Week #4 of My Summer Adventure - Marin

It's all done - everything is packed. I leave tomorrow morning. I learned a BIG lesson in Egypt last year when my suitcase went missing for the first week of the trip. Now, to be fair, we got the first flight to Cairo out of JFK after the airport had been closed for several days due to a major snow storm so conditions were a bit crazy but living without a suitcase teaches one lessons. I learned. I have a 15 pound carry-on that will see me though the 3 weeks of safari if all else is lost - 2 outfits, meds, hiking boots, jacket, sweater, necessary docs, etc. The other duffle, 17 pounds, has the less critical, stuff.

It is a little challenging because it is winter in the part of Africa we are visiting - Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa (we will spend 5 days in Cape Town at the end) and we sleep in tents with no heat. It will be in the high 30s at night and when we do our first animal viewings of the day thus hats, gloves, warm jackets, long underwear, etc. are recommended. It warms up by mid day so I'll be shedding layers however it means packing much more than one would if touring in summer.

This is a tour like none other I have done. In past trips I have marveled at the wonders of geography and human creativity, this time I am observing animals in their natural setting. How glorious. However I also know that I want them to remain content with their own diet and be uninterested in munching on me! Apparently we hear animal noises all around us as we sleep in our tents at night. A friend who went on this same trip two years ago had elephants stand right next to her tent. Another had baboons break in during the day because she left candy inside. That I understand - reminds me of the bears at Yosemite.

The only thing I actually dread is the flight. 5 hours to Washington D.C. then 17 hours to Johannesburg (and 19 hours on the way back). That's a LONG time to be squished into an airline seat. I hope I can sleep through a lot of it. Hmmm, perhaps some wine is in order.

I'll be in contact when I get back.  Oh my.

Week #3 of My Summer Adventure - Yosemite

The drive to and from Yosemite is spectacular - gotta love the western side of the Sierras. The golden hills were a feast for my eyes. That aside, my decision (which I do not regret) to visit friends Sunday morning and afternoon in Carmel Valley meant that I entered the park about 9:30 p.m.. Finding a specific camp site in the dark is VERY difficult. I finally gave up, pulled over and asked a father, with a young daughter in tow, for the number of any site he could see so I could figure out which way to head when, incredibly, my brother Carroll appeared. I don't know who was more surprised - he or I - but I was grateful to have blindly stumbled into the right area. By the way, that 5-year old daughter who accompanied her father looked up at me and said, softly, "You are going to have a really good time here."  I told her, quite solemnly, that I knew I would.

It took 3 trips, stumbling in the dark, to unload my few belongings - sleeping bag and pillow, small suitcase, camp chair, carton of stuff that might help when camping and cooler.  I tried to be as quiet as possible because it was 10 by the time I started loading food, lotion, toothpaste etc. into the 2 bear lockers outside my tent.

I love the Housekeeping units and am also aware that they are at the very bottom of the luxury scale at Yosemite (well, setting up your own tent would be more challenging). If any of you are unfamiliar with Housekeeping, let me share how the Wall Street Journal described it several years ago in an article about the infrastructure at the park. Let's see, their exact words were "worse than a Third World refugee camp." Unfair. Sure, you get your water from leaky faucets scattered among the sites and the actual tent canvases appear to been through the war. And, yes, there is dust everywhere but hey, we are talking camping here. Slowly Yosemite is updating the units. Mine had new beds (a double and a bunk bed) - gone are the twisted, tilting beds with lumpy mattresses of the past.

My unit - note how few supplies I have.

This photo shows the table, seats and counter along the back wall that are attached to the unit.  Inside the curtain (you can see it on the right edge of the photo) is the space with beds and storage unit. The bear lockers are outside. What elevates this from good ol' tent camping? There are two lights and two sockets.  Ah, electricity!  It changes everything.

Candy's Unit

Here is my sister's unit, next door - before half of her belongings were unloaded. See the difference? I was a minimalist - out of necessity. And thank goodness my extended family and friends in the other 9 tents of our group were even better stocked. Some brought grills, ice makers, massive coolers, bicycles, rafts, computers, and lots of power strips.

What is of major importance is the string of lights each family brings to hang from their stockade wall. Why so important? You use these to locate your tent after you have gone to the bathroom (in the communal facility some distance away) in the middle of the night. Of course, this assumes you have also put on your glasses. Several years ago I made the mistake of forgetting to put mine on and spent abut 30 minutes, in the dark, trying to find my tent.

