Monday 6.25.12

   It's Monday morning.  I am typing this up in the office at Tallac using the only WiFi here in the site.  It has been mentioned to our supervisor that it would be great to have WiFi in our campground area, but that has not been accomplished yet.
   R is over at the Pope house, trying on costumes.  The person who is what you would call the "head costume person" for the site is there today and so it is a good time to see if she can find something for R to wear when she gives tours.  It is not a requirement to wear a costume, but many of the volunteers wear them and I think that it adds to the fun.  My wife does not have the the slim figure that the 20's dresses require so the "flapper" type dress is out.  It will be interesting to see if they can come up with something.
   I "shadowed" the Pope House tour guides on both Friday and Saturday to watch and learn.  Everyone has a different style and tells the story differently.  I "know" most of the facts about the site.  But I will tell the story my way.  That's the fun of it and that's why it is important us to hear other people's stories and learn the little side stories of the site.  The side stories are what make the tour more special.
   The park has "ramped up" to the summer mode.  The visitor numbers have increased.  The number of programs that we offer has increased and are continuing to increase.  In addition to the museum being open 7 days a week now, and the Pope House tours offered 6 days a week, there are such things as the Servants Tour, the Tallac Site Tour, an Evneing with Mrs Pope, and Tea with Mrs Tevis so there is lots to do here are the Tallac site as well as the nearby Visitor Center and Valhala sites.  It is a fun place to be working right now.

Pope House Tours 6.23.12

We are getting ready.  Next week we will be giving tours of the Pope House.  R says she is ready.  I think I am also.  I am going to "shadow" another volunteer on her tour in twenty minutes to get another person's perspective on the tour.  Then I will choose which parts I want to use to make the story My story.  It is fun to listen to other volunteers and hear how they conduct their tours.  It is the way I learn.  My wife, likes to write everything down and then by reading it several times, she gets it learned.  Neither way is better than the other, it is just the way it works for each of us.
   I already have my costume figured out.  If we wnat the guides can choose to dress up for the tours.  I have found, in the "prop room", a tan sports coat that looks time apporpriate ( the mid twenties) along with a shirt and tie.  With it I will bring my own black slacks and shoes.   Did I mention the straw hat?  Very stylisth.  I will tell you more later after my first tour.  

Tallac Musings

1919 Pierce Arrow R-9 5 Ton Truck

First session is history.  Things are gearing up for more visitors, more programs, and more fun.  There are 4 five week sessions here at Tallac.  The first and fourth are basically work sessions.  Number one is opening up the site; taking the shutters down, uncovering the furniture, hanging the curtains and putting down the rugs and accessories and getting the grounds ready for visitors.  The fourth session is just the opposite.  It involves putting the items away, replacing the shutters, and just getting the place ready for the snow and cold winter.  Sessions two and three is running the site at full speed with programs and visitors going on everywhere.  Lots of confusion, lots of activities and lots of fun for everyone, vistors and volunteers alike. 



1949 International

   And that's where we are right now.  If only the weather would find out that summer is here.  The wind has come for a several day visit and it is cooling the temps and blowing the pine pollen around like dust on a gravel road.

Wine Tasting 6.10.12

   Fifty miles west and south of here is Placerville  ( pronounced like glass).  Placerville was an important town during the gold rush of 1849.  Gold was to be found in the creeks and rivers of the area having been washed down from the surrounding rocks.

   The gold ran out, of course, and the miners moved to another place.  The town shrunk.  Today Placerville is fueled by tourist gold.   Highway 50 runs through it. People hurry by on their way to and from Lake Tahoe.  I hope they stop.

   Nearby, to the south is the Amador wine country, and area lower then Placerville but above the valley of Sacramento.  As one person put it, “This area is above the fog and below the snow.”  An area, it seems, that is perfect for growing grapes.  And going grapes is what happens here.  In this altitude zone of lots of small and large hills, there is a winery in every direction.  Neat fields of green stretch up and over each bump of land and many of the hilltops are locations of shady farms and wineries beckoning you to stop and sip.  And so we did.

    If you are in the area of Placerville and the small towns nearby such as Lincoln or Plymouth and you have a sunny afternoon to kill, do some winery exploring.  The scenery is excellent and most of the wineries do not charge for tasting.

