A Year in the Life of a Czech Plush Monkey.

Week 52:  9 - 15 Jan. 2005


Sunday, 9th

After days of gloomy, rainy, winter weather, the sun shines on the green grass and Monkey wants out of the house. Now!

He packs his rucksack and informs me he's taking me prospecting. I ask where? He says Folsom. I protest Folsom's gold is long panned out.

Monkey says, "There's more than gold in them thar hill towns! I'll drive."

Sutter Street Old Folsom
...and Pony Express

I ask if he knows the way?
"Yes, you take I-5."
No you don't.

"Oh, yeah, Biz-80," he tries again
Nope.

"Folsom Blvd?" he hopes.
Only if you want to spend all day in the car.

"You drive," he finally gets it right.
----------
We arrive and I being explaining some of the important history of Folsom: the Pony Express, Transcontinental Railroad, Gold Rush, Folsom Prison, the first long distance transmission of electricity...

Monkey listens until I say "history," then gives me his day pack and tells me to snap a foto of him on the 1860 Wells Fargo Building. He prefers to learn by posing rather than by listening. He claims to have learned hundreds of things that way.

"The pictures prove it." he nods proudly.


Every story told by picture.

Monday, 10th

As Opice was saying yesterday, his collection of photographs show all the history he knows, and in this case the foto shows a mural of the info.

He's very pleased. "I don't have to memorize a thing! There's the choo-choo, and the stagecoach, and the horsies, and the golddiggers, and the rich dudes, and the bridge, and the owner of this car...
Oops, gotta run!"


Tuesday, 11th

One of the things Monkey likes best about Old Folsom is the toys placed in the middle of the street for apes and kids to play on. To the right is a "Risdon Iron Works Water Motor." Evidently the water pressure turned the blades of the motor rotating the part Opice's climb onto.

Below is a roll-over picture of a scoop from a river dredger. Monkey wanted to sit inside it, but it was full of rain water dumped earlier in the day.

hydraulic toy.
Click pix or here to learn more.
River dredger scoop

Wednesday, 12th
A pause before the shopping frenzy?

Opice rests on the steps at the corner of Sutter & Riley Streets.

He asks, "Are you ready to go prospecting?"

I can't figure out what he means.

"Bring my pack and I'll show you."

a break before the shopping?

Cedar chest diving. Williams Carriage House sign

Thursday, 13th

Opice walks toward an antique shop, when he stops to leap into an open cedar chest.

"It's not a dumpster," he assures, "but it's worth diving."


This is the place!

Friday, 14th

"This looks like the Mother Lode!" Monkey exclaims. "Common, hurry, follow me. I'm going to need the prospecting equipment in the pack."

He pulls me deeper and deeper into the antique shop peering into case after case of beautiful glass and ceramics.

"Quick! Give me my day pack. I think we've found it."

Monkey sits mesmerized in front of this display.

Is it the figurine he's staring at? Or the bird?

It's clearly a case of gold fever, but where's the gold? What's our prospector found?

This is it! But what is it?

Saturday, 15th

Civil Defense?! What in the world? Opice had a Geiger counter in his backpack!

Click here or the foto
to see & hear why.

A GEIGER counter!?

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