The 10 tents rented by my extended family stretched along the Merced River.  That doesn't always happen. There are 300+ units in Housekeeping and probably 20% are along the river so we were lucky.

My cousin, Pattie, joined me Tuesday morning and stayed until the group broke camp on Saturday. It was lots and lots of fun.  We all spent time visiting among the tents, sitting on the beach (or, this year, because the river was so low that the water was warmer than usual, IN the river), helping whichever family was preparing dinner for the group, hiking, rafting, reading, golfing at Wawona, and visiting museums and sites within the park.

I snapped these photos on a walk Pattie and I took in the Wawona area.  So beautiful and so different from the Valley floor with its sheer walls of granite.

One of my favorite things to do while at Yosemite is to have an "Ahwahnee Day."  I pretend I am staying at the grand old hotel.

The back of the hotel - by the way, I learned on this visit (on a guided tour of the hotel) that the rocks in the towers are identified (from the bottom to the top) as 4-man, 3-man, 2-man and 1-man - according to how many men it took to lift each one.

If I can catch an early shuttle from Housekeeping to the hotel I slip in to join the hotel residents who are sipping their free coffee on the mezzanine. One of the best things about my white hair is that people assume I am legitimate - I could NOT possibly be the type to sneak in where not wanted. Wrong, oh they are so wrong.

Then I peruse the things in their wonderful stores and pick spots around the hotel to sit and read. I start in the large lounge but move every half hour or so to take advantage of all the public rooms.  This year I sat at one of the lovely old desks and wrote postcards to mail to family in Oregon.

I have lunch in the restaurant and . . . .

Drinks at the two bars (inside and outside). 

For our first drink both Pattie and I ordered El Capitanis - note the caribiners at the base of our drinks. I am sure that anyone spotting them assumed we were climbers just returned from some major feat.  Yea, right.

What I love about my Ahwahnee Day is noting the HUGE differences between life at this lovely hotel and at the Housekeeping Units.

Let's look at some of these:

Note that the Ahwahee has their own wine (and crystal glasses) for sale in the hotel store.  The photos below show the wine for sale in the Housekeeping store.

The Ahwahnee store has gorgeous leather purses, fine jewelry, lovely clothing, books and Native American artifacts for sale.  The Housekeeping store?

 S'Mores supplies - for crowds both large and small.

Although there are differences, don't get me wrong, I love everything about Housekeeping. It is somewhat amazing that 1000+ people lived in the 300 tent sites and there seemed to be no theft (and it would be so easy - everything is left out in the open) and little unpleasantness. This is especially nice in light of the fact that budget cuts have greatly reduced the number of rangers. We used to have daily visits from rangers who checked that we were properly storing anything with a scent in the available bear lockers. This year we did not have a single visit. Yes, there were some problems with campers leaving food out and we did have visits by raccoons but bears stayed away.

On the hottest afternoon Pattie and I rafted down the Merced River - we rented a raft at Curry Village.  I have since added inner tubes to the list of things to bring next year. Much cheaper to use your own than to rent but whether on raft or inner tube, it was wonderful to float along the river, with moments of frantic paddling to keep on course.

Whoops - we are on the back raft, the one having trouble - heading right toward the bank!

Looking back over the week, how much did our minimalist camping require mooching off others? Not much. We brought coffee but used my brother's technology to make it (given the electricity at our sites I have added electric coffee maker to my list for next year). My sister offered us food (which we happily ate) but, technically, we didn't ask for it. She also loaned us a second chair. That was about it for mooching.  We thus found that minimalist camping works and we liked how easy it was to pack up at the end. I have been lucky to be part of this group for the past 5 years or so - but it started 30 years ago so I am a relative newbie.

We all had much much fun at one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

I am now back at Pattie's house in Novato. We have written our next To Do list - what is still needed before we leave for Africa this coming Saturday. We have been re-reading all the docs, getting visa applications in order, packing. We will spend 15 days in 4 animal parks in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana and 4 days in Capetown, South Africa. Thank goodness there are great photographers in the group - would hate to depend on my abilities for this upcoming safari.

Animals, here we come.

Week #2 of My Summer Adventure: Pacific Grove

It is wonderful to be back on the Monterey Peninsula. As I left Gilroy and began the ascent over the hills to the coast, I did the usual – held my left hand out the window to feel the temperature drop 10 degrees as the car met coastal temperatures. Ah, that welcome tang of foggy air! You know what would be truly weather-challenging? Spending summers in PG and the rest of the year in Portland – you’d have overcast gray skies all year round. Yes, fog greeted me, just as I expected. What else is new in Pacific Grove?

