Snow covers fields along Highway 41, winter scene at Antone J. Chves ranch between Morro Bay and Atascadero. December 19, 1967 ©Jim Vestal/Telegram-Tribune
Afternoon papers put special pressure on finding images the same day. If snow fell a phone call might come in before sunrise to get out and find a picture by first light and hustle back to the paper to develop, edit and print so the presses could run at noon with a picture from the same day. Today with cell phones in every hand instant communication is easy but back then you had to have a good idea of where to head or the search would come up short.
Snowfall in this region is a rare and capricious thing. A few degrees and the rain washes away the flakes and the picture is gone. The last thing a photographer wants to hear is “You should have been here an hour ago.”
This snowfall dropped in a band from the high ground on Highway 41 to Shandon and Parkfield. Shandon got the most, 4 inches but as the sun came up most of the flakes turned to raindrops.
The papers were then distributed in the afternoon throughout the county and if everything went according to plan it would be on doorsteps that had snow in the morning with a photo of the event to greet people as they came home from work.
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David, for some reason the link for “Vietnam basic training at Ft. Ord” has recently been redirecting to a page titled “HillTop News.” Can this be fixed?
I’ll ask our web folks if they can diagnose the issue. I have had wrong page redirections several times. They seem to resolve in in a few days only later to return in another form. It is frustrating.
A few regular returning readers have been experiencing page redirection problems. Try clearing the cache file in your web browser and that might clear things up.
David, I marvel at your Photos from the Vault, and this snow shot reminds me of one I took on the Cuesta grade leaving SLO. I had a 1962 Porsche, got off the highway on to a dirt road, opened a cattle gate, and slowly worked my way up towards the snow. But being no farm boy, soon I was confronted with a dozen or so cattle all coming towards me as they towered over the liitle blue car, I thought for sure I was going to get trampled.
Then it occured to me, all they wanted was some food…..so I got out and made some picture up there, think I cheated and wrote “SNOW” on my car windshield, no snow ON the cattle..
Sure wish you could find the Pancho Mansera March 7, 1967 negatives from the LBJ/White House “Head Start” OEO ceremonies…..grown today, Frank Mansera lives in Santa Maria, his teacher from those years Henry Grennan (805-922-1458) also still there. Might be good follow-up with his 2 kids (one a US Marine now…) and the 2 sons of his brother he raises. Data on my website and in my book from those days on few prints I had tucked away. Sure love to get pictue those 2 together, with wife/kids, etc. to add to my 2013 “Sixty Year o Photojouralism and Counting” – Previos had “Fifty” years…..but some updates from some blogs have givened me some of my old pictures from S&S and T-T!
Jim: 925-672-8390
PS: the 2nd Super Bowl workouts with Green Bay and Vince Lombardi was held in Santa Barbara, so lunch with those guys was about 8 news types, UNLIKE today! So does that make it Jan.1966 negatives! I think NBC’s Tom Brokow was there as a young punk TV guy! Sure would love to see the player/Lombardi negs?
The qrterback and running back slips my mind at this moment. 1/25/2013
REgards, JIM