Northwest to Canada and southwest to warm weather

Harrison Hot springs where the Canadians go

By the time Laurie went back to San Mateo, California, I was ready to get out of big city’s congestion. Just two hours from Vancouver lies a special little town.

Arriving in Harrison Hot Springs on a sunny afternoon, there were then 5 days of rain before I saw the sun again. However, the temperature was always balmy, so I enjoyed exploring with my raincoat and umbrella. This area is close enough to the Pacific coast that the weather is mostly temperate, and while they do have snow, it does not last. Lake Harrison can be very windy, so windsurfing is a popular sport here. Also, there are, reputedly, sturgeon and harbor seals in this 45 mile long glacier fed lake. Historically, the lake was an important link in the trip to the Caribou in 1858 when gold was discovered. Until 1861 this was the main route to the Caribou gold fields. Miners travelled up the Fraser and Harrison rivers, then on Harrison Lake to Port Douglas where they continued on the Harrison Lillooet trail to the gold fields.

Only the southern end of Harrison Lake has been developed, and there are no paved roads extending the full length of the lake on either side. One day I drove 16 kilometers (9-10 mi) up the lake’s west side to the end of the road where there was a beautiful public picnic area, boat launch, beach and this view.

The Esplanade

SandCastle Capital of the World

The town of Harrison Hot Springs is small and charming. In August, there were people, but it was not at all crowded There is a very nice hot springs pool that is open to the public, landscaped gardens along the esplanade, and lake and mountains that are absolutely lovely whether it is overcast or sunny. The skies were exquisite, with many puffy clouds. Harrison Hot Springs bills itself as the Sand Castle capital of the world and there are contests twice a year. My campground was a 15 minute walk from shops, public pool and restaurants past blackberries ready for picking.

Bigfoot Campground
From a tip at one of the Artisans, I found the Bigfoot Campground with free WIFI at my site, and, the cute little town had enough tourists to support several good restaurants so I was happy to settle in for over a week. The rain gave me a chance to work on the blog and my photographs.


Coffee roasting at The Back Porch

The Back Porch Pottery and Coffee Roastery

Antiques at the Back Porch Pottery and Coffee Roastery
An extra perk, there were artisans sprinkled through out the area. Fresh roasted decafinated coffee beans ground on an antique grinder at The Back Porch pottery and Coffee Roastery. They also had antiques and curiously, there were little packages of wild rice that came with a wonderful story. This wild rice, a staple of first nation peoples, was gathered by thrashing it into canoes by two brothers who have obtained a permit from the government to gather the wild rice from crown lands where it grows in great profusion in Northern Saskatchawan. The act of thrashing it into the canoes is also the reseeding process. One rainy day in Canyon Hot Springs CG, this long grain rice made a totally delicious meal, a nutty taste, slow cooked with vegetables.

During the course of my stay, it came to light that the campground’s internet was unreliable. Needing it to do my work, I asked if I might try to fix it. The staff was amenable and after several long phone calls to Lynksys and their internet service, we got it all sorted out. It was neat to be able to help, and I enjoyed being able to get to know the Bigfoot CG people.


Public Hot Springs Pool looks out over Lake Harrison
I visited the delightful public hot springs pool several times and each time it was a time to meet very friendly people who were sitting around the pool’s edges soaking in the hot water. The first visit, I was regaled by a fellow from Alberta who told me how the Canadian Govt. works. He said, “There are 3 parties, theNew Democratic party (called the NDP). This party has socialist leanings or is Socialist depending on who you talk to, The Conservative party (read Republicans in the States) and, Democrats (read conservative) his words, not mine. I would imagine that the Democrats are really the Liberals in the mix, but then I haven’t talked to enough people to get a real idea. At this point in time, the conservative Prime Minister has a minority govt., meaning the NDP or Democrats or both are in the majority. So, they can force an election if they do not like what he is doing. We, in the states, should be so lucky.


