Mendoza Sighting: New Hampshire Edition!

Well, well, well. It sure seems like the Mendozas get around the country.

Here we see the Mendoza van, in of all places, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is parked across the street from the Old North Church, where George Washington once worshipped in 1789.

So let's see the evidence.

It certainly looks like our van. It is blue, missing a hubcap, and on the left side, it even seems to have had a slight ender-bender in the past. It is even parked in front of an historic church.

Believability Rating: 50%. Although it looks pretty good, there is the possibility that this is not our van. For one, it looked a little too clean. This van had a roof rack, which strangely, seems to be missing on our van. We don't need to carry skis. Its not like we ever go skiing, or snowboarding.

I mean, come on.

The windows are tinted, which also seems to be missing now.

Also, I saw the driver come out of the van, and it could not have been me. How could I see myself come out of a van? It's not like I was watching myself six months into the future. Besides, this guy didn't look ANYTHING like me. Sure he was better looking, but he had that pasty skin that I saw on all New Englanders after a long winter that makes them look like drowning victims. The van also looked way too clean when I got closer to it. It also seems to have been registered in the state of New Hampshire.

Besides, this was a Thursday, and the family would have needed the van to get to Violin Lessons.

This was pretty close, but no cigar.

Oh well. Tune in again later for another edition of...

MENDOZA SIGHTING!

Things To Do In New Hampshire When You're Dead: Atlantic Ocean Edition

So besides apple picking, what else is there to do in New Hampshire? For such a tiny state (about 9.400 square miles, about twice the size of Monterey County, or the same size as Fresno County), it has an amazing diversity.

No really, there was tons to do, and can't all be done in one visit. Here is just a small part of what else we did in New Hampshire.

One of the things we did was escape to the next state over, Maine.

In this corner of the world, the Atlantic Ocean is just a few minutes away. So off we went to the beaches at York. According the Census Bureau, this area has less than 1% Hispanic in terms of population. Didn't see any either.

I heard from a friend that this a great spot to go surfing. Wish we could have seen someone doing that.

That is Neddick Lighthouse in the background.

For a state that has been ravaged so many times by Killer Flus, Vampires, UFO's, Clowns, Rabid Dogs, inter-dimensional predatory life-forms, it was in remarkably good condition.

Dipping one's feet in the Atlantic.

Sacramento, And A Return To The Central Coast By Train

Had to take my friend's car to Sacramento in the middle of the week. So I went to work for a few hours, and then took off for the second time to Sacramento in the month of July.

This place always puzzled us when we would go up to Sacramento. Near as we can tell, it is Government Document Incineration Center. They also probably have remains of UFO's for all we know.

One of the giant Windmills near Altamont Pass.

Dropped off the car at my friends, ate lunch, and then he dropped me off at the State Capitol. A view from the East looking toward the West.

Governor's Office, with CHP Officer standing guard. Missed the Governor by 10 minutes!

The Cupola of the Capitol Building.

What's this? A valid elevator permit? I don't think I have ever seen one. Everyone I had ever seen was always out of date.

Budget problems are not new to California. See how the granite changes colours? When the Capital building was going up, funding ran out, and it was built only to about the 2 to 3 foot level. More money came in, and the rest of the building was finished, but the original granite was unavailable, and a different quarry was used.

A couple of blocks to the north stands the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. The plaza in front was renamed Bishop Gallegos Square. Bishop Gallegos was an Augustinian who became Axillary Bishop of Sacramento. he was tragically killed when struck by an automobile in 1991. He has been declared a Servant of God who cause is under Vatican investigation for Canonization. He was a gentle man, full of Faith.

The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Altar of the Cathedral, with the Tabernacle behind it, as it should be.

While walking from the Cathedral to the Train Station, walked through McKinley Park and in front of the Federal Courthouse. As soon as I crossed the street to the Train Station, a Sacramento County Sheriff stops in front of me, asking if everything was alright. I had gotten some funny looks from people, but thought nothing out of the ordinary. Turns out that the Black Hat I was wearing is also the colour of a gang that is trying to take control of this part of Sacramento. I had never heard of it. I guess I have the look of a hard-core gang member!

Anyways, here is my train going from Sacramento to San Jose.

A view of San Pablo Bay form near the town of Rodeo, I think.

A view of the car I was in as we arrived in San Jose. It was a very nice ride, with different views that I have not seen in a while. Took a bit long though, and I still needed a ride from San Jose to the Central Coast. Would take it again though. Would like to see other places by train, like the East Coast, Washington Dc, New York and Boston. That would be neat!