Sacramento Pop-Up Reunion!

Old Governor's Mansion - Sacramento

Yay! Time for a Carter Family Pop-up Reunion, this time in my current home town of Sacramento. This morning I picked up my two San Diego cousins Charlaine and Jonniann at the airport. I thought I was going to take them straight back to my house, but miraculously it occured to me they might enjoy seeing Old Sacramento.

Jonnie in the doorway of the one room school house by the Sacramento River

It takes another miracle to find a parking place in Old Sacramento, but we managed. Our first stop was the Old Sacramento Schoolhouse, which I've only been inside of once or twice before. It's more fun going there with family I guess.

The beautiful Franklyn Stove was in use and it really warmed up the place

School Marm Dollies

 As we left the schoolhouse, a stranger offered us candy... a nice lady, who told us if we went directly across the street from the schoolhouse, we could get free candy samples at the candy shop. Well, we were innocent enough to take her up on that offer, right quick!

Jonni & Charlaine 

We were allowed to sample a candy or two from any barrel with a blue tag. So we sampled super gingery ginger candies, licorice suckers (one of which is in my mouth as I type), peanut butter balls, and key lime balls. Yum... we now had enough sugar to power us up for a stroll along the boardwalks.

California State Capital

We spent a fair amount of time in and out of the little shops and had a delish lunch at a Thai Chinese Fusion. We ordered our food, then sat outside a little picnic table. We had company there, a beautiful Whippet girlie dog, who made me want to go dog hunting like right now. So sweet & elegant! It took a while for our food to arrive, but when it did, we agreed, it was all so delicious and well prepared, it was well worth the wait.

On leaving old town, we headed for the State Capital. I normally just drive by there but the girls were excited to go in so we fed the meter and approached the stately dome.

Sisters at the front door of the capital

 The view from the capital's front door is the one below. In the far distance you can even see West Sacramento's golden bridge. There was a quinceanera taking place. The birthday girl's colors were blue with silver and her maids were all dressed in foofy- peach dresses.

Columbus Before Queen Isabella

Looking straight up from the statue, you get a near hypnotic view of the capital dome - beautiful. We took pix of it and the photos appeared to make the dome alternately look either concave or convex. Magical!

The magic Coffee & Sky Dome

Charlaine and Jonniann took the beautiful, carpeted stairway up to the second level under the capital dome. I, being an elevator loving woman, shocked myself by also using the stairs. Hey, a girl wants to impress her fitbit with her stair climbing abilities.

How could I not want to climb
such a beauty of a staircase?

The equally beautiful second story under the dome.

Looking down from the second level

The second floor had a display dedicated to Black History month.









Looking up at the dome, or sideways at the history month displays wasn't the only direction of interest. Looking down an intricate mosaic of tiles at your feet. We overheard a tour guide explain that the man who pieced together and grouted the tiles was not allowed to sign his name to his work. HA! Well, that did not stop him from leaving his mark. Look for a miss-matched tile in the photo on the right. Give up?

 Hint: compare the middle circle below with the circles on either side of it. 

Gotta love the tiler-man!



At one end of the second level, we found the Speaker of the Assembly's offices. I wouldn't dream of ratting one of my cousins, if one of them crossed the gateway into the forbidden halls...

Who then may have looked up to photograph the stained glass Seal of California....






Nope. I'm not one to rat out a cousin!

The last thing we did before leaving the capital building was go back to the lower levels to find the display for Charlaine and Jonniann's home county of San Diego. It was a decent little display and it won the approval of its native daughters and meself, a former denizen of San Diego.

Our capital tour as just under an hour. And we headed back to my car, taking a bit of time for a nice selfie by selfie expert Jonniann.

Yikes! I was looking a tad goofy there

We made one final stop at the old victorian Governor's Mansion, then it was off to Fair Oaks to get the cousins all bedded down and comfy at my house. For an unplanned day, it was certainly a good one.

Bonus! A quick revisit to the one room school house in Old Sacramento. 

Babettas in the Morning

Been absolutely ages since I  went to a Woolverines meeting. Ok, more like 3 weeks, but if feels like ages. The hassle is just now I've had nothing to knit. My poncho project is held up while I struggle to get what's been knit so far 'blocked'. Ugh! Enough fussing. Today is the 14th Anniversary of the best yarn store in my area. It is called Babetta's Yarn & Gifts, and it is run, lock, stock & barista by Babetta. Today the Woolverines took a field trip to my end of town.

Gotta love a yarn store that has a coffee shop right there!

Lovely yarns, up one side of the shop and down the other

There was a lady, whom I don't believe is a Woolverine. She had a great poncho, that several many a Woolverine decided was a MUST HAVE. The poncho is now officially on my knitting queue.

The stunning grey poncho

There was a great group photo taken, ruined my me sitting in front with my brazil sized thighs and turkey waddles. Nope. Not putting it here.

After much shopping around Babettas, and everyone entering the contest for the door prizes, we petered out, to meet at Mirabelle's for a nice lunch.


I love Mirabelle's so I never go there. It's staff are friendly and all, don't get me wrong - it's just - there is nothing more dangerous for me than inexpensive eclairs, chocolate mousses, any number of incredibly well made, perfectly flaky & sweet pastries of every kind...and cookies... the cookies... and worse, all  affordable!

Yeah. I do not need to make Mirabelle's a habit.

See the pastry displays on the left and in the rear ? *shudders & drools*

Lunch with the Woolverines was fun and the only strange bit was no knitting or crocheting took place. And afterwards, yes, some pastries made their way home with me. Shut up. You would have done the same.

[UPDATE:  I won, I won, I won! Several Woolverines won Babetta's door prizes and I was among the lucky. And bonus, I won a fingerless glove kit. I've started, unraveled and started umpteen fingerless gloves this past year, not finishing a single glove. I've made them in the past so I don't know what my problem is really. I guess this is a hint from the universe for me to quit messing around and get to knitting some mitts.

My Door Prize - Yippy Skippy]

Happy 106 Hilda Jones!

[UPDATE: And for the record, Hilda, the matriarch of the Jones family, is currently in her 107th year. She is a sharp lady, who never ceases to startle me with her sharp wit and joie de vivre.]