A Memorable Date...

 

Friday night at our house is known as "date night". So that we both get to do things we enjoy, Steve and I take turns planning our weekly dates. Last week it was my turn to plan and what started as a very nice evening ended up taking a turn for the bizarre!

I decided I wanted to go to BJ's restaurant for dinner. My decision was made quickly and easily since BJ's is one of my favorite places and a good friend recently gave us a generous gift card for BJ's. Thanks to our friend, we had a delicious meal and we even treated ourselves to a very delectable dessert (which was a special treat because we rarely order dessert for ourselves). We enjoyed our meal immensely and extend a BIG "thank you" to our friend.

After dinner, I decided I wanted to go to a little town in the foothills called Coloma. It is only about a 30 minute drive and we hadn't been there for many years. I remembered a couple of old churches and an old cabin that I wanted to photograph. Coloma is a mere dot on the map, but it played a big role in the history of California. It was there that James Marshall discovered gold in 1848, thus prompting the California Gold Rush in 1849. It is fun to explore the old buildings and the monument of Marshall that stands at the top of the hill.

Normally Coloma is just a sleepy little ghost town that gets some visitors on the weekends to raft and play in the river and school tour groups to study the history of the area. On a Friday evening we expected it to be fairly deserted and we weren't disappointed when we saw the empty park by the river. We found the road that led up to the monument and headed up the steep grade which was also empty of cars. Imagine our surprise as we rounded the curve at the top of the hill and encountered a bunch of big rigs (don't ask me how they got up that narrow winding road), vans, cars, catering trucks and lots of people!!! It took us a minute to realize that we had just stumbled upon a Hollywood film crew in the middle of shooting!! We had to stop in the middle of the road as there was a catering van blocking our path. As we were sitting in our truck wondering what to do a man and a woman approached us.

Man to Steve: "So, where are you headed?"

Steve: "Up to Marshall's monument."

Man: " Oh, I am really sorry, but we can't let you drive through here right now."

Woman to me: "What are you guys planning to do?"

(Apparently they are suspicious of people just showing up at their location, but we didn't even know they were there!)

Me: "Just explore and take pictures of the monument. We didn't know you were here. But, hey what are you filming anyway?"

Her: "It is an episode of True Blood."

Me: (Blank look).

Her: (Realizing need to clarify). "For HBO".

Me: (Pretending to recognize the title). "Oh, yeah."

(We don't have cable or satellite so I have never heard of the show, but she smiles at my fake response, so we 're both happy).

Man: "You can turn around, go back down the hill a little ways, and park on the side of the road where your truck won't be seen in our shot, then walk around our "location" to get to the monument."

Woman: "It is a short walk and we have about another hour or two left to shoot."

Me: "Well, ok, we won't get in your way. We don't mind parking by the road and walking."

Man & Woman: "Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation and we are sorry for the inconvenience."

Steve manages to turn around and head back the way we came. We intend to park on the side of the road and hike, however, all the way down the hill we see "No Parking" signs posted. I said, "Maybe we should just park here anyway and if we get ticketed we can let the Hollywood people pay the fine." Of course, Steve didn't think that was a good idea so he kept driving.

Luckily we were able to find another road that led to the two old churches, Marshall's cabin, and the old cemetery...all within easy walking distance to one another. We were ecstatic to find a sign directing us to the church parking lot where we were sure we could park without bothering anyone.

Once again, we rounded the bend and what do we find in the parking lot...you guessed it, more Hollywood vehicles. Geez, how many trucks does it take to film one episode? Great, now what?

Well, since the parking lot was not full, we asked if we would be bothering anyone by parking there amongst them to do a little exploring. The crew graciously told us that although they had the entire area rented, we were welcome to park there until the rest of their trucks started rolling in from the hilltop, then we would need to move our truck. We thanked them and proceeded to go explore and take pictures while keeping an eye out for the trucks.

Emmanuel Church Built in 1855 ~ Oldest Episcopal building in California.

It is very beautiful inside the church.

James Marshall's cabin built in 1856.

Very rustic furniture inside cabin.

St. John's Catholic Church built in 1858.

Very cool inside!

While we were laughing and finishing taking pictures a park ranger stopped by to chat.

Ranger: "You folks doing ok?"

Us: "Yes, just fine. The Hollywood crew allowed us to park in the church lot for a bit while we take some photos."

Ranger: "Great, just vacate when they ask you to because they rented the area."

Us: "Yeah, they told us. We tried to go to the monument, but couldn't get through."

Ranger: "Sorry. They have the whole area for today. We have been planning this one day shoot for many months and it has gone very smoothly except that traffic control could have been better."

Us: " They told us to park on the side of the road and walk to the monument, but we noticed the "No Parking" signs and decided against it.

Ranger: (Big smile) "Wise decision."

(Hubby shoots the ultimate, "I told you so" look at me and I just grin.)

