To Columbia, looking for gold or sunshine

This year Thomas is in the fourth grade and just like every other Californian fourth-grader he is studying California history. I've had a tradition of reading several stories to my children that go along with what they are studying in school. This year we've read with cousin Madison (also a fourth-grader) the following books: Riding Freedom, By the Great Horn Spoon, and Island of the Blue Dolphins. All three have to do with stagecoach drivers, the gold rush or Indians. So Jennie (Madison's mom) got us all to take a trip to Columbia today. Gold was first discovered here in 1850 and the town went from about 10 people to 8,000 in 4 weeks. I don't know how much gold was actually recovered from this area but there is still a working gold mine nearby. I was hoping to see some sunshine today, often when you drive up into the mountains you get out of the fog and into blue sky. That wasn't the case today, it stayed foggy but everyone had a good time.


Emily playing pioneer dress-up with cousin Brent.









The cutest part of the day for me was taking a stagecoach ride and getting held up by a bandit. Emily was truly afraid. She did not want me to take a picture of him. When we got home and she was telling dad the story of what happened, she said that the bandit was wearing a red bandanna with meat on it. The only thing I can figure out is that there were paisleys on the bandanna and they look like a piece of meat...maybe a steak or a whole ham. It's funny how we all see the same things so differently.


If you enlarge this picture (double-click on it), you will see the meat on his bandanna.