19 Jul You’re my home…
Come October 2018, Dave and I will celebrate 33 years of marriage and 37 and 1/2 years of being a couple. Our wedding song, “You’re my home”, courtesy of Billy Joel, seems more apropos than ever. In case this one is obscure, the lyrics are:
“When you look into my eyes
And you see the crazy gypsy in my soul
It always comes as a surprise
When I feel my withered roots begin to grow
Well I never had a place
That I could call my very own
But that’s all right my love
‘Cause you’re my home
When you touch my weary head
And you tell me everything will be all right
You say use my body for your bed
And my love will keep you warm throughout the night
Well I’ll never be a stranger
And I’ll never be alone
Wherever we’re together
That’s my home
Home could be the Pennsylvania turnpike
Indiana’s early morning dew
High up in the hills of California
Home is just another word for you
Well I never had a place that I could call my very own
But that’s all right my love ’cause you’re my home
If I travel all my life
And I never get stop and settle down
Long as I have you by my side
There’s a roof above and good walls all around
You’re my castle, you’re my cabin
And my instant pleasure dome
I need you in my house
‘Cause you’re my home
You’re my home”
I can recall hearing this come on either the radio or my playlist and in that moment, I was always transported back to the day we choose each other for the long haul. Now, given this journey we have chosen to take, and all the experiences that have played out during our travels, this song continues to remind me that even though we have picked up and left our domicile of so very many years, home truly is where we are together.
Home anywhere felt even more real for me as we got to spend so quality time with our daughter and son in law and family.
So Christopher Robin was safely tucked in his spot at the storage facility. Now we needed to find a spot for Clifford. Big red trucks and city parking don’t mesh well. Matt, the son we never had, stepped up to the plate, and made arrangements for us to leave our vehicle at his place of employment. Was wonderful to also tour where Matt works, Sila Nanotechnologies. Totally above my pay grade to understand what he does for a living. But its really impressive :).
Another first for me. Getting a haircut from anyone other than my dear friend Barbara, who has been taming this head of hair since I was sixteen. It was time and she was 3000 miles away. Other than being a little concerned about a possible mullet style haircut that this sweet hairdresser in Oakland CA showed me on her phone, all turned out just fine.
For me the time we stayed in Oakland and near San Francisco, was about being with family. Sightseeing wasn’t high on the agenda. We so enjoyed connecting with Dave’s brother Joe, and our sister-in-law Karen in San Francisco for a wonderful meal at Tadich Grill, the oldest restaurant in the city, opened in 1849. Believed to be the 3rd oldest continuously run restaurant in America. Not Abad title to hold on to.
We had a good time walking around Oakland, eating some awesome food, great coffee, great breweries and hanging with Sara at a fun Tiki Bar in her neighborhood. We did get to check off a national thing. Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park (https://www.nps.gov/rori/learn/historyculture/index.htm ) isn’t far from Oakland. These smaller, less visited national treasures have become fan favorites for Dave and I. The facts we have learned are awesome and the crowds are typically small. A win win in my mind. I do believe this day ranked in the top ten for Dave, as we hit two breweries this fine day. Cherry on top was the perfumery that we both like having an half price sale on what turned out to be its very last day of business. This It’s Not Abad Day montra is real people!
I am all about people. Was wonderful to connect with an old friend Susanne Lynch in Alameda CA. We laughed a lot while we reminisced about life thirty plus years earlier, when we would spend time out at Montauk LI with the Bowen clan, or our annual Christmas Tree extravaganza that started with breakfast early in the am and ended with a most wonderful dinner late that night. These memories are truly priceless to us. Reliving them with Suzy was good food for the soul.
Joe and Karen were so gracious in sharing tickets to the San Francisco Giants vs Washington Nationals baseball game playing at AT&T Park while we were visiting. Dave and I aren’t big baseball fans, but we had so much fun this night with Sara, Matt, Joe and Karen. The seats were great. The brats were great. The glitch in this experience was the $14.50 charge for a beer to enjoy while the game played. Dave said NO! Can’t do it. Even though water was our drink of choice at the game, we had a blast! My question to ponder is this. The cost of food and drink at these sports stadiums is unbelievable. How is it that there are so many tipsy folk wandering about? Hmmmm.
As we got close to leaving Oakland to head north towards Portland OR, by way of Joe and Karen’s get away house near Mt. Shasta CA, we last minute changed our itinerary and decided against going all the way to Portland.
On our 77th day of travel, we said goodbye to the kids, and drove north, still without Christopher Robin, to soak in some mountain air about 5 hours north of the city. This place is a slice of heaven on earth. Their home has a spectacular view of Mount Shasta, a potentially active volcano that sits an elevation of 14,179 feet, the fifth highest peak in the state of California. The headwaters of the Sacramento River begin in Shasta. The water is so pure, that people will fill whatever bottles, big or small, despite the signage reminding you that this water isn’t tested. Good stuff!
We were also introduced to disc golf by Joe, who in my mind is good enough for some amateur circuit somewhere. We are certainly not good, but it was enjoyable to the point that Dave wants us to buy our own discs and play back home in DE. OK, I’m in. Just don’t keep score of any kind and I will be happy.
Hiking was a challenge as the ranger at the station in town told us most trails were still covered in snow. Walking around Lake Siskiyou was our only close option that didn’t require snow gear to explore. It was beautiful none the less. We visited the local towns of Weed, McCloud, and Dunsmuir.
Mixed in the time here was staying put as well. Soaking in the natural beauty of this place, eating good home cooked meals, and watching old movies. It felt good to just “be” at this moment in time, after many days of driving and picking up at different camping spots.
Dave did take off for a solo drive at one point to a place called Bunny Flats. Funny thing was he got a bit lost and ended up on a rather isolated road. As he was traveling, he saw very tall human dressed head to toe in black. As soon as this person heard the truck, he stepped over into the woods and was out of sight. It may have been Sacathcawatch. Not sure we will really ever know. Dave told me at this point, he turned Clifford around. Fast 🙂
The day before we left Mt. Shasta we took a drive to Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. About a two hour drive from where we were. Native Americans witnessed its formation 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a tall peak. Scientists marvel at its purity: fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and perhaps the most pristine on earth. Its blue water and stunning setting atop the Cascade Mountain Range, left me with inadequate words for the vista’s we saw. Since there was still an abundance of snow in the park, there was limited access to much of this treasure we were able to drive around. It didn’t matter. What we could see took our breath away. Wanna know how much snow? We sat inside the lodge at one point, on the second floor, and the snow was up to that window we were gazing out of. Now that’s a lot of snow. Big shout out to my sis-in-law Karen, for keeping snow clothing and boots at the house for me to “borrow”. When we get you east for a visit, I’ll make sure there is beachwear at your disposal, should you require it.
On our way back to the house, we were so “surprised” to find the Klamath Basin Brewing Company to sit and enjoy some lunch and beer and time to reflect on how glorious the day had been. I suspect I was more surprised than Dave. Just sayin.
So our changed plans, not to head to Portland, was going to give us the opportunity to spend some more time with Sara. I’ll take it! The next day we went south……
For Us, It’s Not Abad Day 🙂
*couldn’t caption photos for some otherworld reason so:
- a much appreciated pedicure
- a formal Sila Nanotechnologies album cover
- dinner from our favorite area place, Burma Superstar
- brothers
- tiki bar fun
- joe, karen and us
- rosie the riveter musuem
- susanne lynch and us
- play ball
- mt. shasta
- crater lake
- beer