The goldrush town of Jamestown is near enough to Murphys to stroll and spend an hour or two. We walked the town and took some pictures. The light was bright and imposing and warming for a coldish November day. Casting long shadows on flagstones. When I moved to the motherlode, both ends of town still had remnants of their old boardwalk. Gone, now.
The town wasn’t exactly proud of its entrepreneur founder, but finally decided to recognize John James for whom the town is named. Something everyone smiles about now. At least he didn’t get run out of town with tar and feathers. (Double click the photo)
The town burned down in 1885 so the oldest buildings date from 1887.
This tree, the owner of the building behind it, told me was in an old picture of when his building was being built in 1887.
It is an evergreen that I don’t recognize. He didn’t know either.
Don’t you just love that there was a time when people found it desirable and worth the time to make utilitarian objects, like door handles, so beautiful?
Jamestown is well known for its antique stores, there are many, and we poked around looking for a small table I would like to place next to my living room window. I found two I liked, but wasn’t bright enough to bring accurate measurements. They looked to be the right size?
One store had this line of hanging animal traps with the sign at the bottom unreadable until I loaded my pictures into the computer. Not much of a deterrent to theft if you can’t see it.
Economic recovery is slower in the mother lode than the cities. And we all worry about it. The Antiques stores are holding well, but several restaurants were gone. The Willow has been a landmark in Jamestown since before I arrived. I used to like their fondue, but I haven’t eaten there in years, and we didn’t stop for lunch because neighbor Jan was having a pot luck celebrating new beginnings, thanking her helpful friends.
It was afternoon of a day with a new moon, a new housemate for Jan, new opportunities for Leslie and…by chance, a new heart for a neighbor. The transplant was the day before yesterday.
Jan’s friend, Dixie, is a Wiccan believer and she lit a sage smoker and gave voice to a spell for all of us, for new beginnings, prosperity and good health.
I was wearing a necklace that assumes any shape you put it in. Leslie turned it into the ying/yang life sign for me. Dixie read an invocation and we all said a prayer for our hospitalized neighbor. Heart transplants seem common, but when it happens to someone you know, you suddenly realize how miraculous it is. We also remembered the person who donated a heart that someone else may live. Amen!
Que Sera, Sera... Whatever Will Be, Will Be... 