EUREKA AND FORT BRAGG, CA JULY, 2016

EUREKA is the Principal City and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt Bay, on the Pacific coast, 270 miles (430 km) north of San Francisco and 100 miles (160 km) south of the Oregon border. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 27,191, and the population of Greater Eureka was 45,034.       Eureka is the largest coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, and the westernmost city of more than 25,000 residents in the 48 contiguous states. It is the regional center for government, health care, trade, and the arts on the North Coast north of the San Francisco Bay Area. Greater Eureka, one of California's major commercial fishing ports, is the location of the largest deep-water port between San Francisco and Coos Bay, a stretch of about 500 miles (800 km). The headquarters of both the Six Rivers National Forest and the North Coast Redwoods District of the California State Parks System are in Eureka. As entreat for hundreds of lumber mills that once existed in the area, the city played a leading role in the historic West Coast lumber trade. The entire city is a state historic landmark, which has hundreds of significant Victorian homes, including the nationally-recognized Carson Mansion, and the city has retained its original 19th-century commercial core as a nationally recognized Old Town Historic District.       We drove to Eureka for one day in the end of July 2016, from Seattle on our way to Puerto Penasco, Mexico (on the bottom of The Sea of Cortes). The distance is 580 miles (about 1,000 km). We used I-5 to the border of OR with CA and from there strait west to Crescent town on the coats. After reaching the Pacific Ocean we continued south on the coast all the way to LA using Hi way 101 and the oldest road of USA – number 1. After driving around Eureka next morning to make photos we stopped only in Fort Bragg, small country town on the way. Never in our traveling around the world we saw such beautiful houses, build 1-2 centuries ago and recently  renovated, like in Eureka. All photos we have taken there and in Fort Bragg are shown in this post-album.

20TH ANNYVERSARY BG PARTY FOR 24 OF MAY , 2016

 

     Like every year since 1996 at Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, WA were celebrated "24 of May - the Bulgarian Holiday of Slavic Alphabet and Bulgarian Culture", (the only one known in the world) organized by "Bulgarian Cultural And Heritage Center Of Seattle", lead by Elka Rouskov and Daniella Ivanova-Nyberg. Thank you both Elka and Daniella!

                 
 

 

 

 

            Slavic alphabet is created by two Bulgarian scientists Ciril and Methody one thousand years ago and accepted, together with Cristianity, later by Serbian’s, Macedonians, Russians, Ukrainians, Moldavians, Bellorussians and Mongolians ?!… (only alphabet from Russians) and known like Slavic alphabet. Later both Ciril na Methody were pronounced like ‘Saints". By the way – Bulgaria is one of the oldest modern country in the world, founded in 681 year by First Bulgarian King Isperih (south of Danube river in the land of Bisantium), and accepted Cristianity in 845 y. lead by king Boris I-st from neighbor country Bisantium. In this time Constantinople was the Cultural center if the world. But was difficult for Bulgarian people to read the Bible in Greek language and alphabet. That’s why Ciril and Methody, educated in Constantinople, created Bulgarian alphabet, on the base of the onlu 2 existed alphabet in this time – Greek and Latin. The enriched the new alphabet with adding of new single letters for the specific sounds " tch, sh, sht, iu, ia and u (double functions)". In now one other alphabets exists such kind of letters. That why all Bulgarians around the world celebrate "24 of May – Sts. Ciril and Methody Holday" last 13 centuries.

 

 

      The party really was traditional picnic with musical programs by musicians set Oratnitza from Bulgaria, clarinetist and accordionist from Chicago and M9 – 9 musicians folklore band plying folklore dance music for all participants.

I met about 10 old Bulgarian friends from Seattle and guests to their kids from Bulgaria, like "Bai Slavi – the oldest immigrant, came in 1972 (who actually is 5 years younger than me…), Alex (Sasho) - we worked together in ADIC 18-11 years ago…, another Stancho from Ballard (1995-99), who bought house later in Redmond and produce now grapes shnaps with high quality (we tested it), the organisers - Elka and Daniella, the young guy Bicky, from another parties…Another young man Vladimir (Vlado) came co great me and told me we spoke on phone some time ago (he works for Alaska Airlines) and remembered my name, opened my Web site, saw my photos and recognized me from there.
 

 

           I went especially to meet my new friends Zdravko and Raina (parents of Rumen). They came on my last Birthday together with my old friends Krasi ( we worked together in Balcankar in Sofia (1966-75)) - and Dora, his wife (parents of Nadia (wife of Rumen)). Until I waited for them met another "old" man with totally white hair George (who happened to be 17 years younger than me, born in 1954 y. lime Stanimir, the son of my sister). He traveled around the world more than me He has been some times in Brazil, Chilli, Japan, New Zealand, Haiti, but not in India, Argentina and Australia…), working like Chief cook on some containers caring sheep, based in Cyprus, Greece. His wife, daughter and son live here with their spouses and small kids. We tree old men (Zdravko, George and me spend all the time together eating and drinking (beer…). The pork stakes of Rumen was tick more than 1 inch and the baked potatoes of George were the most delicious, I have ever eaten. All my old friends met me with their friends and now I have more than 10 new BG friends. See you all on the next year 24 of May party.

 

    

    
 After all my friends went home I moved to the Lake Sammamish beach and took some nice photos. I drove home in Ballard through I-90 and I-99 around downtown of Seattle and took another photos of the downtown on sunset. All of my photos taken on this day are included in this album. I included also some photos of the organizers and Sts. Ciril and Methody, downloaded from Seattle-Bg.org on Internet.