And lastly, for my hands that started aching, I visited a local chiropractor in the nearby town of Agassis (say aga-see).Here I am parked in the Chiropractor’s parking lot that is also the high school and the local sani-dump. Can you imagine having your office in a setting like this?

For those who would like to see more harrison hot springs pictures. click here at http://www.elurie.com/017_extra_pics

A week in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

I was a little apprehensive about going into a new country, with a different monetary system, different unit of measure, meters, kilometers, celcuis, and who knows what else. Managing the details of finding one’s way, keeping the campervan full with litres of gas, propane, water and the potty emptied (it is called a sani station), buying groceries, making phone calls without my cell phone were all going to be different experiences.

A Dollar is a coin called a Looney, and two dollars is a coin called a Tooney, there are no paper one or two dollar bills. When you are in Vancouver, It costs a Tooney and a Canadian quarter in zone 1 bus travel, and a Tooney and a Looney and Canadian quarter in zone 2 of bus travel. Of course, unless it is rush hour, then it is free downtown. The monetary system and all else turned out to be totally manageable with practice and I quickly acclimated to the new systems. Figuring mileage and speed continues to improve.

Vancouver is a mix of congestion and serenity. The traffic was fierce most times and places, the streets teemed with people. But then, there were the most amazingly serene, uncrowded places, parts of stanley park, the west end, a neighborhood. It was tantalizing. The city was beautiful, wth lots of bridges, and beautiful water everywhere. Just don’t try to drive.

Paul and Osa

My first day in Vancouver, I visited a high school neighbor of mine who had imigrated to Canada in the 60’s. Paul and his wife and child, Lara live in the Kootenay Rockies, far from crowded Vancouver. However, Paul’s recent car accident put him temporarily at the GF Strong Spine Rehabilitation Center in Vancouver where I was able to renew acquaintence with him and get to know his lovely family. I liked them all immediately, and it felt very good to have met some special new friends so far from home.

W5 dinner. That’s me 3rd from the front

The second day in Vancouver, was a W5 ((Women Welcome Women Worldwide), http://www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk/ dinner. It happened that on this evening we had women from Switzerland, California, Australia, and local members, over twenty in all. The group also included friends and husbands. The W5 membership list includes women of all ages, all over the world. Where ever you travel, there is someone who will welcome you to their part of the world, meet you for tea, or a tour of their area. Some provide a few nights lodging as well. I joined this group last year in preparation for a trip to England that never panned out, and now, I am exploring it’s membership in Canada and hope to host members who visit Oakland.

Laurie, the master photograper

Hari Krishna parade we just happened on while walking to the water taxi

A day later, daughter Laurie flew up from San Mateo, CA to tour with me in Vancouver for 5 days. We stayed in a great little hotel, The Buchan, http://www.buchan.com in the West End, right near downtown.

drumming performance

Granville Island water taxies

what are these berries? the sign was in Chinese. Are they gooseberries?

Small white whale that lives in the Arctic

Highlights of our time together was an African drumming and dance performance on Granville Island where we loved the water taxies and the public market and the Stanley Park Aquarium’s Beluga Whales.

Extension Bridge West Vancouver

Tourists thronging the woods West Vancouver

Hikes in West Van, as it is called where the extension bridges were so popular that we were able to listen to French, German, Japanese and Chinese conversations.

Kleenex box holders. Vancouver

We also discovered some great restaurants on Denman St. A Japanese one that was all about decor and presentation.
the presentation was beautiful as was the front door.

Legondary Noodles was also a favorite

Lifestyle 101

Everywhere I go I meet women who are taking their lives into their own hands. Thinking for themselves, making decisions that would curl the ears of the current administration in the USA. The are people who may have never been involved in counter culture, or they are people who were hippies in the 60’s and now are coming to as close to a sustainable lifestyle as they can.

