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!
