I Left my Heart ... Nov 30th - Dec 1st

 

In San Francisco, of course!  Early Saturday morning, Nannie and I left Jimmy at home and departed for Matt's in Fair Oaks, where we'd pick up Matt and seven-year-old granddaughter, Evie, for a day trip to San Francisco.  Matt piloted the Subaru; nice to leave the driving to someone else!  Oh boy, I hadn't been to the city in a long time.  Nannie hadn't been there in many years.  We were both looking forward to our outing with these two.  Matt asked what Jimmy would do while we were away.  I said, "whatever he wants, without women around telling him what to do!" 😏  Jen had to work and would miss the fun.

Crossing the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Cupid's Span in Rincon Park on the Embarcadero, a 70-ft sculpture depicting a partial bow and arrow, inspired by San Francisco's reputation as the "home port of Eros," hence the stereotypical bow and arrow of Cupid.  The Bay Bridge we crossed is visible at right.

We didn't go to Pier 39 where hundreds and hundreds of California Sea Lions haul out onto the docks daily.  They're noisy -- barking and roaring and grunting.  Smell bad, too.  No, we four hung around the Ferry Bldg (below) for a while, checked out eateries (too crowded) and did a bit of shopping.

Close to lunchtime!

Evie had fun jumping off these platforms!

Matt drove us to Chinatown, where we eventually ate a-not-too-bad lunch.  We sat at an outside table, because the inside was slap-full.  Besides, Lucy the Yorkie was with us and I don't believe she would've been welcomed inside (though we didn't ask).

Evie found a shop she wanted to visit (above) where Dad bought her a charming Tang suit outfit.  Nannie and I milled around while this was going on.

Everyone had "done" Lombard Street, but we all thrilled to drive up and down San Francisco's STEEP streets.  Matt obliged by tackling a few of these, for fun.  That's Alcatraz Island in the water.  Nannie and I were astonished to see many (a lot!) of self-driving taxi cars moving along seamlessly.  At one point we followed one, watched it avoid pedestrians, stop at a red light, and turn right, using its turn signal.  Weird:  car moving, no driver!

The day was fine, sunny and mild, albeit kind of cool.  Great day for walking.  Matt took us to a scoop shop near Hayes Valley Park, where Evie got an ice cream cone.  When she wanted to hop on something at the playground, she handed her cone to Nannie, who accidentally dropped it (red x).  Great photo op!  (a smile replaced that frown when the lady at the shop kindly replaced Evie's ice cream for free)

We made a short stop at the Palace of Fine Arts, a monumental structure, originally built for the 1915 Pan–Pacific International Exposition.  The beautiful open rotunda is enclosed by a lagoon on one side and adjoins a large, curved exhibition center on the other side, separated from the lagoon by colonnades.  Lots of people were Out and About, strolling, sitting, and enjoying this visually stunning area.

Our day ended with pizza at Berkeley's Cheese Board Pizzeria, and a Caesar salad for me.  Pretty darned good grub, and uncrowded.  Nannie and Evie pose in the pineapple suds photo frame. 

Followed by viewing holiday lights on Fourth Street in Berkeley.  Wow!

Oooh, we were tired when we returned to Matt's for our sleepover.  Thank goodness I didn't have to drive home tonight.  We had a grand San Francisco day -- thanks, Matt!  Nannie and I pointed the Subaru toward home late Sunday morning.  Jimmy was glad to see us!

Well, the rest of the week flew by, much too fast.  We hiked, enjoyed lunches with friends, and Nannie even joined us on Tuesday morning for our volunteer restocking "work" stint at IFM (Interfaith Food Ministry), something Jimmy and I do every Tuesday.

We posed in front of our Christmas tree for a together-and-cool photo before she left.  The sun was very bright.  Her flight left SMF (Smurf to us) around 12:30pm Thursday.   It was supposed to, but Delta did her wrong (because of a missing tiny red light, don't ask), and she ended up spending the night at a hotel in Atlanta, finally arriving in Baton Rouge sometime FRIDAY afternoon.  Airline travel isn't fun any more.

