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Calaveras Big Trees State Park

 ~ Saturday Afternoon, August 27 ~

 

 

Jerry and Joyce were the ones who told us about Big Trees State Park, when we asked about nearby places of interest. He brought a large pine cone to show us – a souvenir from their visit to the park.

He also brought a tomato from their garden, a bunch of grapes from their arbor, and two peaches from a local market. (I forgot to photograph them.)

 

 

The new scenery was a delight to our eyes, and the taste of grapes and one of the peaches was a delight to our taste buds – our lunch – during the two-and-a-half-hour drive.

 

~~~

For supper, we put yummy slices of fresh tomato into cheeseburgers from Burger King. I expect the guy at the drive-through wondered why Cerwin asked for two cheeseburgers and a knife. (We needed it to cut the tomato into slices.)

The other peach was our dessert. Food for those two meals didn’t cost very much that day.

~~~

 

We saw acres and acres of neat vineyards in one area.

 

 

We were surprised to see many dry, brown hillsides and fields, and often wondered what the cattle were eating when we saw them roaming the fields.

 

 

The scenery began to change as we approached the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

 

 

Loved this old house

 

 

Angels Camp is a quaint, old mountain town with narrow streets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove over tree-lined roads for miles and miles.

 

 

Then we were there – Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

 

 

Old, fallen trees looked like giant dinosaurs

 

 

Then there was Big Stump, the center of attention that fascinated everyone at the beginning of the trail.

 

 

It was twenty-five feet across and 280 feet tall when it was felled by speculators (vandals) who wanted to turn pieces of it into a traveling exhibit.

 

 

 

 

You can see the long-handled auger marks on the stump behind Cerwin – which is what was used to fell the tree in 1853.

 

 

When the rings were counted in 1853, it was determined to be 1,244 years old – relatively young for a giant sequoia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I stood there, breathing in the fabulous scent of redwood on an afternoon when the weather was perfect, I would have liked to find a good book and a hammock.

 

 

A man who noticed that we were taking turns photographing each other, offered to take a picture of the two of us together

 

 

There was another grove of large redwoods about a mile away, but Cerwin is not an avid hiker, so we decided to use the next two hours driving to Yosemite instead of walking.

 

 

I was okay with that, because I had never seen Yosemite.

 

 

So we turned our comfortable, Ford truck (rented from Budget) toward Yosemite and drove even deeper into the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

 

 

 

