Footprints Lawrence

"Camping: Where you spend a small fortune to live like a homeless person."

The motto of the great state of Nebraska is "Equality before the law." The motto was adopted in 1867 as the territory became a state during the ratification of the 14th Amendment. To become the 37th state the Nebraska State Legislature was required to eliminate its "whites only" voting requirement. Nebraska then voted for the 14th Amendment. In the post-Civil War era, the notion of equality was certainly trending. A decade later the Nebraska Fish Commission was created. It later became the Nebraska Fish and Game Commission, which established the Nebraska State Parks system in 1921 with the creation of Chadron State Park, Nebraska's first state park. Mahoney State Park was established in 1991. The purpose of the Nebraska State Parks is to conserve natural and cultural assets and make them available to all citizens.

Eugene Mahoney had been a Boy Scout, Eagle Scout, policeman, state legislator and the long-time director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. He is credited with transforming the Nebraska State Parks system into the wonderful asset it is today. The park named in his honor is 500 acres of woodland and grassland along the Platte River, roughly halfway between Omaha and Lincoln. The Park offers hunting and fishing opportunities, trail rides, an aquatic center, a melodrama theater, a nice lodge, cabins, and campgrounds for tent campers and RVers. Regardless of income level, if you can afford gas, you can enjoy a wonderful vacation at Mahoney for very little cost. The quality of the state parks makes you feel good about paying taxes and user fees, as the investment in the public good seems so beneficial and democratic.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick
https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/mahoney-state-park-ashland-nebraska

"A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others."
― Salvador Dali

Within Nebraska, there are 12 Post Office murals, part of a New Deal program designed to both employ starving artists and bring art to people who rarely had access to it. The murals were intended to be "beacons of hope" in a time of economic and emotional despair. All states have them. Seeking out Post Office murals along your route is a fun travel activity. You get to stop, stretch your legs, and learn something about each community, and the artist. Since the murals were designed with local public input and subject matter that related to their history, the murals are a window to the community's past. Kansas had 26 murals with 21 still remaining. With only a dozen in Nebraska it seemed a reasonable goal to view all of them on a trip we made a few years ago. The route was rather long and zigzagged, but it was doable. However, we were stymied in Valentine, NE. They built a new Post Office, but the mural stayed put in the old building. The old Post Office had been converted to the city's public library, but then a new public library was built leaving the mural behind locked doors.

One of the reasons a new Post Office was needed in Valentine was the town's name. Did you know that you can send your valentine a valentine from Valentine with a special cachet or special holiday postmark?
Since 1941, Valentine has promoted this tradition. Between 10,000 and 50,000 people send their valentines from here every year. Valentine was named after Edward K. Valentine, a Nebraska Congressman who pushed homesteading and the development of western Nebraska. Nevertheless, the name comes in handy when promoting the town.

The artist Kady B. Faulkner was awarded the 1939 commission for the Valentine Post Office mural after her submission for the Dallas, TX Post Office competition was passed over in favor of another artist, Peter Hurd. The commission included a payment of $620 made in installments. She had to cover the cost of art supplies, transportation, and the installation out of her own pocket. She traveled to Valentine, to view the countryside and speak with community members about what they wanted. She collected photographs of the type of train which would have arrived at the new train station in early Valentine as well as period clothing. She completed the mural while teaching art at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Once completed the mural was displayed in Morrill Hall on the university campus, where it received state-wide press. The predella, which is the lower narrative band at the base of the mural includes various cattle brands used on ranches in the Nebraska sandhills. During her spring break in 1939, Faulkner delivered and installed her mural ahead of schedule.

We have driven through Valentine several times, even floated down the beautiful Niobrara River, which is nearby. Usually, we would stop and try to peer through the window shades to catch a glimpse of the mural. This time we spoke with a resident and asked if he remembered the mural. He said, "Of course." He saw it all the time as a kid when he would pick up the mail. He then let us know that City Hall, across the street, had the old Post Office keys and someone would probably let us in. Everyone at City Hall was most accommodating. We were the 6th group of people to ask to see the murals this year, and at last we completed our Nebraska PO mural quest.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

“As soon as you set foot on a yacht you belong to some man, not to yourself, and you die of boredom.”
— Coco Chanel

All aboard the USS Potomac. The 19th-century phrase “all aboard,” initially applied to steamships with wooden decks. It comes from the French "à bord" literally meaning to get on the boat deck’s wooden boards. As railroads gained popularity, the phrase also became a railroad term. As you board the USS Potomac one of the first things you notice is in fact the beautiful teak deck.

For history buffs, you may already know that this ship was the "Floating White House" for our 32nd president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Herbert Hoover used the Presidential yacht, the USS Sequoia, but FDR considered it too fancy given the Great Depression. Additionally, the Sequoia was a wooden ship, so safety concerns arose regarding FDR's physical limitations. The USS Potomac was originally built to catch alcohol smugglers during Prohibition, but by the time it launched, Prohibition was over. The Potomac needed a new mission. Interestingly, this ship, designed to catch booze smugglers, decades later fell into the hands of drug smugglers plying their trade up and down the California coast leading to its seizure and sinking in the San Francisco Bay. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

In 1936, FDR had the ship retrofitted to his needs with a modest stateroom without any gaudy gold accents. One of the ship's two smokestacks was converted into a hidden elevator operated manually by rope and pulley. The ladders on the Potomac are rather steep, so this improvement allowed President Roosevelt to get below. The ship was moored within easy distance of the White House, allowing the President to escape the pressures of the office with relative ease during both the Depression and WWII. Many historic events occurred on the ship. As a result you'd think it deserved preservation. However, when Truman came to office, he wanted a larger fancier yacht which he found in the USS Williamsburg. It was a 1931 243-foot luxury yacht built for multimillionaire Hugh J. Chishom. Right before WWII it was refitted as a warship. The ship was then refitted again to become Truman's home away from home while the White House was being renovated. The USS Potomac was disposed of. It changed hands many times including to Elvis Presley and Danny Thomas, eventually descending into drug running.

