Into the darkness

My view into the Empire Mine shaft...



as I sat on the man skip. Aaaaahhhhhh...into the darkness at 600 feet per minute.

Finally, Fred and I had the opportunity to visit Empire Mine together. The place where he spent his childhood...and then the place that made him a miner at 19 years of age.

My imagination swirled the entire day. It was delightful.

On the way home, we paused in Old Sacramento to visit the Delta King. The refurbished riverboat that ran up and down the Sacramento river to San Francisco from 1927 to 1940.

The boat would chug into the night as the gamblers gathered around and the music played late into the night. But in 1928, a 12 year old boy stood on the deck wondering what life in Chinatown would be like. He didn't have memory of his life there with his family in his early years.

The reflection of the moon rippled on the water as he gazed into the night. His aunt had booked passage on the riverboat--a special treat for a little lady that lived next to the roaring stamp mill.

Perhaps the boat drifting down the river was balm for the changes they would both embrace as they parted ways.



Fred and I paused on the deck of the Delta King together at sunset. We dined on calamari and crab appetizers. I suspect he did not dine so extravagantly on his first trip so many years ago.

I hope I can make the history I experienced in my heart yesterday come alive in my story.