The Rest of the Adventure

Fourteen days into 2013.
There have been no deaths, accidents, trauma or major explosions. Whew! That is some kind of record for me! Seems like the New Year always brings me New Problems.

But this year I have sent Remington to Trainer Jaq for a few months. I miss him, but it is a good thing mostly because it had been raining, now it's super cold. Plus he's a youngster and Trainer Jaq will really ride him more than the three days a week I had been able to ride- preparing him for the upcoming Horse Show season.

Trainer Jaq even said I did a good job with him this summer- High Praise!

So here I am with all this time on my hands. I'm working at the Auction as much as they will let me, and I have been hiking around the hills to burn off excess energy and keep my legs strong.

Here are a few of the photos I've been able to take with the new camera.

Martinez

This is Mt Diablo. The peak is one of the places that all of California maps are measured by. It is by far the tallest thing around here about 5000 feet or so. Martinez, my home town, can be seen between the cow and the mountain and is at Sea Level. What you can't see is the Carquinez Strait that flows at the bottom of this hill I'm standing upon. 

Eckley Pier on the Carquinez Straits

The town on the other side of the Strait is Benicia. It was once the Capitol of California, just before the Capitol was declared in Sacramento. This is a great view of the Strait looking East. This is also the place where the Ferry Boats came to dock, carrying trains and even before that, the Pony Express Riders when they missed the boat from Sacramento to San Francisco. It is the narrowest piece of water and in one place is about a mile across. But the current flows fast through here, so it is not a good idea to try to swim it. This day the water was flat and calm- a rare thing.

Port Costa and the Carquinez Straits

Another view of Benicia and Vallejo on the opposite ( or Contra) Coast. In the foreground is the small and obscure town of Port Costa- once the biggest Wheat shipping port on the West Coast. The docks used to go out to where the first line of dark water shows. Those are the remains of the pilings ( and can still be seen quite clearly when you are standing on the coast). Site of Murials Famous Doll Museum (now closed).

Red Tailed Hawk

Finance Building in Martinez

Martinez is the County Seat for Contra Costa. This is our beautiful granite Finance Building. Our Court House is right next door. It was once in a movie starring Jeff Bridges (Tucker). During a weekday this street is full of people and cars- but on Sunday afternoons it belongs to me.

The Marina in Martinez

Martinez was a big fishing village for many years, and the Marina still houses a few boats. Joe Dimaggio and his family used to have fishing boats that were berthed here.

Geese

Canadas' in Alhambra Creek

New Years Day playing in the water of the Straits

Love Note in Martinez

We have a large population of homeless people here in town. Mostly because the county hospital and the jail are here. This sad love note must be from one of them to another. How many people have walked past this and not stopped to read it I wonder? 

I'm still in the process of learning about how to take better pictures with this camera but it is a labor of love.