Gold Country Trip Part 2

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As these things happen, probably the most memorable part of our Gold Rush family trip will be the rain.  We planned for a down day on Wednesday to get some rest, do laundry, reorganize ourselves.  It turned out to be a nasty, rainy day that turned into an even nastier rainy night.  I generally love the sound of rain on the roof when I sleep, but when there’s only a piece of fabric between your family and serious discomfort the sound of rain is threatening!

Philip volunteered to cook in the rain “because you haven’t camped until you’ve eaten in the rain.” 

Real campers eating in the rain!

 

RAIN! RAIN! RAIN!

During the night rain leaked into our tent in several places and by morning we had puddles.  We were cold, wet, and uncomfortable.  My asthma started acting up and I hasn’t slept much of the night.  I was weary and thinking we should call the trip rained-out, but thank goodness Dad and Aidan encouraged me to soldier on as the weather forecast was bright.  Late Thursday the weather finally improved. Phew!

Old Town Auburn

We spent an afternoon in the Old Town Auburn which offers several small museums and historical sites.  Warning: everything closes at 4!!  I was hoping to see the Historic Bernhard home, an 1890′s Victorian farmhouse sitting on 2.3 gorgeous acres.  It’s one of the oldest framed homes in the Sierra foothills.  I was only able to see the home from the outside as we arrived after closing. 

Our favorite Old Auburn treat was the The Placer County Gold Country Museum which interprets Placer County’s Gold Rush history. There’s a replicated hard rock mine, a stamp mill (a big mill for crushing stuff), and an assayer’s office (the place where the value of a bit of gold was determined).

The museum also offers small exhibits of a miner’s cabin and a mining camp saloon.  The museum docents were very enthusiastic and eager to share information with our family.

Old Sacramento and the California State Railroad Museum

Sacramento itself is significant for Gold Rush enthusiasts because John Sutter’s Fort was built here.  A recreated site still exists in the middle of town.  Old Sacramento is a charming, little part of Sacramento, bustling with activity and restaurants.  Before I went to college near Boston, I worked briefly at a now defunct savings & loan in downtown Sacramento, very near Old Sacramento.  I frequently ate lunch with co-workers in Old Sacramento, so it’s always fun for me to return to these old haunts. 

Here are a few of my photos of Old Sacramento, which features several sites of historical interest from the time of the Gold Rush and Transcontinental Railroad. 

 

 

Pony Express Statue

 

Lydia and Aidan

Certainly for Dominic, the highlight of the day was the California State Railroad Museum, which houses 21 restored trains and cars, many open for the public to walk through.  The museum itself consists of some original buildings and some beautifully reconstructed ones. 

The Museum always offer a special exhibit.  When we visited, the exhibit was of “fruit crate art”.  I never thought much about the adverts on the side of old fruit crates ’til I got a load of the crates at the museum.  Now I’ll be on the lookout!

We walked through a sleeping car, postal train, and a beautiful dining car:

 

Look at the archways on this car! Gorgeous!

 

dining car

 

dining car

 

I couldn’t help feeling it was all so romantic!  The trains were elegant and so much attention was given to detail and style:

 

 

luggage cart

 

Well maybe it’s only romantic to me.  I guess if it was my only mode of transportation I might have a different view. :)

Philip and I were glad to get back home, but I think of the many sites we didn’t get to visit, like Sutters Fort, the Bernhard home, and several of the ghost towns.  I’m looking forward to a future excursion already!

 

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Gold Country Trip! Part One

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We’ve returned from our long-anticipated trip through some of California’s Gold Country!   We’ve been studying the California Gold Rush period, so this trip was both educational and fun. 

We camped at a family-friendly camping park during the trip to save money.  It was mostly (but not completely) a terrific idea.  When I booked months ago, the map of the park showed the tent sites near a lovely fishing pond.  However, when we showed up it turned out the main tent area was drenched with rain and was swampy, ripe with rattlesnakes and all, so we were placed in an overflow tent area overlooking solar panels and the freeway.  I wasn’t thrilled, but it beat rattlesnakes!

Here are some photos of us hanging out at our campsite:

 

We spent a week exploring the Empire Gold Mine in Grass Valley, the Marshall Gold Discovery Historic Park in Coloma (the site of the original gold discovery that sparked the Gold Rush), a bit of Auburn where our camping park was sited, and the California Historic train museum.  In this post I’ll share photos our trips to the Empire Mine and Coloma, then in my next post I’ll finish up:

Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley

The Empire Mine wasn’t even on my original itinerary but it turned out to be my favorite part of the trip.  I love historical buildings and antiques and the Empire Mine is the site not only of the old mine but also the family home and private grounds of the Bourne family who owned and ran the mine. 

