I originally began this post by musing about the origins of our Thanksgiving ritual and cultural implications then and now, blah blah blah. And then I almost launched into some memorable Thanksgivings of our own. Ha! Close call! All I really want to do is post a few mediocre pictures (judgment about the quality of the photos, definitely not the subjects).
So, I will.
As stated in the last post of a couple of days ago, we wended our way to Montecito, a rather lovely community just south of the also-rather-lovely city of Santa Barbara. It's where Diana and Dick live. Diana is Tom's sister.
It's a little bit of a sashay from our house (7 hours plus stops), but, since the dinner wasn't to take place until Friday, we were able to drive down on Thursday while most everyone else, notably drivers of big rigs, were apparently busy elsewhere. The small downside was that, when we got hungry, there was almost nowhere open to get something to eat. One Carl's Jr. in Santa Maria finally delivered.
Also in the last entry, there was a photo of folks sitting at the table for the fabulous dinner we enjoyed. I won't re-post it here, but Diana and Dick are seated at the far end, smiling in front of the windows.
Others at that table included (first photo): Ben and Luke (Lisa's sons) sitting next to Dick (on right). Next photo: Grace ( Rachel and Eric's 5-year-old, foreground, left), Rachel, Lisa (D & D's daughter), Carl (Lisa's significant other) and Joel (Lisa's son). Then, there's a better picture of Grace, Rachel and little Lilly (9 months--Eric and Rachel's). 
Behind them, our table munched away. The following picture shows them a bit closer: Ruth (Tom and Diana's mom--89 years), Eric (D & D's son), Tom, Jean (Dick's sister) and Katherine (Jean and Dick's mom--almost 95 years old). Overall a very congenial bunch with whom to celebrate!! We were thankful to have been invited, I can tell you.
The food was wonderful, too. While, sadly, I don't have everybody's recipes to share, I can put up the one I used for one of my contributions, which was a cheesecake. Go here to check that out--http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001119574 Worth the trouble, I'd say.
Most everyone else went back home, but we stayed over one more night, at the Trautwein's gracious invitation, until Saturday morning. As you may or may not remember, Tom and Diana's younger brother, Ken, passed away a bit over a year ago (check out early October '09 post, if you're interested). He was cremated, but the final resting place for his ashes had not been determined all this time. So, a few weeks ago, it was decided to bury them under a young live oak tree in D & D's gorgeous yard. That's what we did on Saturday morning. Diana led us in a beautifully simple memorial service for just of the five of us, including Dick, Tom, mom Ruth and me. It also turned out to be what would have been Ken's 55th birthday. The last photo is of their home. We planted the ashes to the left and toward the back of the picture. Perfect spot.
We arrived home around 8:30 Sat evening, yes, thankful.
Lot's to tell. This is a quickie once over. More pics and details will be posted in the next two entries (if you dare...).
A week ago last Friday, on the 19th, Tom and I left for for San Francisco to morph ourselves into woodshop elves to help Dylan meet an important deadline. We do this from time to time. It's fun. And we hope that our "help" doesn't set the project back too much.
On the way, we dropped by the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield to observe by what magic all those little flavor-bombs are made. Turns out there's a lot of cornstarch involved. And who knew that licorice is the third most popular flavor? Astonishing information ("buttered popcorn" is one or two. I forget the other one, but I vote for coconut). I hate black licorice (the "liver" of candy), but Tom loves it, of course. It's better than throwing mine away, I guess. In the gift shop at the end of the tour, we bought fudge, naturally. Because when you have a choice, really...
Meanwhile, in our absence, a giant storm was raging in the mountains. We've had a few, already this season, and our rainfall totals are twice the average. But this one was packing. First snow, at our elevation, several weeks earlier than "normal". I thought I had prepared the front patio...
So, back in SF that Friday, we got to meet Rachel, Dylan's Most Capable Administrative Assistant, which was cool. She's great at quite a few things where Dylan is, well, needing help. Tom and I got very busy sanding solid walnut table pieces. Later, Rachel, the Amazing Sister, came by and helped, too.
Weekend over,Tom had to return home to work, so he left Monday morning, whilst I stayed on for a few days. The table--a gorgeous dining masterpiece with three leaves--had some innovative design elements that needed a bit of extra time to smooth out. I hoped to provide a little support along the way.