I am able to do all things by the one who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 (Lexham English Bible)

~~~

If you read my previous post, you will know why this verse came to my mind this morning.

 

 

Five-and-a-Half Days Made a Difference to Sacramento Chapel

~ Monday, August 22 to Saturday Noon, August 27 ~

 

 

When we arrived on Sunday evening, the entrance door was rotting, the words “Mobile Chapel” needed sanded and painted, the window was rotting and moldy, and we learned that steps needed to be added to the back emergency door to bring the chapel up to code.

 

 

Old entrance door

 

 

Cerwin and Chaplain Jerry removing the old door.

 

 

The steel framework gave them some concern. That meant there was no room for adjustment if the door was too tight.

 

 

Preparing to install the new door.

 

 

Sigh of relief. It fit.

 

 

Preparing to paint the door’s trim.

 

 

Looking good!

 

 

No more rotting wood.

 

 

I embarked on a new experience when I began this job. I had never scraped, sanded, or painted pealing vinyl lettering. As a matter of fact, this was an experiment, Cerwin did not know if it would work.

I knew he wanted to get this job done before we went home, and when I saw all the work the men had to do, I thought I would help by doing the sanding and scraping.

My original plan was to be available when Cerwin needed an extra hand with the construction (when Jerry couldn’t be there), and prepare a slide show for TFC Staff Conference in October – because that is what I do – and what I am comfortable doing.

 

 

By Wednesday (with Cerwin’s encouragement) I felt brave enough to begin painting. We used Rustoleum.

I was not confident that I could do this, but began with the “M” because it was the most difficult due to its location above the steps.

Cerwin and Jerry were impressed with the change and how good it looked. After that, it was one letter at a time, one morning at a time. It was too hot to paint in the afternoon.

 

 

By the time I began painting the word “chapel” on Thursday, I was still amazed that this was turning out okay, and thanked the Lord that I was able to contribute to the refurbishing of the chapel.

While standing on the ladder one day, I thought, “The verse, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ is certainly true.”

 

 

It was a great feeling to help make the exterior look better.

 

 

On Monday evening, when he turned the lights on, Cerwin noticed that a light on the cross was not working.

 

 

He checked it out on Tuesday. The screw was loose, so it did not have a good ground. After tightening the screw, it worked again. That was an easy solution.

 

 

After the door was installed, Cerwin began working on the window. I forgot to take a picture inside where it looked worse, because of the rotting wood.

 

 

 

 

The new window

 

 

Staining the interior trim.

 

 

Installing the trim.

 

 

Chaplain Jerry’s wife, Joyce, is going to appreciate this, because she was allergic to the mold on the old one.

 

 

Cerwin determined which tools he would need, and shipped his to the the 49er Truck Stop by UPS – then rented a chop saw and compressor after we got to Sacramento. He set up shop on three skids that someone dropped off behind the chapel. No one seemed to know where they came from.

 

 

Because no one sees the back of the chapel, drivers and truck stop employees used the area to store bundled cardboard and other stuff that was going for recycling.

Truck stop staff graciously cleaned it up so Cerwin and Jerry could build the emergency exit steps.

 

 

Finished steps

 

 

By Saturday morning Cerwin’s box of tools was ready to be shipped back to the TFC shop in Marietta, Pennsylvania. He took the box to the shop where we expect UPS picked it up on Monday.

 

 

The men had a bit of work to do to the window on Saturday morning, then Jerry cleaned the chapel while Cerwin returned the rented tools, and made sure everything was picked up on the outside.

 

 

 

 

By late morning, the chapel was ready for Sunday worship.

Jerry told Cerwin on Monday that there were eight drivers in the morning service and seven in for evening worship.

 

 

Now that we know the process of scraping, sanding, and painting over the vinyl works, Chaplain Jerry plans to do the same thing with the yellow “Transport For Christ” letters. He has enough red paint to do the other lettering if he chooses to do so.

It was a satisfying week.

 

 

 

 

Catching Up On Photos From Sacramento

~ Wednesday, August 24 ~

Though I posted pictures of this day and since, these are some that I didn’t have time to enter.

 

 

When we didn’t have eggs for breakfast, this was our alternate – Cerwin got oatmeal and an English muffin. I had either an English muffin or fresh fruit – and coffee is always a part of breakfast for us.

 

 

Morning in the truck parking lot.

 

 

This driver told us that this large sleeper is home for him, his wife, and their three dogs. Notice one of the dogs in the passenger seat. They haul race cars.

 

 

A pretty trailer

 

 

Cerwn stirring white paint for some of the new trim. We started early on Wednesday (7:00 a.m.) to get ahead of the heat. (Of course 7 a.m. still felt like 10 a.m. to our bodies, so it was not difficult to start early.)

 

 

He used the tailgate of our rented truck to begin removing the old window, because I had the ladder for painting letters. After the shop opened, he located another ladder.

 

 

Grinding heads off rivets so he can remove the window. The window was rotted so bad that it fell apart when he pulled it out.

 

 

After Chaplain Jerry arrived at 8:00, they installed the new window. Cerwin was incredibly pleased that the window fit, because the opening was also framed with steel.

 

 

The scent from the smoker in the front yard was always enjoyable.

 

 

We became acquainted with the man who smoked the ribs and tri tip, because he always walked by our table in the restaurant when bringing the meat to the kitchen, so I asked if I could take pictures.

 

 

He was pleased to tell me about the slow process of smoking meat.

 

 

The meat is seasoned and smoked to his left, wrapped and refrigerated overnight, then placed in this section where the grilling is finished.

 

 

 

 

Finished ribs

 

 

We enjoyed a delicious tri tip sandwich twice during our stay. The sandwich is very large, so we always shared it.

 

 

After finishing our work on Wednesday, Chaplain Jerry and Joyce, and Cerwin and I went to this nearby diner. We could have walked, but would have had to cross the interstate exit ramp.

 

 

Joyce wasn’t feeling well this week, so was disappointed that she could not help with chapel repair.

 

 

This was the first time we met them, and made lifetime friends as we visited and worked together.

 

 

Almost every decoration at this restaurant is about bears.

 

 

 

 

The person who did the chainsaw work did a fabulous job. Notice that papa bear is putting up the flag.

 

 

Mamma bear is saluting.

 

 

Notice their wooden clothing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cerwin and I enjoyed the food and atmosphere, so went back the next evening.

 

 

We were tired each night, and pleased with our comfortable room and bed in the truck stop.

 

 

 

Live right, speak the truth, despise exploitation, refuse bribes, reject violence, avoid evil amusements. This is how you raise your standard of living! A safe and stable way to live. A nourishing, satisfying way to live.

Isaiah 33:15-16 (The Message)