Miss you, my sister!  Wish we lived closer.  Really glad you had two weeks with us.  Jimmy says the house is too quiet these days!  Love you.  Come back soon.

Thanksgiving 2024

 

Weather can be like a box of chocolates, too, à la Forest Gump, when you plan a trip in advance -- you never know what you're gonna get.  In October, and hoping for the best, my sister, Nannie, and I picked November 21 thru December 5th for her two-week visit.  We watched the weather app as the date for her Thursday arrival drew near, and the news wasn't good.  Rain began falling on Wednesday, November 20th and it didn't stop till the following Tuesday afternoon!  A solid week of gray days and pouring rain!  Life can be like that.

Pretty much stuck indoors, we played cards and Scrabble, worked crossword puzzles, watched a few movies, looked at old photos, and just enjoyed each other's company.  Finally, we awoke to brilliant sun on Wednesday, the 27th ... and we couldn't wait to get outdoors.  Luckily, Nannie's second week with us was filled with sunshine.  Life can be good like this, too.

The Fair Oaks neighborhood where son, Matt, lives, is known for it's large flock of wandering turkeys.  You'd think they would hide during Thanksgiving week; nope, they were out struttin' their stuff!

 

Uh-oh, one of them made it to the grill 😁.

(kidding, this one came from a store)

Down the hill we drove on Thanksgiving morning, me and Jimmy and Nannie, to spend the day with Matt, Jen, Evie, and Jen's parents, Alice and Tom.  The day was glorious, sunny and filled with sparkling color.  Matt started cooking, while Jimmy kibitzed.  Jen wasn't home from work yet, and Alice and Tom would arrive later.  We girls went for a walk -- Nannie (with Lucy on a leash), Evie and I, admiring the trees all around us.

Especially this one!

Our Evie

Photo op, back at the ranch ...

As well as a goofy one!

Then we put down our camera and phones and enjoyed being present with our family.  Dinner was delicious:  Turkey and prime rib, mashed taters with gravy, sweet taters, scalloped taters, cranberry sauce, mac 'n cheese, and Matt's wonderful green bean casserole, every side homemade and, all of it, really good.  Plus, Nannie's yummy pecan pie.  I forgot to get a food pic, oh well.  Managed to gather us together for a family photo before we left to go home.  Above:  L-R, Alice and Tom, Nannie, Evie, Matt, me and Jimmy, and Jen.  Speaking for myself, I had a wonderful time, but I suspect everybody did.

Jimmy drove us home on this clear, star-lit night, while Nannie and I alternately dozed or eyeballed those shining stars, watching Three-in-a-Row come into and out of view.  Needless to say, we fell into our beds when we got home, totally tired, but happy and thankful.  We are soooo grateful Nannie could be here.

And, we had a plan for the coming weekend.  Oh boy!

Birthdays are Fun ... November 2024

 

Jimmy and I like to mark milestone birthdays in (perhaps) novel or unusual ways, and why not?  After all, if you make it to a certain age (think: advanced), celebrating in any way is definitely called for.  We chose not to have a party this year, like we did for our 75th birthdays (click here to review).  Nor did we ride our bikes a set amount of miles (62) in one day as we did when we turned 62.

We both have November birthdays, nine days apart, and this was a Big Number Year:  We both turned 80, which seems amazing and a number we can scarcely believe.  How did we get to be so old?  Haha, for nine days Jimmy is older than me, and I love to tease him about it.  He's a good sport, but nine days later, we unite and the kidding is no more ... till the following November!

A month before our birthdays, I saw an ad in our newspaper for Sidecar Local Tours.  I called and we set up a ride for Saturday, Nov 16th, meeting at Nevada City's Pioneer Park.  Both Jimmy and me in one sidecar, attached to a motorcycle (below)!