The table got finished and delivered Wed. morning, looking fabulous set in Jessica and Alejandro's dining room, ready for Thanksgiving. Dylan and Roomie/Woodshop Assistant, Stephanos then dropped me off at the nearest BART station. I, then found my way to Richmond, and from there hopped the Amtrak to Sacramento, where Tom picked me up mid-afternoon. I love the train!
At home, I had time to shower, roast some yams, eat dinner (frozen DiGiorno--just the ticket, in a pinch) and run off to choir practice. I could hardly help but notice that a., the Subaru was perched at a jaunty angle off the driveway in the snow, b., the patio umbrella was snapped in two, and, c., my little bonsai trees were frozen into the drifts, the table they had been sitting on having collapsed in the storm. As for the Suby, Tom had slid right off the side of the snowy driveway as he arrived home around noon on Monday. There's a bad pitch to the pavement, there, and just maybe the tires have a little less traction than they should. A tow truck saved the situation. Chains, next time.
Come morning, I made the roasted-sweet-potato cheesecake and hummus appetizer I'd promised, packed, and we were off to Diana and Dick's home in Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving. The dinner would be on Friday, thankfully.
It was an easy, uneventful (no trucks on I-5!) 8-hour trip to SB (Dylan and Rachel were, by that time, out of state for their holidays). We spent a wonderful, quiet Thursday evening with Diana, Dick and Tom's mom, Ruth. On Friday, Eric, Rachel, Grace and Lilly, Lisa, Carl, Ben, Luke and Joel, Katherine and Jean came to liven things up for the day. First meetings with 9-month-old Lilly and somewhat older, Carl (Special Friend to Lisa), made the occasion even more fun.
Saturday morning, Diana had arranged a special service for the five of us (D & D, Mom, T & me) to bury Ken's ashes under a little oak tree in their yard--he passed away a little over a year ago, now. It was truly lovely and meaningful and, appropriately, took place on what would have been Ken's 55th birthday.
Afterward, we, loaded down with a big box of home-grown Granny Smiths, started our way back home, though the rain. Indoors, at our house, the temp was 49 when we arrived. Winter is here, for sure. Patchy snow is everywhere and not in any hurry to melt. Fine with me.
Next posts will expand a bit, if you're interested...
Three days ago, I snapped a couple of shots of the beautiful trees in the shopping area nearest us. Love the yellows and oranges. But this maple on the parkway behind the newspaper office (The Union) cranks the color up a notch or two. Is that crazy stunning, or what?! Not sure, but it might be an October Glory.
However, generally the fall colors are beginning to fade, now, a week before Thanksgiving. The storms hasten the process, a bit. Tonight, for example, a big one is moving in to stay for the weekend and there are consistent predictions of the first snow fall of the season at our elevation. I hope so. I love the snow. It's hard to bid farewell to the colors, but I love snow.
You see where I'm going with this, right? It's colder and that puts me in a mood for knitting. I don't remember the last projects I posted, but I'm pretty sure I haven't displayed the two most recent scarves I made to play with the new diagonal pattern I learned. I made them last spring, actually, and gave one to my sister--though not sure which without running upstairs to see which one I have left. This technique shows off the colors in "printed" yarn.
I'm mostly interested in playing with colors, these days. The first project of the season was a pair of mukluks. You might be able to see that they are not the same because I was testing out some color-pattern techniques I found on the internet (which is where I found the instructions for the slippers) so that I can plug my own ideas into a given project.
First, I made the socks and could have just left it at that. But I found the soles at Ben Franklin (near the red maple--see how I weave a theme in these things?) and then, after cutting them apart and resewing them so as to fit the socks (and, incidentally, my feet), I laced them together. I think they're fun and will be very toasty this winter.
Tonight, I will start on a cardigan to learn how to work colors into a pattern that doesn't call for any decoration. That's how I watch TV. By the by, we think Modern Family (Wed. nights) is the most perfectly-crafted comedy we've ever seen. Cracks us up every time, but it also carries a theme throughout the half-hour so brilliantly that I'm always left in awe of the show at the end. Seriously. It's funny.
That's all, for now. But--oh, yeah--also check out Terriers, if you haven't had a chance, yet. Funky--takes some getting used to. Might have to see it from the beginning of the season to get the gist. And it's in color (see?).
