The Mineral King Preservation Society has had an annual picnic since 1987. (or maybe since 1986, but those years are beginning to blur together. . .)

Last year Trail Guy and I were one part of the presentation, discussing the rebuilding of the Mineral King bridge. (That was actually a several part series published in September and October of 2011, in case you are interested.)

This year, the speaker was my dear friend Sophie, the author of Pioneers in Paradise, a history of Three Rivers. Not only is she an author, she is a knitter, spinner, draws beautifully (don’t want to call her a “drawer” lest you picture her as a part of furniture), and is a great public speaker! That Sophie, she can do it all!

First, Louise introduced Sophie. (Hey! There is Tall Cathy and Cowboy Bert in the background! Hi!) I have such wonderful and amazing friends. Both Louise and Sophie are historians and writers, and we love to hang out together. Okay, maybe they don’t love to hang out with me, but I love to hang out with them!

Isn’t she cute? I don’t know what she said, but I don’t think Tall Cathy is crying in the background. Maybe she is laughing. Maybe she is sneezing. Couldn’t be too terribly funny, because Cowboy Bert is fairly stoic.

Now Jim is behind Sophie. He has a real Stetson hat on, but I don’t think he is a cowboy.

Want Sophie’s book? You can get it here. It is fun to read because you can bounce around to random chapters and cherry-pick your subjects. Besides, it is fun to read about places I know.