Suddenly we hear the rumble of the trucks and vans coming down the hill. We tell the ranger to have a nice day and head for our truck. We manage to exit the parking lot just as the crew begins to enter it and just down the road we encounter ....

Gorgeous deer calmly watching all the commotion !

All in all, it was a very memorable date. Everyone was very pleasant to us and we now laugh about the entire experience. Steve says, "Huney, only you could plan a trip to a quiet little town like Coloma and unknowingly get mixed up in the middle of a Hollywood filming crew!"
Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the Hollywood people! Oh, well, maybe next time!!

Did I blink???

As Kyle celebrated his 26th birthday on July 22nd, I found myself wondering how he got so old so fast and how in the world did I become old enough to have a 26 year old kid? It seems like just yesterday he wasn't allowed to cross the street without holding my hand and now he has already moved halfway across the country and back without any help from me at all. When did the cute little boy become the handsome young man? How did he go from being an avid weather enthusiast at the age of 12 (making homemade weather instruments, keeping a weather journal, photographing the sky, climbing on the roof during thunderstorms...) to a grown man that gets paid to "keep his head in the clouds"?

Kyle then (6 mo.)

and now.

I don't really know where all the years went; I guess I must have blinked at some point, but what I do know is that Kyle has always made me proud to be his mom. He is a blessing for which I am thankful! Happy 26th Kyle; I love you.

Melancholy...

  
For the past couple of weeks our house has been a flurry of activity. First Kyle came home for a vacation and he always brings a certain amount of energy to the house. While he was here Sam managed to cut back on his schedule and actually spend some time at home for a change. Then for the last several days of Kyle's vacation, one of his friends from Texas came to visit. Our house was full, busy, and oh so much fun! I may have been outnumbered (4 men to 1 woman), but I certainly managed to hold my own. I can talk just about anyone under the table...I can hear all those that know me well say "amen" to that!

I always enjoy Kyle's visits and this one was no different. He had planned a lot of activities, but didn't get to do them all due to the smoky, hot conditions we were experiencing (which are thankfully much better now). He did seem to be busy most of the time though.

Kyle's friend (and now we consider him our friend as well) was a perfect house guest. He could teach Kyle a thing or two about neatness! We had a great time with him and it was our pleasure to have him visit. He never complained about the smoky air, the heat, or anything that the rest of us whined about!

Now Kyle and his friend are in Eureka, Steve is back to work, and Sam is off and running and the house is quiet and empty. As nice as that may sound, I must admit that I miss all the chaos. With the chaos and clutter (all Kyle's, never his friend's) came the joy and laughter...there was the deodorant fiasco, the unintentional video, the iced tea accident, the great debate over the best photo for the fair, the bloody nose story, the e-mail obsession, and the list goes on. All great memories that will make me smile for a long time to come.

I thoroughly enjoyed having a full house and miss all the noise and activity. Anyone want to come for a visit?

27 Down...93 To Go!!

 
Last Friday my hubby and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe we have been married that long... not because I didn't think it would last, but because the years have flown by so fast! I can remember the minister at our pre-marital counseling session asking what our goal was for this marriage, and without hesitation Steve said, "120 years"...so I guess that means we are still newlyweds!

We decided to head to Lake Tahoe for a couple of days to unwind and celebrate with a little rest and relaxation. We had a great room with a beautiful view of the lake. We walked on the beach, watched beautiful sunsets, and spent one day exploring in Carson City (about a 20 mile drive from Tahoe).

We enjoyed walking along the pier. (Our hotel is in the background).

This one is for Kyle. It is out on the end of the pier.

The water is clear and clean and amazingly blue.

The ducks were very friendly!

Quaint little antique store in Carson City. It is inside a cool old house.

There is still quite a bit of snow on the Sierra's.

Glorious sunset.

The trip was good; the company was even better! So, here's to the next 93 years...may the journey continue.

Update...

 
Unfortunately I have an update concerning Murphy. My parents ended up returning him to the SSPCA a few days after my last post. He ended up being a little too strong and aggressive for them to handle. For those of you that don't know my parents, they are both in their 70's now and not quite as spry as they once were. They were saddened to see Murphy go back because they had come to love him, but they felt it was necessary for their own safety. He was a good dog, but better suited to a younger family.

The good news is that he has already been adopted again and my parents are now looking for another dog to adopt that is better suited to their lifestyle. I will post a picture when they find another new friend.

This and That...

The Leaky Faucet...

We have had a hot water leak in the shower in our front bathroom for a very, very long time. Steve has attempted to fix it by replacing the washer many times. The dripping always stops for a few days, and then much to his dismay, it always starts up again. My husband will be the first to admit that when it comes to home repairs, he isn't too savvy. He doesn't know a lot and he totally HATES to work around the house. Put a computer in front of him and the man is a genius, but plumbing, roofing, mechanics, etc. are just not his strong suits. So finally, a couple of weeks ago, he had had enough and decided to call out a professional plumber. Since we don't personally know any plumbers, he went to the phone book and the Internet and found what looked like a big, reputable company.