Once seized in 1980, the USS Potomac was ingloriously towed to Treasure Island where it was moored. Through neglect the walls of the hull had become thin. While moored in its berth, the hull was pierced and the vessel sank. The ship was raised from the dead and auctioned off for a mere $15,000. A non-profit association was formed and raised $5 million dollars to restore it to its presidential glory days. They did a fabulous job. You can now cruise the San Francisco Bay on FDR's yacht, catch incredible scenery, and learn more about our history for a reasonable fee that helps preserve the ship. Countless volunteer hours are evident in the ship’s use and maintenance, including those spent restoring the teak decking. All aboard.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”
— Louisa May Alcott

Nestled beneath the Twin Peaks of Noe and Eureka is the Eureka Valley also known as The Castro, one of San Francisco's most vibrant and ever-changing historic neighborhoods. Originally the Eureka Valley was populated by the Ohlone people. These native people harvested mussels, clams, and abalone. Ohlone means people of the abalone. Supposedly, two of their trails between settlements intersected at the current intersection of Castro and Market streets. Their population was decimated by contact with settlers during the Spanish Colonial period. Don José de Jesús Noé, for whom Noe Peak and the Noe Valley neighborhood are named, was the last Mexican mayor of Yerba Buena (present day San Francisco). He had a ranch where the Noe Valley neighborhood is now. General José Castro was the Military Commandant of Mexico's Alta California (Upper California). His ranch occupied what is now the Castro neighborhood. He was pushed out when John C. Fremont and other invading Americans proclaimed that this part of Mexico should become part of the United States. Castro's former ranch became a cluster of small vegetable farms, cattle and sheep ranches, and dairy farms between 1850 and the 1880s. With the completion of the Market Street Cable Railway, people could hop on a streetcar and be whisked from the more rural Castro to downtown San Francisco six miles away. This development created a real estate boom because working-class people could build a two-story Victorian house for $1,000 and easily commute into the city. The Castro became known as "Little Scandinavia" due to the high concentration of Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish immigrants. The devastating 1906 San Francisco Earthquake left The Castro largely undamaged.

With the passage of time, all of the gorgeous Victorian houses fell out of favor. Residents fled to the more modern suburbs. The Castro became rundown, but it was a cheap place to live. This attracted hordes of hippies in the 1970s. Gradually the neighborhood attracted more and more gay and le***an homeowners who loved their Victorian homes. With increasing professional incomes, they invested heavily in restoring these unique wonderful houses. The Castro became a world-renowned mecca for the LGBTQ+ community. The neighborhood is still about 1/3 gay, but that is changing. Homes are now so attractive, and the shops are so wonderfully eclectic, it is causing people, regardless of sexual preference, to bid housing prices sky-high.

The historic Castro Theater, built in 1922, is a mashup of architectural styles and the cultural center of the Castro. The historic streetcar line is just around the corner from the theater. It is part of the city's charm. Next time you go to San Francisco, hop on the F Market & Wharves historic streetcar, which terminates at the Castro, and walk this fabulous neighborhood.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."
— John Muir

When Frederick Law Olmsted designed New York City's Central Park, he set a new standard. For a city aspiring to greatness, beautiful park space became a requirement. San Francisco actually consulted with Olmsted regarding the development of a west coast version of Central Park. Even though Olmsted rejected the future site of Golden Gate Park and a different firm developed it, Golden Gate Park is spectacular. Additionally, San Francisco has many smaller neighborhood parks scattered throughout the city, which add to the livability and desirability of the city.

Similar in creativity to The Highline, New York City's elevated park, Salesforce Park is situated atop the Transbay Transit Center and the city streets below. It is a 5.4-acre greenspace, a living roof that provides a calm beautiful space above the hustle and bustle below. Visitors have the option of taking elevators, escalators or even a gondola up to the park. All options are free. The gondola is certainly fun, but so is the 4-story escalator beneath a towering oculus. Do both. Within the park, a walking trail takes you through a bamboo grove, as well as 600 trees from around the world that share the Bay Area's Mediterranean-like climate. There is even a small grove of young Californian Redwood Trees. Lawns and benches provide places to sit, the amphitheater provides concert / performance space, and there are open gathering places for group activities. Just for fun, along the northern edge of the walking path there is a line of water geyser fountains that are activated by sensors every time a bus passes through the transit center. The geysers spurt water following the speed and motion of the unseen buses below. The park towers above street level and skyscrapers tower above the park, creating a stunning backdrop. This park is yet another example of San Francisco beautifully meeting a long-held requirement for greatness.

Take a walk with Birkenstock.
— Mick

https://footprints.com/blogs/take-a-walk-with-birkenstock/salesforce-park-san-francisco-ca