Professional photographer Kurt Andersen brings 20 years' experience providing images for top Bay Area clients to his Kurt Andersen Studio 2 and Gallery in Amador City. Here, he specializes in photos of babies, families, high school seniors and weddings. His gallery showcases photos he has taken on journeys around the world, and currently highlights images in Mexico. Photo by: Marcia Oxford Rose and Allen Mendy, standing under a rose-garlanded arbor near the original Mine House Inn, in Amador City, invite the community to celebrate the inn's 50th anniversary on June 9. Photo by: Marcia Oxford Two of three generations of the family that has brought Home and Farm Supply acclaim from valley TV watchers and top sales internationally are, from left, Janie Williams, owner; Travis Williams, future owner; Lauren Murphy, coordinator sales and merchandising; Jess Williams, also future owner; and Jason Brennan, Internet and marketing. Photo by: Marcia Oxford Suzanne and Craig Sheumaker Photo by: Courtesy to the Ledger Dispatch

Kurt Andersen's Studio 2 and Gallery in Amador City reflects the photographer's 20 years serving corporate clients through his first studio in San Francisco.

The gallery, a striking introduction to his skill, showcases color-saturated photos, many of the vividly painted buildings in Mexico, all hung against deep olive walls which "pop" the colors. There are other photos in the gallery, and one, of a Peruvian woman with a deeply furrowed face, speaks worlds about other cultures, other places, many of which Andersen has visited.

Since 1972, Andersen and several friends "go somewhere in the world," he said, and that's where he shoots his stunning photos. The trio has visited Mexico four times, but also Portugal, China, Cambodia and other locales. For their next trip, Andersen said, "It's my pick and I'm thinking of Spain or Scotland. Both offer marvelous options for photographs."

Now settled in his new venue, after holding an open house several weeks ago, Andersen is drawing new clientele. Having taken images for Bank of America, Dell computers and British Airways, among numerous corporations, he is now concentrating on photos of babies, families, high school seniors and weddings. Examples of his work in each genre can be seen in expansive portfolios and in his studio.

"After having a studio in San Francisco for 20 years, where I handled advertising shots primarily, I closed it after the dotcom meltdown," Andersen said. "I worked out of the house for three years and that gave me a lot more freedom." That freedom also offered the opportunity to visit Spanish Dry Diggings in El Dorado County, where his grandfather, four generations ago, came from Falmouth, Mass., to become one of the few, fortunate gold miners: He owned the productive Grit Mine. Already linked to the Gold Country by his forebear, Andersen subsequently visited friends who had land in Shenandoah Valley. He and his wife Monica MacLean, artistic director at Sutter Creek Theatre, eventually bought property on Clinton Road and built their home; they have lived there three years.

While holiday shopping in Amador City last year, he remembered thinking, "This is a great little place for a studio and gallery, but nothing was for rent. Later, Monica saw this was for rent and we took it the next day." Artist Howard Rees was the previous occupant.

"I love Amador City, "Andersen said. "This is the cutest little town - everybody is so friendly and you can walk around and know all your neighbors. In San Francisco, I had to lock the studio even when I was in it. Everything is so different here. I still do advertising for Bay Area clients, but the photos you see in my studio are the kind I'm concentrating on." A close-up of a smiling baby, a little girl licking an ice cream cone, a family standing on a porch, wedding photos and others are testaments to Andersen's consummate photographic skill.

Studio 2 and Gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Amador Hotel. For other information, call 267-5748.

I scream, you scream for ice cream on June 1

Bank of Amador is holding a Community Appreciation Day Ice Cream Social on Friday, June 1, from noon to 3 p.m. at its offices in Jackson, Ione and Buckhorn. Anyone stopping by one of the bank's three office will receive a free ice cream from Amador Creamery (while supplies last).

"This is Bank of Amador's way of welcoming summer and saying thank you to Amador County for letting us be their community bank of choice," said Diane Walery, vice president, corporate communications director for American River Bankshares. Volunteers from A-PAL will be on hand with some adoptable friends and will be pleased to accept donations.

American River Bankshares is the parent company of American River Bank, Bank of Amador and North Coast Bank.

