After the Rain

This winter has been pretty wet. When we arrived the lake was 31% of capacity and it looked it. It’s still low, but it’s now 56% of capacity. The lake has 1/4 more water in it now, than when we arrived.

This is the entrance to Harvey’s Cove. While there’s no water in the cove, the water is getting there.

One of the many places where you can sit and look at view the lake is getting more scenic with more water. Don’t get me wrong, the lake has room for more water. The boat ramps are still high and dry and there are many acres of the lake that are filled with bushes and small trees. More rain is needed, but I fear the folks down here have had enough for awhile. 

Happy Valentine’s Day

48 years ago, I became engaged to the other DrC. Happy Valentine’s Day my love!

Crochet Time

Can you spot the newest blanket? It’s the teddy bear one. So far, I’ve made 5 blankets while camped this winter...and I started another one last night. These will go to “Sacramento Blankets for Sacramento Kids” the spin-off chapter of Project Linus. 

Snow in the North Valley

While Southern California has had a lot of rain, Northern California has had more. No matter where, the state needs the water. In the north, the snow level was below 200 feet. That’s very rare. The last time there was snow in the north valley was 2011. Baby it’s cold outside!

Morning on the Lake

It’s morning on the Lake. The campground is quiet. There are a few tenters who have not crawled out of their sleeping bags. The crows are making a racket (like they always do) and the acorn woodpeckers are creating granaries in the trees. There are no boats on the lake as the UCSB rowing team just left. A typical winter morning. For me, it’s the perfect time to look at the peaceful beauty of the place, contemplate my day and enjoy a slice of serenity.

Yesterday there was a group of Airstream trailers wrapping up their weekend party. The silver bullets filled a secluded spot where they could swap stories while camping in the Park. Today they are gone, without leaving a trace they were there. 

 The first flowers of spring are popping out. All is good at the Park.

Red Devil

My latest creation I’ve been calling “Red Devil” for obvious reasons. It’s a combination of 3 different reds—burgundy, cerise and chili—in my favorite zigzag design. I made it with a boy in mind, but frankly, I think boys and girls will like it. It probably will not fit into any decor scheme, but sometimes you just need a bright red blanket. It definitely makes a statement.

Kansas City Barbecue Society

This weekend the Kansas City Barbecue Society is having a competition at the Park. There are over 50 teams vying for the title “best of show.” 

Some have flags or banners that strut their stuff. Some have sponsors but most are “ordinary” folks who like barbecue. The rules of the competition state they have to cook 4 items: ribs, brisket, chicken and pork shoulder/butt. All of the teams have a kitchen. Some have dedicated trailers, others have tents with portable equipment; others have pits that are pulled behind their motor homes—no matter the arrangement, the teams are serious. 

I talked to several of the teams this morning on my walk. All were willing to tell me about their passion for barbecue. Most of the teams participate in 20-30 events during the course of a year. At the park today, the number 1 team in California was competing, and a couple of the folks said they were trying to take away the title. The number 3 team was focused.

No matter who wins, all are having a good time...and the aroma around the campground today is the most amazing smell in the world. 

Mary Poppins Returns

While not “supercalifragilisticexpialidotious” it is pretty good. The first Mary Poppins came out in 1964 and I liked it a lot. Great story based on Travers classic books that I had read as a child. While Disney changed the story a little bit, that was to be expected.  Fast forward half a century and a new Mary Poppins comes to London. The new story takes place 30 years later when she again returns to the same house and family. This Mary Poppins is played by Emily Blunt. Ms. Blunt is good, but her Mary Poppins is a slightly darker version of the magical nanny of the classic story. The children are endearing. Their adventures are fun. And in the end, the problem that Mary came to solve is solved and the family is better off because of her. That’s enough of the spoilers. If you have a chance to see the movie, take it. It’s good clean fun with no 4 letter words, no politics and only a few social statements. 

Divergent

Several years ago we listened to the Divergent trilogy when we were on a road trip. It was interesting and entertaining, even though it portrayed a distopian view of the future. Later the trilogy was made into 3 movies. We saw the first two when they came out, but never got around to seeing the third movie...until 2 days ago. A local store had a sale on the collection so we bought it. Movie 1-Divergent was good. Movie 2-Insurgent was good. Movie 3-Allegiant was bad. The books tied up the loose ends a lot better than the movie did. We were disappointed. It did keep us occupied for 3 nights and then a couple of more days of conversation deconstructing the movies ensued...but the bottom line...Listen to the books, look at movie one and two and forget about movie three.

