Due to the fact we never had a lot of money, my Mother would make it a point of taking all of us camping. She would work at tents and food and all to make our trip a good one. We would go up on the Oregon Creek past Grass Valley at North San Juan to camp most years. It was a beautiful place with swimming holes and friendly people and a small stream that that opened into a wide sandy bottomed swimming hole under the over pass for the raod. There was a covered bridge into the campground that some used to sit in the rafters with water balloons waiting for the cars to come through.
I loved that place. My Uncle Pont and Aunt Norma would come with my cousins sometimes, or we would invite other friends to come along. We would swim all day and eat food cooked on an open fire. Smores, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried potatoes with onions, and eggs in the morning with bacon sizzling in an iron skillet. Makes my mouth water. We would drink the water from the creek after boiling it and get the meat from Babe's market in town. ,
We also made alot of summer friends both the locals and the ones staying in the campground. It was the place of my first innocent summer romance. His name was Bill Butterworth and he worked at the lumbermill that summer. He had come on the weekend with some friends to swim at the falls, They were about a half mile up stream from the campground. I was 15 and it was the first year I was allowed to go there. I had met other kids my age and we were all there swimming and having a great time. He and his friends pulled up in an old yellow pick up truck and they noticed us and the flirting began. It was so fun to talk to someone who knew the area, and Bill could track and had lived there all his life. He knew all the back woods areas and offered to show us the local spring to get water, and all the places to go to swim and hike. He was going to go to college in another year to be a Park Ranger and was into conservation. He loved the wilderness and was a bit shy until he talked about it. We were two peas in a pod.
That day he drove us back to camp and stopped to meet my parents. He talked with them for a while then asked if he could take me to the falls the next day after he got back from church. My parents said yes and we then spent the rest of the week hiking and swimming every free minute he had. With the back drop of the Sierra foothills, the clean air, the cold clear water, and at night no lights to blur the millions of stars, we had a picture postcard week. It was hot during the day, and cooled off in the late afternoon. The summer breeze would come up about 4 o'clock and it was like your skin was being wrapped in a blanket of warmth. It felt so good if you had been swimming in the icy cold water that flowed down from the higher elevations. We would have dinner and sit around the open campfire roasting marshmallows and then stretch out and watch the stars move through the night sky picking out the constellations and one of us usually knew the legends behind them.
The day before I was to go home he took me to a place he called Blue Hole which was a couple of miles down stream that we floated to on inner tubes. It was off of a fire trail, and down a gully but it was so beautiful. It had a small waterfall that fed into it and a deep pool that had two big boulders in the middle that were flat on top so you could lay on top and sun bathe and a small sandy beach on the far side. It was peaceful and not a sound but birds and the water. We pulled the innertubes onto the beach and swam and sunned and played there most of the afternoon. Then we started to walk back to camp. Bill and I were both feeling a bit sad that the week was over and I was going home, but he finally got the nerve to kiss me (not my first kiss but certainly one of the sweetest) and hold my hand walking back. It was a perfect day so we walked slowly in the heat not talking much. We even passed up a ride home so we could draw it out a little longer. We got back to camp and took a last swim in the stream and then he was gone with promises to keep in touch. Neither of us did.
It was years before I ever went back there. I just didn't want that perfect week to be altered in any way so I didn't go back with my parents ever again. It will always remain a week of perfect summer fun in my mind. I think we probably all have a summer vacation that was just that good that you never want to spoil the memory of it? It will remain untouched always in my memory as such an innocent and perfect moment in time that you can't recreate. Like a rainbow or sunset that you come across unexpectedly.You just have to take it as it comes, not run for the camera, not wish that it could be more than it is, just be one with it and be thankful that you are there to have had that moment. Right then, it was yours, all yours, and know that in your minds eye it will always be there for you. After all, that is what made it so perfect and special.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Weather when traveling
Although I have never been farther away than Hawaii or Mexico, I have had some interesting weather related adventures while traveling.
While living in Laughlin I flew into Las Vegas coming back from Oakland from visiting family to find that we had to circle McCarren airport for half an hour as a thunderstorm was raging below us. Then we had to wait while they basically squeeged the runway so we could land. It was an experience I will never forget to get a birdseye view of Las Vegas as we circled round and round watching the clouds hover over the south end of the strip and airport. It left me to deal with flash floods on the way home for 90 miles and rerouting through some interesting areas that I would never ever have seen of Nevada, Arizona and California to get back home that day. I learned where the high ground was at Searchlight, Nevada was and found my car could do more than 90 mph across the low flat part where I was trying to stay out ot the way of any flash flooding.
Then there was driving back from Tahoe when a freak snow storm hit the night before we left. I was with a group of women from work in my girlfriends mother's Lincoln and no one had ever driven in the snow. The carburator froze up twice, (once in the middle of highway 50 in downtown South Lake Tahoe while it was snowing) and once as we were leaving the next day. I lied and said I could drive in the snow because they all looked so scared and tired as we had not gotten much sleep the night before. They had closed Highway 50 the night before, we didn't have chains and we all needed and wanted to go home. We were broke, hung over, really, really grumpy and none of us wanted to spend another minute in each others company. It was not a fun 4 hour drive home. But it makes a good story now! My friend Beth found a phone booth (pre-cell phones guys!) to call AAA when the car died the second time while we were leaving Tahoe. We were trying to get over the "hill" as they call the beautiful Sierra's and there was a phonebooth but it was full of snow. Poor Beth climbed in up to her butt in snow to make the call. I stayed with the car and a nice man came by and got it started. I looked like a getaway driver when I careened around the corner to pick her up and keep the car running so we couOld get out of there. We fishtailed through the snow there and back on the salted and well ploughed Hiway 50 and I prayed all the way to Placerville where we stopped to eat get coffee. (Tea for me even back then.) What an experience that was!
Cal and I also were leaving Tahoe and taking the back way to see his Mom up in Arnold so we had decided to take Highway 4 across. It was October I think and there hadn't been much weather anywhere so he was going to show me the lovely eastern side of the Sierras. We got caught in a snow storm at night on this little two lane road over the mountains. They close it when it snows, and all I kept thinking is they would find us in the spring frozen to the car. Cal kept telling me it was fine, we didn't have chains but we didn't need them. I was so scared because I couldn't see in front of us or either side of us. When we got to his Mom's he was telling her how bad it was. I wanted to shoot him!!!! Then when I did get to drive it in the Summer, I have to tell you I was even more elated that we had made it at all! The road was even smaller than I thought, barely wide enough for two cars to pass, and the drop off on my side was straight down into nothing but more trees. It is a road I love in the summer but never any other time.
