Another lovely day

Around here we do a little something I like to call celebrating my birthday month.  It’s a fine concept, don’t you think?  Why only be special for ONE day.

Yesterday Rick and I spent the day doing whatever I wanted (this, admittedly, isn’t too far off how things usually go around here).  And yesterday I wanted to go to a farmer’s market and out to lunch. 

There is an association of farmer’s markets in our area and they are at different locations depending on the day of the week.  On Saturdays they are located in Auburn, CA.  So we drove up mid-morning.  Since it is so early in the season I wasn’t expecting much – and there wasn’t.  About 20 stands, mostly selling baked goods.  But I did get some leeks and new potatoes.

It took us about 20 minutes to go through the market so we decided to walk up the hill to the Placer County courthouse.  There is a museum in the bottom floor that is open seven days a week.

I love going into small, local history museums.  They are just charming and so earnest.  This one had a diorama of the Maidu Indians that were common to the area before the gold rush and all the diseases that introduced to them (we actually have a large granite boulder on our property that has three perfectly round depressions from where Indians had ground their acorns – I’ll take a picture of it some time). 

It also has the original woman’s jail under the courthouse stairs.

Charming, no?  One of its most notorious inmates was Alma Bell, who was jilted by her fiance so she shot him.   She actually only spent about six months here, wiling away the hours needlepointing, until she was acquitted for reasons of temporary insanity (that whole woman scorned thing…).

We strolled around old town Auburn for an hour or so then headed up to Nevada City for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants.  They have a back patio, all shaded with arbors and vines and walled in by the neighboring brick buildings.  It’s very charming. 

I have decided I prefer going out to lunch over dinner.  There is something just so decadently leisurely about it. 

On our way home we stopped at a nursery and admired all the Japanese Maples and weeping cherry trees. 

Tonight the festivities continue with a Tapas and Cava party.  I hope to take pictures (something happens when food is put in front of me – I suddenly forget my blogging intentions and just settle in to eat).