Davis Island

'The Last Season' - publisher's synopsis

THE LAST SEASON TELLS THE INSPIRING, POIGNANT TRUE STORY OF THE LIFE AND MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF JAMES RANDALL MORGENSON WHO, over the course of 28 summers spent in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, became arguably the most celebrated ranger in the National Park Service's most adventurous unit. For the solitary, introspective Morgenson, the job was a calling, and he became fiercely devoted to protecting the wilderness he loved from the backcountry visitors, and those visitors from the wilderness. But the intense isolation and a series of personal setbacks took their toll, and when Morgenson vanished without a trace, many suspected suicide or foul play.
The story of Randy Morgenson as told in Eric Blehm’s The Last Season is an intriguing adventure narrative, complex psychological portrait, and compelling mystery. Was Morgenson murdered by one of the two disgruntled park visitors (a climber and a cowboy) who Morgenson had felt threatened by just the summer before his disappearance? Did the guilt he suffered after being unfaithful to his wife and his growing despair with the state of the Park Service drive him to take his own life? Had he simply met with some unfortunate accident and been unable to call for help because of the parks’ substandard radio system—a problem he had complained about numerous times in the past and documented in his yearly reports? Or could Morgenson’s isolation and increasing despondency have prompted him to walk out of the wilderness and begin a new life? He had, after all, hinted about doing just that.

Treasure found

I was beyond ecstatic when my mother brought these slides to my house from my great aunt's home. There are 7 boxes of slides (approx. 70 slides in each box) that were taken of my family during the 50's and 60's. There's even photos of JFK. Words can not express my joy over having these in my possession. There are only 2 relatives on here that are still living, everyone else has passed. I can't wait to get these converted over to DVDs then printed.

Davis Island; my new found paradise

I had to seek out a place where I could take a photo for the photo-a-day challenge for an online forum I'm actively participating in, as all my pics seem to be of the "around the house" sort. So I started out by driving along beautiful Bayshore Boulevard but I found the traffic to be too heavy for me to slow down and get something on film. (err, I guess technically it would be "on digital"). So I drove a little further and found myself taking the bridge over to Davis Island. It was there that I found this wonderfully quiet and beautiful spot to claim as my new found paradise. Just past Peter O'Knight Airport is a nice little beach with a gorgeuos view of the sailboats and a dead on perfect view of the sunset. There's even a park bench to sit while viewing the sunset. Just before the sun sets, I can sit there and enjoy a book as I'm listening to the birds and enjoying the elements. I can't wait to go back. I'd like to go there to get back into, well, to start that is, jogging. There's a narrow strip along the roadway and a narrow strip of beach, in either case, would be perfect to jog along. There is a dog park and enclosure across the street, but the noise really didn't travel to the small beach area. I'm so looking forward to going back.