The last adventure that I had was one of the earliest. My girlfriend Anne and I had gone down to housesit for her grandmother in Pasadena while we were on spring break one year in college. She had just lost her husband in an accident about a year prior to this so we had planned to go to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm and do all the tourist things to have a good time. We went to the Ice House and saw some comedians that went on to become very big and hit some clubs while we were there. She had purchased a new super Beetle VW. It was beauty! On the way home, we were coming to the grapevine and we heard there had been snow but that it was still open. Anne was beginning to freak out as she couldn't drive in snow. I told her we could do this, they weren't requiring chains yet so we would be fine, just needed to go slow. She was still nervous, so I drove. We did fine going up. On the way down a 18 wheeler, lost control and started going down sideways. We had left plenty of room between us so I started doing what any smart person would do...I started to brake so I would slow down and stop. The ice decided we were going to go around like a top. Everyone else had pulled off to the shoulder so there was no one to hit, so we kept spinning around and the truck was like a wall coming at us. All we could do is sit there and swear! At least that's what I was doing. Anne hid her face in her hands and kept mumbling about her car. The car slowed enough that the only dent was in the hood where it kissed the underside of the box on the 18 wheeler. The nose cozyed right up under it and put that small dent in and stopped us. Didn't hurt anything else and we were fine. The trucker was fine, and police showed up minutes later and helped unwedge us from the truck and we were able to go on our way. As soon as we got to the next town we went and had a drink. I think we both shook for an hour after we got out of the snow. But then we had a good laugh and another good story to tell.. Hey, maybe I can drive in the snow!
Most of these people I have lost track of as it was so long ago, but these things, well, they make up the fabric of my life. Without them I would have had a lot of empty space. I hope you all have lots of stories of friends and places. How about sharing them?
While living in Laughlin I flew into Las Vegas coming back from Oakland from visiting family to find that we had to circle McCarren airport for half an hour as a thunderstorm was raging below us. Then we had to wait while they basically squeeged the runway so we could land. It was an experience I will never forget to get a birdseye view of Las Vegas as we circled round and round watching the clouds hover over the south end of the strip and airport. It left me to deal with flash floods on the way home for 90 miles and rerouting through some interesting areas that I would never ever have seen of Nevada, Arizona and California to get back home that day. I learned where the high ground was at Searchlight, Nevada was and found my car could do more than 90 mph across the low flat part where I was trying to stay out ot the way of any flash flooding.
Then there was driving back from Tahoe when a freak snow storm hit the night before we left. I was with a group of women from work in my girlfriends mother's Lincoln and no one had ever driven in the snow. The carburator froze up twice, (once in the middle of highway 50 in downtown South Lake Tahoe while it was snowing) and once as we were leaving the next day. I lied and said I could drive in the snow because they all looked so scared and tired as we had not gotten much sleep the night before. They had closed Highway 50 the night before, we didn't have chains and we all needed and wanted to go home. We were broke, hung over, really, really grumpy and none of us wanted to spend another minute in each others company. It was not a fun 4 hour drive home. But it makes a good story now! My friend Beth found a phone booth (pre-cell phones guys!) to call AAA when the car died the second time while we were leaving Tahoe. We were trying to get over the "hill" as they call the beautiful Sierra's and there was a phonebooth but it was full of snow. Poor Beth climbed in up to her butt in snow to make the call. I stayed with the car and a nice man came by and got it started. I looked like a getaway driver when I careened around the corner to pick her up and keep the car running so we couOld get out of there. We fishtailed through the snow there and back on the salted and well ploughed Hiway 50 and I prayed all the way to Placerville where we stopped to eat get coffee. (Tea for me even back then.) What an experience that was!
Cal and I also were leaving Tahoe and taking the back way to see his Mom up in Arnold so we had decided to take Highway 4 across. It was October I think and there hadn't been much weather anywhere so he was going to show me the lovely eastern side of the Sierras. We got caught in a snow storm at night on this little two lane road over the mountains. They close it when it snows, and all I kept thinking is they would find us in the spring frozen to the car. Cal kept telling me it was fine, we didn't have chains but we didn't need them. I was so scared because I couldn't see in front of us or either side of us. When we got to his Mom's he was telling her how bad it was. I wanted to shoot him!!!! Then when I did get to drive it in the Summer, I have to tell you I was even more elated that we had made it at all! The road was even smaller than I thought, barely wide enough for two cars to pass, and the drop off on my side was straight down into nothing but more trees. It is a road I love in the summer but never any other time.
The last adventure that I had was one of the earliest. My girlfriend Anne and I had gone down to housesit for her grandmother in Pasadena while we were on spring break one year in college. She had just lost her husband in an accident about a year prior to this so we had planned to go to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm and do all the tourist things to have a good time. We went to the Ice House and saw some comedians that went on to become very big and hit some clubs while we were there. She had purchased a new super Beetle VW. It was beauty! On the way home, we were coming to the grapevine and we heard there had been snow but that it was still open. Anne was beginning to freak out as she couldn't drive in snow. I told her we could do this, they weren't requiring chains yet so we would be fine, just needed to go slow. She was still nervous, so I drove. We did fine going up. On the way down a 18 wheeler, lost control and started going down sideways. We had left plenty of room between us so I started doing what any smart person would do...I started to brake so I would slow down and stop. The ice decided we were going to go around like a top. Everyone else had pulled off to the shoulder so there was no one to hit, so we kept spinning around and the truck was like a wall coming at us. All we could do is sit there and swear! At least that's what I was doing. Anne hid her face in her hands and kept mumbling about her car. The car slowed enough that the only dent was in the hood where it kissed the underside of the box on the 18 wheeler. The nose cozyed right up under it and put that small dent in and stopped us. Didn't hurt anything else and we were fine. The trucker was fine, and police showed up minutes later and helped unwedge us from the truck and we were able to go on our way. As soon as we got to the next town we went and had a drink. I think we both shook for an hour after we got out of the snow. But then we had a good laugh and another good story to tell.. Hey, maybe I can drive in the snow!