Gold Rush history focuses on the experiences of individual prospectors or small groups of men panning for gold, hoping for a fortune but rarely finding it.  So it was very interesting learning about the Bourne family, who bought a gold mine that was presumed to be a dud and it ended up making the family filthy rich.  The mine was a huge operation, employing miners from around the world from the late 1800s until 1956 when it ceased operation.  It became the most profitable gold mine in California. 

 The Empire Gold Mine is now a state historical park.  On the grounds, we were able to see “The Cottage” – a mansion occupied by the Bournes when they visited, “The Clubhouse”   — a guest house with a bowling alley, tennis court, squash courts, and the gold mines.  We took a guided tour through the grounds and through the mines. 

 

Entrance to original office of Empire Mine

 

Lydia found the tour guide's talk unworthy of attention.

 

Lydia exploring the beautiful grounds at the Empire Mine

 

Dominic wearing my late father's favorite cap. :)

The best part for me was hearing about the human experience of the Bourne family and the miners.  The Bourne compound grounds were stunning, landscaped in an English garden style, and homes decorated impeccably. 

Gardens at Bourne family compound

 

The son of the original owner studied at Cambridge University in England. When he took over the Mine, he had the family compound landscaped in an English garden style and built English style homes.

 

 
I love this window! Leaded glass windows make my heart skip a beat, but plate glass was actually more desirable during the late 1800s. At the Mine, most of the windows on the Bourne homes were leaded glass because the grounds shook so violently during the mining blasts that plate glass would have shattered.

 

Here’s the “Club House” where the Bournes housed their guests. It had a tennis court and bowling alley!

 

Here’s a photo of “The Cottage” — the private residence of the Bournes.  The wife hated coming here because it was too noisy. The family had two other homes, one in San Francisco and another in the wine country.

The Bourne's private residence.

 

The Bourne compound was separated from the Mine.  Mine workers were not permitted on the family grounds.   Though the Empire Mine was among the safest of mines, it was still dark and dank, and obviously still dangerous.

 

Claire seems to connect with creatures no matter the location!  She befriended a little lizard, which helped her get over her temporary pet lizard Bob who she had to release before left on our trip:

 

Inside the Mine

 

 

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park in Coloma

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park

The drive on Highway 49 from Auburn to Coloma is spectacular:  winding roads through hilly lush landscape with views of gaping canyons.  We drove to Coloma to visit the site of the gold discovery that sparked the 1849 Gold Rush. 

James Marshall, an employee of John Sutter, is usually credited with starting the Gold Rush, but did he really?  On January 24, 1848, John Marshall was working on a new mill new Coloma for Sutter when happened upon a nugget.  Here is an entry in the diary of Henry Bigler, an employee of Sutter’s Mill in 1848:

Entry in Henry Bigler's diary

“Monday 24th this day some kind of mettle was found in the tail race that looks like goald discovered by James Martial the Boss of the Mill.”  Henry Bigler’s diary dated January 24th, 1848.  Bigler records the discovery of gold at the edge of the South Fork of the American River by James W. Marshall.  Gold had been discovered before but people were skeptical.  Marshall’s discovery was publicized by Sam Brannan, a newspaperman and entrepreneur.  Nobody paid much attention to Marshall’s discovery until Brannan wrote about it in his newspaper “the California Star” in an effort to drum up business in San Francisco.  Brannan’s efforts led to the famous 1849 Gold Rush. 

Our family visited the local history museum and panned for gold in the American river, right across from the replica of Sutter’s Mill recreated on the spot of the original mill.   

Sutters Mill

 

American River Walking path to river

 

Poppy along path to river

 

Gold panning along American River

 

Panning for gold

 

 

 

Photos never capture the spirit of the trip or course!  More next time!

Easter 2012

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Easter morning!  We remember today the Risen Lord and we rejoice that his suffering ended in triumpth.  I think of how that morning after Christ rose might have felt the same to folks, just like Easter morning today felt the same as any other day in so many ways.  Kids get sick, our coffee makers drip, the dog wants to go out, the weather is the weather like any other day, blah blah blah.  

But the Resurrection is anything but ordinary.  The world may have looked the same that day 2000 year ago, but it was renewed and transformed.  That day signaled hope just as today does for us.  No matter the illnesses we face, the struggles we endure, we can live with hope.

Our home was certainly filled with joy and energy this morning!  The weather was spectacular here in Northern California.  My ornamental cherry tree is blooming in my front garden and my rose bushes are turning a deep maroon.  We can’t forget the treats:  Goodies were waiting for the littlies when they awoke, and they were so excited!  Mom didn’t get her coffee until way too late — YAWN — but it was worth it to sit and watch the kids enjoying the morning.   