Ax

It’s an ax...what’s the big deal? Well...do you know how to use an ax? Have you ever used one? Do you own an ax? Have you used an ax recently. This image could have been taken a 1000 years ago or yesterday. I took it yesterday. Somehow a simple ax brings me to the conclude that not everything is wired, online, and electronic. There’s still a need to chop wood and stay warm in our high-tech world.

After the Rain

The rain is over, at least for now. The lake is now boasting 35% full (it was 30% when we got here). That’s a big deal. Today we had a beautiful blue sky day, warm temperatures and no breeze. One of many reasons why we “winter” at the Lake.

This is the way to Harvey’s Cove, which is still free of water...but if we have another week like this one, there might be some puddles in the cove. The Santa Barbara weather-guesser said there might be some more rain on the horizon in about 7 days. We’ll see.

When possible, I like to take pictures of birds. I’m best with “slow” birds — those that sit still for long periods of time — but this egret was not slow. I saw him, aimed the camera and took the picture and then he lifted his great wings and flew away. 

A Blanket for William

Everyone knows I make blankets. This one is for William, a 2 month old baby at the park. His mom and I walk in the morning, and I decided he needed a blanket. I haven’t given it to him yet because it’s been raining. Someday when the rain stops, I will. In the meantime, my little teddy bear is enjoying it.

The Crimes of Grindelwald

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

 

 

 

As Harry Potter fans we needed to see the latest movie in the wizarding world. What a disappointment! We are pretty knowledgeable about the “ins and outs” of the HP Universe. We know the names of the characters and what they do; we know who is evil and who is good...I could go on and on about what we know. But then we get to “The Crimes of Grindelwald” and I have no idea what the movie is about.  I was feeling  lost about 5 minutes into the movie. Halfway through the movie I asked the other DrC if he was making any sense of the movie and he said “no.” If 2 of us are not “getting” the movie, there’s a problem. The movie seems to be a series of special effects without a plot line. To make matters worse, the plot line that Fandango and Wikipedia write about has no relationship to the current movie.  Because we are fans, we will purchase a copy of the movie, turn on subtitles and slowly immerse ourselves  into it, trying to see what we missed. I’ll let you know if/when that happens. In the meantime, avoid the movie. 

*cover photo copied 

A Tale of Two

 

Blanket 1-now at Debbie’s home where she can hug it every day.

Blanket 2 does not have a home now, but will go to SBSK... a new organization that gives blankets to kids in Sacramento. This hot pink zigzag blanket is really warm and cozy.

For years, I crocheted blankets for the Sacramento Project Linus Chapter, but through a series of unfortunate events, that organization is no longer functioning. To take it’s place is Sacramento Blankets for Sacramento Kids. Also a non-profit, charitble organization made up of folks like me who like to make pretty blankets for children in need. I made this blanket with a little girl in mind, because when I was little, pink was my favorite color. I even wanted to get married in a pink wedding dress! 

Joy of Printing

We are camping without a printer. Generally, we don’t need a printer when we camp, so we did not bring one. Today was an exception and a printer was necessary. That meant a trip to the library. And that’s where the adventure in frustration began.    In the past, the library has had a downloadable printer app, but the app has been discontinued because folks took advantage of it. The librarian told me I needed to send myself the documents I wanted to print and collect those docs on one of the in-house computers and print them out. All I needed was my library number.    I say to myself “I can do that” and sit before one of the in-house computers. I type in my library number (which is 20 digits long)  and a window opens on the screen saying “patron does not exist.” Since I’m sitting there, I know I exist. I asked the library aide for help and she gave me a temporary ID and the computer started without a hiccup. When I remember how to access my email account from another computer, I found out I could not download the documents. The documents were formated in an Apple environment and the library is working in a very old PC environment. The two systems do not talk to one another.    Back to the drawing board. I return to my computer and re-save the documents in the universal pdf format and send them to me again. I get online anew and go thru the motions to download the new pdf documents. Everything works fine this time. The old PC system reads the pdf’s and sends them to the printer. I close down the library computer and walk to the printer only to find out that I went to the wrong print program, and nothing was sent to the computer. Back to the drawing board to start all over again. At least I know that the pdf documents are readable by the PC system. This time I ask for the aide to walk me thru the procedure step by step so I won’t make a similar mistake. We follow all the directions, download the pdf documents, send them to the printer with the correct prompt and finally we get the documents printed. What takes 2 minutes to read, took over an hour to accomplish.    I have not had to deal with this type of foolishness for a long time. I completely forgot about online email programs, Apple vs. PC, pdf files, and the complexity of printing from a public system. So while computers have made some things easier, they can still be bulky and reluctant to do what you want them to do when you want them to do it. When all is said and done, that’s the joy of printing.