Most of these people I have lost track of as it was so long ago, but these things, well, they make up the fabric of my life. Without them I would have had a lot of empty space. I hope you all have lots of stories of friends and places. How about sharing them?
Monday, October 25, 2010
Thunderstorms!!!!!!
Last night I sat in my living room and watched the awsome power of Mother Nature. We had a storm come in that had gusts of 65 to 75mph and what I hadden't expected was the thunder and lightening that lit up the sky. When Cal and I moved to Laughlin we were looking forward to the Monsoon season (July to September) where the big thunderheads would move across the vast expanse of the desert we lived in and from our porch we could sit and watch the storm hit the small line of jagged peaks. The lightening would bounce all over and it was like being in the middle of a 1960's light show. We would open a bottle of wine and sit out there watching for hours until it was upon us. The rain would pound down and rage for a while then just a quickly as it came it would be gone. It would be soaked into the sand and a couple of hours later you would hardly notice that there had been any storm at all.
Here at the ocean, it is more wild. The waves are huge! I can see them crashing and building up farther out in the changing gray of the sea. The rain sounds angry and then the lightening was all around us at once. I am surprised with all the wind we had we didn't lose power. I watched the power lines outside swinging as if they were a jump rope. All my windchimes were working overtime and this morning I took most of them down as we have another one coming through tonight. Best safe than sorry I guess. We had snow in the mountains and it will be beautiful if I go out and look. I pity anyone that had to be out in it last night, but it was beautiful to watch from the safety of my home.
Cal and I have traveled through a few storms in our travels, and I will write about those in the coming days now that I have remembered them. But we were in the southwest in Mesa Verde with his sister Patty. Driving out to one of the sites there. It had already been a great trip with Patty. The road was on the top of a mesa, and it was a straight stretch of road when we saw the clouds gathering. Then at the end of the road where we were headed, a big bolt of lightening struck a tree right in front of us. We were all three dumbfounded. Cal pulled over,and we were deciding to turn around when we saw the smoke begin. Then came the ranger telling us to evacuate and go to the visitors center for instructions. Well they were so prepared for these types of fall storms they had it out in an hour but it was very scary for us. That was an amazing moment for us all and we had a great story to tell everyone at the Visitor's Center later. But I was awe struck at the raw power and yet amazed at the beauty of Mother Nature. She sure knows how to put on a show. I for one sure like to watch...from a comfortable distance and inside...I admit, I am not going to chase storms. But I do love the pictures of those that do.
Enjoy the winter. I think it just arrived.
Here at the ocean, it is more wild. The waves are huge! I can see them crashing and building up farther out in the changing gray of the sea. The rain sounds angry and then the lightening was all around us at once. I am surprised with all the wind we had we didn't lose power. I watched the power lines outside swinging as if they were a jump rope. All my windchimes were working overtime and this morning I took most of them down as we have another one coming through tonight. Best safe than sorry I guess. We had snow in the mountains and it will be beautiful if I go out and look. I pity anyone that had to be out in it last night, but it was beautiful to watch from the safety of my home.
Cal and I have traveled through a few storms in our travels, and I will write about those in the coming days now that I have remembered them. But we were in the southwest in Mesa Verde with his sister Patty. Driving out to one of the sites there. It had already been a great trip with Patty. The road was on the top of a mesa, and it was a straight stretch of road when we saw the clouds gathering. Then at the end of the road where we were headed, a big bolt of lightening struck a tree right in front of us. We were all three dumbfounded. Cal pulled over,and we were deciding to turn around when we saw the smoke begin. Then came the ranger telling us to evacuate and go to the visitors center for instructions. Well they were so prepared for these types of fall storms they had it out in an hour but it was very scary for us. That was an amazing moment for us all and we had a great story to tell everyone at the Visitor's Center later. But I was awe struck at the raw power and yet amazed at the beauty of Mother Nature. She sure knows how to put on a show. I for one sure like to watch...from a comfortable distance and inside...I admit, I am not going to chase storms. But I do love the pictures of those that do.
Enjoy the winter. I think it just arrived.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Growing up camping
My Mother used to take us camping every summer as we didn't have the money to go on other types of vacations. It was either visit relatives or camping is all I remember. But our camping was in the Sierras up near Grass Valley and I loved it. There was swimming and laying in the sun, hiking and when I got into high school there were boys. The summer that I started high school I had my first summer crush. We went camping at the Oregon Creek campground and I had met some girls my age or a couple of years older and we were swimming and hiking and it was the first year I was allowed to go to the "falls" which was about a half mile from camp up sttream. It was a place where all the kids hung out to get away and the local kids were always there. I was very shy back then (no, really!) and more into nature than anything else, but I wanted to go. So we hiked up and spent the afternoon there. It was a glorious day of hot sun, cold clear water and fun. I am not a great swimmer (that would come the next summer when I learned to surf) and so I was not diving off the rocks. Some local boys showed up in a bright yellow pickup truck.
There were four of them. But one set himself apart as a 6'2" giant with huge feet and a big grin. His name was Bill Billington. He worked at the lumbermill that was the biggest business there. He was a senior at the high school and going off to college in a year. Played foot ball and was very shy himself. He kept smiling as he cavorted with his friends in the water, but eventually his friends made their way to meet my new friends. We all hit it off and Bill and I found we loved nature and he offered to show me some of the local spots. The drove us back that afternoon and he met my Mom and explained that he would like to take us all to Blue hole swimming and then for a hike. The rest of the week we would meet there in the campground after he got off work at 3 and go for walks to the natural spring, to a meadow where we watched for wildlife, seeing deer, a fox, and a bear foraging. And then to Blue Hole for swimming. A wide space that was deep and dark and cold but calm and sandy on the bottom with a beach. A little hard to find but close to a fire road so we had no problem getting to it.
I had stars in my eyes and he was able to talk to a girl for the first time. I didn't know it at the time but he had always had problems talking to girls. He found it easy because he loved the outdoors and most girls didn't. He talked of wanting to be a forest ranger, and going to college to be one. He wanted to go to all the National Parks and we talked of the ones I had seen and the ones we both wanted to. It was an innocent summer romance ending with a few kisses. But he opened my eyes to the natural beauty that lay at my feet there just outside of the campground. I found that if I stopped to look I would find the most amazing things very close to me. He taught me that in just the 10 days I knew him.