Mine House to hold 50th anniversary open house June 9

Allen and Rose Mendy invite the community to celebrate 50 years of the Mine House Inn in Amador City on Saturday, June 9 from noon to 5 p.m. Allen promised, "We will pamper our guests with live music by Doug Pauly, wonderful hors d'ouevres and a special wine tasting." Wines from Montevina Winery in Amador County, Perry Creek Winery in El Dorado County and Jewel Winery in San Joaquin County will be featured. Visitors will have an opportunity to enjoy the inviting landscaped grounds enhanced with a waterfall adjacent the patio.

The couple has owned the inn, which first opened in 1957, for 14 years. "We took it over, redid it and are still enjoying it," Rose said. "Over those years, we've seen the town grow and we have made many changes here." The former office building for the Keystone Mine opposite the lodging was converted to guest quarters by the previous owners. The Mendys have since executed a complete make-over of the mine superintendents' house, now featuring three elegant suites. The couple also built the Victorian between the inn and superintendent's house, which also has two suites and the Gold Dining Room.

"The wonderful thing for guests," Rose added, "is they can choose from the inn's eight historic rooms or settle in in one of the five luxury suites. In addition to a full gourmet breakfast for our guests, they have the luxury of a swimming pool. And we're pleased to have Judith Tscheppe as our assistant innkeeper. She's really sweet and bubbly."

For information on the open house, call 267-5900. Visit www.minehouseinn.com for details on accommodations.

Foothill Conservancy fund-raising barbecue set June 10

Foothill Conservancy will hold its annual fund-raising barbecue on Sunday, June 10 beginning at 4 p.m. at Terre Rouge and Easton Winery on Dickson Road in Shenandoah Valley. Tickets at $30 for adults, $10 for kids younger than 12, are available at the gate and by calling 267-5506.

Amador Catering will barbecue and there will be a vegetarian course, two salads, garlic bread, dessert, coffee and cold drinks. The afternoon begins with tapenade hors d'ouevres and no-host wine bar. Adding to the enjoyment, Herb Boxhorn and Felipe Ferraz, with his wife, Joanne Craig-Ferraz, will perform an eclectic mix of music from jazz and blues to folk and Latin melodies.

Art by well-known artist Robert Richards will be on display, and high quality auction and raffle items are on the docket for the event. Auction items include art by Katherine Venturelli, Alice Fredericks and Richards. Gift certificates from Jeff Holman Auto Center, massage therapists, a homeopath and acupuncturist as well as Shenandoah Veterinarian, plants from Greg Motch of Amador Farmers Market and housewares from Amador Kitchen Store. Also auctioned will be locally produced olive oil from Amador Olive Oil, wine, and Dr. Robert Hartman's shortbread.

Foothill Conservancy was created in 1989 to restore, protect and sustain the natural and human environment in Amador and Calaveras counties for the benefit of local residents. Funds from the June 10 event support the conservancy.

Home and Farm Supply earns kudos from valley TV viewers

Home and Farm Supply is celebrating having been chosen Best of the A-List in housewares on a valley TV station; the venerable business was among 900 businesses nominated in 79 categories.

The contest ended last month, and Home and Farm Supply, was ranked as the best business in the Sacramento area in housewares, said owner Janie Williams. "It was stiff competition, with companies like William Glen also in that category, but voters thought we were the best. This is a huge honor. If people come to our store from the valley, we can tell them about the Gold Country. And it gives us a chance to introduce the third generation who will be taking over the business."

Home and Farm Supply was opened 32 years ago by Janie's parents, and now her sons Travis and Jess are up and coming owners. "Travis and Jess are great partners, and the store will be even better with them on board," Janie said. "And Lauren Murphy, our coordinator of sales and merchandise, has gotten her wings. Lauren and Travis went to the gourmet show in Orlando, Fla., and came back with all kinds of ideas for our store. And Jess, who used to work at Montevina, left there to come work here with the family. His wife, Paulette, is at Scott Harvey wines in Sutter Creek." Paulette, Harvey's daughter, opened the wine store almost a year ago.

Travis, commenting on the Orlando show, said, "We looked at all the new items and were amazed that so many kitchen goods are now in bright colors - red, green, blue, yellow, orange, the brightest colors we've seen in this business. We came back with a lot of great ideas that customers will see in the store."

