Placerville
(et
Environs)
Placerville is named after a kind of gold (placer gold)  that was
discovered in the hills nearby in the late 1840's. Placerville used to be
officially known as "Dry Diggins," and was nicknamed "Hangtown"
(They took claim-jumping seriously!) before it was incorporated and
officially  named Placerville in 1854.  Placerville was also on the line of
the short-lived Pony Express, and is the home of the newspaper, The
Mountain Democrat, the oldest continuously published newspaper in
California, published since 1851.
Life has the most interesting twists
and turns. One moment we’re in the
central highlands of Mexico, living on
the edge of a beautiful sleepy lake,  
and suddenly we’ve moved to
Northern California to a beautiful
mountain town surrounded by every
kind of terrain and lakes imaginable.  
Placerville is nestled in the midst of a
majestic landscape – the snowy
Sierras rise in the background, the
velvet rolling, tree-speckled El
Dorado Hills in the foreground.  
Above Placerville, land rises towards
an invisible line where all  trees other
than the pines cease to flourish.  Just
a few minutes away from Placerville,
grape vines have begun their trek
across the supporting wire trellises,
spring’s  rich green promise  feathers  
apple and pear tree branches as they
reach outward and upward, bursting
with blooms.    April 30, 2008
On the way to Lake Tahoe
Monterey, California
(ACWA Conference)
One of our Neighbors
Dinner with EID Board Members
(left to right: George Osborne, John
Fraser, Bill George, George
Wheeldon, and Gen. Mgr. Tom Gallier)
A Visit to the Monterey Maritime and
History Museum
Fisherman's Warf, Monterey, CA
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Listening to the jazz of Jazzmin at
Cozmic Cafe, Placerville
Dear  Friends  Efigenia and Joaquin
At the Marshall Monument
Old Sacramento Schoolhouse
Ready to board the Delta King
Pony Express Monument
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Dinner on the Delta King
First Dinner on
Dining Room Table
Anniversary Flowers from Tom!
Looking out from the Marshall Monument, not far
from where CA gold was first discovered
Deer Surprise
The deer had stopped coming
to visit our yard around three
weeks ago.  Maybe it was the
warmer weather, we thought.  
Maybe they had moved up to
higher ground, towards the
white-capped sierras that frame
our Eastern landscape, we
thought.  But a week and a half
ago, we discovered the reason
why we had not been visited
lately by our mule-eared
friends.  The doe returned to
our yard, cautiously watching
over two tiny, perfect fawns
frolicking through the grass.  
Although they were still
suckling, Mom was already
trying to wean them as they
attempted to take a drink of
milk in between their munching
on soft green leaves in the
garden. The next day, the
whole family arrived, the doe
with her watchful eye on the
fawns, and the buck, with his
velvety  horns  already emerged
from his forehead.  Yesterday,
the doe came up to the patio to
munch the tender tops of the
pink rose bush, before she
returned to the apple trees in
the lower driveway to see how
many little green apples she
could reach up on her haunches.
May 2008
EID Employee Picnic,
September 2008