A few photos of Lydia’s Easter outfit, finished only at the last minute but so cute:

 

 

 I found a white shrug sweater on clearance for her to wear at Easter Mass:

And like other wise parents, I grabbed a snapshot of the kids before they smudged their clothes with chocolate, dirt, or other oozy substances.  One 6 year old was very uncooperative and thought the whole idea of dressy clothes and cameras was absurd:

We spent the afternoon at a friend’s home with a group of at least 20 kids and their parents, surrounded by good food, conversation, laughter, and joy!  We are all now wonderfully exhausted and grateful for the day. 

Hope your day was memorable, too!

 

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He Washes Our Feet All Through Our Lives

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Following is my article published this morning on Catholic Attachment Parenting Corner.

Today we begin the Sacred Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Father James Farfaglia presents a very clear explanation of the liturgical significance of each day in the Triduum in his article The Happy Priest: Triduum, the Three Days Leading to Easter.

If you attend the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper tonight, you’ll witness an extraordinary moment when at least one priest washes the feet of 12 men representing the Apostles. When Christ washed the feet of the Apostles at the Last Supper, it’s significance reverberated through the heavens and hell. A great act of humility by the Son of God demonstrates to mankind for all history the tenderness of our God, who came down from on high to kneel before us.

The Holy Father explains that if we could only embrace a little of this Spirit of Servanthood, the world might be transformed:

When the Lord of the world comes and undertakes the slave’s task of foot-washing — which is an illustration of the way he washes our feet all through our lives — we have a totally different picture. God doesn’t want to trample on us, but kneels down before us so as to exalt us. The mystery of the greatness of God is seen precisely in the fact that he can be so small . . . Only when power is changed from the inside, and we accept Jesus and his way of life, whose whole self is there in the action of foot-washing, only then can the world be healed and the people be able to live at peace with one another. Pope Benedict XVI

How extraordinary that on the night of his betrayal, the greatest betrayal in history, Christ also signaled the dawn of self-gift. We hurt one another. We are all guilty of betrayal. We have all been betrayed. Can we respond to one another with self-gift instead of retribution? Self-giving love is the only true love.

As we enter these days of solemnity, may we strive to create homes that model for our children the humility of Christ and real love of self-donation. May we strive to create sanctuaries of truth where our families become symbols of healing and peace for the entire world.

Palm Sunday Plans

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This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the last Sunday of Lent before Easter and the first day of Holy Week, the most important week on the Christian calendar. 

It’s called Palm Sunday because we remember on this day the entrance of Christ into Jerusalem when palm branches were laid out in the path before him – only days before his arrest on Holy Thursday and his passion and death on Good Friday.

Blessed palms:  Blessed palm fronds will be distributed at Mass on Palm Sunday.  You can take them home and display them behind your crucifix or tuck them into the family Bible.  I often see kids at church twisting their palm fronds into crosses and I never quite knew how to do it.  I discovered there’s a whole art surrounding palm weaving!  Here are instructions for making a very pretty palm cross and here are instructions for making a palm crown of thorns. 

You can save some of your palms to be burned for ashes for Ash Wednesday next year.  I read on fisheaters.com that some people break off a piece of a frond during times of natural disasters or bad storms.  They burn the piece and pray this prayer to Saint Barbara for relief:

Saint Barbara, your courage is much stronger than the forces of hurricanes and the power of lightening. Be always by our side so that we, like you, may face all storms, wars, trials and tribulations with the same fortitude with which you faced yours. O Beautiful Maiden once imprisoned in a high tower, protect us from the lightning and fire that rages in the sky and the discord of war. Keep us alert and protect us from the dangers that surround us. Holy Mary Mother of Jesus intercessor for us all; we pray to assure receiving of the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist at the hour of our death. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen

Figs:  Figs are also associated with Palm Sunday because after his entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went to get figs from a tree.  Finding only leaves, Jesus cursed the tree:  “May no man hereafter eat fruit of thee any more for ever.”  Matthew 21:19.  (Jesus would be very disappointed if he looked in my refrigerator fruit drawer right now!)

Figs.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a fig.  At least not knowingly. I think I’ve seen them and they looked a little like prunes to me so I’ve never been interested.  Or maybe I’m thinking of dates.  Anyway, I’m adding one new element for Palm Sunday this year and it’s gonna be figs.  That’s right, figs, even though they’re a mystery to me.  I found this intriguing recipe for fig ice cream and I’m going to give it a try:

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Fresh Fig Ice Cream from David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop

2 lbs fresh figs (about 20)
1/2 cup of water                                                                                                                       1 lemon
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon of freshly squeezed, lemon juice, or more to taste

Remove the hard stem ends from the figs, then cut each fig into 8 pieces. Put the figs in a medium, nonreactive saucepan with the water, and zest the lemon directly into the saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes until the figs are tender.