Working locally, not waiting for the Federal government to sanction their lifestyle.
They are working for peace, speaking out, working for sustainability in the foods they buy, grow, eat. Growing their own food, buying locally. Some put their money into real estate instead of the stock market, some don’t have a bank account. some don’t have a computer. Living a life that they can be happy with, even helping to build an alternative monetary system that fosters local communities and does not depend on the World Bank. This alternative monetary system will hold when the world economy goes belly up because it is not dependent on debt, but local goods and services. These people won’t be hitting the rails looking for work this time.

My last visit before entering Canada was to Cyndy in Bellingham, WA where I marveled at Cyndy’s beautiful house and gardens and the view of Mt. Baker from her windows, not to mention, the hot air balloon that drifted by the last night I was there. The gardens were made by a master gardener who lived in the house before Cyndy.

The hot tub is great!

Cyndy is one of those women I met who is taking things into her own hands. She is involved several groups that are working out of Bellingham Washington. They are:
http://sustainablebellingham.org/ a buy local and organic foods non profit.

http://www.FourthCornerExchange.com an alternative money system that is local and involves both money and exchange of goods and services. a time dollar is worth 10., if you put in time dollars to a person’s account, they can use it to buy goods and services from anyone else. it’s neat, it is computerized, and does not involve carrying money, the money is not printed, it is all kept in the computer. Here is a little from the fourthcorner website. I think we very much need this in Oakland. Perhaps by the time I return, one will have already been started. If not, well— time will tell if I will be able to do something about that.

Fourth Corner Exchange is a Sustainable Community Currency based in the Pacific Northwest USA, which operates throughout the USA and the world. Currently we have over five-hundred participating members,
http://www.fourthcornerexchange.com/

Barbeques, Sightseeing with the Locals in Seattle and Environs

It has been nearly a month since my last post. So there is a lot to tell. Firstly, Washington State is beautiful and green. And, yes, I had rain! Five days straight, at one point. But it did not dampen my trip, as there were many wonderful things to do and people to see.

The Glass museum in Tacoma, Washington is a weird cone shaped building that houses a ‘hot shop’ where you can watch artists create hand blown glass. There are also exhibits of the current Artists in Residence. I was lucky enough to see an installment by Maya Lin created by the hot shop crew by her direction.

The entryway sculpture is most wonderful, in that the clouds are reflected, On this particular day, the weather was absolutely cooperative by providing a stupendous sky for reflection!

After stopping at the Glass Museum in Tacoma, I drove to Seattle and settled into a very comfortable RV park in Bellevue, a Seattle suburb just 20 minutes from downtown.

Outing to Bainbridge Island on the Ferry

Steve, Olga and the twins lived next door to us in Oakland. They relocated to Seattle nearly four years ago. I got to meet up with them again and see Leeza and Sonya, now grown to lovely girls at nearly 8 years of age.

Steve, Olga, and Steve’s birth mother visiting from Minnisota

We had a great time together at a family reunion barbeque, exploring the Chittendom Locks and the fish ladder teeming with very large salmon. (I saw one jump the ladder, and one that did not make it). There were also, inexplicably an influx of large white jellyfish deep in the water, just visible when the sun shown down to them, and a kayak that went through the locks.

Olga, Leeza and Sonya at the Chittendom Locks

Friend Diana who lives in Seattle’s Fremont district took me to meet Olga and the twins at the locks

Diana spent much of the week with me showing me the sights including the Museum of history and industry and some terrific local resturants. We took the “Underground Tour of Seattle” and reviewed Seattles history at the museum. It was greed, power, racisim, raping the land, fire and destruction.

Fremont bills itself as the center of the Universe

Diana’s lives in the Fremont section of Seattle. It was most wonderful with many interesting things including a very good sushi resturant called blue C Sushi.

The Freemont Troll famous thruout the city of Seattle

Seattle is comprised of these lovely little neighborhoods each of which has it’s own flavor. We were able to explore the Ballard neighborhood as well and experience a tea shop where you sat at antiques from China. The waterfront is everywhere in Seattle. Lake Union and Lake Washington are fresh water lakes, and the locks join Lake Washington with the sound. It is all very beautiful and picturesque.

