Los Angeles County Museums

Sunday, March 8, we visited the LaBrea Tar Pits and the Los Angeles County Museums with friend Margaret. We joined a tour at LaBrea, where the guide explained that, in spite of the posed mammoth "stuck" in the tar, it was a rare event which seldom occurred over hundreds of thousands of years. The Museum is currently excavating a mammoth which is nearly intact. It was discovered while preparing to build a parking lot for the museum. The mammoth may be the most complete skeleton discovered. It will take a number of years to complete its removal from the tar pit.

We also visited the LA Art Museum, which included an outdoor display of street lights. Inside the museum, one of the major exhibits was of German World War II artworks. The German works were disturbing works depicting a troubled time. We were unable to take pictures inside the museum.

Irish Fair in Pomona, CA

March 7 we joined dear friends and family at the annual Irish Fair at Pomona Fairgrounds near Los Angeles. 

The Fair, which has gone on for several years, features Irish music and dancing, food, and merchan- dise.  We were unable to get good still shots of most of the musical groups or dancers, but if you're ever in the area around St. Patrick's day, plan to spend time at the Fair! While a variety of Irish music groups performed, we especially enjoyed a group called Slugger O'Toole, whose CD we bought to enjoy on our travels.

It was great to share the experience with our friends, Marianne, Mike, Marge, and Norman--all educators! Marianne is Anita's cousin; Marge is a college friend. The women are all part Irish; the men are Irish by choice...

We had dinner with Marge and Norman at a beach restaurant near Marge and Norm's home in Los Angeles. Note the ferris wheel in the nearby amusement park.

Keys' Gold Mine in Joshua Tree National Park

Bill Keys operated a two-stamp process gold ore processing mill named the Wall Street Stamp Mill in what is now Joshua Tree National Park. The mill is about a two-mile walk (one way) from the parking area.

Keys processed his own ore as well as that brought to him by other miners.  The mine is on the national historical registry. 

The first picture shows what remains of the mill. The second picture is a look at some of the machinery inside the mill.

The National Park Service's explanation of a two-stamp gold milling process is a bit hard to read but provides a good overview of the refining process from raw ore to processed gold which was sent to the Mint or smelter.

Joshua Tree National Park - Part I

Joshua Tree National Park is located in the Mojave Desert along I-10 in southern California. It covers nearly 1250 square miles, about the size of an average North Dakota county. It has been occupied by one group of humans or another for the past 5000 years.

The Park is in an active earthquake zone. Several identified fault zones are within the Park. The San Andreas' fault runs along the west edge of the Park.

The Park is a favored spot for rock climbers. In fact Trashcan Rock (Picture 2) is a training ground for beginning rock climbers. As we drove through the northwestern park of the Park. we saw dozens of rock climbers. The pictures give you an idea of the terrain which makes it so ideal for this sport. The rocks are granite so hold climbing pins securely.

The third picture shows two climbers beginning to ascend.

The final picture is a long view of the rock formation 

those two climbers were on. Several other climbers further to the left were already near the summit.

Snowbird Softball

After a three-year layoff from softball, Tom decided to give softball another try. When we arrived in Casa Grande, we discovered that RV Parks in the area have two leagues. Senior league includes teams in the age range from 55 to 65; super seniors, ages 65 and over.

Super seniors are allowed to have a few players under 65. After discussions with team managers, Tom started the season playing for one team in each division, but ended the season playing only for the Sundance Yellow Jackets. While the Yellow Jackets record during league play was not sterling, the team finished second in the league tournament.

Tom is second from the left, front row in the Yellow Jackets' picture; second from left, back row in the Retreads' picture. The final picture is of Tom and his chief fan!

Baseball Spring Training

Baseball spring training camps--many of which are located in the Phoenix area--opened in late February. Baseball spring training is a very popular attraction in this area.

The California Angels spring training camp is located at Diablo Stadium in Tempe. The pictures on this blog are from an early spring training game between the Angels and the Colorado Rockies. 

As you can see from the picture, the game drew a fairly large crowd. The final score in this game was 5 to 3, with the Angels winning. 

At this stage of spring training, lots of players get into the line-up. Each team fielded five pitchers during the game. Spring training schedules include games with teams from the World Baseball Classic as well other major league teams.

The workforce at Diablo Stadium is made up of senior volunteers. If you are a snowbird, you can volunteer to work at baseball spring training sites and get to watch a lot of baseball free!

Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium

The Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium focuses on protecting species threatened with extinction and educating the public about their plight. The Zoo has a large animal collection. We've chosen pictures of some of the more colorful and exotic animals. Pictured are a ring-tailed lemur, a white tiger, a Madagascar swan. 

The Aquarium also houses a large collection. Pictured is one of the more exotic fish.

The Zoo and Aquarium are located in Litchfield Park, northwest of Phoenix, AZ. If you are in the area, we recommend spending a day at this zoo.