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!  

Part II: City of Saxophones

Barb, Dave, Sherron, Nan

With clam chowder cravings satisfied we strolled Pier 39, poked into shops, and let our senses lead us through the crowd of afternoon visitors. Street performers entertained, some talented and some not, including Tree Man (my name for him) a gristly fellow wearing a faded camouflage shirt crouched behind a trash receptacle clutching a dead tree branch for cover. His gimmick, to jump out at folks and demand money for scaring the crap out of them, failed.

Another charmer, bearded and unkempt, Jingle Man, sang “Jingle Bell Rock,” changing the lyrics to suit his thirsty need. “Jingle Bell, jingle bell, jingle bell drunk, give me some money for a jingle bell drink, etc…” 

“At least he’s singing, doing something in exchange for money,” Dave said. Christmas carols in April? No pull on my heartstrings! Most paused to laugh and kept their change.

The real talent drew bigger crowds. Knife Juggler, was sharp to watch, as was Rubberband Man, who rubbernecked dozens of tourists at a time. Saxophone Player, I couldn’t locate, but the tunes were lovely. Could be the music was canned. It seems whenever I visit San Francisco there is a saxophone playing nearby. They ought to call this place the City of Saxophones.

The Bay Bridge

Great views awaited at the end of the pier, but we didn't linger too long, Sherron and Nan wanted to visit China Town. More San Francisco adventures and pictures to come. Share a comment about your latest adventure.

Ben & Jerry or Dave & Barb?

(Click on my link to the right, Napa Writers Network, to see other writerly projects.)

San Francisco Sights: Part I

Golden Gate Bridge

In my last post I introduced my sister's surprise visit. Sherron, my niece, was excited to see our city by the bay and suggested a double-decker bus tour, but after I checked prices, and Dave's willingness to drive, we decided to take the mini-van. Dave's knowledge of the city (he was born there) would suffice for tour guide. On the agenda: Fisherman's Wharf, China Town, and Lombard Street. The Golden Gate Bridge drenched in sunlight, also a must-see, was an inspiring start to our afternoon. I shot a quick picture through the windshield to catch a wisp of cloud.

Lombard Street

First up, or should I say down, Lombard, once we located the tippy-top cross street. Dave finally asked a local for directions after several failed attempts of extracting the information from memory. What a view from atop this Russian Hill neighborhood before our van tip-toed through the switch-backs lurching along like a stalled roller coaster. Perfectly groomed houses with trim yards, marching tourists, and too many cameras, had us wondering what life might be like for those that lived indoors. Did they ever tire of lookie loos?

Onward to Fisherman's Wharf in search of our lunch and more with our much loved tour guide. He steered the van precariously through the city pointing out buildings he had worked on as a cement mason in his former life. Quite interesting, Dave! We found parking, a miracle, and Sherron found what she had been wishing for among the food vendors, and barking attendants, a sourdough bread bowl filled with clam chowder. "What my niece wants, she shall have," I proclaimed.

With steaming bowls we headed in the direction of Pier 39. There didn't seem to be any tables nearby, so when I spotted an empty bench we all sat down to feast, and immediately Nan reached around to strip off her sweater. In the process, she knocked Sherron's hunk of bread off her cardboard tray. It flipped to the ground. "GEEEEZ Mom!" Sherron said. I think this quote is a cleaned up version of what she really said, but I couldn't hear well.

Alcatraz Island

And so we began to feast not knowing that very soon there would be a line forming in front of us full of excited tourists speaking in foreign tongues, German or Scandinavian (I’m no expert). They waited to board a boat to Alcatraz Island. We ate, they watched. One woman with wire-rimmed glasses stared so intently at me, while I spooned my soup, that I almost offered her my leftovers. I ate quickly.

Stay tuned for more.