Fun and nonsense! Saturday, 12/15/18

Last week an invitation came our way to an Ugly Sweater Cookie (decorating) party.  What's that, you ask?  Well, we'd never heard of it, either, but we decided to take a chance, and ended up having a grand time.   Our hosts, Lynne and Dan, provided the cookie decorating kit, complete with chocolate and vanilla cookies, green, white and red icing, tiny candy sprinkles shaped like trees, candy canes and gingerbread men. 

But first, a group selfie:  L-R, bottom row - me, Annette, Mary.  L-R, top row - Dan, Tim, Lynne (hiding behind the blinking antlers), Jimmy and Ted.  (sorry, Lynne)  Notice we're wearing festive, sort of silly, fun hats that Annette brought.  In fact, the entire afternoon was devoted to having fun!  More merriment at holiday time is the best antidote for stress and blues. 

After a simple and delicious buffet, we crowded around the table to get serious about decorating.  Again, beginning with Jimmy on the left, there's Dan, Lynne, Mary, Annette, Ted and Tim.  Each had his or her own idea of how to create an ugly sweater.  We passed the colored icings, intent on making a perfectly ugly cookie.

This collage tells the tale.  Top left is a blank slate.  I began squeezing out icing, outlining my cookie in red, and carefully placed little candies ... and then to make it really ugly, I dumped round candies on top.  I think it looks more like a bat.  Bottom left pic shows three finished cookies from Jimmy and Me.  Bottom right shows ... uh-oh, somebody took a bite!  (I cannot tell a lie.  Yummy!  By this time, I'd already eaten my "bat" cookie.)  I'm like the Cookie Monster:  Me love cookies!

Annette dipped her mouth in the multi-colored candies on the paper in front of her, and when she raised her head and looked at us, we guffawed.  That started it, and the rest of us joined in ... truly, we laughed and laughed till we had tears rolling from our eyes.  

Next came Lynne, who dipped her mouth in tiny green candies, and turned her teeth green in the process.  Can you feature the laughter?

I followed by licking my lips and then plopped my lips in a pile of tiny red candies.  I had some major red "lipstick" all over my lips and halfway up to my nose.  I am nearly falling over, laughing!

 Mary, covering her lips in icing and then the green candies, made us hysterical.

Believe it or not, the guys got into it, too!  Tim and Ted, top, used the multicolored candies, as did Dan, below right.  Ted looked like he was growing more teeth, which sent us into more hysterics.  Jimmy covered the end of his nose (à la Rudolph) in red.  Getting rid of our "lip gloss" and mustache icing and red noses was best accomplished by licking the sweet stuff off!  We made a bit of a mess with all those tiny loose candies that wanted to hop onto the floor, but Lynn, bless her heart, said not to worry, the vacuum would take care of it.  Thank you, Lynne and Dan, for a very entertaining afternoon.  

Jimmy and I -- before cookies -- posed for a picture with our hats on.

Eight of us created some abominable sweaters as you see above ... our contribution to ugly sweaters.  One cookie is missing -- the one I'd already eaten.  Some of these cookies look like molars, one reminded us of a menorah, the rest are just messy.  I cleaned the area where I worked by eating all the candies left on the paper.  Big-time sugar rush.  Each person took his/her cookies home.  Needless to say, ours are gone now!

Good friends, great times, and sweet treats -- what could be better?

Update -- Saturday, 11/17/18

A breath of fresh air, that's what we wanted.  Jimmy and I like being outdoors and we enjoy hiking (or walking) for exercise.  Several times a week we try to get Out and About, stretch the ol' legs, inflate our lungs and get the ol' heart pumping ... none of which we'd been able to do for ... well, I've lost track of time.  Several days at least, maybe more.  We've also been busy with other things.  So, by Thursday, the 15th, I threw up my hands, declaring, "Enough!"  It was time.  We gathered some gear and hopped in the red Prius and drove up to the Truckee/Squaw Valley area where we knew the air was clear and we could walk a trail.  Any one we chose.

