Posted on by Anne Sandler · 41 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #394: History Through the Lens

I remember my Mother telling me about the day they took the “horses away.” This flow of memories was triggered when I took her to see a living history event in San Jose many years ago. She told a docent and me about the new fire engine that replaced the horse drawn fire engine in New York City. As she talked, I could see, through her expressions, the wonderful memories she was reliving.

That’s why history is so important, and it’s wonderful that many of our amazing historical places are preserved as either Federal, State or City parks. Thanks John for bringing history to the forefront. Our beautiful Sierra Mountain Foothills is host to an amazing historical park located in Grass Valley–the Empire State Historical Park.

This history began with the discovery of gold which was originally discovered in 1850. The Ophir Hill Mine was sold a couple of times and eventually became the Empire Mining Co. Eventually William Bowers Bourn acquired control of the company. Bourn’s family lived in the “Cottage” on the estate.

Below is the cottage front, back, garages, reflecting pool and some of the grounds. They also had a terraced rose garden and a clubhouse. I was lucky to talk a docent into giving us a Cottage tour while he was there, but no photos.

The mine was sold, but Bourn’s son regained control of the company and soon acquired the North Star Mine and two other mines. Yes, there was a lot of gold in the hills! The mine changed hands again until World War II when gold mines were considered nonessential. Next came the shortage of miners and inflation costs for mining gold. The mine closed in 1956.

In 1975 California State Parks purchased the property, and today we get to visit and enjoy this beautiful property and its history. We leave the beautiful housing area and walk down to the mine. We first see a stamp machine (A stamp mill is a large mechanical device used to crush ore and extract the desired metals from the host material.).

As we enter the main compound, there are buildings now used for administrative purposes.

We are getting closer to the mine! But first let’s visit the blacksmith shop. The docents make tools in this shop, especially when schools visit. The children are delighted when they see the molten hot tool being molded.

Here is the mine. You can look but not walk down the shaft! Would you want to?

Outside the mine, you’ll find an assortment of rusted tools and machinery.

And lastly, these carts that hauled miners and ore down and up the mine shaft. Just imagine the danger the men faced each day.

I love visiting the Empire State Historical Mine. It is so beautiful and rich in history. My Mother may have seen them take the horses away, but she also lived through television’s amazing history. I’ve gone from a manual typewriter, to using a computer and word processing programs to our current computer programs with AI functions. What’s next?

Thanks John, I had fun visiting the past. Please remember to link to John’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you respond. Last week Sofia had us share moments of luck and that was fun also. Those lucky shots also brought back memories. Next week Beth will be presenting the challenge. Until then, be safe and resilient!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 45 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #231: Favorite Images of 2022

To be honest, 2022 wasn’t my favorite year. I spent most of it in the blahs with a few exceptions. Now John has tasked us with the challenge to pick our favorite images of what was my blah year! To do this, I decided to pick one favorite from each month.

January: Laura and I went to the Point Reyes National Seashore. The Tule Elk were out. What is this one trying to tell me?

February: An outing to Grass Valley in the Sierra Nevada Foothills yielded this pine cone in perfect light.

March: Ray and I made our yearly pilgrimage to Lincoln to photograph Great Egrets and Blue Herons nesting in three trees.

April: Again another yearly visit to Ananda Village and their Tulip Festival. It’s the same each year and it’s always beautiful.

May: My year can’t be complete without showing you a visit to the Sacramento Zoo. One of my favorites is the pelican who lives with the flamingos. He’s missing a wing and can’t fly. This time he was close.

June: Our yearly trip to the Land Park pond to photograph the Lotus wasn’t as spectacular as previous years, but you never give up.

July: My wanting to get Downtown Sacramento building images ended with me getting a flat tire and the AAA driver getting lost! But I was able to get a few photographs.

August: brought us down the the Amtrak station in Sacramento. I tried in-camera double exposures and got one fairly good shot.

September: Another annual event, Chalk It Up. This artist’s piece of Gene Wilder was amazing.

October: I finally had the opportunity to photograph outside of my local area. I joined friends on a New England cruise. Before the cruise we spent time in Virginia. Here’s an image from the Luray Caverns.

November: My photo buddies and I went to the California Museum. It’s a place I need to return to without my camera. I spent a lot of time photographing angles and lines.