These days, as you can imagine, the colors of autumn just have my head spinning. Tomorrow, for example, I will drive to a parking lot in Brunswick Basin, 15 minutes away because I must take a picture of one tree we saw today--a fabulous red maple of some sort.
But sometimes, it's a simpler, more mundane sight that grabs my attention.
A couple of years ago, after having just taken a couple of hard-boiled eggs out of the hot water and set them on the counter in the sun, I couldn't believe how beautiful they were! The shapes, the colors! I grabbed the camera and took a few shots.
Recently, I thought I'd work up some studies of those eggs in different kinds of media. Just for fun.
The first one is a colored pencil drawing on gray paper. I was as interested in the shadows as much as I was the subtle coloring of the brown eggs, themselves. Pencils allow for very fine detailing, but there's a limit on "workable" nature of the color. It's difficult to modify. I left out the context (counter, etc.), so they're kind of floating in the space.
I did the second piece in pastels, which is a medium I haven't heretofore explored well. I had some fun with the layering of the colors and enjoyed the bright, thicker lines and the speed, after the more tedious pencil version.
Third up was done with watercolor. With all the work I've done with gouache (opaque watercolor) on calligraphy, I've worked very rarely in transparent watercolors.
I plan to do more. It's the least forgiving. Watercolors go down quickly, but there's no recovery if it's not what you want. On the other hand, the surprises are fun and sometimes better than the planned ideas.
Lastly, for a completely different effect, I did one panel in mosaic. Just an experiment, and I'm not sure how successful, but it was interesting to try it out as a contrast to the other media.
The last shot shows them all hanging together in the dining area. Odd, I know. I think it might be a temporary display, but it's fun for the moment. One egg, two eggs, three eggs, four.
Meanwhile, a bit of quiche sounds good right now...
It's a classic rainy day. Not quite as heavy as the deluge we had a couple of weeks ago, but a nice, steady soaker. If it's anything like last year, the ground won't quite dry out again until June. I can already see the mushrooms popping up everywhere--I'll probably be taking even more photos of the same varieties I've taken before, as excited to post them as if it were a brand new topic. I'm the one walking around with my head down, afraid I might miss one.
Same with the colored trees (when I think to look up). Between the storms, we have these bright, intensely beautiful days and the red, orange and yellow leaves standing out against the solid evergreens just gets me every time. I can't take enough pictures. I have my favorite trees around the area, and I might shoot them over again each year, as giddy about it as if it were the first time I'd ever seen seen them. Have you seen an October Glory maple? 'Nuff said.
These photos, here, though, start with our front patio.
Our American Tulip Tree is all bright yellow right this very moment. That's a leafy close-up, right there. A longer view is next, with the Japanese barberry and Japanese maple in the foreground. I'm constantly out there, just staring at them. Sometimes, there's a camera in my hand.
Yesterday, one of those postcard days, Tom and I took a lovely drive to Grass Valley and Nevada City just because. They're each only about 15 minutes from here, so it wasn't much of a journey. I took the next photo on East Bennett Dr., which is the way to go to Grass Valley from our house. It's always beautiful, but when the big-leaf maples are bright yellow, it's magical.
We tried to get a little bit above the town of Grass Valley to get a long shot of how it looks with the autumn colors. Not easy to do, because, well, the trees are always in the way. This is the best I could do.
We got out to walk around Nevada City with our ice cream cones. That's Tom popping his head out of a traditional Maidu nation dwelling which is set up, along with a very well-used grinding stone, on a tiny corner plot that was ceded to the tribe to keep as their very own. So generous, we are. You're welcome.
We headed home after also enjoying an artisan show and a co-op art gallery. I cannot seem to decide which arts organization with which to affiliate myself.
Standard Time is finally back. It's always a huge relief, for some reason. I love Standard Time. Why so much DST? My morning walks have been indistinquishable from those I might take around midnight, lately. This morning, though, I could actually see the doe I frightened trot away in her graceful consternation. There's a buck that's been hanging around, of late, no doubt looking for her. He's also been munching on some of my plants, even the one's I've "protected". He just rips the little cages right off. Ah, well.
Right now, as soon as these pictures load, I'm going upstairs to stoke the wood stove and start pizza dough for dinner. Next time, I'll either post my newest art (think hard-boiled) or my fun with knitting. Hm. How to decide...