Nevada City has intermittently suffered from smoke (bad to hazardous air quality) from the Camp Fire northwest of our place.  I am not complaining, just wanting to say what's been going on with us.  Nope, compared to what others are going through, you'll hear no complaints from me.  Jimmy and I have a choice, many do not.  As we drove out of town, Jimmy took the above picture (through the windshield, which was clean).  Pretty danged smoky.  In fact, as we left, we stopped at our local fire station to get face masks, which are being handed out free to those who ask.

As we neared the high mountains, the views became more distinct, not covered in a layer of gray gauze, as if looking through a dingy sheer curtain.  Mind you, not perfect, but 100% better than in the foothills where we live.  We parked at Squaw Valley Park @ Hwy 89, since all the off-street parking had "No Parking, Nov-April" signs, obviously relating to snow, which was nonexistent and not even in the forecast. 

We started walking on the Truckee River Trail, paved and accessible, and fairly flat except for this one pesky incline over the river to get from one side to the other.  Elevation is approx 6,000'.  We've biked this trail many times, and we rafted the river one summer.  We were pleased to see a goodly amount of water flowing.  In past years we've seen the river basically dry.  Today the trail traffic was quiet ... we encountered few others afoot.

This Jeffrey Pine towered over everything!

Sometimes we walked a good clip.  We stopped to explore off the trail, take a photo or two, and dip fingers in the water to see how cold it was.  The verdict was:  You could stand it for a few minutes, but not much longer.  It's pretty shallow in areas, deeper in others.

Not sure what it is, a weed of some kind, but I liked it.

You can see water moving briskly along.

First time we've stopped to:  a) see the sign and, b) read it.  Here we go!  So many trails we like are converted rails-to-trails.  We didn't know this was one, but it makes sense.  (Another E Clampus Vitus marker)

The sky!  Look at that blue sky with white feathers streaming across.

How wonderful!

With DST ending, sunsets come much earlier, especially this far north.  Neither of us wanted to drive home in the dark (two-lane twisty-turny for much of the drive), which meant we turned around on the trail about 2:15.  Of course, the return is always much faster!  We were back on the road by 3pm, and it takes around an hour-and-a-half to reach home.  We walked roughly three-and-a-half miles and returned home refreshed (and very appreciative) for being Out and About.

Hmmm.  It didn't take long for smoky conditions to appear.  I took the above picture at the Scenic Overlook on Hwy 20.  You're looking at the Sierra Buttes, and mountains beyond, though you'd never know it.

As we approached Nevada City -- a blood-red sun is no bueno.

At the Nevada City limits sign, the smoke lays heavy, above.  We didn't go straight home; we stopped at Lefty's Grill for an early dinner, since we forgot to eat lunch 😖.  But I have to report when I went out to get the newspaper early the next (yesterday) morning, I could tell a difference.  The air felt cleaner and the A/Q was much better.  Since then, our A/Q is up and down, but overall, it's better here.

The best news of all is rain is now in our forecast. NoCal has gone over six months without measurable rain, except for one tiny shower. Fire season may be declared over! It's too late for the people of Paradise and other fire-ravaged areas, but hopefully rain will prevent more fires from starting. This dreadful wildfire has destroyed nearly 10,000 homes and torched 233 sq mi. At this time, it's 55 percent contained.  The death toll stands at 76 ... with hundreds more missing.  Gosh.  Unimaginable.

Reflections and reunions, November 2018

As I sit here looking out my wide dining room window at my favorite Pacific Dogwood, its autumn leaves now fading to dull pink from flaming red, above, I'm thinking of the folks who've lost everything in the Camp Fire conflagration.  This horrific fire is burning about 50 miles northwest of our house in Nevada City, as the crow flies.  The latest stats are:

• Location: Butte County
• 135,000 acres burned
• 35 percent contained
• 51 fatalities confirmed, 3 firefighters injured
• 8,817 structures destroyed, 7,600 of them homes

With 7,600 homes destroyed, that's a lot of displaced people.  Like most everyone with TV and Internet, I've seen the videos and photos of harrowing escapes.  The burned-out devastation is heartbreaking to see.  So many fatalities.  And the tragedy goes on.  Many of us around the state (which has other hellish wildfires to fight at the same time) are pitching in to do what we can, rounding up supplies and gift cards to distribute to those in need.  Anyone in the world can give -- there are plenty of organizations that are collecting for people who suddenly have nothing but the clothes they were wearing as they fled the flames.

