I live a crazy life…no doubt! We left LA a week ago
after a 10 day stay with our son and grandchildren. These past 7 days have been
packed with driving, eating, connecting with dear people in our lives, and inching
our way closer to home after a month of being being away from home.
San Francisco was our first stop. On our way we
stopped for the afternoon with friends in Santa Cruz. We’d been there several
times before. It is a small, quiet town with beautiful beaches and a tremendous
boardwalk. We walked and watched the surfers. I think in my next life
experience I might want to learn how to surf!
Overnight in San Francisco, we spent time with old
friends. We walked in the parks, made delicious meals, went to see a movie in a
real movie theatre (Lincoln) and just hung around visiting with Gerry, Mark and
their two grown up wonderful daughters. We even gave up our plan of going to
Reno just to spend extra time with them.
From San Fran we made our way to Morrow Bay, a quaint
little town situated on the Pacific coast. Clusters of residential communities
perch on hills overlooking the ocean. Simple, inexpensive restaurants and
charming shops line the boardwalk. Expansive, white sandy beaches unroll as far
as I can see. People, pelicans, and an enormous assortment of birds find their
own space on the sand. The water, more aggressive than our Gabriola ocean, is
active with enormous waves. Surfers are everywhere.
Rising out of the ocean is Morro Rock, a 175 metres high volcanic neck that
stands at the entrance to the harbor. There is a narrow bridge connecting it
with the shore. It reminded me of the Perce’ rock in the Gaspe Peninsula. That
was the place where I did my first scuba dive after passing my course in
Ontario. Like Perce’, Morrow Rock offers an awesome
and protective presence.
We spent two nights with new friends who we met
through our ATC membership. With them we ate incredible tacos and visited some
of the beautiful sights of the area. The Hearst Palace is just outside of
Morrow Bay. We didn’t go inside the castle. The $25.00 entrance fee just didn’t
seem reasonable, but we did check out the museum. Interesting but not too
impressive. My take from the
display was that George Hearst had a lot of money. That’s his claim to fame.
Not impressed!
What was
impressive was the home of the elephant seals along the coast. It happens to be
the beginning of the mating season now. The expanse of beach just off the
Pacific Coast Highway was blanketed with hundreds of the seals. Some of them
are just hanging out on top of each other, clustered together, sleeping. Some
are sloshing around on the beach. Others are actually sparring with each other
as it is said they do when they are preparing to mate. They are huge and, by
adulthood, the male seals grow a beak shaped trunk. I guess that’s why they’re
called elephant seals. We loved sharing the afternoon with them.
We loved the two-day respite from driving. It was
nice to take some time to just explore a new place and spend some time together
quietly.
The next few days was all about meeting up with old
friends, first in Redding, California, then in Portland Oregon. Redding is
right near Mount Shasta, but the clouds were too thick and the rains too rough
for us to even get a glimpse. Some of the people we saw were friends we hadn’t
seen for 30 years, or children of friends’ who we’ve known since their
childhood and we’ve watched them grow into independent adults. It is amazing to
reconnect with people from our past. There is something special about weaving
these relationships into adulthood, and noticing the growth in the way we
interact with each other. Sarah, Paul and I went thrift shopping in Portland.
Paul did all the buying! A new hat, a pick up for his guitar and an old novel
was some of his finds.
Our 6000-kilometre road trip has come full circle.
Maggie, our GPS indicates our first stop…. Ferndale Washington. That’s where we
are tonight, playing guitar with David, eating good foods and drinking simple
wines. I feel at home a little bit. We will be soon…until we go off again.
Our last night was a quiet one having diner with our
Jacquie and Lindsay in Vancouver. It is our settling place before getting the
ferry to the Islands. I like being at home. As wonderful as our trip has been,
I’m craving the opportunity to be still.
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