Waiting

It's Tuesday morning June 5th, 2012.  I'm in Les Schwab Tire in South Lake Tahoe, waiting while they do a brake check on the truck.  It pulses when the brakes are applied, especially when towing the trailer.  Warped front rotors, no doubt.  They are checking and will give me an estimate.  And so I wait.  But at least they have WiFi here so I can catch up on the blog.
  

    Yesterday was a Tahoe weather day.  Because of it's location and elevation, the weather here is quite unpredictable and yesterday was no exception.  We have been told that it can snow here any day of the year and yesterday was one of those days.  R and I took Mollie for a short walk around the Tallac site about Noon and the weather was already starting to change.  Clouds and sprinkles warned of things to come.  A look across the lake showed the future.

 By  1:30 it was raining and by 3:30 the rain turned to snow.  Big fluffly flakes.  The drive to the restaurant for our Monday night dinner was in a snow storm.  By the time we left the restaurant the parcipitation had ceased and blue sky was showing.


  This morning's walk presented several snowy vistas that will not last more than a day or two.

The Lunar Traverse May 2012

   We were in the path.  It was a sunny evening.  The volunteer group was having a BBQ to celebrate, the end of teh day, the getting together of friends, and the lunar event. 
   There had been some preparation.  A hole had been cut in a piece of cardboard by one volunteer.  Another had a glass from a welding mask.  John had four pairs of dark glasses that he stacked for his viewing arrangement.  They all worked to some degree.  The cardboard was the best to get a photo of (as you can see).-->>>

  The welding glass provided a great view through the eye, but the my camera was not able to see the actual event.                             ----->>>



 I am glad we were there to see it.  I'm the group got together.

Peaches

Dogs.

  They are funny little creatures who love you unconditionally.  They are happy to see you if you leave them for 10 days or 10 minutes.  The wagging is the same.  If you have been angry with them previously or petted them recently doesn't seem to make a difference either.  It's still,  " Hi Dad.  Boy am I glad that you are home.  Can we go for a walk?  Please?! Please!?

   Today we take Peaches to the vet for the last time.  She is nearly 13 and has not been good for several days and R and I made the determination that it is time.  She and her sister, Mollie, have been part of our lives for 9 years.  When we got them, they had been in a home where there were no rules, no boundaries.  They were a handful and a half.  "What had we gotten ourselves into?"  But we worked hard and things have worked out.  The two of them helped smooth out Winnie's transition into our family routine. 

   Mollie is going with us to the vet.  I think she needs to be there today to say good-bye to her half sister.   I am not sure how she will react to the whole thing.  I am not sure how I will react either.  It will be hard. 

Tuesday, the day after.

   We made the hard decision.  We said good-bye.  The doctor told us what was going to happen.  We could stay for the whole event of leave at any time.  We stayed while the doctor gave the shot and she slowly fell asleep in my arms.  Her breathing was labored even then.  I handed her to the assistant and we slowly walked out to the truck.   Good-bye sweet girl.  You loved to be held.  I will miss holding you in my arms.

Ancestors

Ancestors.com

  I saw an advertisement for Ancestors.com the other day and it got me to thinking.  I wonder about the average age of the customers using this service.  I bet it is older folks rather than younger ones.  It seems that young people do not have an interest in their ancestors. 

   I know that my children could care less about their heritage.  I doubt that they could tell me anything about their ancestors; what their grandfathers occupations were, or where their parents were born or grew up, much less where their grandparents.   It is not an important part of their lives.  I guess part of that is my fault for not telling them enough stories and not living closer to family all these years.

     Both my wife and I come from the Midwest.  There are sisters and brothers and cousins that live and work back there, but contacts with them are maintained by us.  The contact and communication ties  to that area and the relatives that live there will die when we do.   It is a sad commentary on our society today.   In this day of instant messaging and tweeting and such, the old values are fading away.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day May 28, 2012

   Another beautiful morning.  I walked the girls over by the Visitor Center and read the information boards on passing.  There, you can obtain permits for hiking and backpacking the nearby Desolation Wilderness.  Reading the posted rules, I noticed one big difference between the US Forest Service and the US Park Service.  Dogs.  The Forest Service is much more dog-friendly than the Park Service.  Dogs are allowed on the trails in the National Forests.  Dogs are welcome on the grounds and trails of the Tallac Historic Site.   And you see them everywhere.  Of course they are on leash and they are not permitted in the buildings, but they are all over the place and it is ok. 