Last Sunday, we got somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 inches of rain in one 24-hour period. The leaves are turning. And we've been frosted this week (a tad earlier than usual).
It's all good!
But, with all the fuss I made about the garden last spring--all that unbridled Hope residing in the rows of seedlings nestled in my makeshift cold frame--what's happened since, now that low temps have called "time!" on most of my summer efforts?
Let's just say I'm glad for Safeway.
It wasn't really all that bad. However, there was that very late frost in the spring and it's clear we still have some nutrition issues. The red rock we live on can grow pines and oaks and manzanita, no problem. Veggies and other plants need quite a bit more help. I guess Peaceful Valley's Soil Builder mix will be my next crop. I skipped a year, thinking I could, but now I know...
Basic rundown:*Tomatoes (always the priority)--First one ripened in mid-September--about two months late. That's because I stubbornly started over from seed (12 varieties) after that June chiller. I just harvested the last ripe ones from the loaded, but frostbitten vines today. I left a lot of greenies. In a few days I'll pick 'em and use 'em for frying! Best this year were the Sungold minis and Costoluto. I'm dropping the Black Krim, Black Tula (both enormous and heavy producers) and Marvel Green Stripe. 
Pretty, but not my favorite flavors. Gardener's Delight was also nice. Don't know why, but the Persimmon and Brandywine--stars last year--didn't fare so well this time 'round. I'll give them another chance.
*Tomatillos--Well, they sure are fun to look at. Haven't grown them in 30+ years. So pretty, with their little paper lantern-husks. Hm. I might have enough for one batch of green enchilada sauce.
*Carrots--We're building steam, here. Better than last year. Bunches of short, fat orange roots.
*Red onions--Small, but beautiful and tasty. Will try again.
*Garlic, shallots, leeks--Biggest disappointment. Planted last fall, they rotted before getting big enough to pull. More organic matter (air) in soil is needed, since they overwinter in wet conditions. I had visions of braided garlic hanging all over the place.
*Chard--Beautiful! Second year in a row we've grown lovely Bright Lights (multi-colored stems)--and not eaten any. Don't know why. Never quite makes it to the top of the list for dinner. Maybe this week.
*Lettuce--Planted last fall, we had nice mesclun (variety) all spring and early summer.
*Corn--We don't really have the space, but I planted a little block of yellow/white. Yield=3 yummy ears. Rethinking.
*Beans--The corn, however, served as the support for the pole beans. Worked fine until bean-picking time, when it's almost impossible to find the beans in the tangle of the corn and bean stalks. Best beans this year=Yard Long green beans. Very fun and very tender to eat. My longest measured 27 inches. Next year, for sure (shooting for actual "yard long"). Blue lakes did fine, too, but were not as much fun.
*Sunflowers--Always fun, always awesome. We just let the birds have them, though.
*Zucchini--We grow it because, well, out of habit, I guess. We don't really like it that much. I may have "grown" the only zucchini plant in North America that didn't produce a single zucchini, but we weren't too unhinged by it. Unfortunately, our neighbor grew far more than she could use, so I still have a whole bunch of zucchini bread and grated zucchini in the freezer.
*Watermelon--Also disappointing. Tiny leaves. Not enough water, perhaps, and some soil problems, too. Cute (softball-sized) miniatures, though.
*Cantaloupe--We'll never know. Some hungry critter (raccoons?) ate them all when they were small.
*Cucumbers--The "Muncher" variety did great. Beautiful, fat, tasty. We got one "Armenian" and no "Market". No explanation. They were side by side.
*Pumpkins--One. It's still out there, just starting to turn orange. Maybe a pie's-worth.
*Delicata and Butternut squashes--Zilcho.
*Peppers--A few jalapenos, which is still better than last year. They were planted all near the tomatoes that didn't do well, either. Suspicious.
*Eggplant--Again, better plants than before, but nothing to show for them.
*Asparagus--We have a couple more years before we can cut any.
*Artichokes--One, very small, very cute artichoke. But that's OK, because it's still a year before we 
should get any at all.
*Berries--All the berries are also still in "building" mode. We got a few strawberries. Blackberries, Blueberries, Boysenberries and Raspberries seemed to need more water, though the birds made quick work of what little harvest there was. Adjustments to be made in feeding and irrigating.
*The trees are doing very well. Cherry and apple trees might produce a little next year. The peach (four kinds on one tree) will need a couple more years.
