This first photo was taken last week. Our weather in the Sierra foothill area stays pretty much the same all summer: hot and dry with clear blue skies. Pretty boring for SkyWatch. But if I turn around 180 degrees, the Sierra mountain tops are busy fending off thunderheads like the one I captured here. This is looking east over Lake McClure and towards Hornitos which very few people may know is the birthplace of Ghirardelli Chocolate.
A favorite photo for a special friend . . .
This lovely church, Big D, is St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Hornitos, California. Hornitos was a thriving Hispanic village and gold rush town of 15,000 people in the 1860s. It was also the hangout of desperados including Joaquin Murieta. Now the town is barely awake with only a handful of homes, a few businesses and a post office. These days, most residents are four-legged and munch on the lush, green grass that grows profusely each spring. The area surrounding it is mostly large cattle ranches backing up to Lake McClure. This was taken in late winter, right before the trees sprouted and I thought it looked haunting in Sepia. I have more photos from sleepy Hornitos but I'll save them for another time. Enjoy your Friday!