    I think it’s time to take our Molly and Peaches onto the grounds and introduce them to the place and the place to them. 

    Since it has been awhile, I [R] thought I’d share my thoughts for a change.

Two weeks and two days ago, we arrived at the Baldwin Campground for the Tallac Historic Site volunteers.  For awhile there, our arrival date was a bit sketchy due to several mishaps.  We arrived at the National Forest SE of Williams, AZ after a day’s travel from ORPI.  To our surprise we discovered a tire problem on one of the 5^th wheel tires; about 2 inch of tread had peeled off the tire down to the cord; we never felt anything wrong and no blowout!   Fortunately, a new tire was purchased at Flagstaff the following day.  That first night J woke me up to say that he was in the Grand Canyon.  Actually, his bed bladder’s air seeped out while J was sleeping and he was in a canyon. J

Fortunately, it was fixable; unfortunately, we had to wait 5 days for a new bladder to arrive in Williams.    As soon as the bladder arrived, we headed for a couple of nights at Valley of Fire NE of Las Vegas.   Valley of Fire is the first Nevada State Park; what a beautiful setting for a campground!  If you have never been to this area, you must drive through just for a day.    The red rocks are something else ~ lots of lizards, including desert iguanas and chuckwallas.   Thursday held the promise of a new adventure as we headed for Lake Tahoe.   There was a new adventure; however, it wasn’t one we expected.  Gassing up in Tonopah an antifreeze leak was discovered.   Thank goodness the discovery was made in town, rather than out in the desert where there were NO services.  Again someone was watching over us.   The new water pump was inserted the next day, even though someone had to drive to Bishop, CA. [110 miles away] to pick up the pump.   Saturday morning, we headed for Lake Tahoe.   J had puzzled over which route to take due to the high elevations from the desert up to the Lake.  Naturally, we chose a steep climb and descent over Luther Pass, not the best route.  Next time, we will pull the trailer by way of highway 50.   Despite our route choice, we arrived at Baldwin Campground just after 1 p.m. ~ just a day later than planned.   Not too bad considering what could have been the arrival date.

Upon our arrival, two couples came out to welcome us as volunteers to Tallac Historic Site.  What a wonderful way to start our two five-week sessions at Tallac!  So far, our welcome has continued in our two weeks volunteering at this location.  Because we are newbies, we don’t have one of the premium sites.  Five of the eight sites are located around a small loop amongst the Jeffrey pines, etc.  The remaining three sites are side by side just below the other sites, next to the volunteer trailer.  They are not bad sites, just close together.   For the first week and a half one other couple were next to us; now, we are by ourselves.   That couple came for the cleaning and setting up of the Tallac Historic Site; they will be back to take down at the end of the last session.   One other couple will be leaving this week; they, too, only come to work on setting up.   The summer is divided into four, five week sessions.   The first and the fourth sessions demand hard work.   I don’t think either of us was quite prepared for the manual work awaiting us!  The cooperation amongst the seven couples has been outstanding!   Everyone has been very patient with us, as well as the willingness to direct us in a positive manner.   The men were busy taking down shutters on the two large homes [over 4,000 square ft. each] and all the outside buildings that housed the servants, guests, and work rooms.  The shutters were repainted or repaired and then stored.    Raking up pine needles, pine cones, aspen leaves, and mowing is a full-time job for everyone.  Inside, the women were busy dusting ceilings & walls, removing sheets covering the furniture, sweeping, moving furniture to correct spots, and setting up each room with the decorative items.   Most of the items are protected in boxes up in the Pope House Linen Room [aka the Sewing Room] in a tin-lined closet from rodents and bugs.   It is amazing how organized everything is at the Tallac Site which includes the Baldwin House [Museum] and the Pope House, along with all the out buildings.  Some of these couples have been coming for ten to 20 years.  The whole set up in the spring is a well-run machine.  The history of the buildings is so interesting!  The setting is so beautiful!   And, the staff & volunteers have been so positive and friendly.   Every Monday evening the volunteers go out for tacos or pizza.   And, we’ve already had one BBQ.   At noon during the setup everyone meets on the patio of the Baldwin House for lunch; that will be missed now that the Site is opened to the public.   All of us will be on different schedules.  And, every Wednesday morning, we gather for a weekly meeting and then help clean and work on maintenance.   The camaraderie amongst the small staff and the volunteers is great; everyone works together so nicely.   Wonder how it will be the second session?