I think I want to get a couple of grape vines and a feijoa bush next. Bare root, this winter.
That's one thing I like about gardening. There's always next year, so even when there are disappointments, planning has already mentally begun for the next chance to improve or overcome the previous efforts. Another part of the appeal is the cyclical nature of it. Soon, the garden chores will be over. Period. Nothing to do. And that is what makes it so much fun to start up again in the spring.
And next year, we'll need Safeway just a little bit less than we do this year.
Mike
Michael
John
Shyla
Bill
Chips
Kevin
Andy
Marianne
Amber
Sheri
Elias
Danny
Bob
Zuri (aged 4--today!)
Sophia (aged 6)
Rebecca (Zuri and Sophie's mom)
Jackie (Rebecca's mom)
Tammy
I believe that to remember a person's name signifies the value of that individual. "Hey, You!" doesn't seem to connote, "You're important to me!"
I'm just terrible with names. 10 seconds after an introduction, I've usually become fascinated by something else about a person and the name tiptoes quietly out of my brain unnoticed until I suddenly realize, with great chagrin, that it is as gone as though it had never been there. No footprints. I used to try to cover for this little problem (coughing fit). No more. Sometimes I even apologize ahead of time--in effect, "yes, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to ask you again about your name, even though I truly believe that you are a precious and unique individual whose parents spent great time and effort to find the perfect and unforgettable name for the shining star you clearly are--but I can't remember squat. Sorry."
Mnemonic devices haven't helped.
But these days I'm putting my mightiest effort into remembering the names of the folks I meet on Monday afternoons. Those at the top of this page are some of the names I've learned so far belonging to the guests at Hospitality House. HH is an organization that tries to address the needs of the homeless folks in Nevada County. There are many more names attached to many more individuals--much work to do.
HH is not an overnight facility, per se. It's a small house in downtown Grass Valley--the parsonage of the Methodist church next door loaned to HH as a Welcome Center (pictured above). The WC is open from 1-5:30 pm 365 days a year. It's a headquarters, really. Each afternoon, there is hot meal (and unlimited snacks) available, access to social services and medical referral, bathrooms/showers, laundry, storage and a safe hangout. There are two to four trained or professional staff on site to counsel and manage the operation, plus two or three volunteers to supplement the staff and handle the food. I trained as a volunteer in August.
During the colder months, about 30 different churches in the area provide space for the mats and blankets on a rotating schedule. They also usually fix up a dinner and breakfast. This part of the program has generally run October through April. Due to some extra grant money, this year it was extended to include September and May. A bus transports the folks from the WC to the designated sleepover for that evening and brings them back to the Center in the morning. After that, they're on they're on their own until 1pm.
I joined up because I like all the folks I've met who are involved and because I love the stated commitment to preserve the dignity of each guest (our official term for the clients). And now, of course, I'm enjoying the interaction with all the different people I meet and hang out with from week to week.
There are two basic categories of volunteer at the Center: foodies (lunch bunch) and everything else. I'm an "everything else" vol who works the kitchen after the foodies have left for the day and who carries the key to the "bin room" where all the personal items of each guest are stored (in numbered bins), and performs any other little job from providing towels for showers to greeting a donor at the door to just hanging with the folks and keeping an eye out for any issues that might pop up.
So far, I've observed anywhere from 20 to 30 guests on site on any given afternoon. I've heard it can rise to as many as sixty. It's a small house and while the weather is good, we're at least able to use the little patio as a gathering area. Obviously, there's a dream for a much larger facility.
I don't know everything about the problem of homelessness and I certainly can't prescribe a general solution--the complexity is deep--but I like having the opportunity to plug into such a positive effort to help some local starfish (you know that starfish parable). I'm just a little piece of the big puzzle, but I like the picture. It should be a place where "everybody knows your name".
Sometimes one just can't predict.
A few days ago, I thought I would be writing ad nauseum about the fabulous Celtic Festival I had planned to attend at least one whole day this weekend (I know you were anxiously anticipating this). It's one of my favorite events all year.
Instead, with that very Festival playing "live" on the radio above me as I type on a damp and cloudy Sunday afternoon (which morphed into Monday, by the end of this entry), I have a different adventure to report.