I cried so much when I had to leave, with promises to write. We never did. But he left a piece of himself with me in sharing that love of his surroundings. I began to read books by people like John Muir then. And I guess that is when I became an advocate for saving the planet. And when you explore I try only to leave my footprints.
So, now when I travel, I have to thank Bill Billington for leaving that impression on a 15 year old girl. I hope that he became a park ranger, as I think he would have inspired many kids to protect the nartural beauty around them, if nothing else show them how to appreciate it.
There were four of them. But one set himself apart as a 6'2" giant with huge feet and a big grin. His name was Bill Billington. He worked at the lumbermill that was the biggest business there. He was a senior at the high school and going off to college in a year. Played foot ball and was very shy himself. He kept smiling as he cavorted with his friends in the water, but eventually his friends made their way to meet my new friends. We all hit it off and Bill and I found we loved nature and he offered to show me some of the local spots. The drove us back that afternoon and he met my Mom and explained that he would like to take us all to Blue hole swimming and then for a hike. The rest of the week we would meet there in the campground after he got off work at 3 and go for walks to the natural spring, to a meadow where we watched for wildlife, seeing deer, a fox, and a bear foraging. And then to Blue Hole for swimming. A wide space that was deep and dark and cold but calm and sandy on the bottom with a beach. A little hard to find but close to a fire road so we had no problem getting to it.
I had stars in my eyes and he was able to talk to a girl for the first time. I didn't know it at the time but he had always had problems talking to girls. He found it easy because he loved the outdoors and most girls didn't. He talked of wanting to be a forest ranger, and going to college to be one. He wanted to go to all the National Parks and we talked of the ones I had seen and the ones we both wanted to. It was an innocent summer romance ending with a few kisses. But he opened my eyes to the natural beauty that lay at my feet there just outside of the campground. I found that if I stopped to look I would find the most amazing things very close to me. He taught me that in just the 10 days I knew him.
I cried so much when I had to leave, with promises to write. We never did. But he left a piece of himself with me in sharing that love of his surroundings. I began to read books by people like John Muir then. And I guess that is when I became an advocate for saving the planet. And when you explore I try only to leave my footprints.
So, now when I travel, I have to thank Bill Billington for leaving that impression on a 15 year old girl. I hope that he became a park ranger, as I think he would have inspired many kids to protect the nartural beauty around them, if nothing else show them how to appreciate it.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Home again, home again, jiggedy jig...........
I drove a total of just over 2000 miles these last few days and I have to tell you coming home felt good. I loved the drive from Paso Robles to Lincoln City. Those of you that have not made the drive on 101 should take the time to do it. It has some beautiful spots. Not only do you go through San Francisco and Golden Gate Park, but you wind through the Coastal Redwoods of both Mendocino and Sonoma. You pass the vineyards of Windsor, Healdsberg, Geyserville, and Hopland and then into the mountains where the air is clean and fresh and the trees are green and dark.
When you begin to see the Redwoods they look like the rest at first and then the road tightens and you begin to slowly wind through the tall beauties. If you catch it at the right time of day the sun filters through and you know this is part of heaven. There is a drive that you can take that parallels 101 called the Avenue of the Giants. I took a portion of it and found some astounding groves. But if you don't want to get off 101 you do go right by Richardson Grove and Jensen Grove. At one of these just pull over and stand with your hand on some of the oldest living things on the planet. When you think that some of these trees were around when Jesus walked the earth, then it makes you both humble and joyous that we have these wonderous trees still around to savor. I stood there near sunset with the sun making golden sunbeams through the branches and felt the quiet and stillness of the forest they have stood for a thousand years. Amazing.
Then you begin to see the seascapes. Ever changing, and yet the constant that is the sea. Crashing against rocks or lapping against a beach it doesn't matter to me, it is all amazingly stunning in its wild natural exhilarating beauty.
As you go farther north and hit the Oregon coast you will begin to see the haystacks as they are called. The large rock formations in the ocean that up and make such a wonderful display for us. You see driftwood beaches and long stretches to walk. The pace slows as does the speed limit when you cross into Oregon, but the scenic splendor gets better. You find yourself faced with more turnouts at views that will take your breath away and places to get out and stretch your legs and take lots and lots of pictures that you will want to keep. It is a long but gorgeous drive that if you take the time to see it will stay with you for a life time.
Cal and I have been extremely lucky to see many of these types of drives that we have done all over the western US. Doing it alone this time was fun and a bit disappointing as I didn't have anyone to share the blue sky and the wonderful scenes with. So, take someone you care about and put them in the car, share a little time on the road with them.
I am home staring a a gold and blood red sunset, with Cal and the puppies by my side. It can't get much better than that. But I have the memories of the Coastal Redwoods, the miles and miles of vineyards, and the coast line I have come to love in my mind and in my camera. I cannot think of much better than that.
When you begin to see the Redwoods they look like the rest at first and then the road tightens and you begin to slowly wind through the tall beauties. If you catch it at the right time of day the sun filters through and you know this is part of heaven. There is a drive that you can take that parallels 101 called the Avenue of the Giants. I took a portion of it and found some astounding groves. But if you don't want to get off 101 you do go right by Richardson Grove and Jensen Grove. At one of these just pull over and stand with your hand on some of the oldest living things on the planet. When you think that some of these trees were around when Jesus walked the earth, then it makes you both humble and joyous that we have these wonderous trees still around to savor. I stood there near sunset with the sun making golden sunbeams through the branches and felt the quiet and stillness of the forest they have stood for a thousand years. Amazing.
Then you begin to see the seascapes. Ever changing, and yet the constant that is the sea. Crashing against rocks or lapping against a beach it doesn't matter to me, it is all amazingly stunning in its wild natural exhilarating beauty.
As you go farther north and hit the Oregon coast you will begin to see the haystacks as they are called. The large rock formations in the ocean that up and make such a wonderful display for us. You see driftwood beaches and long stretches to walk. The pace slows as does the speed limit when you cross into Oregon, but the scenic splendor gets better. You find yourself faced with more turnouts at views that will take your breath away and places to get out and stretch your legs and take lots and lots of pictures that you will want to keep. It is a long but gorgeous drive that if you take the time to see it will stay with you for a life time.
Cal and I have been extremely lucky to see many of these types of drives that we have done all over the western US. Doing it alone this time was fun and a bit disappointing as I didn't have anyone to share the blue sky and the wonderful scenes with. So, take someone you care about and put them in the car, share a little time on the road with them.