Hills around the Lake

We are camping in this area, which is inland from Santa Barbara. A landscape of white mountains (Piedro Blanco) 

 ...and a few planted fields amidst a shrinking lake. Right now the fire danger is HIGH as it has not received as much rain as northern California. We are about 18 miles from the city, yet it looks like it’s far far away in the country.  

Legs and Feet

Every table has legs—and those legs have feet. Then there’s this:

This little table gives legs and feet a new meaning...and it gives you an idea about what to do with an old pair of shoes.

Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year—2019

We “rung” in 2019 by staying awake till midnight...hey—that’s a big deal for old folks...then we got up early to view the Tournament of Roses Parade on the electric television in our RV. Seeing the Parade is an old family tradition. In 1980 we went to the Rose Parade. It was a memorable day. (We had a “tour” that started with a 2 AM school bus ride from Ojai to Pasadena—we had a boxed breakfast and boxed lunch—at the parade, we had seating on metal folding chairs in a second row far down Colorado Blvd—the crowds were huge—the traffic was a nightmare. That’s when we decided it was better to see the parade from our home.

 BTW—we enjoyed every minute of it.) 

I’m guessing 2019 will prove to be fun as well as challenging. I’m also guessing 2019 will have a few “tricks” that will keep everything interesting. To all I wish you fair winds and calm seas, and a Happy New Year!

Denmark or Not?

North of LA a few miles, is a Danish Village called Solvang. I don’t know how many Danish villages there are in the US, but we are camping near this one. It’s also a fun tourist destination. When the cruise ships are docked in LA, there are busloads of folks in town enjoying Danish food and hospitality. 

It’s a cute village that feels like a little bit of Denmark. It even has a Little Mermaid.

Can you figure out where this Little Mermaid is located?

 

A Blanket for Debbie

One more teddy bear blanket has been created. This one is for Debbie. She bought a blue chair and asked for a cream blanket...so here’s the cream blanket. I have no idea how many teddy bear blankets I’ve made since 2003, when I was given the pattern by my department secretary, but it might be as many as 150. This is my “go to” pattern. I enjoy making it and 

I enjoy giving it away even more. 

To that end, finishing a blanket is a great way to wrap up the year.  Happy New Year, 2019. 

Santa is Coming

I have the news — Santa will have a team of helpers tonight. So many local homes have been destroyed that Santa has sent a special team here. If you see Santa’s helper in a red hot rod give him the right of way. He needs to deliver gifts of joy and hope to everyone, even to people without a chimney.

 Merry Christmas everyone.

 

A Blanket for my Auntie

I finished this blanket for my 98 year old auntie this evening...just in time to give it to her at our Christmas gathering tomorrow. I hope she will like it.

I’m also gifting my Bride Doll to Debbie. This doll was made for me about 25 years ago, and I’ve always loved her. But then, I loved my Aunt Ethel who made her for me. Aunt Ethel was a master crocheter.—I’ve never figured out how she crocheted the pearls into the dress. My friend Debbie loves hand-made items, and dolls and I think now is the time to share my Bride Doll with another person who will love her as much as I do. 

Celtic Woman

On Thursday night we went to a concert. We actually had a “date” which is weird. We saw Celtic Woman of PBS fame at our local university. While I am not a huge fan of Celtic Woman, the other DrC is — so I bought tickets as a Christmas present for him.  The program was delightful. I might have to change my mind about the troupe. Our local venue was small, and while it lacked the polish of a television/PBS production, it had heart and good music. I walked out of the concert with a smile, the program was great! The group were staying at a local hotel. They discovered that all of the residents at the hotel were survivors of the Camp Fire, so they gave their concert at the hotel first. That act of kindness goes a long way in our burned and “bruised” community right now. Survivors of that horrendous fire need hope and 2 hours of Christmas music calms the soul.  Celtic Woman is touring the US this spring. If they get to your community, you might want to see them. 

