A PHONE CALL

Sometimes, you don't need a phone to make a call. . .

PICTURE PERFECT FRIDAY--WORN

Please enlarge photo for full effect. Thanks

Camera is a Kodak EasyShare Z612

A very old, very used, and very worn Indian mortar and pestle. Not only is the mortar worn, but the Indians had badly worn teeth (not cavities) because the acorns flour that was ground in it, had rock grit in it. So everything they made from the flour, acorn bread, or mush also had rock grit in it. Try throwing a bit of sand in your Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich, you will get the idea.

I have had this for at least 40 years. My Father, family friends, and myself went pigeon hunting in Big Sur area on a private Ranch. A long drive into the hills on a dusty dirt road brought us to the hunting area. The pigeons weren't flying much that day, we could see the flocks in the trees at a lower elevation that we were. So being the youngest (and possibly the dumbest) I volunteered to hike down the ridge line to spook the pigeons into flying.

Off I went, my Winchester Model 12, a sweet pump shotgun if ever one was made, extra shells, water, trail mix, and my game vest. I am not sure how far I hiked down, but I know it was much further coming back up than it was going down. I finally reached the area where the pigeons were laughing at us, only to have them fly further down the canyon. Ahh, the best laid plans of mice and men.

There was a natural terrace here with a well marked game trail leading into the oaks and under brush into a blind canyon. I was certain there was water in there, not that I needed it, but was curious if I could find a spring, as that area was greener than the surrounding growth. I never made it that far, as just outside the tree line was this rock partially buried in the game trail, or perhaps uncovered would be a better description.

What gave it away as something out of the ordinary was the river rock appearance of it. I had hiked down through granite and some chalk rock, and lots of dry fine dust, but nothing like a river rock. So I dug with my knife, and came up with this treasure. For how soft the first inch or so of the soil was, the rest was like digging through rock! The pestle was still laying inside the mortar, but it is not the normal pestle, it is far too rough and short. Perhaps this mortar being worn so thin on the walls, it was used for something else beside acorn grinding.

Now I was hot, sweaty, dirt streaked, and tired, worn out like the mortar. Looking back up the way I had come, the light went off! How many times do we have to forget, that going down is much easier than going back up!! And here I was carrying about 25 pounds of mortar. Also found out a game vest is not really designed for carrying 25 pounds of rock. I ended up tying a make shift sling on my shotgun with some line I carried. I slung the shotgun over my shoulder and carried the mortar back up the ridge.

We never did get any pigeons that day. But what a glorious day it was, to spend with my Dad and friends. That is one valuable lesson he taught me about hunting, it is not about killing something, it is about being out, looking, listening, taking time to hear the quiet.

I always wanted to go back to that ridge, but never did. I am actually glad I did not. Not even sure I could find it now after all these years. But in my readings, I believe there was a village there on that terrace. Lots of oak trees for the acorns, great hunting area, and a close source of water. Sometime it might be found again, and excavated by professionals. Long gone are the days of relic collecting. Too much valuable information has been lost.

SUMMER IS GONE

Summer left this morning. Time for her to return home for the start of college. It has been a joy to have her here over the summer. She is named well. She is just a radiant young lady, full of life and curiousity, and very funny!! A great sense of humor. Being around her you cannot help but feel warmer, better, more positive.

She has made many new friends while working at the Aquarium, and met up with friends she made last year. And her boyfriend James was also working at the Aquarium. A very mature and funny young man (funny ha ha not funny strange, though Summer might disagree at times!). They make a really cute couple. Some of you may have seen their prom pictures.

It will be sad around here for a while, but there will be smiles and laughter remembering the time she was here. And with that thought, I chose to play one of her favorite "Old" songs. (Not sure how to take that, as it is NOT that old! I remember when it was released!!!) Summer, this one is for you!! Love ya!!!---John

BIXBY CREEK BRIDGE

Several questions about my background photo have come in. I took the photo last Monday, from a dirt road that goes up the canyon behind Bixby Bridge. This is a short history of the Central Coast's Bixby Creek Bridge. No doubt you have seen it in a least one commercial at sometime or other. It is striking in pictures, but awe inspiring in person.--John

Bixby Creek Bridge

by Renee Newland

This essay was written as a class assignment in SBSC 326: History of the Monterey Bay Area, 10,000 B.C. to Steinbeck, California State University Monterey Bay, Spring Semester 1996; Dr. Gary S. Breschini, instructor.

Eighteen miles south of Carmel stands one of the world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges. Its beauty is matched only by the ocean waves crashing on the rocky coastline below. Reaching over 260 feet high and over 700 feet long, it's a structural masterpiece, and probably the most photographed object along the coastal route.

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Bixby Creek Cridge during construction. Courtesy of the Pat Hathaway Collection (which includes 120 construction photographs of the bridge; image 74-24-03).

