It's all in the family!

A couple of times a year we revisit the roots of our family tree in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Usually we're here in the spring/summer for a couple of months when the rain has subsided and the temps are warming, then back again for the holidays around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

This year our arrival coincided with a late Easter and family celebration at Norm and Wendy's on Saturday in Petaluma with all the Half Moon Bay family joining in. Gary and Stephanie were greatly missed as Steph has been studying non-stop for a major test to become a certified psychologist.

It's all in the family....Easter

On Easter morning we were back to join Christina on an Easter egg hunt in the local park, with Noelle and Wendy participating in the egg toss. This is a great neighborhood for kids and a perfect location for Christina to start kindergarten in the fall.

Noelle and Daniel are both maintaining near-straight A status in their respective high schools while having a very good time on the social scene. Daniel had to cut back on playing every major sport when it was finally determined that he had suffered a broken elbow about a year ago and  recently found when a dr. finally took xrays!

The long rainy season finally ended but the temps are still on the cool side with the winds kicking up spring pollen and allergies. Howard is back in training mode for the upcoming Bay to Breakers 12K foot race in San Francisco in a few weeks and I'm trying to maintain a daily walking regime. My scoliosis-twisted back is resisting though and I'm in the process of getting a referral from my Kaiser HMO for a local chiropractor.

Shollenberger Park, situated across the street from our Petaluma Elk's Lodge RV parking, is a tidal marsh and lake alongside the Petaluma River and offers the best of bird watching, photo ops and walking trails. As I found out on a recent visit to "shoot" birds, mostly ducks and geese, that after 2 hours of clicking away one needs to have a camera card inserted into one's camera. Yes, the camera tried to tell me but I couldn't see the little screen. Oh the joys.....!

Friends & Family Fun in Pismo Beach!

Just 100 scenic miles north of Carpinteria, along the coast route 101, is the town of Pismo Beach where Spring Break is in full swing.  We stay in nearby Oceano Dunes and a half block from the popular State Vehicular Recreation Area, otherwise known as the Sand Highway for dune buggies and ORVs.

Our long-time friends, Edna and Allen, live close by in Nipomo.  Their beautiful home is surrounded by blooming spring gardens and we are invited for an evening of good food and great company, with much catching up to do.  Edna and I worked together in real estate in Half Moon Bay for many years.


Knowing our passion for sustainable local farms, they took us to one of their favorites, the Rutiz Family Farm in Arroyo Grande.  We lunched at a truly authentic Mexican restaurant in Guadalupe where Howard ordered a dozen homemade tortillas "to go" after our lunch, they were that good.  This central coast is another of California's fertile growing regions as evidenced by acres of various crops along our drives.

Then came the frosting on this wonderful cake of a week when 8 months-pregnant daughter, Terri, announced she, Clint and 17 month-old Liliana were coming down from Half Moon Bay for a couple of days' visit!  We located a great deal on accommodations next door to our location and more fun began.

We played on the beach, walked through town, played at the park, had lots of food, went shopping and were joined by Edna and Allen for dinner one night....Whew!  I took over 200 pictures and have been editing, deleting, uploading, posting to my hearts content.  Thank you Steven Sasson for  inventing the digital camera!  Yes, I Googled it.

Surf, Sand, Sunsets...Welcome to Carpinteria, CA

From our Desert Hot Springs location getting to the ocean involves a tedious drive around Los Angeles.  Sundays are usually low traffic days, especially for semis on the road, so we made our way to Highway 101, the coast route, in record time for an early afternoon arrival at Carpinteria State Beach (see map).

We had made reservations for 5 nights through Reserve America, weekends are out of the question, and grumbled about paying $35 per night for a State Park campsite, especially one with no hookups.  The sites with electricity and water are $55!  Once we got settled and started taking in our beautiful environment; fresh air, sun, surf and sand between our toes, then later the beautiful sunsets, we decided it was oh so worth it!

The great part about Carpinteria,  other than being a quaint, beautiful beach-side town, is that we can walk everywhere.  The town has great shops and restaurants, but the ambiance is everything.  Families, kids, and dogs were all about as Spring Break was in full swing.  Days were warm and after our walks and runs, we usually sat out reading and visiting with our neighbors.