December: We were staying with the grandkids in Reno, Nevada when a snow storm hit. This is a picture of the sun rising on the mountains with houses and Reno below.

So that was my year in pictures. Thank you John for helping me realize it wasn’t a blah year after all. I’m anxious to see all of your favorites. When you post please remember to link to John’s post and use the Lens Artists tag. Next week Sofia leads the challenge so look for her post.

 For more information on joining the challenge each week, check here.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 6 Comments

Sleepless in Sacramento: In and around Grass Valley

Actually, it’s not that I’m sleepless, I can’t sleep because of a sore throat. It’s not Covid, the rapid home test came out negative, and I have a yearly doctor’s appointment tomorrow. Great timing! So, let me use this time to tell you about a recent adventure around Grass Valley in Nevada County.

We sometimes take off without a definite destination in mind as we did recently. We headed toward Grass Valley. Some stops along the way yielded fungi, a pine cone, a not so scary scarecrow and a scenic pond.

The real exciting find happened after lunch. We found the Bridgeport Covered Bridge! Constructed in 1892, this bridge had undergone renovations and reopened in November 2021 to pedestrian traffic. It crosses over the South Yuba River.

The South Yuba River.

This gentleman was drumming with his family nearby.

We visited the visitors’ center and saw the old Shell station which added atmosphere to the park.

I’ll say goodnight and hope that I can sleep tight!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

Didn’t you want to go there again? Nevada City, California

Challenges, I love them–most of the time. Visiting Nevada City in the Sierra foothills, was like that. If you’ve been following this blog, you have seen images of this quaint town and its neighbor, Grass Valley. We stopped there on our way to Downieville, walked and took photos and then went on to the city of no pizza!

I didn’t mind because it’s challenging to find something different to shoot, or maybe to shoot from a different angle which can give you different results. Exercises like these help improve your compositions and photographic abilities.

So here I am in Nevada City finding inspiration, seeing new opportunities and learning.

I was drawn to this flower pot attached to a window.
This picture belongs with the cover photo. Next time I’ll go inside.
This crystal was in a store. It was totally white; I worked with the color a bit.
Benches are occupied!
This tented crepe shop was opening for business.
Flower pots with character.
Window treatment!
I can’t resist a flower macro.
A very photo-graphical home.
The church on the top of the hill.
A home rental hiding from on-lookers.
A better view.
If I remember correctly, the end building is an entertainment venue.
I also can’t resist something old and rusty!
A cannon located in a small park.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 10 Comments

A big step: Empire Mine, Grass Valley, California

I move slowly–I know it. So, when people started telling me I should enter my photos in competitions, I was reluctant. I didn’t know how to prepare them, didn’t know where to enter, etc. To help push me along, I joined the Sierra Camera Club.

This is a big step for me because they have two monthly juried competitions. Last week I put two images in competition. Wow, that was intense. I was really looking for guidance and constructive criticism. Scoring was 8 points at the low end and 12 at the high end. I really did not have any expectations of what score my photos would bring, I just wanted to hear what the judge had to say.

He went through more than 100 images in the open category and half that in the artistic category. I learned a great deal that night from listening to him. Oh, my images scored an 11 and 12. Below is “Capitol Moon” the one that earned 12 points. Not bad for the first time. And the expertise of many members is tremendous. Their photos were outstanding. Some of them warned me from experience not to get upset when I score my first “8” since judging was subjective.

dsc_5902

Next month, I need to print out some pictures for the competition. I’m still looking forward to it, knowing the judge will be different and may be more tough. For me it’s a big step towards learning more.

For this post, I’m taking you back to the Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley. My Tuesday group went there recently. I was hoping that with all the rain, the flowers would be blooming. No such luck. So I tried to shoot close up and do a little HDR. We did take the Cottage tour, bringing us inside the cottage (not the small cottage you may be picturing). See it again, but differently, through my camera lens.

 

This flower looks more like a cactus. Spider web: a bonus.
This is an HDR image of the stamp.
Another part of the mine.
An HDR image of the mining offices.
One of the rooms. I shot this through chicken wire.
Part of a machine being readied for display.
I just loved her hair and boots!
Looking through the spokes.
Approaching the club house.
One of two fountains.
The cottage!
Living room.
Dining room.
Buffet.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Going and looking back: Grass Valley, California

We are in a morphing stage. Since Greg’s passing, our Tuesdays With Seniors group hasn’t been the same. We’ve reformed and are now enjoying the company of pre-seniors. It was during this time that our two new members, Rita and Karen, and I went to Grass Valley and the Empire Mine State Park.