I stayed in the Trailer Inns RV park in Bellevue, WA. 20 minutes from downtown Seattle. It was the most comfortable RV park ever, with a hot tub, indoor swimming pool, and very clean, lovely bathroom and showers. The11 days I sayed there are a testimony to how comfortable it was. The managers were warm and friendly, and knew me by name. These small things make a difference when you are on the road for a while.

A special mention: Crossroads Shopping Center
The first evening I arrived in Bellevue, Diana drove out to meet me and we went to a wonderful shopping center that functions more as a communtiy center than a shopping mall.

Friday night at the food court: Blues and Sole Band on a stage and people danced!. All the food court resturants were make to order so the quality of the food was way better than some of the others I have encountered.

The area was comfortable and just down the hall was giant chess and fast chess where there were long tables of couples playing chess. The players were all male, but of every nationality, and age. The giant chess was the same. Fast chess is a variation of Chess where you make a move and then push the timer. You have a total of 5 minutes total to play the game. each move takes part of that five minutes. Also, there is a library in the mall, and free wifi from the library.

Giant Chess

Bellevue, Seattle’s Eastside and One Adventure After Another.
Udupi Palace, a Vegetarian Indian chain, but here, all the customers were Indian, and me. I didn’t know what the food was, and they were describing it and i ordered not knowing what I would get. It turned out to be delicious, a rice and lentil pancake with peas and onions, served with coconut chutney with black sesame seeds and a small lentil soup with vegetables, but the soup was really a sauce, but it was better as a soup than a sauce.

Bellevue is a lush area of homes sprinkled with shopping malls. There is a large downtown with highrises. I got to visit one of them when I went to the local Charles Schwab Office. It was here that i was directed to the best Dim Sum in the Seattle Area, barring even Seattle’s Chinatown. Nearby is a hiking area called Lake Hills Greenbelt and with leased land for a you pick blueberry farm and several lakes and paths. It says light late at this latitude, so many of us take advantage to walk after dinner.

Woodinville, a small town off I-405 is home to the 1.2 acre estate of Ruthie and Koky.

Hundred year old farmhouse home to the wonderful Ruthie, Koky and family. And, 17ft. campervan, home to the wandering Eve.

Ruthie in her remodeled kitchen!

Transplants from the bay area, 17 years in Seattle area, they have raised their wonderful kids here, and hosted me for 3 days.
We had a great time welcoming me to the PNW (Pacific Northwest) with Salmon on the grill.

A visit to the Pike street market and a private tour of the 100 year old Moore Theatre of the Seattle Theatre Group by it’s very own Technical Director, Koky. Ruthie has her wonderful Potter’s studio in a separate building on their property, and it was tres nostalgic to sit with her for a few while she threw off the hump, plate after plate, pressing beautiful leaves into them as she threw.


This wonderful piece is the work of Olyvia, Ruthie’s daughter.

We also had fun moving the buffalo pies (cow dung) in and out (rain) for drying. These are used in the pit firing and must be dry for optimal carrying and use.


Did i mention it is in the wine growing region and there are balloon tours that go right over the house!

I am in Washington State!

First time having the tablecloth out and actually took the time to cook a meal and take it all out to eat outside!



First Campfire!

Hanging out in Rainbow Falls State Park in Washington State resting, trying to get some rest. Lots of sleeping and sitting about.
Working on the blog and waiting for a part for the fridge to come in on Tuesday.
By the time I get to send this email, I’ll be back in Castle Rock about a half hour south of here, getting the Fridge fixed at Mr. RV.

Took a shower today at the women’s rest room built in 1935 by the Conservation Core and still functioning!!



Here is the carving of the date, 1935, on the side of the building, only slightly obscured by cobwebs.

7/16/07
The Buddhists were right!