I am home staring a a gold and blood red sunset, with Cal and the puppies by my side. It can't get much better than that. But I have the memories of the Coastal Redwoods, the miles and miles of vineyards, and the coast line I have come to love in my mind and in my camera. I cannot think of much better than that.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Once I called it home.
My wonderful friend Bri has graciously put me up for a few nights while I am visiting her in Paso Robles and concluding my business here. It is always fun to visit with friends and especially to stay with them as you get the late night talks and the early morning conversations while feeding the dogs and getting the child or children off to school. Her son Chris is 4 and we are having a great time reading books and learning what he will and won't eat. I find it fun and insightful to be around th e everyday things thta my friends do that I am not usually around to see. It makes me feel more at home with them. Well, I guess I should.
I have seen a lot of old friends over the last few days and wish I had time to see more but I didn't get to. I took a drive that was my favorite one and know that I probably won't get back this way anytime soon. This chapter of my life is over but I am moving forward to a new part and parcel. It will be interesting where I land.
The trip I am on has taken many turns. I have learned that when you travel as in life, you need to take things in stride, find the good in everything and move on when it isn't.
I am leaving friends behind here that I sorely miss. There are beautiful places that I picture in my mind that I can take with me along with times and conversations with those friends. Until I grow old and senile I will have those too. My grandmother once said you really only have your memories when you are old to keep you comfort. So, I am going to make many more memories of all kinds of places and interesting people along the way.
But I will miss my friends and Paso Robles that I once called home.
I have seen a lot of old friends over the last few days and wish I had time to see more but I didn't get to. I took a drive that was my favorite one and know that I probably won't get back this way anytime soon. This chapter of my life is over but I am moving forward to a new part and parcel. It will be interesting where I land.
The trip I am on has taken many turns. I have learned that when you travel as in life, you need to take things in stride, find the good in everything and move on when it isn't.
I am leaving friends behind here that I sorely miss. There are beautiful places that I picture in my mind that I can take with me along with times and conversations with those friends. Until I grow old and senile I will have those too. My grandmother once said you really only have your memories when you are old to keep you comfort. So, I am going to make many more memories of all kinds of places and interesting people along the way.
But I will miss my friends and Paso Robles that I once called home.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Can you ever go home?
Tomorrow I will go back to Paso Robles for a few days. Can you go home again? Is it still going to feel like home? I will find out. There are so many I would like to see and spend time with but time will not allow me to do so. I have business to take care of and then it is back to Oregon. But, I will look out at the Oak trees and the town I had come to love one more time. I will try to see some of my friends but I have found from past experience that you cannot go home again. As we move on, so does everything around us and our "space" is taken up or reshaped as those make room for others in their lives, yes, we still matter. I don't mean to imply we don't but we don't have the same place and connection. There are a few (very few I have found) that you can pick up where you left off with and feel like you are back home again. There have only been three people I know that has happened with.
So, my journey continues this week. Nancy will return to the North and I will go south. As usual we have had a good time without having to make it a good time. Relaxed and happy we both are as we go on are separate ways.
So, my journey continues this week. Nancy will return to the North and I will go south. As usual we have had a good time without having to make it a good time. Relaxed and happy we both are as we go on are separate ways.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
On the road again...........
I am sitting in our resort in Windsor just above Santa Rosa on a very beautiful Sunday morning watching Hot Air Balloons float by. It is early and I am amazed at how fast time goes when you are traveling and having a good time. Nancy and I are here for a little girls R and R before I have to go to San Luis Obispo next week and I was so happy that she could join me for a couple of days so we could do a little wine tasting and explore a little more.
As usual, yesterday we found a small festival called Artisano in Geyserville and it had lots of wine and food and crafts! Wow! We had so much fun, but I had too much wine. Not as young as I used to be I guess. I was in bed at 8:30 last night. Goes to show me that I can't run with the bulls anytime soon. But there is something to be said for early to bed, early to rise. Watching the two balloons glide silently across the sky this morning was a wonder to me. So, maybe it was a good thing.
I know most people don't like to take long drives to their destinations anymore, but I for one still like to. It was over 500 miles for us and we took separate cars but we made stops along the way and saw things that other people bypass in their rush to their destinations. We saw some beautiful old victorian houses in Eureka. The small town of Trenidad has a small cove that was sparkling in the sun and showing off for us as we took some pictures of the rocks and the aquamarine sea. We slowly drove through some of the coastal redwoods that you see taking Highway 101 and of course the scenic views of the Pacific ocean on a sunny day stole the show.
Nancy and I have been traveling together for about 25 years now and I never tire of her company. We have gone through a lot together and she never ceases to amaze me in her ability to enjoy everyplace we go and find everything good in an area. She has seen me through a broken leg on a trip we took in Yosemite, and now here in Windsor but she has an unfailing sense of good humor and grace. She takes it all in stride and keeps going forward. I love that about her. She has also taught me it is the journey not the destination that counts. That is why we travel so well together. She is an old soul and she teaches with sunshine and love. It's good to have a friend like that. Everyone should. I am very lucky.
As usual, yesterday we found a small festival called Artisano in Geyserville and it had lots of wine and food and crafts! Wow! We had so much fun, but I had too much wine. Not as young as I used to be I guess. I was in bed at 8:30 last night. Goes to show me that I can't run with the bulls anytime soon. But there is something to be said for early to bed, early to rise. Watching the two balloons glide silently across the sky this morning was a wonder to me. So, maybe it was a good thing.
I know most people don't like to take long drives to their destinations anymore, but I for one still like to. It was over 500 miles for us and we took separate cars but we made stops along the way and saw things that other people bypass in their rush to their destinations. We saw some beautiful old victorian houses in Eureka. The small town of Trenidad has a small cove that was sparkling in the sun and showing off for us as we took some pictures of the rocks and the aquamarine sea. We slowly drove through some of the coastal redwoods that you see taking Highway 101 and of course the scenic views of the Pacific ocean on a sunny day stole the show.