Well, the day before the plumber showed up, Steve once again put in a new washer and the dripping stopped. When the plumber arrived, Steve explained the problem and since the plumber gave us a reasonable estimate, Steve told him to go ahead and repair the faucet. Two hours later, after installing a new seat (?) and another new washer, the faucet started DRIPPING.

The so called plumber said, "I am sorry, I can't seem to repair it so I will give you a 10% discount."

To which Steve replied, "Excuse me, the faucet was not leaking when you started and it is now leaking and you expect me to pay you $150?"

The plumber replied, "Yes, because I did spend 2 hours of my time working on it".

And so it went back and forth for several minutes until the 'plumber' backed down and left in somewhat of a huff.

Since the incident with said 'plumber', I have had several people tell me that they too have either personally had problems with that company or they know someone that has. Now, we still have a leaky shower and we still need a plumber!!!

The New Friend...

My parents (mostly my mom) finally decided it was time to get another dog. It has been over a year since they lost their beloved little poodle. They wanted to rescue a dog from the shelter, so after many trips back and forth they finally found Murphy Lee. He is a 4 year old golden retriever/Australian shepherd mix. He is a cute bundle of energy. It makes me so happy to see my mom fall in love with another dog...she is such a dog lover that she really NEEDS to have a dog. Like mother, like daughter!

Murph

Where's My House????

In order to clean Corky's cage yesterday, I took him out and put him on the back of the sofa. He enjoys sitting there where he can keep an eye on things and he usually doesn't wander very far. I then took his cage out for a good scrubbing.

Normally he is pretty quiet when he is free, so when he started squawking loudly, I ran into the living room to see what was wrong. Well, he had moved from the sofa to the edge of the table where his cage normally sits and he was looking at the big empty space and having a fit. I was laughing so hard I had a hard time taking the picture.

"Hey, who stole my house?"

A Lesson from Kyle...

Kyle is always telling me that I should keep my camera handy so I don't miss photo opportunities. I must be a slow learner because this week I missed two good opportunities because I didn't have my camera with me:

The first one was while I was on my early morning walk I heard our neighborhood owl. I have only seen him a couple of times, but I have heard him several times. I would love to get a photo of him, but don't know if it would turn out since it is usually still fairly dark when I encounter him.

The second missed opportunity was yesterday when I watched a magpie chase a squirrel across the street. It was hilarious to me, but not so funny to the squirrel.

So, once again, Kyle is right. Just don't tell him; I don't want to have to listen to him say, "I told you so".

Remember When???

It all started a few weeks ago when my mom asked me, "Remember when we used to take drives to the California Delta and ride the car ferry from Rio Vista over to Ryer Island?"

I said, "Sure, Mom, I remember. Why do you ask?"

She replied," Well your dad and I did that the other day and we really enjoyed it. You and Steve should take the drive sometime and ride the ferry again just for fun."

The memories are especially fond for my mom because she lived on Ryer Island for a time when she was a little girl. Since I had not been on that drive for many years, I asked my hubby to take me and he was, as usual, happy to oblige.

It took a few weeks before we had a free Saturday afternoon and nice weather, but finally we decided to take the drive last Saturday. I threw some sandwiches in a brown paper bag and off we went. It was a nice relaxing drive along the river levees with all the farmlands and virtually no traffic. It was a very slow drive; though, because the levee roads are narrow and winding, but still pleasant. We enjoyed the scenery of the old homes along the river and saw several fishing "hot spots" where the fishermen were lined up fishing and probably telling fish stories!!

Finally we reached the small town of Rio Vista where we would catch the ferry over to Ryer Island. We waited for the ferry to return from the other side of the Sacramento River (actually it crosses an area known as Cache Slough). Now keep in mind that the river is not very wide at this point, so the ride is rather quick...about 5 minutes. The ferry arrived at our side and we drove aboard. I felt all those excited butterflies just like when I was a little girl and we rode the ferry

Waiting for ferry to return from Ryer Island.

Boarding

Steve got out and took a couple of pictures while we were crossing:

My truck "swimming" the river!

Before we knew it we were already parked at Ryer Island and exiting the ferry. I found it interesting that after all these years, the ride is still free of charge. I guess that is a good thing for all the farmers that live on the island and have to use the ferry frequently.

The ferry is known as 'The Real McCoy Ferry' because it was designed by an engineer named McCoy in the late 1940's. It is operated by CalTrans and is purported to be the oldest running piece of equipment to still be in use by CalTrans. It can accomodate 6-8 cars depending on size and also RV's.

The ferry heads back to Rio Vista.

Farmlands of Ryer Island

It was a fun afternoon and it brought back good memories for me. Thanks Mom for asking me, "Remember when.....?"