I had been there twice with Greg, and he was the tour guide. He mostly showed me the town, various high points and the countryside. He used to live in Nevada City and for him it was a homecoming.

I find Grass Valley old town a little less touristy than Nevada City. We went to both, but shot mostly in Grass Valley. Once again, I needed to shoot the familiar scene a little differently. I didn’t do HDR or carry a tripod as I had done on my two previous visits. I tried different angles and got in a little closer in some shots, especially at the mine.

This time our visit to the Empire Mine, where I did use a tripod and shot HDR,  yielded an unauthorized brief tour of the cottage. The ranger in the office turned her head and allowed the docent to take us in. We were like children in the candy store, that is until the alarm went off. Our docent, probably feeling like he got caught with his hand in the candy jar, was busy trying to turn off the blaring sound. Soon we heard an additional but different blare–the second alarm! We took our shots quickly because we knew that once the alarms were turned off, our sneak peak into the cottage would be over.

But, the fun isn’t over, and I look forward to more adventures with this re-formed group. We will have a new name which will be decided tomorrow during our Napa visit.

 

This mural was on the side of a convenience store near the historic part of town.
I couldn’t get a decent shot of this beautiful library the last time. So glad I came back.
Karen and I played around with catching a sunburst on the old Del Oro movie theater.
This picture of a bank shows how hilly this area is.
Just a bunch of hanging signs on Main Stree.
Inside the cottage.
I loved the old furniture. I used HDR because I didn’t want to damage anything with a flash.
Love the old tub in the downstairs bathroom.
This is what we would call the family room today.
At the blacksmith shop.
The docents make real, usable items in this shop.
In the old machinery bone yard. Close ups.
I love old rusted machinery.
I’m sure this was used to carry stuff out of the mine.
Just one of the buildings being fixed.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 1 Comment

Lesson learned; shooting with a tripod: Empire Mine State Historic Park, Grass Valley, California

I told you that I learn from my mistakes, and for this outing, I remembered my Tripod. It’s a good thing I did, because it came in handy at the Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley. The park was begging to be shot in HDR which added so much depth and character to the images.

As usual on Tuesdays, our guide and driver Greg took us, me and Linda, the back way to the Park, stopping along the way to discover future shoots, do some actual photography and eat. That is how we ended up in Wheatland, the first stop on our journey. This is a very small town. I put the “very” before small because that’s how small it is–at least to our photographic eyes. The town, in Yuba County, actually has a population of 3,456 as of the 2010 census.

We were going to Rough and Ready but never made it because it was getting late and we wanted to get to the Mine. Oh yes, we made a couple more stops along the way. The Empire Mine was founded in 1850 and operated until 1956. The William Bourn family maintained control of the mine and lived there until 1929 when it was sold to Newmont Mining. In 1975 it was purchased by the State who then created the Historic Park.

We got there late afternoon, quickly going to the mine area. The grounds are separated into the mine area and living quarters consisting of a beautiful home and gardens. We shot until we were asked to leave. It seems they close the Mine at 5 p.m. When we left, the ranger reminded us that we were there almost two hours which should have been enough time to see the mine, and I had to explain that photographers take more time than most people. I don’t think she was sympathetic; she just wanted to go home!

Oh, another lesson learned! Check out the hours before we leave home! Yes, we’ll have to do that because we will be returning.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Wandering: Grass Valley and Nevada City, California

I’m on the move this year, shooting whenever and wherever I can. So, when photo buddy Greg Morris offered to take me up to the foothills and visit the sister cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City, I couldn’t refuse. I had been there and toured the Empire Mine State Park, but when you go with someone who knows the area, it’s a whole new experience.

As a former resident, Greg knows all the stores, buildings, neat homes and the area’s history. Greg shoots mainly on a tripod and takes a good deal of HDR shots. And the results are amazing. I’m going to have to ask him to give me a lesson in Photomatix.

It was fun listening to his stories. I hope you enjoy the images.