Nancy and I have been traveling together for about 25 years now and I never tire of her company. We have gone through a lot together and she never ceases to amaze me in her ability to enjoy everyplace we go and find everything good in an area. She has seen me through a broken leg on a trip we took in Yosemite, and now here in Windsor but she has an unfailing sense of good humor and grace. She takes it all in stride and keeps going forward. I love that about her. She has also taught me it is the journey not the destination that counts. That is why we travel so well together. She is an old soul and she teaches with sunshine and love. It's good to have a friend like that. Everyone should. I am very lucky.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Traveling with Family part 3
On the final stage of my month long journey with my Mom and child, we set off for the part I was most looking forward to. Not that visiting all my relatives wasn't great, but I love seeing the National Parks, State Parks and the places along the way. We headed across the panhandle and into Texas to Amarillo. We found a place to eat called Granny's place. It has sawdust on the floor boiled peanuts on the table and the best steaks and BBQ ever! The music was great too!
Next we crossed into New Mexico. At first driving along you think, yea, just desert, but then it begins to sink in. The subtle colors, and the striations in the rock formations, and as you begin to feel the openness and the quiet it becomes a wonderful spiritual place. of course I had to tune out a 4 1/2 year old and my Mom, but we stopped at a couple of outposts and I just walked around. I met an old native american who pointed out the hills around us and told me stories about the tribes that used to live there, while my Mom shopped.
We then headed to the Grand Canyon first the south rim where we spent one night. It was beautiful and all the things it was supposed to be. I was amazed by the size and granduer of it. Then we went to the North Rim. Wow! If you haven't been there, everyone should go. It is smaller hotels, less space to walk around, but if you get a cabin in the park you can be sitting on the rim and wake up at sunrise as it hits the canyon. it is in a word breathtaking. There are deer that come up and eat the grass while it still has dew on it. While I marveled at the canyon from the porch of our cabin. The lodge has a terrace that sits right on the edge of the rim and at night they build a fire in the outdoor fireplace that four 6' tall men can stand next to each other in. It's huge! And keeps you warm while you star gaze over the grand canyon.
We then went to Zion National Park which is another jewel that everyone should see at least once. All these rock formations and water seeping from the rock. Then there is the Narrows. The Virgin river runs through the canyon and it carved between these granite rocks a path for itself. People hike in the summer when the river is low up the canyon to see the Narrows. It is where the canyon walls are so high that all you see as you are hiking in the river (of extremely icy water I might add) is a small (narrow) ribbon of blue sky above you. The walls are straight up so there is no place to go, so you need to be aware of climate changes and all that. They have flash floods and you don't want to be caught there when they come down and channel through the Narrows. But I walked down to part of it and it was extraordinary.
We missed a lot of Southern Utah as we were headed to Las Vegas next. There were so many other places I would see in the future in that area that I loved. All are worth the trip.
Vegas Baby! yea, I took my Mom to see one of her favorite singers there. Tony Bennett. We got a babysitter from the hotel, and went for a night on the town. She really enjoyed seeing him. He wasn't bad, but I thought Sammy Davis Jr was so much better. (Yes, I am dating myself!)
Then we finished off the trip with three days in LA. Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm for the kid. She had done exceedingly well on this trip and my Mom wanted to go with us to the Parks. But she didn't want to walk it so I ended up pushing her in a wheelchair all day. I have to tell you on a scale from 1 to 10 it was a 2. She really was not even trying to have a good time. Shannon and I went back that evening and had a blast but my Mom, well, she should have stayed at the pool. The rides were too fast, too high, spun around too much or too noisy.
But it was a month of driving and a month of watching my Mom and daughter laugh and play and bond. Me? Well I got to see alot of 11 states. Got to get lost in the wide open spaces of Wyoming. Nearly got married in Oklahoma. Almost found Oz in Kansas. And found that traveling is in my blood.
Even now, in my new town here, I see a street that bends around and I wonder where it leads. Sometimes I turn to see where it goes, sometimes I take the groceries on home. I think that's why I love the ocean so much. There is all that beyond tha is just over the horizon.
Coy
She
Next we crossed into New Mexico. At first driving along you think, yea, just desert, but then it begins to sink in. The subtle colors, and the striations in the rock formations, and as you begin to feel the openness and the quiet it becomes a wonderful spiritual place. of course I had to tune out a 4 1/2 year old and my Mom, but we stopped at a couple of outposts and I just walked around. I met an old native american who pointed out the hills around us and told me stories about the tribes that used to live there, while my Mom shopped.
We then headed to the Grand Canyon first the south rim where we spent one night. It was beautiful and all the things it was supposed to be. I was amazed by the size and granduer of it. Then we went to the North Rim. Wow! If you haven't been there, everyone should go. It is smaller hotels, less space to walk around, but if you get a cabin in the park you can be sitting on the rim and wake up at sunrise as it hits the canyon. it is in a word breathtaking. There are deer that come up and eat the grass while it still has dew on it. While I marveled at the canyon from the porch of our cabin. The lodge has a terrace that sits right on the edge of the rim and at night they build a fire in the outdoor fireplace that four 6' tall men can stand next to each other in. It's huge! And keeps you warm while you star gaze over the grand canyon.
We then went to Zion National Park which is another jewel that everyone should see at least once. All these rock formations and water seeping from the rock. Then there is the Narrows. The Virgin river runs through the canyon and it carved between these granite rocks a path for itself. People hike in the summer when the river is low up the canyon to see the Narrows. It is where the canyon walls are so high that all you see as you are hiking in the river (of extremely icy water I might add) is a small (narrow) ribbon of blue sky above you. The walls are straight up so there is no place to go, so you need to be aware of climate changes and all that. They have flash floods and you don't want to be caught there when they come down and channel through the Narrows. But I walked down to part of it and it was extraordinary.
We missed a lot of Southern Utah as we were headed to Las Vegas next. There were so many other places I would see in the future in that area that I loved. All are worth the trip.
Vegas Baby! yea, I took my Mom to see one of her favorite singers there. Tony Bennett. We got a babysitter from the hotel, and went for a night on the town. She really enjoyed seeing him. He wasn't bad, but I thought Sammy Davis Jr was so much better. (Yes, I am dating myself!)
Then we finished off the trip with three days in LA. Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm for the kid. She had done exceedingly well on this trip and my Mom wanted to go with us to the Parks. But she didn't want to walk it so I ended up pushing her in a wheelchair all day. I have to tell you on a scale from 1 to 10 it was a 2. She really was not even trying to have a good time. Shannon and I went back that evening and had a blast but my Mom, well, she should have stayed at the pool. The rides were too fast, too high, spun around too much or too noisy.
