Home Sweet Home 3/24/25

We've been home a week now and are finally caught-up, up-to-date, and -- me particularly -- no longer feeling brain dead!  Hallelujah, snow that fell before we flew from Hawaii had melted, but NorCal's chill temps hit us hard.  This close to the end of March means icy winter is on the wane and spring will be fully upon us soon (we hope).  At least there isn't a foot of snow on the ground!

Our two-week visit to Maui was so extra-special and, again, thanks to Diane and Tom for inviting us to join them.  We had great fun in the evenings playing the card game called Hand and Foot, or Mexican Train Dominoes, and even threw in Yahtzee one night.  They brought the required six decks of cards, and we brought the four pounds of dominoes (plus weightless Yahtzee).  Shall I mention that girls beat the guys in cards over and over?  Dominoes had no overall winner.

I had to include these last (full) day gorgeous cloudscape photos, taken from our lanai.  We saw lots of different level clouds this day, including some truly billowing tropical "pillows."  Each moment brought a new view in the everchanging sky, dramatic and spellbinding.   

And this warm, saltwater pool.  Every day I swam.  Jimmy joined me sometimes, and we stood at the far end resting our elbows on the infinity ledge looking at breaching whales or watching golfers below us.  They were good for some belly laughs, whacking their ball from one sand trap to another or far into the bougainvillea!

I wanted to pay homage to Diane's son, Jordan, who cooked an "Australian" dinner for us Saturday night -- leg of lamb with potatoes and veggies, and a traditional Lamington Cake, above.  All of this was for the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix, which aired while we ate, and his fav driver won.  Sensational cake!  

The sunset!  Brilliant and stunning.  You can see rain showers over the ocean to the right and left, but -- lucky us -- no rain fell on us during our entire two weeks.

Back home today, the blazing, exotic red flower is a wide-open Tulip on our back deck!  My Forsythia is covered in cheerful yellow flowers, a real harbinger of spring.  The pink Hibiscus and the white Giant Bird of Paradise are two of Maui's best.

Last November, Jimmy and I spent two days camped at Cal-expo in Sacramento, adjacent to the American River bike trail.  On our final morning, we picked six pounds of walnuts laying on the ground alongside the trail (click here to read).  Black, hard-shelled walnuts that we stored in a bag in Jimmy's shop.  I was reminded of them a couple of days ago when I saw a squirrel scooting out of the shop with a walnut in its jaws!  Impetus to crack each one in a vice and pick out the nutmeats.  Wow, we gleaned over two cups of walnuts.

Somebody had a birthday while we were on Maui -- Everly Rose turned eight on March 15th!  We had a little birthday celebration yesterday (Sunday, the 23rd), with cake and presents.  Matt said, "smile," and so you see that silly grin!  As soon as presents were opened and cake eaten, she moved on to Easter.  But it's too early for Easter, I groaned.  Nope, I was mistaken.  She and I went to TJ Maxx, and you see Easter goodies below.

You have to agree that Jimmy and I are pretty good sports, wearing our ears with aplomb.  We had a grand time; it was a lovely warm and sunny day.  Happy birthday, sweet girl.

One more thing:  Everyone we see wants to know when our next trip is!  Gee, I wonder why?

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 ....

Bye-bye summer of 2024

Hello, October!  I'm always happy to mark September's autumnal equinox, because to me that means summer's hot-hot-hot temps will peter out, and autumn's cooler temps will move in.  That being said, while this happens every year around September 22nd, an automatic cool down ain't necessarily in the cards.  October days can be blisteringly hot (like today), but the good news is -- they won't last!  The transformation from shorts and sweaty tee's to cozy sweaters and comfy tights has begun.  Be patient.  It will come.

Meantime, life continues and so do we, going and doing despite the heat, Out and About walking our Cascade Canal trail often, usually early morning.  We're fortunate that we can access it easily.

We have several options for distance and routes.  On this day we took the longer route from Banner Mountain Trail to Red Dog Road and back, roughly five-and-a-half miles R/T.  Usually we keep a brisk pace, but sometimes were slower, walk'n and talk'n.  Water in the canal, at left, is scanty these days, yet we always see small fishies.  This is such a peaceful place to stretch the legs, green and pretty, never mind the dusty path.

People walk with their dogs on the canal trail.  Dogs, like the dude above with the giant stick, are so danged hilarious.  We see these entertaining mutts frequently!

On this track, we stop at the huge Sugar Pine and give its bark a friendly pat.  Glad to see it's still reigning supreme over the canal.  We found one (recently dropped) pine cone, and, Look Out, Below, you wouldn't want to be under the tree when this thing fell!

* * * * *

The day before, my cousin, Judy, came to visit -- her first time driving to see us (we've been trying to get together for several years).  She now lives in Davis, CA, a short hop from Sacramento.

We took her to lunch at Creekside Cafe (formerly Lefty's Grill) and enjoyed sitting outside in the shade overlooking cool Deer Creek ... and catching up on each other's lives.

After lunch, we rambled through Nevada City's historic downtown district, peeking in various shops and relishing our afternoon together.  Thanks for coming to see us, Judy.  Our turn, next!

I've done some canning this summer:  Tomatoes, marinara sauce, peaches, pears, and grape jelly.  The shelves don't look as laden as they have in past years; that's okay, we're grateful for what we have.

* * * * *

This young miss started school on August 15th, so we're not seeing her as often as we did before school started.  Hard to believe our granddaughter, Evie, is in the 2nd grade!  The above pic was taken last week at her house, and she was telling me an involved story about pandas.  Love you, Evie!

* * * * *

Every year, Nevada City celebrates Constitution Day with festivities, including a parade down Broad Street.  Jimmy and I were there early (to get a parking space) and milled around till parade time.  As usual we forgot our camp chairs, but our friend at The Nature Store came to our rescue with two chairs.  Otherwise that curb gets kinda hard on the heinie!

This year the parade was on Sunday, the 15th, an absolutely stellar day, coolish even.  Wispy clouds embellished the clear, blue sky, as much a draw as the patriotic flags decorating the lamp posts.

The signing of the Constitution reenactment comes before the parade.  It wasn't easy to squeeze in to take a picture or two, but you get the idea.  I think this is great for children, as well as adults who forget what the Constitution was for.

After each man signs his name to the document, he retires to a seat opposite.  Here are all the signers of our Constitution, above.  Recognize each one?  (I see Ben Franklin)

What's a parade without the equine contingent?

Followed by the "honey bucket" crew!

(they always draw applause)

Plus, the ever-popular Ben-Ali Shriners Cibara Motor Corps (jitneys), with their signature Fez hats, zipping up/down/all 'round the street!  Marching bands and old timey fire trucks and floats = fun time in Nevada City.

Jimmy grabbed the camera for a Nickie photo-op.

It appears I have a dog, too!

This is always the best.

The crowd loves to clap and boo and wave at their favorites.

Like JFK with Jackie, and (oh?) Marilyn Monroe.

These two!

And, finally, here I am, post parade, with Tricky Dicky:

"I am not a crook!"

We had a brief thunderstorm in mid-September,

that gave us a very fine rainbow. 

Friends keep asking us, "When's your next trip?" Or, "Where to, next?"  We don't have anything concrete planned for 2025, but we're looking at potential boat-bike trips across the pond.  We hope to take the RV either up or down the coast sometime this month.  Maybe a bathroom remodel, too.  Maybe.  It's been a long, hot summer.  We're looking forward to fall, with its gifts of spectacular color, crisp mornings, and unlimited potential.