Saturday, July 11, 2009

Hangtown


Enroute from Lake Tahoe to Berkeley, we decide to veer off the main road, in search of food and a pit stop -- and ended up taking the colorfully numbered highway 49 and going through gold country. There, we encounter the little town of Placerville, formerly known as Hangtown. Hangtown got its name from the no-nonsense way in which the town, during Gold Rush days, tended to handle their troublemakers, it seems. No trial, no bother, no fuss -- just hang 'em high! We were told that there was a historic noose hanging in the center of town, but I delicately averted my eyes.

Garry, on the other hand, kept his eyes keenly alert, and in so doing found himself a marvelous antique surveyor's transit in one of the Placerville antique shops. The shopkeeper was a pleasant chap, who just loved finding a serious collector who knew what he was talking about. Most people, he complained, are just looking for something pretty to display on their shelf -- a boastable. But to find someone who is truly interested in the history and technology and fine details of a well crafted precision instrument -- ah, that's a true delight!

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