June 28th | Book Club: Solvang Library's Magpie Club... at the Museum!
SAT. JUNE 28TH, 2025 / 3:30PM
At the California Nature Art Museum (formerly the Wildling Museum)
The Magpie Club, organized by Solvang Library, is a group of curious readers of shiny bright things! The Magpie Club’s first group discussion of the summer will be hosted at CalNAM on Saturday, June 28th at 3:30PM in discussion of “Alta California” by Nick Neely.
Alta California: From San Diego to San Francisco, A Journey On Foot to Rediscover the Golden State
by Nick Neely
"In 1769, an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá sketched a route that would become, in part, the famous El Camino Real. It laid the foundation for the Golden State we know today, a place that remains as mythical and captivating as any in the world.
Despite having grown up in California, Nick Neely realized how little he knew about its history. So he set off to learn it bodily, with just a backpack and a tent, trekking through stretches of California both lonely and urban. For twelve weeks, following the journal of expedition missionary Father Juan Crespí, Neely kept pace with the ghosts of the Portolá expedition—nearly 250 years later.
Weaving natural and human history, Alta California relives Neely’s adventure, while telling a story of Native cultures and the Spanish missions that soon devastated them, and exploring the evolution of California and its landscape. The result is a collage of historical and contemporary California, of lyricism and pedestrian serendipity, and of the biggest issues facing California today—water, agriculture, oil and gas, immigration, and development—all of it one step at a time.”
About the Magpie Club
The Magpie Club is a book discussion group for readers who like to explore a wide variety of books, from prize-winning fiction in various genres, to newer non-fiction. The club meets on fourth Saturday afternoons at Solvang Library. The group welcomes new members, and input on subsequent book choices.
This offering is free, and registration is not required. When you arrive, please inform front desk staff that you are attending the Magpie Club meeting to have your admission waived. For more information, contact Rachel Metz at rachel@calnatureartmuseum.org.