But it was a month of driving and a month of watching my Mom and daughter laugh and play and bond. Me? Well I got to see alot of 11 states. Got to get lost in the wide open spaces of Wyoming. Nearly got married in Oklahoma. Almost found Oz in Kansas. And found that traveling is in my blood.
Even now, in my new town here, I see a street that bends around and I wonder where it leads. Sometimes I turn to see where it goes, sometimes I take the groceries on home. I think that's why I love the ocean so much. There is all that beyond tha is just over the horizon.
Coy
She
Friday, October 1, 2010
Traveling with Family part 2
Staying with my Mom's mother in Oklahoma in June was not what you would call a vacation. My grandmother looked at us as free labor. So we canned the fruit that was ripe, we cleaned out a couple of closets she was meaning to get to, and mopped floors, all in the heat and humidity that I have come to hate. In the afternoons when I could sneak away I would take Shannon in our car and drive the 6 miles to Okema where my Mom had gone to school and see the town that was closest to where she had grown up on the farm. The town Castle Oklahoma has a building at a crossroads that consisted of a small store/post office/gas pump/feed store. That was all there was to Castle, Oklahoma. The best part was the Coke machine out front. It was one with ice in it? You pulled out one of the 6 ounce bottles that were so icy and cold. That's what I remembered from when I was little and used to go there. But for everything else? You drove the 6 miles to Okema. They had three blocks of shops and a 5 and dime store. They had all the schools too, but I never went to them.
Also, I wanted to escape my Grandmother's matchmaking. I got up for breakfast the first morning and there was a man sitting at the table. I thought it was a cousin or such. Nope, it was the meter reader for the water company. Apparently my Grandmother knew his mother, and had invited him to meet the poor divorced woman from California. After that there was the Preacher's son from her church, the tax assessor who just loved kids but couldn't have any, and the kid from Mrs. Kerry's brood that was not good in school but a good farmer. Even my 4 and 1/2 year old was beginning to roll her eyes at all these guys. She would make excuses for me and we would go off to the "city" to get something for my Mom or for us. Mostly we wandered the isles of the 5 and dime amazed at what they carried. Shannon and I could not explain half of it.
She met alot of my cousins and her great aunts and uncles. My Mother for most of the trip and been telling me how much I had in common with my Aunt Sharon, how sofisticated she was, how I would really like her. Now, I was raised in California. I am educated, but I am NOT a snob, I am NOT uppity. I say this because I love my relatives and had fun with my Uncles but really didn't share the interests with my Aunts of being married and knitting and sewing quilts. I worked everyday, so my life was different then theirs was all! There I go defending myself again.
Anyway, when my Aunt Sharon came to visit, I was so excited. Then she came in and Shannon and I about dropped dead from laughter (which was very mean of us! Bad us!) My Aunt Sharon was wearing a lavender polyester jumpsuit with matching shoes, matching purse, lipstick, eyeshadow and bow in her very very blonde hair. She promised to take us to all the great 2nd hand stores where she found all her good buys when we came to visit her. She also wanted to take me to her hairdresser so I could have my long hair done up and off my neck like hers (almost a beehive). Shannon had to go outside so as not to laugh. Now, I have nothing against shopping at the thrift stores. I have nothing against any of it, it was the buildup that my Mom had given her. I was expecting Nordstrom's or something from Dallas, and I got something from Hee Haw. That's all. My Aunt Sharon is a great person and I had a great time with her and my Uncle Dan. I just had to put aside my expectations of what I thought they should be.
My Uncle Red (Uncle Coy) took us all to a barn dance before I left. I was surprised when they said Shannon could go too. But since it is held in a real big warehouse thing, and it is a dry county, everyone comes. It is a social event every month. So it being so hot, I wore a halter top dress. My aunt told me most would be wearing jeans, but if I was going to be dancing I wanted to be cool so she wore a dress also so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable. We drove 56 miles to this place. My Uncle Jerry brought vodka and tequila from another county where you can buy liquor. We bought the mixers there. And the country band played. There were people from babies to 95 there. Everyone danced.
We all had a good time. I met alot of people that night. I was introduced to everyone. Saw the Preachers son again and danced with him a few times. But then there was Hollis. He had to 6'8" and 320 if a pound. He asked me to dance and I was polite and said yes against my cousins shaking their heads no. We talked a bit and he two stepped me around the floor. That's when I realized he was drunk. He literally picked me up and swung me around the dance floor. When the dance was over he hugged me and said, "I sure do like you! You need to meet my Mama."
"Ok, but could you put me down please" I asked.
"In a minute, you need to meet my Mama." and then he started to walk toward the door,
My cousin Coy (yes, I know he laughs about it too.) started to follow us as I began to yell.
"Hey Hollis? Where ya going with her?" he asked
"I want her to meet Mama."
"She here?"
"No, she's home"
"Uh, Hollis, you can't take her home with you."
"She want's to meet Moma" he explained
All the time I was slung over his shoulder in a short dress. I was not feeling good about this at all.
"Did you tell her that you were taking her home?" Cousin Coy asked him
"I dunnno, dont matter, I'm gonna marry her so its ok."
"WHAT! Put me down now! " I yelled
Hollis lightly slapped my butt, "Don't yell, Momma says you shouldn't yell"
By now two of my other cousins had joined Coy and my Uncle Red had shown up.
"Hollis what are you doing?"
"Sir, I'm taken her home to meet Momma, cuz im gonna marry her."
"Did you ask her yet?"Uncle Red asked him
"No, I wanted to ask Momma first."
My Uncle scratched his head, and then crossed his arms over his chest "Well Hollis, I can't let you take her home tonight as she needs to be in church in the morning with us, so how about I bring her by after church tomorrow and then your Momma can meet her then?"
"No, I want Momma to see her now." His grip tightened on me.
"Hollis, I can't let you take her, and that means Coy and the others would try to stop you. (Hollis laughed) I know you would kick their butts but then my Momma would call your Momma and then they would be mad at each other over it and then we wouldn't be able to go fishing in the pond anymore. So, do you think maybe we can do this tomorrow instead of tonight then we can all still fish? I'd hate to not go fishing, What do you think?"
Hollis thought about it, "Well, I sure do love to fish in that pond of yours. I guess I can wait until after church." He sat me down and then explained it to me. By that time the blood had rushed to my head not to mention the tequila and I was dizzy. "Tomorrow, after church you meet my Momma ok?"