Remove the lid, add the sugar and continue to cook until it reaches a jam-like consistency. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Blend together with cream and lemon juice, chill in the fridge and then put in your ice cream maker per the manufacturer’s instructions.

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Hopefully I can find fresh figs this time of year.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

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Even more math for the little guy

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I’ve posted before on my creative approach to math this year for my 6 year-old son, Dominic, who isn’t a good fit yet for most traditional curricula, including math.  This year I’ve put together a very hands-on creative math curriculum for him.  We play a lot of math games and use math manipulatives. 

In the past few months, he’s been eager to learn to write his numbers and he has a good understanding of the concept of addition and subtraction, but for the remainder of the school year I will keep his math curriculum pretty light.

Each week we have a ”number of the week” and it’s a big hit with my boy.  Dominic keeps a special book in which he writes the number of the week and illustrates the number with a corresponding number of one object.  So if the number of the week is 2, he would make a big “2″ and illustrate the number with 2 balls or 2 snakes — anything he wants.

This week our number was “7″.  We discussed the significance of this number: there are 7 days of the week, 7 colors in a rainbow, and God rested on the 7th day of the Creation Story.  We made rainbow coloring sticks this week:  just a dowel with strips of crepe paper stapled together then taped onto the end of the stick.  All 3 of the younger children have been playing with these sticks all week — twirling them, running with them, making dazzling circles and patterns in the air.  Ya know, I couldn’t resist myself. :)

Great fun and super cheap!


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Weekending: Laetare Sunday

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The weather was furious here in Northern California this weekend – storms, rain, cold. A good reason to hunker down with the family indoors.  Philip is nearly finished with the new baseboard in Dominic’s room and I made progress on Lydia’s Easter outfit.

Claire made a beehive for Dominic in which he has begun storing honey and Daisy our very cute Labroodle got the idea in her head that she should be eating at the dinner table with us.  I’m a sucker for the cute factor but I had to put my foot down on this one. :)

Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Feast Day and we had a pretty mellow celebration with a very green supper and green dessert, per Claire’s request.  Spinach quiche, green veggie salad, green fruit salad, and a (non-green) Irish soda bread.  Dinner was followed by more green with mint chip sundaes and green shamrock cookies.  I hope not to see green again for a  few weeks!

simnel cake

Today was Laetare Sunday.  I attempted the Simnel Cake recipe passed on in my last post.  I decided not to line the sides of the springform pan with parchment paper and indeed the cake came away from the sides of the pan just fine and the springform ring popped right off with no trouble.

I found that I needed a lot more almond paste (I would say 2 1/2 cups) and that the amount of dried and candied fruit was a little much (I would suggest 1 cup total between the cherries and fruit peel, plus ¾ C of raisins or currants but not both), but otherwise – YUMMY.  The almond paste was expensive – probably $15 total, but you can make homemade almond paste for a fraction of that.  I plan to try this cake again.  It wasn’t too sweet, perhaps a little dense but not heavy.

Tonight, as Sunday nears Monday, I am grateful for this quiet, slow weekend, green and all. The babies are all with Philip getting their bedtime stories and cozy under covers.

As Sunday nears Monday, I think of the homily at Mass this morning.  There are 3 kinds of healing miracles:  those of the body, those of the mind, and those of the spirit.  I crossed paths this weekend with people who need healing. I am overwhelmed with the suffering of these people set against the calm of my home this weekend.  I have time to attend to them in their pain and I will respond.  I see Christ in their suffering, I see myself, and I see them in their giant uniqueness, beautiful as they strive for answers, as they wait for health and peace.

Laetare Sunday

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Papa Ben in Laetere Sunday rose vestments

Just when we think we aren’t going to make it through Lent we get a little break.   Laetare Sunday (or “Rejoice Sunday”) falls on the 4th Sunday of Lent — the half-way mark.   This year it falls on March 18. 

It’s sometimes called “Let-Up Sunday” because we get to let up a little on the rigors of Lenten penitential practices.  With Easter only a few weeks off now, we’re grateful for this “little Easter” right in the middle of our long Lenten walk.  

The Golden Rose: Even priests are given the option to wear rose-colored vestments on Laetare Sunday, instead of the purple ones normally worn during Lent.  The most likely explanation for the rose color:  the tradition of the Golden Rose given to Catholic kings and queens.  The Golden Rose would be blessed on this day and eventually rose colored vestments were introduced as part of the rose day theme.