~~~

Living a godly life is nourishment to the soul.

 

 

Happy Birthday

To Our Favorite Ian

We Love You

Grandpa & Grandma

 

 

Thanks for your love and prayers!

We are safely home – without a glitch in our three flights.

Now to adjust to east coast time again.

 

 

 

We’re in Chicago

Waiting to Go to Harrisburg

 

 

H1B is our gate.

We had great flights: Sacramento to Dallas/Ft Worth, then Dallas/Ft Worth to Chicago. We board in half an hour – and the Harrisburg Airport is NOT closed because of the hurricane.

 

 

 

You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.

Psalm 139:3 New Living Translation (NLT)

~~~

I am grateful for God’s protection as we traveled in California, and know He will watch over us as we fly home today. (Posted in Sacramento Airport)

 

 

 

Our Visit to San Francisco

The Golden Gate Bridge Was Immersed in Fog

Friday, August 26

 

~~~

I am going to make a quick entry concerning our visit to San Francisco, as Cerwin is finished with the chapel work, and we are just about ready to visit Calaveras Big Trees State Park for the afternoon and evening.

 

The scenery on the drive to San Francisco was quite different from what we are used to in Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entering the Bay Bridge

 

 

 

 

I found a two-hour sunset cruise leaving Pier 43 1/2 that looked quite interesting, so we booked it during our drive from Sacramento to San Francisco. The cost was only $50.00 per person. It would have been easy to spend that much on a meal in this area.

 

 

 

 

Sea gulls were everywhere.

 

 

We had an hour to wait before boarding, so decided to get something to eat – for a few reasons:

It was quite cold outside – and we had just come from ninety degree weather.

If we got something to eat in a local restaurant, we got a voucher for three hours of free parking.

Alcatraz was slowly being covered with fog. You can barely see it in the distance. It is one and a quarter miles from where we were sitting.

 

 

Our snack

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cerwin’s Wild Strawberry Cheese Cake

 

 

My clam chowder

 

 

We could see our red and white cruise boat though a window in about the middle of the picture.

 

 

We were the second people on the boat so were able to choose a front row seat.

 

 

Leaving the dock where you can see the restaurant in which we had our snack.

 

 

Sea lions on Pier 39. We went by rather fast, and I quickly took this picture through a rather hazy window.

 

 

Some views of and from the boat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Approaching Alcatraz.

 

 

Alcatraz is an island of twenty-two acres, located in San Francisco Bay.

 

 

Between 1934 and 1963 it housed some of America’s most notorious prisoners.

 

 

The Bay Bridge over which we had traveled a short time earlier.

 

 

A delicious appetizer buffet was available after Alcatraz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a beautiful, peaceful evening – despite the fog that covered anything in the far distance.

 

 

 

 

Sea gulls seemed to be quite comfortable with people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This passenger enjoyed feeding the one in the foreground, while the other one squawked – but it wasn’t quite tame enough to eat out of his hand.

 

 

We also enjoyed this talented singer. He sang a love song for us, since we were celebrating our first date anniversary.

 

 

 

 

Later evening pictures. This one reflected the inside of the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was about the end of taking pictures. As we approached the Golden Gate Bridge, everything was encompassed by heavy fog.

 

 

Two relaxing, wonderful hours later our cruise ended – 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

 

 

 

 

Driving in San Francisco is quite different from our local, country roads.

 

 

This was our view of the Golden Gate Bridge as we left the city.

 

 

It was a fabulous way to celebrate the anniversary of our first date.