Jo Mora's art

For nearly 50 years, California was graced by the presence of a dynamic and adventurous fellow named Joseph Jacinto Mora. “I had the privilege of knowing him briefly,” wrote historian Frederick Dockstaeder; “and his personality, perceptive intuition and wholehearted enthusiasm made him a tremendously impressive individual to be around. What he found interesting - and he was interested in everything - became a source of instant excitement and investigation, out of which came many of his major contributions.”...(120k pdf )

The family had migrated from New Jersey to California, like many families during the Depression, “with everything piled high and strapped to a ‘26 Dodge.” This demanding trip set the background for the Montilliers and their early talents as sign and display artists, revealing how their innate abilities for creative work has continued to this day...(97k pdf)

Owner of Jake Tomlinson and Company, a premium collision repair facility, Jake has combined his expertise in automotive design with his knowledge of the latest automotive technology. Almost twenty years ago, with a 1983 911 SC Targa as his test model, Jake sat at a drafting table and began a new design that would soon be recognized as a close rendition of the future cutting edge style of the new Porsche 911 Cabriolet...(206K pdf)

Native California Culture as told by Julia and Lucy Parker

“We have to follow the old way, the traditional way,” states Julia Parker, as she motions to her daughter Lucy, who has continued the consistent practice of weaving baskets while growing up in Yosemite Valley. As part of the Yosemite Miwok/Paiute tradition, California Native Americans continue to create beautiful works which tell the story of their culture. Baskets and grinding rocks have always been a part of their native...(154k pdf)

The Story Behind the Legend by Peter Hiller

For a state that continues to attract people from around the world, it should come as no surprise to discover that its name, California, most likely came from half way around the world as well. The mythology of California’s place name opened up wonderful opportunities for artists to interpret the visual image of this magnificent state’s name. There is no precise explanation for the origin of the name of our state- California. There are many thoughts and theories. The Indians of Baja used the words kali forno to mean ‘high hills’ ‘mountain’ or ‘native land’. The Arabic words caliph (supreme ruler), calophat (sovereignty) and khalifah (successor) all exist as possibilities. The key may be in the Spanish word califa, which also derives from Arabic and lends itself to the leading theory about the name origin. In 1862, the literary scholar Edward Everett Hale translated the...(74k pdf)

Gold Country Underground

Scattered along the Sierra Nevada mountain range are four spectacular underground caverns open to the public. All offering guided family walking tours, many also offer extended expedition trips beyond the trails and deep within the mountains. Three tours are operated by one family-owned company with a long-standing love of caverns - the Sierra Nevada Recreation Corporation (SNRC). SNRC President Stephen Fairchild has described the experience of caving as being the closest most of us will ever get to exploring another world. Caverns contain diverse and spectacular formations (speleothems)...(262k pdf)

An Expedition Underground by Suzanne Phillips

Beneath the gently rolling foothills of California’s Gold Country is a surprising opportunity for some high adventure “caving.” Also known as “spelunking,” the sport of exploring wild caves is relatively unknown but provides plenty of challenge and excitement. It combines a variety of physical activities which take on a fresh appeal in the mysterious and often beautiful subterranean environment. Crawling, slithering and sliding, climbing, hiking, rappelling, rafting, wading and swimming are all possible components of a caving trip. Getting into the sport is not a simple matter. Specialized equipment and knowledge are required, including how to prevent damaging the fragile environment and how to stay safe. That’s why novices must always go with experienced cavers. So how to get started? Fortunately, here in California we have several show...(27k pdf)

from local donations, concerts, bake sales and, of course, the annual SYRCL auction. It was a shoestring operation that faced increasing challenges, and each challenge demanded a larger input from the community and a broader vision of the problems and solutions. Perhaps, the most fundamental shift came when it became clear that a piecemeal approach to opposing dam threats was not possible. Eventually, community energy would flag and a dam would be built somewhere on the Yuba. What the SYRCL board realized was that a broad, everlasting solution was a needed inclusion as part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act...(67k pdf)

Monterey Bay, off the central coast of California, contains a vast undersea canyon, rivaling the Grand Canyon in shape and size. This extremely rich region, encompassed within the largest National Marine Sanctuary in the United States, is home to a multitude of marine animals from microscopic plankton to the largest animal on earth, the Blue Whale, along with the oceans' top predator, the Killer Whale, or orca. As marine biologist and guide for Monterey Bay Whale Watch, Nancy Black is out on the Bay nearly year-round, experiencing this incredibly diverse region with others who hope to observe the variety of whales and dolphins that frequent the area. Monterey Bay is one of the few places in the world where whale...(78k pdf)

As the last Gray Whales head north in the spring, the first Humpback Whales of the season arrive to Monterey and other areas along the California coast to spend the summer and fall feeding on tons of anchovies, sardines and krill, a small shrimp like animal. Humpback Whales are one of the most curious and acrobatic of all the whales and often exhibit “friendly” behavior toward whale watching boats...
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As a boy of ten, J.T. Ravizé first discovered the joys of hiking in the Sierra Nevada. It was a dynamic experience of Nature's beauties that he would not tire of, one that would lure him back again and again. As a youth in his twenties, he ran the family restaurant at Caples Lake near Kirkwood in Alpine County, and delved daily into "some of the most pristine wilderness in the United States, right out our back door," as he recalled... (481k pdf)