Happy Boxing Day! I’m sitting in the comfort of our living room, looking at our tiny Yule tree. Ollie our orange tomcat is on the couch taking a catnap. We’ve been home since Dec. 20 from our three month road trip and have had a relaxing holiday so far. My sister Heidi’s daughter Kali and her boyfriend Dallas will arrive later today on the Mukilteo ferry and stay with us through Dec. 30. Look forward to their 21-year-old energy and perspectives.
Nearly every day we take a walk in the woods or explore the Langley marina. Admiring Whidbey’s natural beauty helps make our transition from 13-foot Marion to our 1600-square foot home a little easier. We’ve been used to being outdoors for a quarter of the year, and are not letting rain and gray skies keep us inside.
We are grateful to Ari and Juniper–who stayed at our home two months–and Tom and Megan–who stayed a month–for their home care, loving Ollie and keeping our Plecostomus catfish Lazarus’ aquarium clean and him well fed.
We enjoyed breakfast with friends Roger and Sheila Dec. 22 before they left for an extended trip in Mexico. We like their worldly perspective and their kindness.
Christmas Day was spent with Lisa and her husband Douglas, guests of Cynthia Tilkin’s cozy fairytale-like home. There we met Susan and her sister Gail. Conversation flowed in the beautiful home with views of Saratoga Passage on a rainy dark day that was made cozy by the fire.
For the last leg of our journey in California we stayed with Sebastopol friends Ruth and Jack Dunlap Dec. 14. They are world travelers these days, visiting Ecuador next month, Japan in March, up our way in May/June, and Europe in the fall. They are kind and welcoming folks.
We drove up in a drizzle to Humboldt Redwood State Park, where we camped across from the restroom at Burlington Campground, open year-round. Before it became too dark to see, we took a walk among the lords and ladies of redwood trees in the nearby Gould Grove Nature Loop.
Here we learned the trees can “reach over 370 feet and live over 2000 years.” As we walked in the presence of tree royalty, we heard the fluted song of the Varied Thrush high up in the tree canopy. Later we heard the soft croak of ravens flying through the trees. It was wet outside. Just what these trees need.
Between October and May, this part of northern California receives 60 to 80 inches of rain, more than double that received in San Francisco! We slept to the welcome heat of our propane heater and woke up to dripping condensation on the walls of Marion, which soaked our cushions. There is no electric power at this state park campground. We drove away heading for the coast of Oregon and electric hookups at Harris Beach State Park, north of Brookings OR. Excellent and clean restrooms and welcome electric plugins at our campsite. Along the way we noticed the Northern California coastal towns of Eureka, Arcata and Crescent City’s many down and out folks. Graffiti covering the door of a co-op restroom, folks living in rundown RVs, people with lost and desperate expressions…life is hard for many here.
After a relaxed night of listening to the nearby roar of the ocean, we drove toward Corvallis, where our daughter Gillian lives. Several tries at finding a good breakfast place failed until we found Mom’s Kitchen in North Bend. Local, great food, great service and happy chefs, who joshed with our server. As we were leaving I mentioned to the chef how I appreciated their happiness. He said, “An angry cook makes a bad cook. That energy goes into the food.”
We pulled into our campsite at Benton Oaks RV Park in Corvallis late on the afternoon of Dec. 18. We like space A27 for its proximity to the fairground’s restroom. We met our daughter Gilli for breakfast at the Dizzy Hen in Philomath, a lovely local place with delicious food. We saw her again the following evening, oohing and aahing at the business she and her housemates Rob and Lily have created: The Little Prints, which creates T-shirts, embroidery design, mugs and 3D printing logos for local businesses and non-profits. If I may say so, the art is remarkable! We also took a walk with Judy, who we met at a Sunday Potluck Gilli’s housemate Rob has set up, along with other social gatherings.
I’m signing off to pick up my niece Kali and her boyfriend Dallas from the ferry. Meanwhile, we like the words of this magnet our friend Les McCarthy sent in her holiday card. –Love, Bajada Bill and Cactus Kate.
P.S. While we were visiting Ojo Caliente Hotsprings resort in New Mexico and while camping at Gilbert Ray Regional Park in Tucson, we met singer/songwriter Natalie Gaza and her partner Wendy. Natalie asked if Marion our trailer and I would be in her upcoming music video promoting her new album, and she let me know this week it was finished: Natalie Gaza: Stumbling Up.
Fun to see Marion in a video! and I like Natalie’s style of music.