I’d like to take a moment to describe what and where I’ve been the past two weeks.   The Baldwin House was a 4,000 sq. ft. summer home built by Dextra Baldwin, the granddaughter of Lucky Baldwin, around 1923.   There are two cabins outside that were used for visitors.   The cabins were moved from the Tallac Hotel and Casino that operated in the late 1800’s by Lucky.   About a five-minute walk to the east one comes upon the Pope House Estate.   The Pope House is very upscale compared to the rustic appeal of the Baldwin House with many out buildings for the servants, guests, and for the running of the House.  The Popes, the third owner of the buildings, brought 8 permanent staff members with them from San Francisco and then hired more to maintain the conspicuous wealth they were accustomed to in the Bay area.  I helped clean and set up the Baldwin Museum and Gift Shop.   From there I and the other women headed for the Pope House to set up the upper floor before tackling the main floor.   The walls are lined with redwood, cedar, and fabric wall covering.   The woodwork is beautiful.   All the surfaces needed dusting.  Upstairs includes 3 bathrooms, four bedrooms, an office, the linen/sewing room, and one of two remaining sun porches.   The first 2,000 ft of house was built in the late 1890s by Tallant.  The next 2,000 sq. ft. was added on by the Tevis family in the early 1900s.   And, Pope added the two sun porches and a couple guest cabins after that family became owners in the 1920s.     My first job was to clean and arrange the linen/sewing room that faces the lake front.  The seamstress needed good light, as well as be at hand for the sewing of the clothes of the women of the house.

Each room has a booklet with photos to help set up the room as it might have been in the 1920’s.  What a help for all of us, especially me who had never seen how the rooms were set up!  I cleaned up Granny Pope’s room.   No set up was required.   The room is left as it was when the Forest Service took over.   The house had been left empty for 15 years.   Since the buildings were not built for winter living, the weather had take it’s tole on the interior of the house.   Granny’s room was left as is for visitors to see how the walls were layered.  From there, I vacuumed what would have been the children’s room; now, the room is used as a sewing room for the costumes worn by the tour guides and during the Gatsby Festival held in August.  I cleaned up and decorated the east bathroom.   By that time we all headed for the living room which is probably close to the size of my home.

After helping set up the dining room I sent to the servants’ dining room and kitchen that is located outside of the main house, due to fire possibilities.   By the fourth day we were working on the servants’ quarters in the other outside cabins.  I tackled the head maid’s room, as well as the chauffeur’s room and the nanny’s room.  The nanny’s room was a big job for all the young children’s furniture was setup with the nanny.   This was the era when children were with the nanny.   The children also ate with the servants until they were 17; at that age children were invited to eat with the adults in the dining room. 

The sixth day I helped others with the guest cabin and the Indian cabin.   Then, it was time to tackle the raking around the Pope House.   The first afternoon was a bit much for my back; so, I worked on making schedules and tickets for the upcoming tours.   Wed., I spent more time on the copying and then raked some in the afternoon.   The last day, I raked all day around the visitors’ bathroom.  It was a big, tiring job; however, I was able to work all day at the raking.

Saturday was the opening of the Museum and the tours for the Pope House.   Jim and I did our turn at collecting trash throughout the Site before cleaning up the Baldwin Museum.   In the afternoon I worked in the Baldwin Museum greeting the visitors, pointing out to them the different possibilities on Site, while Jim worked in the Accession Room.  Now, we are working our official workdays: Wed. thru Sat.    Before all of us worked Mondays thru Thursdays to set up for Memorial Wknd.   What a tiring, but worthwhile two weeks!   I haven’t worked this hard for a while.  The buildings are now open on weekends until June 16^th when the Tallac Historic Site will be open seven days a week.   

Jim and I were coming home absolutely exhausted those first eight days.  This wknd we are ready to do some other exploring.   We’ve been around the Lake itself checking out the area.  Today, we will be biking about the Site, particularly to areas I haven’t explored.   Jim has walked the dogs  to different spots; this afternoon is my chance to explore more.