The brilliantly colored kitchenware at Orlando resulted in a commentator on National Public Radio to talk excitedly about the show, describing products in such un-kitchen colors as "cobalt blue, hot pink, neon green, fire engine red," colors far removed from the usual neutral tones of blenders, food processors and other wares. Also at the show, Travis said, were more and more kitchen necessities available in silicone: items such as silicone colanders, muffin tins and pie plates make storage easier and more compact.

Drop into the store daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Jackson to check the inventory or visit www.biggestlittlekitchenstore.com. For other details, call 223-0264.

New book by county residents brings America's history alive

"A Traveler's Guide to America's Living History: The Early Years," written, photographed and published by professionals transplanted from the Bay Area, is a handsome book filled with information for travelers seeking to embrace the history of America's formative years. The guidebook presents 300 of this country's top history-oriented destinations, selected by Suzanne and Craig Sheumaker based on historic authenticity, completeness of the visitor experience, significance to Americans' natural heritage and interpretive programs where they flourish.

The contents page guides readers to destinations across the country and offers a historical timeline from pre-history to the 1840s; it provides an overview of the nation's beginnings to aid readers in placing in context the sites described throughout the book.

Chapters are devoted to America's Native Peoples, European Colonization, Religious and Secular Groups; Road to Independence; the New Nation and Opening the West. Among the California attractions are Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park which has the largest collection of bedrock mortar holes in North America.

"We started out thinking about our first book and after traveling extensively, primarily in a motor home, we settled in Pioneer," Suzanne said. The couple had traveled more than 125,000 miles nationwide exploring and researching historic farms, forts and villages. "We've worked on the book 3 1/2 years. It turned out to be far more than we realized. I'm a great Internet explorer, and after looking up living history sites, we ended up with a couple thousand sites. We split things in half and picked the period that ends in the mid-1840s. We may do the other half depending on reception to this first book. I'm happy to say, it is being very well received."

The Sheumakers brought remarkable expertise to their project. Suzanne was a travel writer for nine years, primarily promoting travel outside the United States through an ad agency and public relations. "My great love was to be a doctor, but at the time, the educational system did not encourage women to enter medicine. But I got an opportunity to work on behalf of the medical field through several public relations firms before working for Genentech for two years. I was the first to do PR in the biotechnology work, and it was pretty scary."

Upon leaving Genentech, Suzanne became a freelance writer and she and Craig, a graphic designer and photographer, started their travels via car or motor home. Craig began his career in Colorado Springs and Denver prior to moving to San Francisco in 1979. There, he worked for a graphic design firm, producing annual reports for major corporations including Chevron, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., and Crown Zellerbach. He then launched his own partnership, which he had for four years. Getting hooked on the MAC computer launched him into a new career around 1990 when he began working in interactive multimedia. "That gave me freedom to move around and still serve my clients," Craig said. "One of the deep hooks that got us into the living history is that Suzanne is a direct descendent of several people who came over on the Mayflower. We went to Plymouth Plantation Living History Museum in Plymouth, Mass., to determine if this family legend about the Mayflower was true. It is. We started looking into historic sites and wondered why there wasn't a book about them."

The Sheumakers pursued the concept and for the next three summers they visited 80 to 110 sites each summer. Then they settled down to producing the book.

"The only way to make our American history real and tangible is to see it," Suzanne said. "We're excited about turning people into history travelers because the power of history is amazing. We discovered that it's not just retirement people who go to these sites, but many young people. They'll sit at dinner and talk about history, about reading shipping manifests, they knew every subject you can think of. When you walk through the book, it's like walking through history. We are convinced our history-oriented guidebook is for anyone who loves seeing the past come to life."

"A Traveler's Guide" is available at $29.95 (plus tax) at Lizzie Ann's Bubble Gum Book Store in Sutter Creek; Hein and Co. books in Jackson; The Lighthouse Christian Bookstore in Amador Plaza; and Twice Sold Tales, Pine Grove. Autographed copies are available at www.AmericasLivingHistory.com.

Correction

An incorrect number was published in the May 18 Focus for attorney Benjamin Kinne who recently established his practice in Jackson. He can be reached at 223-1985. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.