Howard has stepped up his running for the Bay to Breakers next month, but took a nasty fall along the trail when a rock jumped up in front of him, and came limping back covered in blood!  He is fine though his left knee is a bit gimpy still. We laughed at ourselves and our various issues and both agreed getting "old" for us was not going to be pretty!

Compound Interest!

We were driven out of the Anza Borrego Desert when the temps  maxed out at 104!  We figured after almost 3 months of living mostly unplugged on public lands or on friend's property, we could afford to venture back to the land of hookups; air conditioning, electricity, running water...Oh My!



Our Passport America membership offers limited time, half price rates on many RV parks and our closest, most appealing option for a 7 night stay was in Desert Hot Springs, just north of Palm Springs and the popular Highway 111 corridor of desert communities, snarling traffic, and lots of shopping and restaurants.

Caliente Springs is a gated compound full of small park model homes (both owned and rented), a 9-hole golf course, pools and hot tubs, activities and amenities galore, with parking for itinerant RVers such as ourselves.  Most of the "Snowbird" crowds have already departed for points north so the facilities, such as laundry, library, fitness room and pools are pleasantly accessible.

Our long-time friends, Paul and Dalya, joined us for 3 fun days.  Last night we did the Palm Springs scene;  Thursday night Villagefest, a huge arts, crafts and entertainment/farmers market-type street fair, with a great dinner at Trio .  The only downside of an otherwise good week was the fiercely blowing wind which, on a few occasions, had us housebound and sandblasted!

Art, Food, Wildflowers, World Events

The good life here in the Anza Borrego Desert isn't just about living off the grid or "boondocking" as we call it; keeping our batteries charged using the solar panels on the roof of the motorhome, maximizing our 110 gallon water storage to eke out 10 days. Or the beautiful views that surround us with the ever-changing patterns and colors lighting up the mountains as the sun moves across our sky and the cloud formations come and go. Or the obvious sunset possibilities, hikes up Coyote Mt. and jeep rides into Rockhouse Canyon. Or the WWII history of Clark Dry Lake bed, an eerie landscape we often frequent, that was used for desert maneuvers & aerial gunnery practice, then later for the Clark Lake Radio Observatory (CLRO), a powerful low-frequency radio telescope which was dismantled in the early 90s. Remnants of both events are still in evidence.

There is also a bit of culture in our midst. Every year in March Borrego Springs is host to the Circle of Art Show at Christmas Circle, an island park in the center of a large round-about, in the heart of town. Organizers select about 60 artists for the show each year, exhibiting quality paintings and art works representing a variety of media including oil and watercolors, photography, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, weaving and jewelry. Proceeds from the show are used for grants & scholarships for educational purposes to the residents of Borrego Valley.

We followed last weekend's art show with a fine lunch at The French Corner Restaurant, one of several good local restaurants that also features a quality display of antiques. I jokingly remarked that finding good French food in Borrego Springs was akin to good sushi in Yuma, so I am biting my tongue as we speak, and hope abounds for Yuma sushi lovers!

The local Performing Arts Center features music and theater performances, lectures and even a wine tasting fund-raiser event on the 28th that may be calling us. Check out the website for the history of the Arts Center which usually comes as a surprise to anyone not closely associated with this unique desert community.

The wildflowers remain a puzzle. When we first arrived they appeared to be post-peak, certainly not as prolific as years past. The Sahara Mustard plant, on the other hand, has pretty much taken over the usual quality locations, especially along Henderson Canyon. However, every day when I walk the "property", I see more popping up out of the sand and rock landscape with colors of purple, yellow and white blossoms. It never ceases to amaze me!

When we left Yuma the temps were in the 90s but here there has been a wide range of hot, cold, windy, a few drops of rain, but not nearly the fierce storms, cold and rain experienced further west and north where our families are. Our friend Walter was here and asked if we would join him on a 50' sailboat he plans to buy for a cruise to the South Pacific. He intends to, once and for all, escape the One World Government's conspiracies and the dollar meltdown. Darn, Walter, we can't...got our own sailing trip planned for November!

Lastly, there are no words to describe the series of horrific tragedies confronting the Japanese people and we are saddened and humbled, ever aware that life is precious and unpredictable. Also, that Cali could be next. We watch the news updates nightly to hear the latest on events in Libya, Egypt, Syria, with much of the Middle East poised to follow suit. Can the US afford to police, protect, and defend all these uprisings in the name of democracy and freedom? I just don't see how!