If one accesses the road to Howland Flat from Church Street – the route that passes by the La Porte cemetery – one will pass over the following steel bridge (crossing over Slate Creek) after dropping down into the canyon: I will discuss this bridge and its surroundings in a future article. I use it … Continue reading
Category Archives: “Normal” Places We Go
Visiting The Sovereign Military Order Of Malta
As some of you know, I go to Rome fairly often. When in Rome, I have frequently passed the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The first time I walked by, I had no idea what it was. However, after a little research, I discovered that the Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a Roman Catholic … Continue reading
California Ghost Towns: Pine Grove And The Cole Cash (or Comet) Mine
Located in Plumas County near the town of La Porte, the cliffs pictured below mark the site where the gold rush town of Pine Grove used to be: Until recently, I did not know that Pine Grove used to be here. I just thought it was an interesting mining site. So, all of the pictures … Continue reading
California Ghost Towns: Port Wine
Located in Sierra County near the town of La Porte (which is not a ghost town), Port Wine had its beginnings in early 1850. Stories about the naming of the town include miners finding a barrel of Port hidden in the bushes and another story tells of finding a keg of cognac. No one knows … Continue reading
The Ostia Mafia – Piazza Gasparri And Beyond
Crippling bureaucracy has, unfortunately, become embedded in Italy’s soul. And crippling layers of bureaucracy invite corruption from people desperate to navigate the system or to get something done. And corruption opens the door to organized crime… I know what I’m talking about because my chick is Italian (Like a real Italian from Italy – not … Continue reading
Firenze Merda – Hotel Figo
I wasn’t a big fan of Florence, but I have to admit that our hotel was pretty cool: Continue reading
Trinidad and Tobago: The World’s Newest Narcostate?
It seems I didn’t give Trinidad and Tobago the respect it deserved when we visited, as the Foreign Policy article below my T&T pictures reveals… Trouble in Paradise Of late, Patrick Manning, the prime minister of the tiny island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, has been publicly contemplating deploying the country’s navy to patrol the … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 