Last trip I reverted to California-style driving within 5 miles of my arrival at the San Jose airport. This time I was a good Oregonian driver until I hit Carmel last Sunday afternoon. What caused the sudden shift? Tourists - I had forgotten about them. The streets were full of 'em and we were all looking for the same parking space. Out the window went my kind Oregonian driving – I was late to meet friends at the Cypress Inn and DON’T GET IN MY WAY. I snagged a space just half a block from the hotel and was unapologetic. All is fair in parking battles in Carmel-By-The-Sea.

The Cypress Inn is unique. Doris Day, the owner, is a dog lover and the place encourages guests to bring their pets. Dogs were everywhere - sitting on a towel on the couch in the living room (where we had tea), in the lobby, on the terrace – and all so well behaved, so sweet. I thought about my former dog, Murphy, and how she would have, in under one minute, created complete chaos among all these well-behaved pooches. Although later dogs of mine were better behaved, none had that special attitude that was Miss Murphy's. I do miss that dog. 

My week in Pacific Grove was truly wonderful. I visited friends and places on the Central Coast dear to me. I stayed across the street from my own house (now rented) with my neighbors, Sharon and Warren.  Their house is a charming PG cottage and I can attest to the comfort of the guest bed and their hospitality - perfection in all ways.

The deck of my house.  When I walked by, the tenant called out to say hello.  I suggested that, as owner of the house, did I own part of the meat he was barbecuing at the moment?  He laughed and we caught up on how they were doing at my house.  

This is Sharon and Warren's house - across the street - where I am staying.  They are both artists and everything about their house and garden reflects their talents and skills.  

What else did I do?  I worked one morning at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I have been a volunteer there in several different capacities over the past 24 years and refused to give back my badge when I moved to Oregon last summer. I told Ruth (head of the volunteer program) that I would volunteer every time I visited. Thankfully, she wasn't willing to fight me for the badge so our relationship continues. I let them know when I will be in the area, they find a job for me, and I happily comply. This time I updated info in the volunteer database.

I celebrated the Fourth of July with my friend, Helen, at Spreckels – a late 19th century town outside of Salinas that developed around the Spreckel's Sugar Company.  It is one of the best preserved "company towns" in the U.S. - with most of its buildings built by the sugar company for its employees. It is charming – the homes are Craftsmen style - and many are well preserved. What is amazing is that the town remains small – population of 485 - so that one can still feel what it was like there 100 years ago.

This is one of the original company homes near the park where we celebrated the 4th.

The Fourth of July celebration is home grown in Spreckels.  Folks gather on the park in the center of  town. Lots of food booths lined two sides of the park with space for sitting in the middle.  The parade began at noon - I suspect every child in Spreckels had a part as a scout, Future Farmer of America or 4-Her.  Lots of cars - old and muscle - and fire engines for added pizazz.  The celebrating families clearly enjoyed the sun, food and music.

I liked this woman's attitude and attire.  Laid back and colorful.

Parking was a challenge - far more than the 450+ residents were in attendance. We parked outside town along the lettuce fields that make the Salinas Valley so famous. I have always liked living in an agricultural area. I find myself checking the crops whenever I pass by a field. First I have to figure out what is growing and then assess how well it is doing. This field really surprised me. I have never seen 8 different types of lettuce, both red and green, grown together like this. It was spectacular.

My birthday, yesterday, was full of delights. Sharon and Warren asked where I would most like to have breakfast and, with little hesitation, I said, "Deetjen's." If you haven't been there, it's an hour's drive down the coast. Think old time Big Sur. Rustic cabins for rent surround the old wood restaurant. And what was on the menu? Easy choice for me - French toast stuffed with raspberry cream. It is INCREDIBLE. Although it was just warm enough to eat outside in the dappled light, the coffee certainly helped.

After breakfast we started north on Route 1 but stopped almost immediately at Nepenthe. Their shop called - a must if down in Big Sur. Such unique things. We celebrated our finds with cappuccinos on the deck looking out at the incredible views - both the golden hills and the Pacific Ocean.

According to locals there are many whales in the ocean this summer. We didn't see any BUT did see something equally wonderful and so unexpected. While looking back at the golden hills we spotted two large birds. Were they condors? 

Warren told me that condors can be identified by the white band on the underside of their wings. We watched in awe as the two birds dipped and soared on the wind currents and then one broke away and flew right toward us. He flew overhead - about 40 feet above us - and there was the white band. It was simply amazing to see these grand birds in flight. And no, they are not in the photo - couldn't grab my camera in time - too busy gawking.