Occasionally something I am doing will touch off the thought that I am doing it alone without a mate. And that thought will touch off that something in me that feeling of sadness, of fright. I call it being lonely, but when I look closer, I see that it is a touch of fear brought on by a thought.

Then, something else catches my attention, cutting beans, the absolute green-ness of the old growth forest, a few sprinkles of rain, the beauty of the blue sky with puffy white clouds. Suddenly the thought is replaced by other thoughts.

If you want to feel lonely, then try to hang onto that first thought of fear and sadness. Take off on a story about it. Tell yourself that you have no mate, that you, and you only, are here and it is bad. And then, tell yourself about how all the other times you did this thing that touched off the thought, you were happy because and only because you were with someone that you loved and who loved you. Follow this story, try to sit with it, keep trying to remember it. Tell others about the time this thought happened and how awful it was, or how diligently you tried to work with it. Stay in the story as long as you can. This is the way to reinforce the idea of lonely, to keep it as part of your repetoire, your beingness. Believe in it, tell yourself that it is true, that it will keep coming back. Be careful to keep thinking back over it so it doesn’t disappear like your other thoughts.

Who took those pictures of me?


I did!

Small Pleasures and A Large Volcano

6/13/07
The new heartshaped ice cube trays from Ikea are working out well. It is such a delight to have ice in one’s bubbly water on a 103 degree day. Now, with these new trays, there is no need to worry about running out of ice!!

Today I toured Mt. St. Helens. State Route 504 is a 50 mile new road leading up to an observatory that looks out at Mt. St. Helens from five miles away.
Yours Truly in front of Mt. St. Helens

Up close and personal— the crater left by the blast, a massive flow zone, and the new dome being rebuilt. There is a break in the clouds and new dome can be seen inside the crater of Mt. St. Helens. The slightly blue hazy whiff of sulfuric acid being emitted from the new dome is just visible through the break in the clouds. The other gases that are being emitted are invisible

SR-504 has four information centers on it, and is interspersed by wonderful views of the mountain and wildflowers in great profusion.
There are two or more kinds of every color flower.

Each information center tells the story of the May 18th. 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. You see movies of some of the survivors, simulations and models of the mountain before and after the “blast” as they call it. You see the destruction, the makeup of those materials that built and continue to build the mountain. By the time you have visited the fourth one, and listened to the wonderful geologist explain once again what happened, you actually have a grasp of the magnitude and awesomeness of those events. All in all, It really brings home the experience in a way the watching it on the news many states away, will never penetrate.

Mt. St. Helens is actually an active volcano. It erupted 27 years ago spewing mud, ash and lava for miles and clogging the Toutle river, displacing Spirit Lake, burying Spirit Lodge and its owner under 300 ft. of debris, scouring trees for miles in it’s path. Today it continues to rebuild it’s dome by emitting its sticky lava at a fantastic rate. Now higher than the Empire State building, if it does not blow again, the dome will regain the original height of the old Mt. St. Helens in 170 years.


The Heat Wave Breaks

In the campground that night, there was thunder and lightning- exciting, night lit up repeatedly.It was the first rain of the trip, and in fact, of the summer! I have one or two small leaks around the edges in the campervan.

After that rain, the heat wave broke on Sunday and it was cool and clouds and sun all day. just lovely.

Driving on SR 504 out to the Johnston Observatory, (named after a 29 year old geologist, who died 27 years ago in the eruption of Mt. St. Helens on May 18th. 1980) was awesome. And I don’t use that word lightly. Awesome is the best word for this volcano and seeing the devastation up close. The four visitors centers with interpretive exhibits, movies, wonderful models, a ranger talk with pictures, all served to bring the events of this active volcano to life. Even though it was on the news, you don’t get the hugeness of it till you go. The only active volcano in the contiguous US, the lava is sticky, 60% silica(called Dacite) instead of the 50% silica content of the Besalt emitting volcano in Hawaii. For this reason, it doesn’t flow, but builds up a dome in the crater of the earlier blast.