Simnel Cakes:  In England Laetare Sunday is called “Mothering Sunday” because people visit either their biological moms, their “Mother Churches” (where they were baptized and confirmed), or their local cathedrals (the Mother Church of the diocese).  Some parishes have a tradition of children giving their mothers spring daffodils on Mothering Sunday and families share “simnel cakes” – a fruit cake with marzipan on top.  As you can tell, our own “Mother’s Day” originates in the Lenten Mothering Sunday.

Now, as you may have noticed already, with Laetare Sunday falling on the 18th this year, it’s the day after St. Patrick’s Day.  If you’re planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you might be tuckered out on the 18th.  But just in case you in for a whole weekend of crafting, eating, and frolicking, here are a  few ideas:

Daffodils "The Lent Lily"

HONOR:  Honor your own mom or another special mom-figure on this day.  Bring her daffodils (the traditional Mothering Sunday flower) or roses and a simnel cake!

MAKE: Clay rose:  here are instructions from WikiHow for making a simple clay rose.  Instead of using colored clay, I’m planning to use non-colored air drying clay like the one Crayola makes then we’ll paint our roses gold!!

 

SHARE: Simnel cake: Below is a recipe for Simnel Cake.   Wow, this cake looks gorgeous.  I found a Simnel Cake recipe in A Continual Feast, but after my poor Barm Brack bread from that book flopped,  I thought I’d try this one from fisheaters.com.  Notice the 11 balls on top of the cake.  They represent the 12 Apostles minus Judas:

Simnel cake with ribbon

 

Simnel Cake

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour
1 1/3 cups golden raisins
1 cup dried currants
2/3 cup candied cherries, rinsed, dried and quartered
1/4 cup candied mixed fruit peel, chopped
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 pound almond paste
2 tablespoons apricot jam
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan. Line the bottom and sides of pan with greased parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the flour. Stir in the golden raisins, currants, candied cherries, mixed fruit, lemon zest and mixed spice. Pour 1/2 of batter into prepared pan.

Divide almond paste into 3 equal portions. Roll out 1/3 of the almond paste to an 8 inch circle. Place the circle of almond paste on the cake batter in pan. Cover with remaining cake batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours, or until evenly brown and firm to the touch. If the cake is browning too quickly, cover with foil after an hour of baking. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Set oven to broil. When the cake has cooled, brush the top with warmed apricot jam. Roll out 1/3 of the almond paste into an 8 inch circle and place on top of cake.

Divide the remaining 1/3 of almond paste into 11 pieces and roll into balls. These represent the 12 Apostles minus Judas. Brush the almond paste on top of cake with beaten egg. Arrange the 11 balls around the outside edge on the top of cake. Brush the balls lightly with egg. Place cake under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes, or until almond paste is golden brown.

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Have a rejoiceful Laetare Sunday!


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Conversations Overheard: Honey We Need to Talk

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Aidan

Philip and Aidan were reading the Sunday comics together.  In one strip there were two chickens talking on the farm.  One said to the other, “I hear we get a great severance package.”

Philip asked Aidan, “Do you know what a severance package is?”

Aidan: “I think it’s the package you send to your girlfriend when you want to break up.”

Too funny!

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Weekending

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We enjoyed gorgeous weather here in Northern California over the weekend.  My roses and Japanese maple are waking up and my hyacinths are in full bloom. 

Roses awakening

Japanese Maple Tree in my front garden

Hyacinths in front garden

The old reliable geraniums are getting all pink and showy:

 I made it to the fabric store yesterday to find a pattern and fabric for Lydia’s Easter outfit.  I chose this darling little layered outfit:

Simplicity Pattern 2171

Here’s the fabric I chose:

I’m only at the cutting stage, but I plan to start putting it together during breaks from writing this week.  Lydia was very excited about the fabric and wrapped it around herself like a toga.

We seem to be starting a new weekend routine:  family house cleaning followed by “Saturday Sundaes” and a movie in the evening.  Our Saturday Sundaes gathering turned into a newsworthy event this week.  Sources are leaking reports of a whipped cream fight, but we will neither confirm nor deny these rumors.:)

Today it was so balmy that the littlies turned on the sprinklers for some water fun.  Problem is, we still have no grass in the backyard – it’s just dirt.  So it turned into a mud bath:

It’s Sunday evening now, the weekend winding down.  The mud is washed away; the kids are clean and snug in jammies.  I hope you had a restful weekend, too, even if it didn’t include mud (and whipped cream)!

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