The chorus in which I sing is part of a larger organization, Music in the Mountains, which sponsored its annual Designs for Living Home Tour fundraiser this last weekend. The plan was to wallow in Celtic music and pagentry on Saturday, and tour fancy houses (to support my own organization) on Sunday.
At choir practice last Wed evening, during the course of some casual conversation, I may have let slip that, even though I had months ago volunteered to help with the Tour, no one had contacted me with an assignment. I figured they had plenty of help. Plus I had already bought Tour tickets for us and we planned to go on Saturday. It apparently attracted some attention.
By Friday, I had agreed to work as a docent at a "big house" on Sunday, instead of attending the Celtic Festival.
Tom and I did, indeed, tour on Saturday. There were eight houses scattered around the South Nevada County area. It was enjoyable, and some of the grounds are quite nice (I'm always on the prowl for garden ideas), but there was only one house that suited our tastes very well. No worries, though. We explored some new (to us) areas of the county plus we were supporting MIM.
So, this morning, I drove past the Fairgrounds and reported to "house #8" for duty (it was the last house on the Tour). No photography is allowed, so I can't show pictures, but, as one of the tour guides who took several groups of people through this amazing shelter, I will try to paint you a bit of a word picture.
--It's a modern style house, built into the hillside on 215 acres overlooking a spectacular section of the Bear River and well beyond. The living-room windows soar 30' to take full advantage of the landscape.
--There is a small sandy beach on the river, a volleyball court, a driving range, a picnic area with full kitchen, half bath and 15 picnic tables, and lots of hiking/equestrian trails. The infinity pool and deck area accommodate a resort-sized bar, an outdoor kitchen, a fire pit, waterfalls, ponds, etc.
--The house, itself, has 13 bathrooms, nine of them with showers of different sorts (steam/side-spray, etc.). And saunas. And giant tubs. And laundry facilities. One bathroom has three showers. Another, a sauna, steam shower and a jacuzzi. If you can't get clean in this house, you'll never be.
--Kitchen: Four fridges, four dishwashers, two identical stoves that can switch out burner units for deep fryers, steamers, woks, griddles, etc. Extra crisper drawers. Warming drawers. Well, you get the idea. If you can't cook in this kitchen, give up.
--There's a master bedroom, a master guest area (with living room) and three other guest rooms, each with it's own giant bathroom.
--A game room, a giant sports bar room w/billiard table and juke box, a full, four deck theater w/10 barca lounges, surround sound and 10' screen. A library (w/wet bar behind a secret panel), an executive style office.
--Oh, and a gym. Not an just an "exercise room", a gym.
--One huge laundry room and two "satellite" laundry areas. The master bedroom closet has those dry-cleaner-style carousels for the hang-ups.
--And I haven't mentioned the flat-screened TVs in all the rooms (even laundry), the water features, the elevator (three floors), the wine cellar, the enormous wine tasting room (with matching huge fireplace and bar), the dramatic, curving staircase, the dining room that seats 30. Well, let's just say that it's amazing what you can cram into 14000 square feet.
Hm. I see I need to wrap this up, now. I'm scheduled to report to my weekly shift at the local homeless shelter...
So, I can't get enough of them. Just can't. They're magnificent and beautiful and huge and sweet and funny--all big Baby Hueys.
The 24th annual Draft Horse Classic is going on right now at the Fairgrounds (home-away-from-home). For the second year running, Tom and I attended the opening night show/competition. The competition parts test the drivers/trainers/horses on skills with lovely two-wheeled carts (SO civilized a way to get around!) and larger work wagons of different sorts: Single horses (for the carts) and multiples pulling the wagons and running maneuvers around cones or backing up to a "dock" or just trotting or walking or backing up on command. Oh, and how pretty they are matters, as well, though they're all gorgeous to me.
I love the four-abreast teams, especially. The six-up (three pairs) are also amazing to watch. In between the judged events are mule exhibitions, trick riders, silly chariot races, etc. All fun, but, it's in the evening, and the photos don't turn out so well. There's a blurry one of the team that won the four-up--you get the idea.
For the third year running, I went back over to the grounds next day to get close to the horses (sat on a big Belgian last year), talk to the owners, watch the farriers and see the horse art. 