Here is a bit of Volcano background.
The core of the earth is made of hot magma. In certain parts of the world, this core is closer to the surface and comes up through the surface with pressure of the heat of the molten core. That is what we call a volcano. Our Mt. St. Helens volcano developed a bulge months before it blew. Earthquakes, deep below the surface of the earth are movement of Tecktonic plates, they eventually caused, in this case, an avalanche that dropped off the whole side of the mountain. Once that happened, the pressure of the heated water and gases blew hot ash and lava 9 hours after the avalanche.The explosion was equivalent to many atom bombs being detonated. The ash circled the globe, settling as far as 300 miles from the blast. Awesome is definitely a good word. The Toutle river runs brown, and there is a wide valley of ash and debris going down for miles from the volcano, still after 27 years.

Another high point was at Johnston Observatory. A model of the mountain with a narrated story of the eruption. The narration was illustrated by cool pinpoints of light (fiber optics). They lit up in different places on the model at different times during the narration. The lights showed the path of flows or the rebuilding of the cone within the old crater, or the area of devastation. The green line of lights is the road we came up on, and the sign is the Observatory only 5 miles from Mt. St. Helens.

And finally, of note were the tree farms of the lumber company, Weyerhaeuser, that owns most of the land around here. The noble fir made strange geometric shapes or crosses when viewed at a distance.

Portland #2- Touring With Family

Touring with family; Mt. Hood, Hood River, The Dalles,
After the Bar Mitzva weekend,There was touring with Uncle Zel, my only remaining uncle, and Dad’s brother. We spent 12 days ‘doing’ the Columbia River Gorge, Hood River, The Dalles, Astoria and back to Portland for the last four days. Somewhere in the middle, we took on Seb and Adrian, Jonathan’s boys, 13 and 10 for four days.

There was heatwave in Portland after a very cold day, it reached around 100 degrees. I brought the campervan out of the parking lot where i spend the first night (sat.) after which I stayed in Uncle Zel’s suite at the Heathman Hotel where the Sat. evening festivities were held. The Heathman party was fantastic. After a very good dinner buffet, there was dancing and a quiet room. We all had a great time and Seb was put up on a chair and danced around and went up and down too! He was scared he would fall off, but it all came out OK and then they danced the Horah with Seb leading!

In the ‘quiet’ room, we had dessert and coffee, the baby Paloma, and Noah and us all played and talked. Very nice. Harold Lee, Morty’s oldest son and his wife Linda and 17-year-old son, Edwin all of whom, I met for the first time in adulthood. Morty is Juliette (Mom’s) younger brother.

Harold had a sister, terry, who died of cancer at age 30. She lived in Lake Tahoe, CA. Twins of Terrys who had been given up for adoption and had been adopted by Filipino couple. I just learned about their existence after the Bar Mitzva.

Zel and I had a beautiful drive up to the Timberline Lodge, Owned by the US Forest Service. It was on Mt. Hood where my 93 year old uncle went on the ski lift with me. It was my first and I think i was more scared than he! We got to the top, and watched the kids snowboarding and skiing on one of the only summer ski spots in the US. Then, we got to take the ski lift down the mountain. Mt. Hood is one of the or the only summer skiing in the US!

We discovered the Columbia River Gorge tourist attractions such as the terrific Lewis and Clark Discovery Center in The Dalles (say Dal’s)

In Hood River, we stayed in the Historic Mt. Hood Hotel that was the same age as Uncle Zell. born in 1913! A surprise evening of bluegrass local jam at the publik house rounded out our experience and Uncle Zel picked up the only woman at the bar.

