I love gargoyles. Period. So I was all a’giddy when I looked up at the bell tower of the Preston Castle and saw one surviving gargoyle (i.e.: still had his head attached). One other fact. I love crows and ravens…beautiful birds with great sense of humor. 🙂 Guess who had a nest up there with the gargoyles?
Can you see him way up there on the back right?
Beautiful wings.
Close up of his scales.
Lovelies!
Nesting up with the gargoyle with no head.
Last weekend I joined my sister and two other members of the Northern Nevada Ghost Hunters on my very first Paracon hosted by the Castle Spirits Paranormal group. It was held at the Preston School of Industry (i.e. Reform School for boys) which had the cornerstone laid in 1890 and opened in 1894. All the proceeds from the paracon went towards the preservation and rehabilitation of the Preston Castle. IT WAS AWESOME! While the speakers and the hosts were wonderful (YAY SALLY and CREW!!), I absolutely loved the building. Since I took an ungodly amount of photographs, I’m going to divide them up into at least four different posts. The first being the outside of the building. Then I’ll post about the one gargoyle that’s left up on the tower (LOVE HIM!), the inside and some of the people.
For the history of the building and grounds (and if you’d like to donate to this beautiful building) please check out PRESTON CASTLE FOUNDATION
First glimpse taken from a cemetery in Ione, CA.
Taken from below Preston near some newer buildings.
The boys carved their names into the sandstone.
Absolutely beautiful carvings in the sandstone.
Carved sandstone bricks.
That tube is a fire escape with a slide inside.
Mount Shasta
Brother Jonathan shipwreck memorial.
Battery Point Lighthouse, Crescent City, CA.
Saint George Lighthouse, six miles off the coast of Crescent City, CA.
Sun setting in Crescent City, CA.
Crescent City, CA
Waiting for low tide, Battery Point Lighthouse.
Snowy Egret, Crescent City, CA.
wild bumble
thistle, boca
wild roses
We have a spot on the Little Truckee River, near the old townsite of Boca, that we like to go to.
While looking at how much the water has gone down, due to the drought, a huge bird swoop overhead. At first all I saw was a white head and immediately thought he was a Bald Eagle. He landed on a tree, just a tad too far for my camera to get a nice clean shot (too grainy)…but here they are. He’s a beautiful Osprey who was eyeing all the trout in the Little Truckee…not very fair fishing, Mr. Osprey, but you go for it. 🙂
Osprey, Little Truckee River, Boca.
Osprey, Little Truckee River, Boca
Osprey, Little Truckee River, Boca
Osprey, Little Truckee River, Boca
Osprey, Little Truckee River, Boca
Sort of a ramble today ~ Lots of pictures.
I received my craft swap today! A beautiful scarf hand-spun & dyed & knitted by a graduate student in my department. It’s soooo soft! Did I say it was BEAUTIFUL? 🙂 Will be getting out my Scottish Thistle pins! In exchange for the scarf, I made the lap quilt in the previous post.
Hand-spun/dyed/knitted – merino wool and silk
We stopped by Boca (near the train tracks and Truckee River) on the way home from spending the day up near Hobart Mills.
Old trestle bridge over the Truckee River at Boca.
VERY old lilac bushes where there once was a house…Boca (near old bridge).
Old apple trees to go with the lilacs.
Lupine along the Little Truckee river at Boca.
It’s been warming up here in Reno/Sparks…and being upstairs just makes it hotter. This was Leo yesterday (with windows open and fan on) while I was piecing mini quilts.
Leo (Bengal Tabby Monster)
Using Jeni Baker’s Nordika I made up a bunch of 1.25″ (finished size) HST’s…making a few mini quilts…and I do mean MINI…will be approximately 8″. The three on the left are finished, still working on the right two. Then will need to quilt and bind.
Nordika HST Mini Quilts.
Wow…it’s been quite a while since I last blogged. Pop some corn, grab a beer. 🙂
Quilting & Sewing:
Since I brought my new Brother sewing machine home, I’ve putzed around with it. I’m still learning what it can and can not do, but all in all am getting the hang of it.
1930’s HST baby quilt.
Patch quilt top in the making using Nordika. I have 1/4 of it sewn together now.
I’ve made up a few of these cute totes, modifying a free pattern.
Totes with pencil/crayon slots.
Had one crafting day with friends…another one coming up. We’re gearing up for a November craft fair.
Day of crafting with friends.
Canning:
Made up another batch of mustard! Loving the smell and taste of this one! I used Stone Smoke Porter, yellow & brown mustard seed, apple cider vinegar, ground mustard, salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg. I adapted two recipes I found (Homemade Beer and English Mustard)…it made up 10 4-oz jars. I plan on making a Cranberry Mustard too.
Spicy Beer Mustard
I was given a bag full of clipped lavender from my MIL’s garden earlier and dried it. Part of it is now in a big old canning jar of local Nevada honey with my own dried rosemary. I’ll be putting this into 4-oz canning jars in about two weeks after it’s been strained.
Lavender Rosemary Honey.
Ghost Hunting:
My sister has quite a few ghost hunting equipment and she booked the Miner’s Shack up in Gold Hill (just south of Virginia City on the Comstock). My niece, Hannah, and her friend Maddie, my sister and I all spent an afternoon in VC and the night in Gold Hill. That was fun! Definitely want to go up with them when they do the Washoe Club in VC.
Miner’s Shack, Gold Hill, NV
Yellow Jacket Mill
Fourth Ward School, Virginia City, Nevada
Fourth Ward School, Virginia City, Nevada
Bottle Tree.
I know my niece, Hannah, took a bunch of photographs, but I never see them…hint, hint…if you’re reading this, Ms. Hannah.
Hannah.
Mackay Mansion grounds.
Carnelian Bay, Lake Tahoe:
Took a Monday off so we could spend Sunday night up at Tahoe. Spent Sunday at one of the free public beaches and Monday morning we tried kayaking (waterman’s landing). So…I’m saving my money up for a sit-in kayak now. 🙂
Carnelian Bay from the Gar Woods pier.
Kayaking on Lake Tahoe.
Mergansers.
Truckee Trestle Tour:
We finally made it up to Truckee, CA for the Hobart Estates Trestle Tour! They’ll be having another one in October if you’re local! We toured the lumber railroads and mills.
Remains of a flat car near Hobart Mills.
Railroad maintenance shop, Hobart Mills.
Lumber railroad trestle remains.
More trestle remains.
Baseball Bingo:
How to have fun when your minor league team, the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks), is losing. Sorry guys for wishing one of you got beaned by the pitcher! 🙂
Baseball bingo!
Miscellaneous:
God-Awful Rim Fire smoke from Yosemite…Reno/Sparks, we can’t breathe.
Sheaffer’s Balance Blue fountain pen my husband found for me.
Sunrise with a little bit of Rim fire smoke in air.