Woohoo -- off we'd go, I imagined, like Woodstock, scarf a-flyin', in Snoopy's sidecar.  Joyfully, the sky was clear, but Saturday's high temp was only in the mid-40's.  So, no cute whipping scarves.  Instead we wore so many layers, we resembled Michelin tire people bundled against the chill and the wind.

Brian, our own personal driver 😊, drove us around for an hour, through Nevada City's historic downtown and out to Scott's Flat Lake via the scenic back way, and we got to wave at everyone we met.  What a real kick this was!

Leaf color was still very much in evidence.

Above, at Scott's Flat Lake.

Stretching our legs at the lake.

My helmet didn't fit 😄.  Even with lap robes, I wasn't really warm.  The water level in the lake is down a lot due to a kerfluffle between PG&E and NID (Nevada Irrigation District).  Don't ask why, too complicated.

Photo op in front of a famous (and lovely) Victorian home.

On Broad Street, historic Nevada City's main street.

And, finally back to Pioneer Park, all in one piece!

Whoa, get back!  She's ready to roll, haha.  Not really, this was just another photo op.  The sidecar ride was so much fun; we'd never done anything like this before.  What's next, you wonder?  Jumping from an airplane?  Nope.  Not for us.  Too mundane - hahahahhaaaaaaa.  Anyhoot, happy birthday to us.

* * * * *

On Saturday, the 23rd (my actual birthday), son, Matt, and granddaughter, Evie, spent the day with us (Jen was working).  We had a good time, playing and eating -- enjoying pizza from the Pizza Joint.

This silly "turkey hat" made for some hilarity!

I wore the hat to the Pizza Joint, drew a few amused looks, too!

Honestly, we have so much fun, it should be outlawed.

That blue thing is a sucker, and in the other hand, seven-year-old Evie has a can of tuna.  She was playing "store."

And the whole episode evolved into gales of laughter.

Well, that's it for this year.  Thanksgiving 2024 is later than usual, and we'll be getting together with family at Matt's in Fair Oaks (CA).  And -- oh boy! -- we'll have a wonderful addition, wait till you see!  I can hardly wait to see her, myself.  to be continued ....

Walk on the Mellow Side, Wed, 11/13/24

 

I assume a lot of people in the world have never been to California.  They may assume the entire state is palm trees and year 'round sunshine (and -- boo hiss -- wildfires).  Not so!  While Southern California follows the palms and sunshine formula, here in Northern California (NorCal) we march to the four seasons, especially in the foothills.

This time of year is The Best, with vibrant autumn leaf color holding us all spellbound, and this year has been particularly spectacular for brilliance.  NorCal's rains have begun, too.  Monday we recorded close to three-quarters of an inch.  Tuesday the sun shone all day.  Today rain was forecast, beginning at 1pm.  (gotta love Accuweather).  Jimmy and I decided to walk the Cascade Canal trail and we were out the door at 11am.   

The sky was laden with gray clouds, the temp hovered around 48, and we were dressed in layers.  I stopped long enough in our driveway to capture our front yard trees.  Red is pink Dogwood.  Yellow is a Birch.

Our walk takes us through the neighborhood before we achieve the trail.  This remarkable beauty decorated a front yard.

Along the way ....

On the trail at last.

Off in the distance is downtown Nevada City.

The water level in the "ditch" is very low, barely visible.

No matter, walking here is always a joy.

Big Leaf (Oregon) Maples flourish along the canal.  As you see, above, their leaves are huge, large enough to be worn as floppy hats or float as boats in the canal.

That's not Jimmy in this pic.  See the dog?  We encountered this dog the last time we walked the path, padding along with a huge "stick" in its mouth.  As it is today!  Enlarge the pic and you'll see.  Funny dog!

We saw evidence of this guy long before we spotted the machine.  It had been dredging gunk from the canal bank and depositing the yucky stuff on the land side of the trail.  First time we've seen anything like this.  The guy inside the cab was eating his lunch! 

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

Crossing at the "tube" -- below the tube/walkway is a natural, often times dry, creek.  The king-sized tube carries canal water from one side of the hill to the other.

