It's been fun to be innkeepers for a week!
Funny how the timing works out, sometimes. A month, or so, ago, we knew that we'd have the privilege of hosting certain travelers, at some point. Tom's cousin, Nancy, wanted to visit on the way back to Oregon from her job assignment in SoCal, but she wasn't sure what week. No worries, we'd be here. Our friend, Win, from our old church in El Cajon, wanted to stop by during his motorcycle trek around Northern California and knew which week, but wasn't quite sure what day--also just fine with us.
Rachel, Mike and Megan had hung out with us for the weekend of the County Fair, leaving last Sunday evening. Win called Tuesday to say that he'd be rolling in Wednesday, sometime. Nancy emailed soon thereafter that her schedule put her at our house Friday. All at just two-nights each, there was no overlap, though Nancy pulled in just a few hours after Win went on his way--just enough time to change sheets/towels and do a shift at Hospitality House on Friday.
As I said, it was fun! We love the company and like to show off the local highlights!
Win is 80 and lost his wonderful wife, Marge, last year. He's ridden motorcycles nearly all his adult life, so biking all over California to visit friends and relations is no big deal.
Win is quite the fascinating character. Besides being a teacher of social studies and different shop skills, being a marriage and family counselor, and a piano restorer, he's held untold positions of major responsibility in many organizations, built houses, flown planes, traveled nearly anywhere you can name and I know I've left out most of it. I hauled him all over Empire Mine State Park. He seemed to enjoy it.
Nancy is quite another remarkable person, who has mastered several languages, has lived/traveled all over the world, and, with her husband, Bernd, raised five remarkable kids. Most of her career has been spent teaching and monitoring the working conditions of child actors on the sets of many different TV shows and movies--none of which can I remember at the moment.
She and Tom spent some time poring over the geneology of their family (third photo) as extensively-researched by her, her brother, Bob, and her mom (now deceased). She enjoyed the look and charm of the little mining towns of Grass Valley and Nevada City. Sunday morning, we waved goodbye as she set off for home in Corvallis, OR, having been gone many weeks.
So, who's next? We never know. You? Could be tomorrow or three months from now, it doesn't matter. Empire Mine is waiting.
