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I can hardly believe it but the National Weather Service is predicting more snow in the Motherlode. It’s been cold and rainy for most of the day. I guess “cold” is a relative thing — it was 50°, which wasn’t all that horrible but with the overcast skies and drizzling rain, let’s just say we didn’t feel the urge to go on a picnic.

I did manage to follow the doctors orders and do a little walking. When the rain finally stopped, I did a little power walking around the deck. It really made me wish it went all the way around the house, instead of just half way. I’m thankful for the flat boards, these killer hills can do a number on the knees.

Consider joining us on Facebook, if you haven’t already. I try to post daily and pass along important news items of interest to locals and visitors.

The news is calling for up to 2 inches of snow down to 4500 feet. We’ve had some pretty good wind gusts over the past few hours, with more expected. It could get pretty cold tonight. It’s already 44°, we’ve closed the windows and turned our Dr. Heaters back on, they are one of the best investments we have ever made. They are half the price of the other leading brand and they have saved us hundreds on our electric bill. If you are looking for ways to cut your heating costs, do check out the Dr. Heater.

Today, turned out to be very pleasant, which was a complete surprise to me. Early in the day it really felt like it was going to rain earlier than expected. Then the sun came out it warmed slightly but the winds were blowing, needless to say, it wasn’t all that warm.

We are expecting some rain tomorrow and while rain isn’t my favorite thing. We can take solace in know that the rain will help keep the pollen count down. Normally, this time of year everything turns yellow from the heavy pollen in the air. This year hasn’t been nearly as bad as usual. If we continue to get scattered rain showers this month, it will be a blessing in disguise for allergy sufferers.

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, do consider talking to your local alternative care practitioner. I know several in the area who offer successful allergy management techniques, without the use of injections, inhalers and the like. Natural therapies can be very effective in treating many ailments that stump the allopathic medical community. Not all bodies are created equal. If what you are currently doing, isn’t working for you — try something new. I’m certainly glad I sought alternative care.

It’s currently 46 degrees in Twain Harte. Have a lovely morning.

Dr. Paul Sellin, Professor Emeritus from UCLA, will be the presenter at the next Tuolumne County Historical Society (TCHS) program on Friday, May 27th at 7:00 p.m., at the Community Room of the Tuolumne County Library.  

English professor, Dr. Sellin will be accompanied by Don Carlisle, a geologist experienced in gold mining, to discuss the story behind Dr. Sellin’s new book, Treasure, Treason and the Tower:  El Dorado and the Murder of Sir Walter Raleigh.

In this remarkable book, the oft-told narrative of Sir Walter Raleigh is blown apart through the chance discovery of hitherto neglected Dutch correspondence found in a Swedish archive. Following an exciting paper-trail through Jacobean history to modern-day Venezuela, Professor Sellin makes a convincing case for Raleigh’s innocence of the charges that led him to the block in 1618.

Spurred on by these documents, Sellin undertook two excursions up the Orinoco river in Raleigh’s wake, using Raleigh’s 1596 book The Discoverie of Guiana as a guide. These trips convinced him that, far from being a fanciful blend of fact and fiction, the Discoverie is a remarkably accurate and verifiable document, which allowed him to locate Raleigh’s gold mine on Cerro Redondo, a short distance inland from present-day Los Castillos, Venezuela. 

On a previous visit to Tuolumne County, Dr. Sellin explored our museum for research and acquired pictures of our gold display that are featured prominently in his book, which is published by Ashgate Press and will be out in July 2011.

The program will be held at 7:00 p.m., on Friday, May 27th at the Tuolumne County Public Library Community Meeting Room at 480 Greenly Road in Sonora.  This program is FREE and open to the public.  There is plenty of free parking and the library is handicap accessible.  Refreshments will be served. 

Tuolumne County Historical Society — Fourth Fridays Program
Contact: Jim Garaventa <jgaraventa@tchistory.org>