And then, I have to count my blessings.  November is America's Thanksgiving month.  Jimmy and I realize we have much to be thankful for in our lives.  We have a comfortable home, food to eat and clothes to warm us, families who love us, and friends who care.  We have our health, though we're not young by any stretch of the imagination, and we can travel.  We are grateful.

Randy and Sharon

Speaking of travel, most of our international trips have been with Road Scholar, a tour company that combines learning with adventure.  We've never been disappointed with/by them.  Aside from the obvious benefit of seeing new places and faces and cultures, one of the best perks of traveling is making new friends.  In that, we've also been blessed.  This fall, three separate Road Scholar trip friends have visited us.  Last May, Randy and Sharon (from Georgia) were in our awesome Macchu Pichu/Galapagos trip.  In September, they traveled to NorCal and asked to meet up and maybe go hiking.  With pleasure!

On Sept 29th, we met at the Sagehen trailhead.  Jimmy and me, Randy and Sharon, and their friend, Robert, from Montana, enjoyed a beautiful afternoon on the trail, followed by early dinner (or late lunch) at Moody's in Truckee.  It was a lovely day and we all had a great time.  Thanks for coming to California!

Fantastic tree color and wonderfully clear that day in the high country.

On October 18th, we got together with Garrett at Awful Annie's in Auburn for an early lunch.  We three were in the same amazing Australia/New Zealand trip back in Nov/Dec 2016.  Garrett lives in Washington and flew to NorCal to visit a relative.  We appreciated that he wanted to pay us a visit.  Nice playing catch-up, and thanks for lunch, Garrett!

Today, Denise who lives in Massachusetts, came to our place with her sister, Heidi (who lives locally).  We'd planned on going to Lefty's for lunch, but it was much too smoky to go out.  So, we made the best of a last minute lunch of sandwiches and chips and condiments, and mandarin oranges from Newcastle (yummy, thanks, Denise).  Plus, I'd made an apple crisp the night before and a lemon icebox pie this morning for Jimmy's birthday.  You can see we did all right!

A year ago, we "did" a three-week Road Scholar trip to India with Denise and formed a fast friendship.  She is a fun person to be around, with a neat sense of humor.  Who knows why we were laughing, above, but we had a happy day.  We'll stay in touch ....  Meeting Heidi was a plus.  As a group we sang Happy Birthday to Jimmy, then he blew out four candles placed in the meringue on the lemon icebox pie.  Four seemed like a nice round number, never mind how many should really be atop his dessert.  

As I said earlier, we are grateful.

One more stop, Thurs/Fri, 11/1-2/18

From Patrick's Point, California we continued south on Hwy 101, thinking we might stop overnight at MacKerricher State Park, about 150+/- miles distant, where we'd stayed previously.  There are drives, and then there are DRIVES.  At Leggett, we parted company with Hwy 101 to join Hwy 1 -- an up/down/twist/turn/narrow/arm tiring/slow road that seemed to go on forever.  Luckily we met few other vehicles (except fully loaded log trucks coming from the opposite direction, whew!).  When we finally broke through the mountains and reached the coast (Shoreline Hwy), we sighed with relief.  Jimmy was driving and I know he was glad to be off that section of road.

Between Hardy and Westport we spotted RV and tent camping beachside, but MacKerricher was where we'd made up our minds to stay.  When we pulled in, no one was manning the kiosk, but a sign in the window said only West Pine sites were open, with the kingly price of 40 bucks/night!  At West Pine, we saw no other campers, there were no hookups, and we said, "Phooey on This!"  Backtracking to the beachside, we learned it's called Westport-Union Landing State Beach.  Located in Mendocino County in NorCal, 19 miles north of Fort Bragg on Hwy 1, this state beach covers over three miles of rugged and scenic coastline, with 46 campsites, all with ocean and mountain views.  Still no hookups and we still paid over 30 bucks, but at least we were camped at the ocean and could hear the restless surf all night long.  Better deal.

Have you noticed state parks in many states have raised their fees A LOT?

When we broke out of the mountains (you can barely see the road, a white line, coming out of the dark green, above center), we were greeted with this lovely sight.