This year, Tom came too. We watched a world-class (yes, world, folks) farrier take a straight piece of iron and fashion it into a perfectly-fitting shoe for a big percheron. So interesting! Tom chatted with another 30-year veteran farrier and learned all kinds of interesting stuff about the profession--like that it's still being practiced largely unchanged since the Roman times, 2500 years ago. I'm pretty sure that info will come in handy someday.
We visited all the barns and I hugged and patted as many animals as I could manage, including the tiny miniatures from a local ranch who always come to offer some perspective. Here's me hugging Cruiser, who seems rather unfazed by the experience. At the end of the afternoon, we walked through the art exhibits, some of which were quite wonderful, and, as if that weren't enough, there was a Major Celebrity to add some glitter to the event! 
Yup, folks of a certain age (like us) will undoubtedly recognize Clint Walker, from the "Cheyenne" TV series of the late 50s/early 60s (and, if you don't, there's a sign above him--little hint). Of course, Tom and I also think of him as a guy who survived the skiing accident where he suffered the old ski-pole-piercing-the-heart injury. He and his wife personally run his website, where one can purchase DVDs, signed photos and CDs--yes, he also sings. Always looking for his next big role, even at 83, he says. We moved on.
What more can you ask for free (well, $3 parking)? Best bargain of the weekend, for sure! And it just makes me happy to be near these fabulous animals.
Next weekend: getting all Gaelic...
It's become routine. Another weekend, another trip to the Nevada County Fairgrounds. This time, it was to support the inaugural Italian Festival. It has a ways to go before it's a major national event, but we thought it went well, considering.
Italians are well-represented in and around GV/NC. As in other places where mining was a big industry (Louisville, CO. comes to mind, having lived there in the 70s), Italians made up a large part of the labor force. We know a bunch and we haven't been here long. Three Tassones just from choir. 
High time to establish a yearly festival! We went for lunch on Saturday and had a lovely time eating pizza, watching a bocce ball tournament and listening to some pretty good/cheesy Italian music, including a really smooth, silver-haired, lounge-lizard-style crooner singing all the Sinatra/Dean Martin stuff. Oh, and the cool clown-guy playing the concertina at the entrance. Nice touch. There were some booths with Italian-ish products, lots of olive oil and wine and gelato.
It was festive and well-attended. And a glorious day. I suspect we'll see this one grow in years to come. Of course, in two weeks, the Mother of All Ethnic Festivals for this area, the Celtic, will materialize. Whereas we spent a couple of hours at the Italian, I can live at the Celtic Festival all day long. This coming weekend will find us at the Fairgrounds for the Draft Horse Classic. Cooler than it sounds.
Meanwhile, it seems I've neglected the Police Blotter, of late, so, along side the Festa photos, here are a few recent favorites:
"2:31 p.m.--A caller from the 100 block of South Church Street reported the theft of the United States, but would not provide any further information." [I thought I felt a draft...]
"12:58 p.m.--A woman called from the 11000 block of Alta Vista Avenue to report her roommate's daughter had trespassed into her home. While there, the daughter did the dishes and then left." [perhaps next time, the ne'er-do-well daughter can burgle some trash]
"10:30 p.m.--A caller from Neal Street reported two men stole a shopping cart, put a couch in it and left. They were found and both items would be returned." [difficult getaway...]
"4:43 a.m.--A caller from the 300 block of South School Street reported the theft of a light bulb from a porch." [sigh]
"12:24 p.m.--A woman from the 19000 block of Lake Forest Drive reported a box was thrown at her vehicle that had a bullet inside and a note that said, 'honk honk'." [better than "bang bang"?]
"12:32 p.m.--A caller from West McKnight Way reported steroid-using body-builders from Reno beat up the caller's son and might have killed him. Midgets [sic] from Fulton Avenue had been following and trying to poison the caller. The body-builder and the lead female midget [sic], who is really violent, have been driving the caller's truck around. The caller wanted the Sheriff's office to activate the SWAT team." [Another "team" will be heading out to McKnight way...]
"7:09 p.m.--A person on Snow Tent Road called to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office reporting a conflict between two people involving an eviction, both of them alleging crimes by the other. One of the persons allegedly had previously responded to conflict "by boiling a newt and drinking the water." [there's the problem--no eye of bat or whisker of naked mole rat...]
Sheesh. So many more. Later. Now, it's off to the Classic...