Astoria- touring with more family
At the Bonneville dam, we picked up some more family, the Bar mitzva Boy, Seb, and his brother Adrian, and his mom, Julie. We had fun on the Sternwheeler, a paddle boat trip on the Columbia River. Adie took a fabulous movie of the paddlewheel going around. After dinner, Julie returned to Portland and left the boys to continue on to Astoria with Zel and I. The next day, while Zel pretended it was Sunday, and stayed in the fabulous hotel the Cannery Pier reading newspapers all day, Seb, Adie, and I flew toy airplanes off the Astoria Column, played nerf football on the beach at Seaside, rode the Bumper Cars, the Tilt a Whirl and ate ice cream. The next day, however, was the highlight of Astoria for the boys and I. It was the beach at Ft. Stevens State Park. We went to see the shipwreck of the Peter Iredale, an English ship that washed up on the shore during a storm, and stayed to swim in the Pacific!!! (it was warm enough) and make dune jumping movies.

After dropping all the family off on July 8th, I spent a week or so recuperating, doing chores, paying bills, attending to business, researching travel arrangements, and fixing the fridge that had gone out several different ways.

More pics are at http://www.elurie.com/family

Portland #1 Bar Mitzva and Family Reunion

Bar Mitzva- family reunion and all around great parties
A good time was had by all in a gathering filled weekend. Starting Friday night at Paul and Janet’s house in Vancouver, WA, most of the family was there, although Laurie, whose birthday it was, took sick and couldn’t come.



Janet, Julie and Ronnie are so busy cooking, they have not had time to get dressed for the party.


Jonathan presents a Tallit to Seb for his Bar Mitzva the next morning



Adie and Seb say the brucha over the bread and wine before we eat



The whole party sang Happy Birthday to Laurie on the phone.

Saturday morning, the great event. Sebastian read the longest Torah section of the year for his Bar Mitzva with family members, participating in the service. Afterward, there was a lunch at the temple and time to visit with new found relatives.
Saturday night was a fabulous party at the wonderful Heathman Hotel in downtown Portland. The food was delicious, prime rib with a wonderful creamy horseradish dressing, more than one delicious green salad, green beans with a wonderful sauce, and lamb chops, a creamy chicken, apple dish. Even the bread was fabulous!
Then, there were four or five desserts. It was so good! There was a wonderful arrangement for a small room with easy chairs for us to have coffee and dessert while the others danced to loud music in the main room.

Sunday morning was a brunch at Jonathan’s house and more visiting. I met Harold and Linda Lee and their son Edwin from Ashland, OR. Harold is Morty’s oldest and I had not met him before. Morty lived in Southern California when we were growing up and we had never visited them. Harold is an ex logger who has an airplane and property that he fixes up and rents. He says he like to work with his hands, so the fixing part it the part he likes.
I hope to be able to visit them in the future, possibly on the way back to Oakland. I later learned that I have twin second cousins in Southern Ca from his sister Terry who died at 30 from cancer in Lake Tahoe, CA where she was living at the time. I have since corresponded with one of them and look forward to meeting them at some time in the future.

All the pictures from this weekend and touring with family after are posted at http://www.elurie.com/family since there are way too many to post here on the blog.

The Unseen Life That Dreams Us

I must read John Donahue again. An interview with this  lovely ex Catholic Priest in the Sun Magazine talks about how we all need times alone, times to reclaim that’ wildness of ours’. ‘How wonderful’, he says,  ‘it is to come together with a woman who has retained that wildness’. (the term is not defined. One simply has to imply that this means not having been domesticated by the relationship and retaining one’s original tendencies. Different tendencies than one’s mate.

And how the common ideas about what compromises a relationship these days  serves to essentially fu— it up. i.e. the couple tries to merge, compromise until a new entity is formed (if the merge is successful), if it is not, the relationship ends in divorce. The new entity is a wan version of the two individuals that became one. Of course, this is occasionally untrue. the merge is successful. Each person retains some semblence of their original personality, they each maintain their  own baliwick in the business of life together, work, eating shelter, entertainment, knowledge, socializing, play or leisure activities. It is the experience of these occasional couples that stand as a beacon to those who long for a life of togetherness.