Rocky shoreline.

It's pretty easy to set up camp when all you have to do is try to get level and then open the slides.  After that, it's time to go out and explore.  We walked down to the sand.  Above, my sailor man is watching the incoming tide.

Speaking of sand, looky here:

This picture is not enhanced, and the sand is pink.

Wow, incoming!

A couple of Gulls and a couple of Cormorants sit above the smashing wave.

Tergel's top is at the red check mark, seen better if the pic is enlarged.

The rising tide closed off much of the main sandy beach to our exploring, but at Howard Creek, the beach extends back into the creek gulch.  As we walked inland, we saw a large house, more like an inn, which we later discovered is the Howard Creek Ranch Inn BnB.  The creek was shallow, but deep enough to go over our shoes, so we turned back.  A lone Turkey Buzzard aired its wings, above.

Can you spot two Killdeers above, at creek side?

Back up the cliff, we decided to wander down the, uh, road you see here.  Tergel is beyond Jimmy,  far away and safe from the collapsing cliffs.  At one time, this was probably Hwy 1.  Not any more!  We walked till we ran out of pavement, a mile hence.

A tiny Ice Plant grows out of a post top along the collapsed roadbed.

Definitely not for vehicles any more!

Long way down.

The beauty of camping at a place like this is being able to watch the sun dip into the sea from our huge front window.  After dinner, after dark, we got out the cards and played a game of Hand and Foot.  Our windows were closed to keep out the chill, but we could hear the animated ocean; otherwise, all was quiet.  Well, it was decided that we'd go on home tomorrow; it was close enough for a day's drive.  After gassing up, we'd hop on Hwy 20 in Fort Bragg, and stay on Hwy 20 till we reached Nevada City.  Easy-peasy.

Almost two weeks in Tergel, good enough for us, for now -- we enjoyed our time on the road, with friends and in caves, and living (briefly) at beaches -- and so we could go home refreshed.

And then this: Wed, 10/31/18

After lunch, Jimmy and I hopped in Smartie and drove a few miles south on Hwy 101 to scope out the small town of Trinidad.  As you enter town, the sign reports a population of 311, which qualifies it as a small town in our book.  School was letting out, so Main Street was buzzing with activity.  It being Halloween, we saw kids walking home in costume, and some adults (teachers?) also "dressed up."  Cool beans!  The town appeared clean and prosperous, and it just had that look of friendliness, like you wouldn't mind living here.  Where, exactly, is Trinidad?  About 23 miles north of Eureka in NorCal and roughly 75 miles from the Oregon border.

Looking south.

Of course Trinidad is on the water.  Trinidad Head juts into the Pacific, forming a bay of sorts.  You see the large headland on the left of the above photo.  We saw trails leading to the top of Trinidad Head, but we were tapped out -- too pooped to participate.  We made a little drive through town, walked a bit, too, and then stopped in a friendly cafe on Main Street for a friendly cuppa coffee.  You get the picture, I know.

When we finished our coffee, we returned to Smartie and as we were leaving town, we spied a sign for Luffenholtz Beach County Park, so we made a right toward the park.  The road (using the word loosely) was slipping away, had had several slides covering it, turning it to potholed dirt, but we kept on anyway.

Along the way, a sign for Cher-Ae Heights Casino appeared and we drove up for a look-see.  RV parking was allowed in an upper parking lot, three nights for $20, with water provided, but the area was far from level and it didn't look like a place we wanted to camp (in the future).  We continued on, eventually coming to a different park (below), where surfers were waxing boards and suiting up ... to surf in that cold water!

A boardwalk led from the parking lot out to a fenced-in head, taking us along a really narrow strip of land, above (don't look down).  We gazed at stellar views to the north and south, and simply out to sea.

 Looking north.

I loved watching waves crash against this rock, and the ensuing cascades as the water fell back into the sea.  Over and over and over.  It was mesmerizing.

When we'd seen enough, it was back across that narrow chunk o' land and on up the cliff steps to Smartie.  We decided we'd had enough of that lousy road and turned back toward Patrick's Point and Tergel.  The sun was getting low in the sky.

The siren call of the sea ....