Cars. Love 'em (my little Suby), hate 'em (my little Suby, sometimes). Need 'em, but wish we didn't (at least so much). We're fascinated by the new ones, nostalgic about the old ones. We build strong brand loyalties to some (Toyotas for us), and cringe in disgust at the very sight of others (Hummers--ack!).
Today, it's about the nostalgia part. And another trip to the Fairgrounds.
The local vintage car club is called the Roamin' Angels. If you own an American-made automobile, year 1972 or older, you qualify for membership. Each year, they host a big show at this time to show off their treasures. And very like jewels, they are! The colors are spectacular!
We've never attended one of these, though many of the other events in the area also show off certain specimens--the street fairs, the air show. And we've always enjoyed car museums. But the sheer number (900 plus) and variety of automobiles made us forget all about our reservations as to whether or not it would be worth our time or the $5 tickets.
Right away, we were slack-jawed at the beauty of the paint jobs on these babies! Mind you, for the most part, we're not talking about "restored" vehicles, though there were many of those, but works of art on wheels, whose bodies were of a certain vintage, but embellished and polished far beyond the imaginations of the original owners.
Lots of Fords and Chevys, of course. Tom and I were talking memories of certain models that figured large in our respective childhoods. Fords from the early 50's (that's me in front of a car that was brand new the year I was born--fill in your own quips here) and Chevys from the late 50s and early 60s as my dad switched his brand loyalties mid-stream. Tom had far more depth of memory than I (being a guy--and far older, of course) and had stories not only about his own family (Buicks, Plymouths, among others) but about extended family and friends who drove Studebakers and Mercs and such. It seems we've forgotten quite a bit, as well, though (was it a '58 or '59?).
Our faves are still the grand touring cars of earlier in the century, though. '32 Packards, Ford Phaetons and their ilk. SO classy!
We saw Willyses, Hudsons, DeSotos, Kaisers and a yellow, 1970 Corvette that looked to me like it could have been designed and sold this year--I love the fact that good design is timeless! Woodies, hot rods and delivery vehicles. And, of course, an Edsel (um, how that "good design" concept works in reverse). All fun!
The Roamin' Angels are a visible presence in our area. They're always very busy raising money for scholarships and toys, and such. All the proceeds for this car show, for example, will be split between the many local charities they regularly support. I read yesterday that they started the vintage car club in 1962 and their primary activity was to cruise the country roads and highways for stranded motorists to offer help. Hence the name.
I think this event becomes one of our new annual amusements.
Last week was mostly about hangin' out with Mom Gold.
It's been quite awhile since her last visit with us here, so Tom took the opportunity of the occasion of a family wedding in Orange County--her great-niece, Linda--to ferry his mom to the celebration on Wednesday, then, next day, to fly with her up here to hang with us for awhile. Worked great!
I picked them up mid-morning, Thursday, at the Sacto airport and we all headed southwest to San Francisco to see Dylan and Rachel. It had been quite some time since she'd had the chance to visit with them both at once. We picked up Rachel, where Mom got to see her cute flat and meet her roomie, Walker. We met Dylan at the Pier 23 restaurant shortly thereafter where we enjoyed a nice lunch on the deck outside. There they are, smiling under the Flat Tire Amber Ale sign after the meal.
Rachel had to get back to work, so after dropping her off, we headed over to Dylan's shop so she could see it and a few pieces of his furniture. 
There they are, discussing the finer points of the functional art scene, and then, again, with Tom in the picture. The rush-hour escape from the city was miraculously quick, leaving us plenty of time to stop in Auburn for Foster's Reese's Peanut-Butter-Cup Twisters for extra energy.
The rest of the time was pretty low-key. She worked in a Facebook tutorial, naps, a build-your-own frozen-yogurt sundae at Culture Shock, naps, Mexican food at Maria's, naps, some British TV, more naps, fish tacos at Rubio's and some Gunther's ice cream in Sacramento (photo with me). Yup. All good stuff.
We got her back to the airport on Sunday afternoon looking like she'd weathered the grueling schedule just fine. It was fun and we'll look forward to next time.
After I work off some of the "fun".
Behind them, our table munched away. The following picture shows them a bit closer: Ruth (Tom and Diana's mom--89 years), Eric (D & D's son), Tom, Jean (Dick's sister) and Katherine (Jean and Dick's mom--almost 95 years old). Overall a very congenial bunch with whom to celebrate!! We were thankful to have been invited, I can tell you.
