Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1914-05-08
Sight Seeing i'm California
Rev. l.. N. Day. Travel storie. Continued.

abalone shells A strange lady
broke the silence by saying, 20, the
fish have a more beautiful place to
live than we have" The diver is
glad to bring you up a few shells at
quarter apiece while You watch
him swim underneath and get them.
Before crossing a place where the
| bottom is dark, which turns the
glass bottom into mirror, the guide
said, 'sNow if you wish to see a
mermaid you will have to reach over
as far as you can and look careful
ly," and lest such rare occasion
should be missed, the crowd did as
they were hidden and each one saw
his own reflection.
The waters here grow great for
ests of kelp which rises from ESQ
feet to the surface Of the water. At
the joints are air bulbs which keep
the plant afloat; it's leaves are long
and slender and very tough A fac
tory on the coast is making kelp
auto tires but their success is yet to
be seen.
On the return trip the heavy
ocean swells were coming in beau
tifully and the rolling vessel made
it difficult to walk or sit composed,
except by hanging onto the rail.
This caused quite a number to be-
grudingly feed the fish, but no one
laughed lest their turn would come
next. In both going and returning
we frequently saw flying fish. They
do not rise far above the water, but
with head erect they sail until the
tail tips the top of a wave and they
go down again.
Generally speaking southern CAL
ifornia has but one season to our
four, there is no autumn and winter,
but life is one long summer day. In
our winter it is hot, sometimes reg
isterng the past winter as high as
90 dregrees and in our summer
reaching a temperature of 114-115
the last season. These are extremes
however, for ordinarily it is just
right. Roses bloom and do not
know when to quit if they get plen-
ty to drink. Strawberries do not
stop bearing. The trees take no
rest but grow ever, and form no rings
of growth. Tomatoes can just as
we'll be set out in August as May.
The evidences of winter come when
snow appears on the distant noun
tains. The walnuts ripen and shed
their leaves. The long drouth gives
way to scanty and sometimes CO.
pious rains and the tourists COM
mence to arrive in fur coats. I was
told that a new conner can be in
variably recognized. They come with
overcats to a land where it never
gets cold, wearing overshoes to a
country where it never SHOWS and
carrying umbrella and rubbers where
it does not often rain. I noticed one
day that other Iowans had been there
before me, for T saw growing along
the country road some fine speci-
mems of Iowa cockelburrs.
In luxurious quarters one night
at Long Beach we passed very
restless night. Everything was
screened but the tiniest mosquitoes
entered our room, with the faintest
song, but the biggest bite and we
could not sleep in peace.
We found ourselves to be just in
time for the midsummer iowa
Day" at Long Beach, and being an
Iowa Day myself I was much in
terested in this far famed picnic.
and pleased for the opportunity of
attending it Aug. Esd. The "beautiful
Bixby park" where the summer picnic
is held is very ordinary place save
a few palm trees, Or it's close prox-
unity to the ocean The Hawkeyes
were very much in evidence, coming
from Los Angeles, Pasadena, San
ia Anna and neighboring towns and
Villas lin all some $4,000 strong.
On the trees in the park were
county signs, intended to be placed
according to location in the state. I
went over into the northeast part
and found Howard county all right.
wrote my name in the registry
book fastened to the Howard coun-
ty tree and noted a dozen had been
there before me, from Riceville,
Lime Springs and Cresco.
Polk county was located on the
extreme east side instead Of in the
center. Because Of the crowd my
brother and brother-in-law from
Des Moines had to wait some time
before they could register. After