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“He may be just a tramp, a guy that likes to roam about this great country without any special aim, just to thank the Lord for these beautiful mountains.”
-B. Traven, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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“. . .here, where there are still the silences and the loneliness of the earth before man, . . .”
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- Chanterelle Mushrooms
- Indian Head Test Pattern (1939)
- Condor Petroglyphs, Death Valley National Park
- Aliso Park Campground
- Surf Fishing For Halibut
- Widow's Tears Falls, Santa Ynez Mountains
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
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Latest Dispatches
- Raking the Forest: Anderson, Trump, Kuyper
- Initials of J.D. Reyes (1907)
- Last California Grizzlies Seen In Santa Barbara National Forest? (1926)
- Eccentric Artifact, San Marcos Foothills Preserve
- Fog Drip Morels
- Naming Santa Barbara’s Modoc Road
- Mark of Conquest; Benchmark and Mortar
- Hat Tip to the Selfless Samaritans In Service to Others
- The Intelligence of Coyote Tobacco (Nicotiana attenuata)
- The Journey of a Root (1907) and Plant Intelligence
- Santa Barbara County Morels
- Hollyleaf Cherries Golden Morph
- Barefoot Prints In Volcanic Ash, Hawaii (1790)
- Skinny-Dipper Detained, Cuffed and Cited at Montecito Hot Springs
- Red Horny Toad
Lunar Phase
Tag Archives: Illustrations
Point Conception, the Cape Horn of the Pacific
A mural of Point Conception lighthouse painted on the exterior of a building in Lompoc, California, Santa Barbara County. An accompanying reader board describes the surrounding coastline as “the mariner’s stretch of nightmare coast known as ‘the graveyard of ships.’” … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged History, Illustrations, Lighthouses, Non-fiction, Ocean, Pacific, Point Conception, Richard Henry Dana Jr., Sailing, Sea, Writing
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4 Comments
Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Sport of Roping Grizzlies (1911)
This post is the fourth and final entry in a series: First: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: A California Blood Sport (1800s) Second: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Recollections of Jacinto Damien Reyes (1880) Third: Gladiator Games of Bulls and … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara, Ventura
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Tagged Bear Baiting, Bears, Bulls, Grizzly Bears, History, Illustrations, Nature, Non-fiction, Wildlife, Writing
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Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Lassoing Grizzlies (1904)
This post is the third entry in a series of four: First: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: A California Blood Sport (1800s) Second: Gladiator Games of Bulls and Bears: Recollections of Jacinto Damien Reyes (1880) Fourth: Gladiator Games of Bulls and … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Bear Baiting, Bears, Drawings, Grizzly, History, Illustrations, Nature, Non-fiction, Ojai, Old Mission, Santa Ynez, Tales
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5 Comments
Desperate Fight with Condors: Narrow Escape of Santa Barbara Man (1899)
A front page illustration on San Francisco’s The Call newspaper from April 30, 1899 showing two condors attacking a ledge-bound man wielding a club in defense. (Click to enlarge.) The illustration above accompanied a harrowing tale of two Santa Barbara … Continue reading →
Posted in Santa Barbara County
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Tagged Animals, backcountry, Birds, Condors, Fred Forbush, Hikes, Hiking, Hiking (2), History, Illustrations, Nature, Writing
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10 Comments
Jack Elliott's Santa Barbara Adventure 