More often these days, people are finding that they like having everything their own way, even if it means that they are totally alone.  More time is spent at the computer, reading, or responding to, other people’s ideas in the comfort of their own isolated module. Sometimes expounding on ideas read from books. It is all inside their minds, and all comes from that history they carry with them. There is little chance for real change since all the  input is from within. Oh yes, there are writings and talking to people, but there are no confrontations. These are the meat of change. No — they are not pleasant, but real change seldom comes from pleasure. I am not advocating that one get into a relationship so that one can change, however, there is something to be said for trying to make it as a unit in life, at least for a concerted time. There will always be time to be alone. People leave, people die, people go off for one reason or another.

And what about the joy of intimacy? Cousin Stephie once said, “He doesn’t get it, life is about our connections to each other” I don’t remember who she was talking about, but I have found, that although it is a joy to be wild and free. It is also a joy to connect on a personal level. To have someone in your life that you retain an interest in, as well as them retaining an interest in you.
The joy of intimacy is as sweet as the joy of being wild and free.
And there is joy of connection with other humans, but it must be a meaningful connection about things that are important you both of you. That is what make the connection.

A relationship might be customized. What does it mean to be there for someone, Does this mean that you must live together, travel together? If you find someone in which you are interested, consider, what do you want from each other, really want. It doesn’t have to be all one way. And, what can you give, really give? And how do you have to live to retain yourself, and what do you have to offer if you merge.

Grant's Pass, Oregon- or Hello Oregon, goodbye California

Although I didn’t stay long, I did stop for dinner, and noticed the downtown sidewalks were adorned with statues of bears, all different, all by local artists.

correction

Correction: As one of our readers has pointed out, Ferndale is in California, not Oregon as previously stated. The editor must have been out to lunch at publishing time. Many appologies from the editor.

Ferndale, Oregon

Step back in time to the fifties and then the 70’s when Victorian restoration was big. This town is a mix of restored 1890’s and the 50s buildings. A wide empty Main Street and the older part of town have Victorian homes, then, as the town expanded, small one story houses from the 1950s. The Cream City Cafe has hot fudge sunday with candy sprinkles, slivered almonds, whipped cream, and a Marachino cherry. The sandwiches are all the old 50’s standards, and are served with a little bag of chips. There is one big difference from the 50s ,free wifi!

Eureka, CA is the closest big town. To get to Ferndale from SR101, you drive west through a flat valley of farmland and cows. Then, a town,close enough to the ocean to get fog rolling in, and nestled against the hills of the coast range. There are parks, houses with big grass yards, smiles and waves from everyone.

Cattle farmers still drive the town bringing their milk and shopping at the feed and hardware store

While walking the town with camera in hand, I came across a neat old bar and resurant called Curley’s. It seems that Curley’s is the resident dining venue for the Victorian Inn. A lunch special was particularly appealing. Crab salad sandwich and a salad with a wonderful vinegrette and gorgonzola house dressing.

Curleys resturant in the Victorian Inn

The town has an amazing cemetary that spans hillsides on the edge of town and cozys up to the mountain behind it. The graves and crypts are many and varied. They feature gravestones from as early as 1824 at least and the shifting ground has rendered many of them off kilter to become a perfect setting for Mystrey Theatre.

Ferndale Cemetary nestled against the coast range

No crowds! The next morning, I woke up late because it was absolutely quiet in the drive of the County Fairgrounds. Not even a truck going by. There is a big field for the campground, but,I got to drive into the fairgrounds and park on the pavement! Free, hot showers, and no one here! I spent the morning luxurating in a nice hot shower and writing the tumblog knowing I post it online in town right from my campervan.

my “campsite” in the County Fairgrounds in Ferndale

I didn’t want to leave the wide open small town in farm country, but managed to finish up online by 3pm and started off for Jedidiah Smith State Park, the last of the Redwoods Parks before reaching Interstate 5 inland.

One last caveot about Ferndale, it is sunny with a cool wind, and the fog comes in.

Fat cat in the road

This sunset photo is real!