We joined an organized hike from the Marshall Gold Historic Site in Caloma. I thought the group of about 30 looked about the same as you would find on an East Coast Trail hike. Jim figured they were older, and some of them were pushing their limit. You sure have to be careful walking behind one of those old guys with the pointy topped ski poles. It might improve their balance but makes it scary for anyone nearby. There were a few women in odd attire, overly flamboyant for the outdoors or just plain odd, in the case of the big loose tops and the disintegrating jacket.
Walking in front of some of these women gave us insight into prevailing customs for baby showers: scheduled for after the delivery so as not to tempt fate; given by the grandmother even for a third child; complete with mandatory diaper cake, whatever that may be. We also learned more than we ever needed to know about the sex lives of potters. Apparently this is a vocation best practiced in couples, who share a home and a kiln. If the relationship fails, the person who is turfed out of the house must immediately take up with another potter.
Apart from the people-watching and evesdropping, the hike took us a couple of miles up a lovely big hill, on a trail under great Ponderosa pines. (Speaking of which, the TV show Bonanza was filmed not far from here, in the area of the Ponderosa River.)
We attended the Placerville Art Walk. Every month on the 3rd Saturday, the art galleries along the old main street open late into the evening. They offer wine and hors d'ouvres and a chance to meet the artists. There was quite an array of work -- paintings, photography, jewellry, wooden objects, with a wide range of skill and subject matter. I didn't see the same sense of local influence (i.e. the land and sea) that we often get at home.
Placerville is a small, kind of funky, town. Most galleries offered snacks which were either made by the owners or friends of the artists or came out of a supermarket bag. You couldn't accuse them of being pretentious. One tiny gallery was a single rented room. The artist's buddy from across the hall, a massage therapist, gave free neck massages.
The Bennett Gallery had mainly sculpture. I noticed that several of the featured artists had versions of the Bennett surname and asked the woman hosting the evening to tell us the story. Her late husband and his brother, Tom and Bob Bennett, started it all and several of their children and other relatives have shown similar talent. Most of the work was very pricey, but I was intrigued by their wedding cake toppers. They are handcrafted sculptures that sit on top of the wedding cake, and are later mounted as permanent keepsakes. http://www.bennettgallery.net/
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