Another front yard 💗

And, finally, the lovely Maple tree in our side yard.  Last week, no color.  This week?  Wowzers!  Think we got wet?  Nope, we made it home before the rains came -- sure enough, drops appeared almost on the dot of 1pm.  (Alfred) Joyce Kilmer wrote the lyric poem, "Trees," over 100 years ago, in 1913.

A biking get-away, early November

 

I've said this before, but I'll say it again: Autumn is my favorite season.  I dearly love the fall colors, crisp days, chilly nights, falling leaves, and the occasional rain.  I can work in the yard without breaking into sweat, and raking leaves to me is a zen moment.  Jimmy, on the other hand, favors summer, perhaps because he grew up in the deep south where every hot/humid summer lasts roughly six or eight years (IMO)!  Nevertheless, we are both in awe of our colorful community, which is ablaze with breathtaking reds and oranges and yellows.  Plus, with cooler days, we can get Out and About and enjoy outdoor activities comfortably. 

This Pink Dogwood is the first tree in our yard to turn.

The next photos are a combination of three different bike outings along the American River.  The first was a day trip from home, in fine weather under a cotton ball sky, below. 

Of course the girls were out.

As well as a BIG fella!

Is he in jail?

Datura and Evening Primrose were the only two flowers we saw.

From start to finish the American River bike trail (aka Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail) is 32 miles one way, from Folsom to Old Sacramento, in sight of the American River much of the time.  You see, above, why we like to pedal here -- not only is it relatively flat, it's flat-out gorgeous.

The ride was so enjoyable, we decided to return, this time "camping" in Tergel for two nights at Cal-Expo's RV park.  Cal-Expo, in Sacramento, is a bit over 60 miles downhill from our house ... and it's adjacent to the American River bike trail.  No rain was predicted, but big winds appeared in the forecast after I'd made the reservation.  No matter, we can still ride in windy weather.

They weren't kidding!  We arrived Tuesday Noon, Nov 5th, and took off on the bikes shortly thereafter -- in REALLY strong winds.  Cold North winds.  (Added more layers.)  At least the sun was shining, which made us feel warmer.  Actually, it was when we were in the open and not shielded by trees, that the wind tried to push us over, but, you know we did all right.

We encountered a number of "trail closed" signs due to trail/bridge construction, with detours taking us around and about, which is just more adventure to us!  At the Discovery Park area, we spied a lone boat moored near the shore.  While the river appears placid here, the reality was: white caps in the water!

Crossing the river on "The Green Bridge."

Sacramento's Tower Bridge.  We didn't ride across it today, though we have in the past.  We continued on beyond Old Sac to the marina and Miller Regional Park, to a cul-de-sac marking trail's end.

A group of ladies was sashaying across a city street, till they got honked at.  They didn't exactly run away, but they did ease toward the curb.  Dang things are everywhere.  Her feathers gleam in the sun.

Made it back to Cal-Expo!  This was Wednesday, the 6th, and only slightly less windy than Tuesday.  We were off the trail at this point and checking out Bushy Lake via a narrow smushed entry through tangled dense foliage.  Another nice quality of the river trail is all the offshoots you can access.

Not much to Bushy Lake.

Harumph.  When Jimmy unchained the bikes Thursday morning for one last bike ride, my front tire was flat.  Well, the heck with it, no riding today.  Instead, we each grabbed a bag and walked a mile to where we'd seen a super abundance of walnuts on the ground.  Like the Oaks, these Walnut trees seem to be having a mast year!  I weighed the combined nuts and we picked up 6 lbs of unshelled walnuts.  Hopefully most will be good.  I'll get out the nutcracker soon and check 'em out.

BTW, Thursday dawned clear and calm, no wind -- haha.  We packed up the little we took and made for home, arriving late afternoon (after shopping).  Altogether, we put 55 miles on our bikes, not earth-shattering, but we sure had a good time pedaling the trail.  These short getaways are The Best.