That evening Warren, Sharon, Emily, Rod, Greg and Robin took me out to dinner in Carmel - such fun -  with the requisite candle on my dessert. And then, to finish an amazing day, off we all went to see the local production of 39 Steps - a spoof of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film - at the Golden Bough Theater in Carmel. We had watched the original via Netflix the night before so thoroughly enjoyed watching how the 4 actors played all the parts with much mugging, quick costume changes and hilarious staging to convey the essence of the film. I think even Alfred Hitchcock would have grinned.

A simply wonderful birthday with good good friends.

The week now comes to a close.  Much thanks to all the friends I visited. I loved every minute. Next it's on to a week of camping at Yosemite. This is going to be interesting. I have never camped with so little gear - one small suitcase, a sleeping bag and pillow, a camp chair, a cooler, and one plastic bin of anything I could find in Portland that might help in the outdoors. Thank goodness I found a string of lights to decorate the outside of my camp space. Now THAT is important. 

Week #1 of My Summer Adventure: The Family Wedding

It was wonderful, of course.  The bride was beautiful, the groom was smitten, the mothers cried, the bridesmaids strutted, the ducks quacked, the sun shone, the garden was heavy with blooms – what not to love? The entire process was a lot of fun.

I arrived at my brother’s house in Redwood City, the house where I grew up, last Monday, June 25^th, and immediately plunged into wedding plans. We discussed what had already been done, drew up lists of remaining tasks and reviewed what had worked at previous family weddings in the garden. My mantra? What does the bride want and how can we facilitate it? Jessica, my nephew’s beautiful fiancée, quietly beamed as she described how she hoped the day would unfold – and, for the most part, it did. The week flew by as we crossed items off our lists. It was fun to be back in Redwood City. I think the last time I spent a week there was before my own marriage in 1971. The city has changed quite a bit!

The only unfortunate part is that, as families expand, the number of relatives grow while available garden space remains the same. Oh how I wish we could have either squeezed more people in or had fewer relatives so that a greater percentage could attend. It just doesn’t seem quite right when all cannot share the day. I guess this will become even more of a problem as we age and generations fill in below us. On the other hand, what a nice commentary it is that life is so full of people we love that all cannot fit into one space. 

I was happy to be the go-to person on the big day. My sibs had done the same for me, 6 years before, when my daughter was married in the garden. I wanted Carroll and Melinda to have the same experience – to have as few responsibilities as possible on the actual day. Didn’t quite happen that way – we were all up early setting up tables, pinning swaths of tulle to the pergola, filling buckets with ice, moving chairs. We corralled the ducks and chickens into their coops – although the ducks, swimming on their small pond, were delightfully visible to guests. But by 4, when guests began to arrive, all was as it should be in the garden.

I look back on the day with joy but, let me add, my feet do not. Oooohhhhhh they hurt by the end of the evening. I bet I walked several miles as I moved back and forth among the bartender, DJ, caterers, photographer and guests. And that does not include the mileage on the feet of my other sibs (and in-laws) who stepped in to help as well. It would not have gone as well without all their work. The only significant mistake I made was forgetting to move the decorated cart with the cake to its correct place after the ceremony and, by the time I remembered, there was no path available between the tables. My son insisted it could be done – and he was partly right. He made it half way – and there the cart stood until the cake was cut. Everyone laughed as we watched it move, inch by inch, through the crowd.

Now, here’s the sad part – I didn’t have time to take photos – not a single one – so thanks Melinda and Melissa for sending me these two. I would like one or two of the garden and one of the cake (or the happy ducks!) so anyone who attended the wedding and has some photos can you email them to me?

Paul and Jessica exchanging vows.

Paul and Jessica Collins!

Still waiting for a photo of Paul and Jessica's cake - this is Stephanie and Dan's cake but in the same wrought iron cart.

For sentimental reasons - here are Stephanie and Dan at their wedding 6 years ago.

As Carroll shared with guests, our parents moved into this house in July of 1952, 60 years ago this summer. In that time 5 of us have celebrated our marriages in the garden – my older sister, my older brother, me, my daughter and now my nephew Paul (Carroll’s youngest son) and his new wife, Jessica.  Okay, the first marriage didn’t survive but the magic of the garden has worked well on the next 3 and, I am sure, will bless Jessica and Paul.

Early Monday morning I packed up my car and drove to Pacific Grove for a week with friends - on to the next stage of my summer adventures.