Abstracts Today is a general themed website/blog, Youtube Channel, and publisher. Ken Brantingham is your site host and primary contributor. He is an author who enjoys photography and videography.
San Diego Sojourns: A Region Explored in Photos and Stories
Buckle up for a journey of discovery to the vast region surrounding San Diego County. Old mines, ghost towns, lost missions, graveyards, and roadside oddities are explored in over three dozen vignettes. San Diego Sojourns is an easy and fun read for those who like off-beat stories. It’s more than a guide, it’s an appreciation for all things unique about the area that includes San Bernardino County, Imperial County, Arizona, and Mexico.
Here’s what’s inside: • A town with no inhabitants. • An abandoned homestead and the tragedy that befell the family. • A tower built to commemorate road builders. • The haunting story of a mail order bride still searching for her groom. • A 100-year-old road made of wood. • A pivotal war battle won on a technicality. • The story of a town that prevented an invasion. • A town in name only; it’s really a manufacturing plant. • Two additional California missions missed by most historians. • Buildings made with bottles a century ago and still standing. • Ancient Indian pictographs that depict a devilish figure. …and the lost gold of Pegleg Smith
First Impressions: A Journey Into The Heart Of Baja California
Take a photographic journey into the heart of Baja California.
From the desert garden of Catavina to lands end at Cabo San Lucas, the Baja peninsula encompasses indescribable beauty and wonder. This book captures the stories and experiences from the author’s initial two passes up and down the peninsula. Baja has stunning landscapes and an endless highway, it also leaves a lasting impression. Contained in these pages is an insightful and often whimsical collection of first impressions.
Take the least of all cities, National City, California. Examine its past and present and see if there’s a remarkable story waiting to be told. No other city in San Diego County has experienced such a tarnished reputation as has National City. This book does not seek to resolve the truth of the matter, just illuminate certain aspects of the city to give pause to its critics.
There is something special about this place. It’s found in the generations of families, the commitment of its civic leaders, and its historical roots. Even the trees, rivers, creeks, and neighborhoods have a certain tranquility to them. It’s not your perfect city. You couldn’t pay some people to live here. Home values are markedly lower than in the cities directly north and south. Rents are no different.
But what other towns lack, National City has in abundance; things kept quiet, reserved for locals only. This book seeks to reveal the city’s hidden gems and to finally set the record straight.