One More Blanket

When we were on the Coral Princess last month, I made a teddy bear blanket for a fellow passenger. She was on the 79 day cruise (we were on the 30 day adventure) and she came home today and sent me a picture of the blanket with her teddy bears on it. 

Chocolate, Paulie and Cookie are enjoying their new blanket. 

(It helps to have a sense of whimsey when dealing with folks who are owned by teddy bears!)

 

Sunset

It’s been “colonoscopy” week. In fact, it was my second colonoscopy this year. Need I say more. The test is done and the results were what I wanted to hear. I received a “pass!” 

Starting today I can thoroughly enjoy a beautiful sunset.

Hope

The fire came and burned 153,000 acres. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed in fourteen days of hell. Hundreds of First Responders fought the blaze, saved thousands of lives, yet they could not quell the fire as quickly as the rain. At first, the rains were a blessed relief, but then the rain became flash flooding. A few homes that survived the inferno, were sliding down the hillsides from the massive torrents of water. Could our small area get any good luck? It seemed the answer was NO.  Then came the sun. The lovely, warm, welcoming sun and a little miracle happened. Soft green shoots of grass started to pop up from the blackened soil.

Overnight, the ebony landscape is becoming verdant. It’s a sign of hope! It just possible that the houses will be rebuilt. Lives will get better. It’s going to take time...a lot of time...but maybe, the healing can start now.

   

Autumn Leaves

Our area has survived the horrendous Camp Fire; it is enduring flash flood warnings as well as the overwhelming aftermath of the fire and yet there is a small ray of hope on the horizon. The autumn leaves are spectacular. The surviving towns are dotted with trees turning out the best fall color I’ve seen in years. 

A brilliant red tree lurks amidst some pines 

Orange trees decorate the streets

Yellow, orange and gold enhance the landscape. 

The miracle of autumn is illusive and fleeting. While it’s here, we all are enjoying it. 

The color makes the daunting task of recovery a tiny bit easier.

Stuff

It’s a month before Christmas, which means it’s time to put up our little tree. We also put up a couple of sparkly garlands, but more is needed. We will spend Christmas in the RV this year.    

 

While we are getting ready for Christmas, the autumn leaves are just starting to fall. The piles of red, orange, yellow and brown leaves are beautiful...and there are so many piles of leaves. Have you noticed that only Mother Nature can arrange a pile of leaves to look this good!

Lastly, I saw this 1969 Bug in town with a mosaic paint job. 

If you can, stretch these 2 pictures and you can see that each picture is a mosiac painted to look like it is made of teeny-tiny tiles. It’s the most amazing paint job I’ve ever seen. The person who created this masterpiece has a great talent that might be wasted on Volkswagens. Were this my car, I’d never sell it.

 

Four Generations

Four generations and a teddy bear blanket. 

Great grandma, baby, mom and grandma. 

I think this is great!

One more thing to be thankful for!

 

Thanksgiving

When I taught elementary school I had my students respond to this prompt: On Thanksgiving, I am thankful for ...” Over the years, I had answers like “my baby brother” or “mom and dad” or “my puppy”...this year my answer is “my house, which is still standing.” I’m also thankful for my family and friends who have been with me physically and mentally thru the ordeal of the Camp Fire. It’s a good Thanksgiving indeed! My you have a Happy Thanksgiving too!

Home

We are home — it was a good cruise. We went to a new country for us—the Philippines, and we visited a old home—Guam. We returned to Vietnam, China, Japan and Hawaii. We had 2 long periods of sea days—one 7 and the other 5 days. It was a trip of neat places and great relaxation. 

  Now we are home, and it’s a bittersweet homecoming. There’s been a huge fire in our neck of the woods. Our house survived, but the grasslands burned. The air is smoky beyond smoky. The house smells like smoke. The furniture smells like smoke. The clothes in the closet smell like smoke. 

We don’t know what happens next. Watch this space.

