Alighting from the little train — originally in use when the mines were being worked — you are on the level of the middle tier. The trampoline above is accessed via a netting tunnel through which, by small footholds, rope handles, and sheer physical strength and determination, you haul yourself up to the next level. Getting down to the lower levels is far easier. You simply throw yourself into a hole and slide down a chute, the longest of which is about 60 feet.
The historic building now serves as a free museum showcasing presses, type set cases, printing equipment, and furnishings from an era dating back more than 125 years. Visitors can watch a free video on printing in the 1880s. Numerous exhibits and photographs chronicle the fascinating life of John Clum, the founder and original publisher of The Tombstone Epitaph.
Who would have thought that right behind the Smart and Final and parallel to a major city street (Ventura Boulevard) a beautiful state park would be tucked away in the midst of all the traffic and shopping? That’s exactly what you find when you discover Los Encinos State Historic Park. The park is dedicated to preserving the buildings of Rancho Los Encinos. The entrance is nestled nondescriptly on a residential street. If you are not sure what you are looking for, you can easily miss it. The park is located at 16756 Moorpark Street, Encino, California.
Hays is located in the heart of Kansas’s German farm country. It is filled with limestone buildings and historical sites, all a testimony to the amazing craftsmanship of the time. This craftsmanship comes through loud and clear where Union Station Coffee & Roasterie is concerned. The small coffee shop boasts a wide variety of coffees, as well as a scientific take on making their cold brew coffee.
The town’s heyday as a crossroad for gunfighters, gamblers, and prostitutes lasted for less than a decade. That’s it. That’s what the legends, myths, and movies have been all about.
I close my eyes as I sink my teeth into a biscuit at the Denver Biscuit Company. Supple, creamy textures and buttery flavors remind me of happy mornings in Grandma’s sunny yellow kitchen. My search is over.
When Australia was first settled by the British in 1788, this sun-drenched land down-under was introduced to the English language. It was spoken in all its English and Irish accents with a bit of Scots and Welsh thrown in as well. Over time, the amalgamation of the accents plus a dose of cockney rhyming slang has created a unique Australian brand of English which can be a little daunting to first-time visitors.
The Market, as we kids called it, has been in existence as long as I can remember. Looking through the eyes of youth, it seemed huge, with lots of sheds and tables and vendors. As I grew into adulthood, I began to realize what an important role the Market played in the lives of so many, especially the farmers who were its mainstays.
The inspiration for the original Old Country Market came from Kristian Graaten and his wife Solveig who emigrated from Lillehammer, Norway in the 1950s. In Norway, it was common for homes to be built into the hillside with the sod roof becoming an extension of the hillside. Voila — the market was born in 1976. As for the goats, the weekend of the Coombs Fall Fair was approaching, and it was decided to put the goats up on the roof to trim the long green grass. A tradition was born, and the goats go onto the roof approximately Mother’s Day every year. Thus a tourist attraction was also born.
As the sun slowly rises behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge, ferry traffic starts, back and forth, as a well-orchestrated ballet. Soon, Sydneysiders are flooding Circular Quay. The ferry terminal is at its busiest and you’re sitting by the river, sipping your coffee. The Opera Kitchen terrace is the perfect place to watch the show while being served your first meal of the day, overlooking the bay and its “coat hanger,” as the locals call the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
