Friday, August 24, 2012

Camels in Kentucky????

Team: Snap Happy (Jen, Chrissie & Mallory)
Team Member: Chrissie
Location: Alexandria, Kentucky  - Campbell County High School

 #16 - A Camel:



photo credit: Self-timer portrait
Campbell County High School is located in Alexandria, Kentucky and their mascot is the "Fighting Camel". I knew that their old high school (this one is "newly" built) had a large fiberglass camel in the lobby, but i wasn't sure if the new one did, so I called the office and left what I'm sure was a very odd voice mail for the recipient. I had an equally awkward conversation with the nice lady who returned my call...and yet a third funny chat with the gentleman in the office who had me complete a visitor pass and escorted me to the camel in question. I walked into the office and told the guy I had a very unusual request and he responded "I doubt it, I just dealt with 400 freshman starting high school; shoot." Oddly enough, he didn't bat an eye and only asked if I had someone to take the photo :). They actually have 2 fiberglass camels in a study area of the library.

So, I guess this could also be an oversized animal sculpture too....although I'd say it's probably closer to life size or under rather than oversized. Since the list didn't call for a LIVE camel, I'm hopeful this will suffice since we don't see many herds of camel wandering around Kentucky & Ohio.

Fun Facts:
Campbell County High School is a public school and has about 1500 students in grades 9-12. Their mascot is the Fighting Camel and their colors are Purple (my favorite) & Gold. Their school motto is "We Believe" and their strongest sports are wrestling and Girls Track.

Professional fisherman with catch

Team: Snap Happy (Jen, Chrissie and Mallory)
Team Member: Mallory
Location: Noyo Harbor, Ft. Bragg, CA

On their way out of town, Mallory and Teresa stopped by Noyo Harbor in Ft. Bragg looking for a fisherman with his catch. They asked at the Fish Market and were directed across the way to the Tara Dawn vessel which had just come in with a catch. They talked to the owner Tom who was somewhat cautious at first about what they were up to. But as they walked outside of his office, Tom extracted his price. This also brought a smile to his face. Mallory would also have to hold one of these fish in a photo. Of course, she agreed. The first photo shows Tom holding a Skate (like a Sting Ray but more roundish or triangular, rather than kite-shaped).



















The second fish is a Short Spined Rockfish, commonly used for sashimi.
And here is the photo of Mallory holding one of those Rockfish. What a trooper!
Photo credits: Teresa Barker
Lastly, I snagged a photo of the fishing vessel itself from Flickr just to verify the facts. 
All of us on the team feel very good about this find as it was one we were not sure we could be able to get.







Thursday, August 23, 2012

Horsin' around downtown

Team: Spokane
Member: Marcia
Location: Spokane

We were strolling around downtown after doing a little business, and we stumbled on just the horse we needed. The flight of stairs I thought was across the street turned out to be an escalator.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Wetsuits Hung Out to Dry

Team: Snap Happy (Jen, Chrissie & Mallory)
Team Member: Mallory
Location: Ft. Bragg, CA
A major part of every visit to the Coast involves abalone diving expeditions by Bob. While he doesn't receive money for his efforts, he surely considers himself a professional. And will never hesitate to let you know the monetary value of a home-cooked meal of freshly harvested abalone. But I digress...This post is about things hung out to dry.

Unfortunately, Bob's old dive suit has eventually disintegrated so he has begun to rent a suit when necessary. The photo above was taken at Sub-Surface Progression Dive Shop in Ft. Bragg when the rental for this expedition was returned. The dive shop rinses the suits and then hangs them out to dry.
There was a late tide on this visit to Bob's secret cove. Photo below shows Mallory and her Dad with one of his abalone.

Photo credits: Teresa Barker

Dogs on the Beach

Team: Snap Happy (Jen, Chrissie & Mallory)
Team Member: Mallory
Location: Seaside Beach, Mendocino County, CA
Photo credit: Teresa Barker
On the first morning of their Coastal getaway, Mallory and Teresa went for their usual early walk on Seaside Beach. The first text communication indicated there were no dogs on the beach. This was unusual as this is a jewel of a beach that rates high in dog fun and beauty. The beach is defined by the Ten Mile River on one end and huge cliffs on the other. It is documented on many dog-friendly sites as a great place to take your furry children. Fortunately for the Scavenger Hunters, two cute little dogs eventually showed up during their visit. 

 

Monday, August 20, 2012

Tommy used to work on the Docks......

Team: Snap Happy (Jen, Chrissie & Mallory)
Team Member: Chrissie
Location: Newport, Kentucky  - Hodge & Lowell Streets

 #15 - Loading dock with graffiti:


photo credit: self portrait on timer
These photos were all taken at Keller's Feed Mill in Newport, Kentucky. I had hoped to find all kinds of interesting information and history about it online, but I didn't find squat :(. Anyway, all of us who grew up in west Newport have a Keller's story to tell. I spent many afternoons and weekends riding my bike around...on and through the property. It had cool ramps and walkways for riding on (which are no longer there) or jumping off of, and it had bars from which to dangle upside down (without the bike, of course) and... it had a very distinct smell and I swear to you I can still smell it in my head (does that even make sense?). My friends and I often met at Keller's or I also recall that if someone wanted to kick someone else's butt, they would tell them to meet at Keller's. I am assuming that it is no longer a functioning feed mill but it was when I was a child and even that amazes me...that we had a feed mill in Newport in the 1970s?????. My sister and Snap-Happy teammate Jennifer, also hung out at and has stories about Keller's too and we grew up 13 years apart....i think our Mother even has Keller's stories. It's an icon from our childhood :).

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Catch of the Day


Team: Spokane
Member: Melissa
Location: Deer Park, WA

"Announcing Mr. & Mrs. Kevin McNeil"....A professional Fisherman & His Catch!

Kevin & Katie(Myers) were married on Friday, August 17th.  Kevin is owner/operator of a commercial Salmon Fishing boat and relocates to the Alaska waters for Sockeye Season every year.  We were lucky enough to witness the nuptuals and participate in the festivities.  Congratulations Kevin & Katie!


kickin' around on a piece of ground in your home town


team: Young
member: Nancy
location: Orchard City Green - Campbell, Ca
item: Town Square Clock

We wrestled with the idea of this being a town square, but since so many functions for the city of Campbell are here, the PD and Library are here and it's so close to the main drag we figured this is Campbell's town square.  The trees kind of hide the clock, and it's hard to get close because of the construction for the War Memorial - but here it is!

Today was a lazy day, even if we did do a big walk downtown we felt like we had  frittered and wasted the hours in an offhand way.  ;-)

Mama told me not to come...

BBQ and Tofu all in one?


team: Young
member: Mark
location: West San Carlos St. San Jose
item: sign with Mother's, Mom's or Ma's in it

I just don't know... a Korean BBQ buffet that serves tofu too!  We were not inclined to stop in for a bite to eat, but there were people already in there at 10:30 AM!  As the song says, that ain't the way to have fun!

 


Lovin' Spoonful

team: Young
member: Nancy
location: El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, CA
item: Restaurant with a cooking utensil in it's name

On a trip down the El Camino we ran across lots of restaurant's with utensils in the name... wok being a favorite!  We liked this one with spoons in the signage!