"Ok" then my cousins led me away as my Uncle kept Hollis busy. My Mom never even missed me.
The next day I never saw Hollis at church. I asked my cousin about it.
"He won't remember it. He is probably still asleep in his truck somewhere."
We had a big Sunday dinner with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins at my Grandmas after church. Fried Chicken like I remember and all the trimmings. I ate until I couldn't move! it was the best meal all week. We started back across country with several jars of jams and tomatoes and pickled things that I had never heard of.
I never got back to the farm again. It was an experience that as an adult I think of as a peek of my Mom's past. I now know why she was happy to leave the farm. It is a hard life. I have new respect for those that choose it. I don't think I would have the gumption to live that life.
Also, I wanted to escape my Grandmother's matchmaking. I got up for breakfast the first morning and there was a man sitting at the table. I thought it was a cousin or such. Nope, it was the meter reader for the water company. Apparently my Grandmother knew his mother, and had invited him to meet the poor divorced woman from California. After that there was the Preacher's son from her church, the tax assessor who just loved kids but couldn't have any, and the kid from Mrs. Kerry's brood that was not good in school but a good farmer. Even my 4 and 1/2 year old was beginning to roll her eyes at all these guys. She would make excuses for me and we would go off to the "city" to get something for my Mom or for us. Mostly we wandered the isles of the 5 and dime amazed at what they carried. Shannon and I could not explain half of it.
She met alot of my cousins and her great aunts and uncles. My Mother for most of the trip and been telling me how much I had in common with my Aunt Sharon, how sofisticated she was, how I would really like her. Now, I was raised in California. I am educated, but I am NOT a snob, I am NOT uppity. I say this because I love my relatives and had fun with my Uncles but really didn't share the interests with my Aunts of being married and knitting and sewing quilts. I worked everyday, so my life was different then theirs was all! There I go defending myself again.
Anyway, when my Aunt Sharon came to visit, I was so excited. Then she came in and Shannon and I about dropped dead from laughter (which was very mean of us! Bad us!) My Aunt Sharon was wearing a lavender polyester jumpsuit with matching shoes, matching purse, lipstick, eyeshadow and bow in her very very blonde hair. She promised to take us to all the great 2nd hand stores where she found all her good buys when we came to visit her. She also wanted to take me to her hairdresser so I could have my long hair done up and off my neck like hers (almost a beehive). Shannon had to go outside so as not to laugh. Now, I have nothing against shopping at the thrift stores. I have nothing against any of it, it was the buildup that my Mom had given her. I was expecting Nordstrom's or something from Dallas, and I got something from Hee Haw. That's all. My Aunt Sharon is a great person and I had a great time with her and my Uncle Dan. I just had to put aside my expectations of what I thought they should be.
My Uncle Red (Uncle Coy) took us all to a barn dance before I left. I was surprised when they said Shannon could go too. But since it is held in a real big warehouse thing, and it is a dry county, everyone comes. It is a social event every month. So it being so hot, I wore a halter top dress. My aunt told me most would be wearing jeans, but if I was going to be dancing I wanted to be cool so she wore a dress also so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable. We drove 56 miles to this place. My Uncle Jerry brought vodka and tequila from another county where you can buy liquor. We bought the mixers there. And the country band played. There were people from babies to 95 there. Everyone danced.
We all had a good time. I met alot of people that night. I was introduced to everyone. Saw the Preachers son again and danced with him a few times. But then there was Hollis. He had to 6'8" and 320 if a pound. He asked me to dance and I was polite and said yes against my cousins shaking their heads no. We talked a bit and he two stepped me around the floor. That's when I realized he was drunk. He literally picked me up and swung me around the dance floor. When the dance was over he hugged me and said, "I sure do like you! You need to meet my Mama."
"Ok, but could you put me down please" I asked.
"In a minute, you need to meet my Mama." and then he started to walk toward the door,
My cousin Coy (yes, I know he laughs about it too.) started to follow us as I began to yell.
"Hey Hollis? Where ya going with her?" he asked
"I want her to meet Mama."
"She here?"
"No, she's home"
"Uh, Hollis, you can't take her home with you."
"She want's to meet Moma" he explained
All the time I was slung over his shoulder in a short dress. I was not feeling good about this at all.
"Did you tell her that you were taking her home?" Cousin Coy asked him
"I dunnno, dont matter, I'm gonna marry her so its ok."
"WHAT! Put me down now! " I yelled
Hollis lightly slapped my butt, "Don't yell, Momma says you shouldn't yell"
By now two of my other cousins had joined Coy and my Uncle Red had shown up.
"Hollis what are you doing?"
"Sir, I'm taken her home to meet Momma, cuz im gonna marry her."
"Did you ask her yet?"Uncle Red asked him
"No, I wanted to ask Momma first."
My Uncle scratched his head, and then crossed his arms over his chest "Well Hollis, I can't let you take her home tonight as she needs to be in church in the morning with us, so how about I bring her by after church tomorrow and then your Momma can meet her then?"
"No, I want Momma to see her now." His grip tightened on me.
"Hollis, I can't let you take her, and that means Coy and the others would try to stop you. (Hollis laughed) I know you would kick their butts but then my Momma would call your Momma and then they would be mad at each other over it and then we wouldn't be able to go fishing in the pond anymore. So, do you think maybe we can do this tomorrow instead of tonight then we can all still fish? I'd hate to not go fishing, What do you think?"
Hollis thought about it, "Well, I sure do love to fish in that pond of yours. I guess I can wait until after church." He sat me down and then explained it to me. By that time the blood had rushed to my head not to mention the tequila and I was dizzy. "Tomorrow, after church you meet my Momma ok?"
"Ok" then my cousins led me away as my Uncle kept Hollis busy. My Mom never even missed me.
The next day I never saw Hollis at church. I asked my cousin about it.
"He won't remember it. He is probably still asleep in his truck somewhere."
We had a big Sunday dinner with all my Aunts and Uncles and cousins at my Grandmas after church. Fried Chicken like I remember and all the trimmings. I ate until I couldn't move! it was the best meal all week. We started back across country with several jars of jams and tomatoes and pickled things that I had never heard of.
I never got back to the farm again. It was an experience that as an adult I think of as a peek of my Mom's past. I now know why she was happy to leave the farm. It is a hard life. I have new respect for those that choose it. I don't think I would have the gumption to live that life.
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