Sunday, October 16, 2016

Celebrating Writer's Week


I just bought a shiny new journal for our 5th wheel trailer. I want to record our travels around the country.The purchase also helps me celebrate Writer's Week, October 16th to October 22nd.
Kathy Thomas, president of the Napa branch of the California Writers Club, was recently awarded a framed certificate in honor of Writers Week by the Napa County Board of Supervisors. Good going Prez! She encouraged everyone in our last newsletter to make life worth reading.

Now all I have to do is get busy recording our recent travels. We bought our trailer in May. In August we spent a weekend at Point Reyes National Seashore where we stayed at Manchester Beach in a KOA campground. Definitely 5th wheel friendly, this spot had all the amenities: outdoor kitchen, fire rings, swimming pool, hook-ups for electricity and water. It was our maiden voyage and my son, Jim, and his wife, Whitney, planned the trip along with her parents, Tim and Dawn, and her Aunt Kristi, Uncle Ralph, and cousin, Jennine. Three RVs in all.

Chase traveled with us. Around dusk the first night he took a jog down to the beach and back and declared to all that he ran five miles. The next morning we all prepared for a long hike to the beach and were pleasantly surprised to find it was only one mile away with a good-for-walking path.

Whitney and Jennine fell in love with a herd of  cows at a pasture along the way. They were beautiful young animals with numbered tags on their ears. They came right up to the fence and greeted us as they posed for pictures. Perhaps they were hoping for treats.

The beachy weather was what we expected for Nornthern California in August. Foggy evenings clearing by noon each day and breezy, but not too cold. Evenings we all shared meals.  

Jim arrived Friday evening in his truck with a trailer carrying 3 kayaks. He's the youngest fishing fanatic in our family. He loves the ocean: the scenery, salty sea breezes, diving, spear-fishing, kayaking, sandy dogs, and all. Toby, his dog, rode up in the motor home with his old friend, Ashley (Whitney's family dog).

Chase and TJ (Whitney's brother) shared kayak #1. Jim and his friend, Daniel, used #2 and #3. Daniel, who had joined us for the day, spear-fished with Jim and he caught a rock fish, the most bright orange. Dave, Tim, and Ralph went fishing from the pier with no luck, so Dave bought fresh crabs from a fisherman and marinated them to go with everyone's dinner. 

The second day, Chase cooked everyone blueberry pancakes served from our trailer--our very first home-cooked meal. Very tasty! We all treated ourselves to one lunch at the pier after the guys went fishing. Great clam chowder!

We had no trouble with the 5th wheel along the way, just a little food spill, because we didn't secure our refrigerator door. Apparently, there's a certain click to listen for when you close the door. It locks the seal. Dawn later showed us our mistake. There had been a small spill, but luckily a Tupperware container saved my rice salad from ending up on the floor.

More trip talk to come. Happy Writers Week!  

10 comments:

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

Sounds like a lot of fun, Barb. Thanks for sharing!

Karen said...

Wow ! Sounds great, wish the Crain`s were still a family,
we would be with you 4 sure !

Laura McHale Holland said...

Sounds like your travels are off to a great start! And you convey your family ties and vibrancy very well.

barb bits said...

Thanks, Amber. It was fun. Looking forward to more trips to the beach.

barb bits said...

Karen, thanks for the comment. I'm glad you're following my blog. Yep. The Crain's would have enjoyed the trip too.

barb bits said...

Laura, your comments always make my day. Thanks.

barb bits said...

A comment from an email from Marilyn:

Having a travel journal is great because years from now you will look back and enjoy reading about your adventures.

My answer: Thanks, Marilyn. I agree it's good to chronicle our adventures. It will help me remember.

Unknown said...

That was a fun read. Reminds me of a summer spent in the mountains north of Truckee. Sheep herders would bring their flock through our camp. It was something we don't see every day, that's for sure. Thanks of writing your life!

barb bits said...

Thanks, Kathleen. And thank you for the work you do for our club!! The cows were a surprise. The way they came to us when we called them. Beautiful animals. Guess I never thought of them as pretty before, but these cows all looked young, like teenagers.