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After exhaustive engineering studies, two options remained to solve the Bixby Creek crossing on what was then called Route 56, or Carmel-San Simeon Highway, now known as Highway 1. The deep V-shaped canyon, about 100 feet wide at the bottom, with slopes consisting of altered and disintegrated granite, imposed special and difficult problems for the California Division of Highways. One option was an 890-foot tunnel and a 250-foot bridge upstream from the mouth of the creek. The other option was to build a high bridge right on the coast spanning the bluffs. Concerns of safety, and allowing more scenic views, brought the final decision to the latter plan. (The author does not state in her article, other local histories of the Bridge says this was a WPA project to help recover from the Great Depression--John)

The contract was awarded to the low bidder, Ward Engineering Co. of San Francisco, on August 13th, 1931, for $202,334. Concrete placing began November 27th. The bridge was completed on October 15, 1932, and ceremoniously dedicated on November 27th. Another five years would pass before the highway, extending 30 miles from the Carmel River to San Luis Obispo, was finished.

The amount of material used in the construction was enormous: 300,000 feet of timber were used in the falsework, 4,700 cubic yards of earth and rock had to be excavated, and 45,000 sacks of cement were used. The means of transporting the materials across the canyon came from platforms and slings suspended from a cable 300 feet above the creek. Cement was chosen instead of steel due to material and maintenance costs. The cement came from Davenport, near Santa Cruz, and from San Andreas. The creek below supplied the needed water for the mix.

(Rainbow Bridge is one of many names Bixby Bridge has been called by--John)

The falsework, which was the wooden structure built to shape the arch and form the wet concrete, was one of the outstanding accomplishments of E.C. Panton, the general superintendent of Ward Engineering Co. Credit also went to C.H. Purcell, California state highway engineer, F.W. Panhorst, acting bridge engineer, and I.O. Jahlstrom, resident engineer. Two months were spent building the falsework alone. One of the main difficulties was raising and holding the arch frame, exposed as it was to the high winds. The foundation also had to resist the waves which at times reached its base. Work was halted for a time until the dangers of winter storms passed. Locals also wanted it known that M.J. Murphy, Inc. of Carmel was one of the sub-contractors involved in the construction. Large advertisements were placed in The Herald honoring Murphy's contribution. Its trucks were used to haul the Douglas fir from the railroad yards in Monterey to the bridge site and the company also supplied sand and gravel for the concrete from a plant in Big Sur. The road at the time was one-way with hairpin turns, making trips very dangerous for the drivers of large trucks.

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360 Friend THEY CALL ME BOOG (there must be some story behind that name!!) raised a question that I had also, in such a time and with such a huge construction project was anyone killed during it. At the back of my mind I thought some had, but could not find a reference. Then I dug through my books and found perhaps an answer, and an interesting side story too. Randall A. Reinstedt is a local historian and author, he has numerous books about the folk tales, ghost tale, shipwrecks, and lost treasure stories of our area. GHOSTS OF THE BIG SUR COAST is one on his books. On pages 34 and 45 (a picture section is in between) are mentioned the following:

. . . the tragedy of a construction worker who is said to have fallen into the concrete pour during the building of the bridge's north column. . .

I have heard rumors that a Navy pilot flew a plane under the bridge on a dare, but never found anything to substantiate it. But Mr. Reinstedt has the following in the same book mentioned above about a local pilot:

. . .the day after the official opening of the Carmel to Cambria coast highway in 1937. Al Geer, a local resident and pilot, decided to try flying a plane under the bridge's graceful arch! Approaching the bridge from the landward side, he zoomed beneath the span and out over the water. . .

If you are interested in stories and history of our beautiful part of the Central Coast, or perhaps want to try your hand at finding some of the lost treasures that are said to still be hidden around here, Mr. Reinstedt's books can be found at:

http://www.ghosttownpub.com/003.html

Take good care, Enjoy, John

I chose Copland's FANFARE FOR THE COMMON MAN in honor of the common men who did uncommon work to build the Bixby Creek Bridge.

PICTURE PERFECT FRIDAY---BLUE

Not confirming my winter cabin reservation ahead of time certainly made me blue.

(The photo was taken in 1974 during a solo camping trip in the Lassen National Forest in California. I usually do not find myself bored, but I have the feeling I may have been a bit bored at this stage of the trip. The camera was a Nikon 35mm, cannot recall what model, a tripod was used. I used PhotoSuite to tint the pic for that extra 'blue', hope that wasn't cheating.---John)

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Picture Perfect Friday is the brilliant idea of A Slow Read. Each week a theme is posted and it is up to each one of us to post a blog with a picture of what the theme means to us. (instructions borrowed from The Rose, thank you) Post your pic on your own page, and then post notice of your creative effort at A Slow Reads page.

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