Saturday, August 18, 2012

Head Games


team: Young
member: Nancy
location: San Jose History Park
item: A real outhouse

I don't think you would want to play any head games in this two-holer!  I can't imagine why you would want to share this space, unless your family was having some "diarrhea problems"!!

Halfway Down the Stairs

here I am... halfway down the stairs...
 team: Young
member: Nancy
location: New Bascom Avenue library and Community Center, San Jose
item: Building with 15 or more stairs



Driving down towards Valley Medical Center we spotted the new modern library and community center, which still hasn't opened.  The building looked pretty neat and Mark spotted some stairs. So we stopped in.  Some people were playing basketball in the gym, but otherwise deserted.  It should be a nice place whenever it opens - community center, gym, workout area, cafe, multipurpose room.  If you look up and behind Nancy you will see the rest of the stairs - 19 in total!  There is this pretty cool sculpture there depicting the passage of time.  Way at the bottom are baskets and then cans and all the way up to computer screens.  There are small gold men in the tree.  

Here's Robin, Kermit's cousin, singing this cute song!  Careful, it gets stuck in your brain ;-)

Town Sign with Population of 100 or Less

Team: Snap Happy (Jen, Chrissie and Mallory)
Team Member: Mallory
Location: Navarro, CA
Photo credit: Teresa Barker
Due to road construction and fires along the way, Mallory and her Mom, Teresa, were taking a circuitous route from Sacramento to Ft. Bragg for a short stay at the north Coast. They traveled up Highway 128 toward Mendocino County and happened upon this small community 15 miles east of Highway One along the coast near Albion.

A bit of history: The original town of Navarro was located 15 miles east at the site of what is now called Navarro River Redwoods State Park. This park includes several historical buildings at the first European settlement on the Navarro Estuary. Logging was the primary industry and the area thrived for fifty years. The logging mill burned in 1902. A developer named Wendling built a new mill farther inland and called the town Wendling. At some point, Wendling usurped the town name of Navarro to capitalize on the lumber reputation of the Navarro Lumber Company. Eventually, to avoid confusion, the dwindling seaside town of Navarro became known as Old Navarro, Navarro Ridge or Navarro-by-the-Sea. 

A bit of Popular Culture: The location Navarro appears in the video game Fallout 2 and is mentioned in Fallout New Vegas. In the former, the main antagonist of the game, The Enclave, deploy and underground base in the area. If these facts mean ANYTHING to you.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Time to Enjoy the View

Team: Spokane
Member: Barb (+ Ken)
Location:  Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Idaho

Ken & Barb went up to Schweitzer Mountain a few weekends ago. We spent the weekend with some friends who are building a beautiful home (lodge is more like it).  Here we are in front of the Village Square Clock Tower.  Background is part of the Ski area.  We rode the chair lift to the top, hiked around and had a picnic. There was a wedding planned up there and on our way down we saw the wedding party riding to the top.  Very pretty bride.  We saw them the next morning at the Huckleberry pancake breakfast in the village.  Lots to do - Concert in Sandpoint, Huckleberry picking (enough for 2 batches of Jam) and beautiful weather.

Old Mother Hubbard

Team:Spokane
Member: Barb
Location: Spokane Valley

Local Nutrition Center - A little more personable than your GNC Mall type store.  I talked the clerk into coming outside and helping me out on our scavenger hunt.  I wonder how many other people we've inspired into doing something like this.

Gas-station Glass

Team: Spokane
Member: Barb
Location: Spokane Valley, WA

This is one that Mark and Nancy missed. It had been recycled as a pawn shop until last year, and would have been a perfect spot for them to move their shop to. (There's plenty of covered parking, and about two acres of open parking.)

Hung out to dry

Team: Spokane
Member: Barb
Location: Spokane Valley, WA

Just one of two examples discovered by Marcia and Barb yesterday. The drying rack is just like the one we have in our back yard, but of course a picture of that one would have been "staged."

Wok your dog

Team: Spokane
Member: Marcia
Location: Spokane Valley Mall

After our wok walk in the park, we stopped by the food court - in our bankrupt (but still operating) mall - to catch an image of this eponymous epicurean establishment.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Mom's Wholesale Florist

Team: Snap Happy (Jen, Chrissie & Mallory)
Team Member: Jen
Location: Citrus Heights, CA
Photo credit: Roy Vogel
I located this shop by searching the Internet. It's located on Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights. Was quite disappointed when I arrived to see the vinyl pathetic excuse for a sign. But it is a sign. And it does say Mom's on it. I didn't take them up on the Wedding Special. This shop has been here for quite some time so I was surprised to discover the vinyl sign.