The voice said "Get out of here NOW!"

Old Miners Shack in Railroad Flats, CA

Railroad Flat Cemetary

In 1980 I went to Railroad Flat to do some poking 
around and to hunt for the Pillsbury property 

to see where my grandfather had been born 

and where his father had died. 

First I went to the Calaveras County Courthouse 

to get directions and other information. 

I was very excited to go. I was alone 
and had enjoyed my trip so far....

until I got into Railroad Flat. 

There I got a foreboding feeling right away 

that I didn't like and then down one 
of the roads I found 
the graveyard. 

I had been poking around looking at headstones
for a few minutes when a voice said to me 

"Get out of here, 
NOW!" 

Maybe I'd better I thought.

Just then a truck load of guys came 

tearing down the dirt road. 

I pretended like I wasn't

paying attention to them 
at all but I was watching 
them with my 
peripheral 
vision.  

They had gone down to the end of 
the road and I knew they 
would be turning around 
in a few seconds. 

I didn't have far to go to get to my van, 

thank goodness, so when they 
were out of sight I ran 
as fast as I could, 

jumped in the van, 
locked the door and got 
the heck out of there 
before they could 
make it back 

to where 
I was. 


By the time they returned 

I was turned around and 
on my way back 
to town. 

(that is using the term town loosely).

Whew!! 

A few days later I went to Sacramento 

to see my dad and I told him that I had been 

snooping around Amador and 
Calaveras County. 

I told him "No way" on the 
"We just grew potato's" 
theory.

I told him that I had been spooked

 and was so disappointed because 
I had to leave RR Flat 

without finding my family's 
property.

Guess what he said???

"Your grandfather would never go back to RR Flat 
for hunting or fishing or anything... ever. 

He hated the place and felt like 
it was haunted."

"Good to know just a little too late"
 I said.

So my question dear readers is... 

Was my Papa Pills the one who 

told me to get out of there 

and to be quick about it 

or did I just pick up 

on his vibes?

Or what?

All I know is that it was a 

close call!!

Love,
Granny T.

"The doctor said I had tuberculosis and wouldn't live three weeks"~Aunt kate

CALIFORNIA SCHOOL 1870

Chapter 17
What a blessing is work and what a comfort it has been to me. Monday morning I resumed my school duties and there was plenty to keep both myself and the pupils busy. But the work seemed to tire me more than formerly. For some reason the walk uphill to the school house wasn't as easy as it had been and my breath became shorter. But I was never one to pay attention to such minor afflictions so I kept right on without doing anything about it and it seemed to pass on its way. 

When school was out in June, I went to Stockton for a rest and a change. During the summer I felt far from well, and suffered for weeks with neuralgia. At the end of vacation I went back to Eureka to open school. It would be my fifteenth year.

When I returned in August, as far as I knew I was feeling all right, just a little shortness of breath, but not anything serious so I paid no attention. In September however I developed a cough, something I had not been troubled with since girlhood. After a very severe attack of fever in my nineteenth year, I was left with a bad cough. My father called a doctor who frightened him very badly by saying that I had tuberculosis and wouldn't live three weeks. Since that time I had been free from coughs and it was hard to understand why this was so persistent. In October, Institute was held in Sacramento and while attending I consulted a physician who said I would have to be very careful as my heart was in a dangerous way. He prescribed treatment for me which I followed very carefully, but without any good results. I bought many kinds of cough remedies but nothing seemed to help me, and so many drugs were hurting me in other ways. All of this time I taught everyday, and often locking my school house at four o'clock in the evening I wondered if I would be there to unlock it the next morning. At last I realized I was not getting better but worse, and I quit all medicine and recovered without it. It was a strenuous battle and I would not like to have to fight it again. 

When school closed in June, as far as health was concerned, I was better, but I knew it would not be fair to myself to return to the old surroundings. I had spent too many lonely and pain racked hours alone at night in that cabin, fighting sorrow to ever want to return to the scene. I realized a complete change was what I should and must have. 
(to be continued)

The Boat

A 93 Buick Roadmaster Estate

We went to see the SC Thompson’s for Thanksgiving in 2011.  


They had a boat for a car with a bad disposition 

and it loved to shed it’s windows. 

They had to wait for a week for the fixit man to come and 

replace the big window in the back door of the car. 

The fixit man said “It’s all done, let me just tighten it a little.” 

You guessed it, the glass shattered.

My daughter in-law had to put a plastic table cloth 

over the gapping hole for another week. 

To which my sweet grandson Jake said 

“Mom that’s not going to work.”

 she replied' 

“That's what I did last week honey.”

Jake .....

“Oh, how embarrassing for you mom.”  

While we were there the little back window feel out 
just in time for the storm to dump a ton of water. 

Oh my gosh!! 

I wanted to just take that thing and 
"Shove It"....You know for a cute little family van.


 When my ship comes in I’m going to have to do just that.

We had so much fun with The SC Thompson's.

We went to the football game for the 5th (Ellie) and 6th (Daniel) graders. 

Miraculously it was a tied game.

Ellie made a huge tackle on her big brother Daniel. 
A Huge tackle!

We watched all of the children dance on the field at rest time... 
Baby - Baby - Baby OHHHH...
I loved it. 

At home we sang karaoke, played bowling and Jeopardy on the Wii 

and we played a great game of baseball out in the big front yard

with Nana and Papa Jimenez and Uncle Patrick and Aunt Laura

Let me tell you, they know how to party!

We love you SC Thompson’s "You Rock"!!