Honolulu

 

We are finally on dry land...first time in 7 days. During those 7 sea days, I crocheted a teddy bear blanket for one of the people on the ship. (Silky is giving it the “teddy bear stamp of authenticity.”) I also made some Christmas ornaments and a lot of red poppies for Veteran’s Day, the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

The water on the passage between Guam and Hawaii was rough at times. (You would never know that now, as the seas are calm, and it’s sunny (and believe it or not) relatively dry in Oahu. By dry I mean the humidity is low...it’s a perfect day.) Along with the rocky water, we had rocky emotions due to the “Camp Fire” that’s raging in Northern California.  That fire has been a rapidly spreading disaster that leveled the town of Paradise in less than a day...and then it went to the surrounding areas. We were afraid the fire would turn in the direction of our house and burn it down too. This morning I found out that our property was burned, but the house was spared thanks to 2 fire trucks worth of firefighters. THANK YOU — THANK YOU — THANK YOU!  Right now we are very happy campers. The grasses on the land will grow back. We wish everyone could have had the same happy ending. Recovery and rebuilding is going to be difficult and I wish everyone God’s speed and good luck. I  want to thank all the folks who were worried along with us. We are safe and sound and all is good.

 

So, landing in Oahu gave us good news and calm seas. We have a home to go home to when we disembark the ship next Sunday. 

Sea Days

Every cruise has a few sea days...days where the pax stay on the ship. This cruise has more sea days than most as there are 7 sea days between Guam and Hawaii and 5 days between Hawaii and the US mainland. Then there were a few sea days between Shanghai and Okinawa and between Vietnam and the Philippines...but those were short. Right now we are in the Guam to Hawaii stretch and the sea days are getting long for a lot of folks...especially the folks who are on  the 79 day cruise. 

 

This cruise was divided into different segments. Folks could sign up for a 79 day cruise, a 60 day cruise or one of two 30 day cruises. The LONG cruise starts in LA and ends in Fort Lauderdale (FLL), having sailed to Alaska, Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Guam and Hawaii...then back to LA and thru the Panama Canal to FLL. The 60 day cruise does not go thru the Panama Canal. The first 30 day cruise ended in Shanghai and the cruise we are on,  started in Shanghai. 

 

Today I talked to a number of folks on the 60 day portion and many are ready to go home...but of course there’s no getting off the ship in the middle of the big empty Pacific Ocean. It takes a special person to sail endless days.

 

There needs to be a lot of entertainment on a long long cruise. The Coral Princess is doing a pretty good job — but for those who have been on it a long time, the entertainment is running thin. Us “30 day” folks have not seen all the “stuff” that is being offered, so we are still  having a good time. 

 

I was prepared for the sea day experience. I brought a lot of crochet projects. I almost finished one Teddy Bear blanket (I ran out of yarn, so I’ll finish it at home) and now I’m working on a second blanket. I’ve also made some Christmas ornaments. Before the cruise started I loaded my iPad with books and I’ve read 7 so far. The other DrC is on his 10th book! We also use the internet.

Now for the surprise — I like sea days. They are relaxing and enjoyable. I can take my time to read a book without feeling guilty that I’m not doing something more productive (as I might feel at home). I can crochet all day long if I want. I can walk the Promenade or not. I can sleep late and/or go to bed early. There are no cares in the world on sea days...all I have to do is show up, which is just perfect. After a cruise with a few sea days, I come back home ready to take on the stuff that I did not do while on the cruise. 

Guam

After 3 sea days, the Coral Princess landed on Guam. To disembark we needed to go through Customs and Passport Control. We had been given forms to fill out beforehand, all we had to do was get in the line at our required time, and get off the ship. We had been warned that folks on the cruise did not follow the directions well, so we got in the line at 7 AM. At our suggested time (9:15-9:30) the procedure started. We were “inspected” and allowed to leave the shp.

Once on the island, we were met by a friend and we drove to her home in Yigo (that’s pronounced Gee-Go). We stopped along the way in Hagatna, the capital, to go to the new CHamuro Museum. The next stop was at Shirley’s for take out. Shirley’s is a Guam institution famous for Spam Fried Rice and other island delicacies. 

I bought the other DrC an order of fried rice with fine dine (Fin-E-Den-E) sauce. 

 

He was in Guam Heaven...he had not had anything like it in years. Once at Dottie’s home, we talked the afternoon away. A wonderful day with an old friend. All too soon the clock on the wall said 4:30 and it was time to go back to the ship. A wonderful day on our old island home.