out in the cold having a great time taking in a the beauty Yosemite has to offer.

Reflections

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

As we close out 2008 it is now a good time to reflect on all the good that has happend in the last year and look forward to 2009.

6 down 7 to go

Monday, December 22, 2008

We have now completed 6 of our 13 Christmas eve services at Bayside Church in Granite Bay Ca. It is an amazing time of reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas. This year we will have between 25,000 to 30,000 people attend one of thirteen services. The impact of these services on peoples lives is amazing.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Not so itsy bitsy spider

Friday, December 5, 2008

When we were driving through the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada last weekend we can across this huge Tarantula spider crossing the road. It is hard to tell in the picture but it was the size of the palm of my hand. Big enough to see as we were driving down the road.

Butterflies gone wild

Monday, November 17, 2008

Its butterfly season in N. California and they seem to be landing everywhere in our backyard including my daughters nose!

Reflecting

Friday, November 7, 2008

The moon as reflected in the back yard pool.

And the moon a little latter in the evening. Don't forget to enlarge the second pic and see the detail in the moon.

Happy Birthday

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

On Saturday we celebrated my daughters 14th birthday by bringing her and some of her closest friends on a day trip to San Francisco. We started out the day by catching the cable car to Fishermans warf.

From the end of the Cable Car line we walked to Pier 39 and had lunch at North Beach Pizza.


After Lunch we walked back through Fishermans Warf and of course ever 14 year old girl wants to stop in every shop along the way. We made it to Ghiradelli Square and had her birthday Ice Cream sunday's at the world famous Ghiradelli Ice Cream shop.

Then back on the Cable Car for the return trip downtown. We still had a little bit of daylight left so we drove across the city to the beach to watch the sunset. The end of a great day.

First snow of the season

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Here we are on Tioga Pass entering Yosemite National Park. We were there the first weekend of October and experienced the first snowfall for the season.

The pass is subject to winter closure, due to high snowfall, normally from around the end of October until the end of May the following year, though these dates are subject to considerable variation. In heavy snow years, the road usually closes in early-October and could open as late as mid-July. In light snow years, the road could be closed in December and open as soon as April. The pass is at 9943 feet above sea level.

Fall Morning in Yosemite Valley

Monday, October 20, 2008

Bodie

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of 10,000 people. The town was founded by Waterman S. Body (William Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in hills north of Mono Lake. In 1877, the Standard Company struck pay dirt and a gold rush transformed Bodie from a town of 20 people to a boomtown.
Only a small part of the town survives, preserved in a state of "arrested decay." Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park in 1962, the remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of "arrested decay". Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists, howling winds and an occasional ghost.

UP UP AND AWAY!!!!!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

This past weekend I woke the family at the unpopular time of 2:30 am to make sure we arrived on time for the start of the annual Great Reno Balloon Race. Our arrival was timed perfect for the start of the "Glow Show". As you can see from the pic some of the balloons fired up to give a great Glowing show. These balloons took off into the dark night (early, very early morning) sky. A spectacular sight. When dawn broke the remaining balloons took off in mass Ascension and over 100 balloons filled the sky.

The old and the new

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is reputed to be the longest single-span wooden covered bridge in the world. Built in 1862 by David Isaac John Wood with lumber from his mill in Sierra County, this bridge was part of the Virginia Turnpike Company toll road which served the northern mines and the busy Nevada Comstock Lode. Utilizing a combination truss and arch construction, it is one of the oldest housed spans in the west and the longest single-span wood-covered bridge in the United States.

As you can see behind the covered bridge there is a new modern day span crossing the Yuba River.

Signs of fall

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The sunflowers are in full bloom and that means that fall is right around the corner.

Stones of History

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Some may think I am a little weird, but one of my favorite places to take pictures is old cemeteries. I often find myself thinking about the people that were laid to rest and what life must have been like back in their day. Take a look at the date on the stone. He died in 1886 and was born 58 years earlier in 1828. Life was much different in 1828.

Whoo...Whoo..

Monday, August 11, 2008

On a trip up to Foresthill Ca. this weekend we spotted this great owl up in the tree. Check out those claws!

Hey wait a second!

Monday, July 21, 2008

Go ahead and enlarge this pic. Anyone see anything unusual about this group of construction workers?

Perfect balance

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Here is a shot of one of my hidden talents. Balancing rocks! Anytime I see a large rock sitting on the ground I love to see if i can balance it in a unique position.