Cheetah and Cub..

I mentioned that I stopped at the Coast Gallery during the rainy day at Big Sur. I also mentioned that I purchased something I decided I should be able to have because I loved it.... and i do. For years I have put off getting 'more stuff' in my life because I keep thinking I'm going to move sometime soon... any time now... no.. soon. In fact, I may not.. or I may, but it occurred to me that it was sad to put off having something nice on a premise that tomorrow will be a better day to have it.

Loet Vanderveen is the creator of this Cheetah and Cub. He is a true marvel and a wonder when it comes to line and form. I really will make the Coast Gallery my first stop if I ever hit the lottery, as I will then have a huge house with a room , just for his sculptures. Some of the larger ones are heart stopping, and the smaller ones, like the herd of tiny running elephants, while just as beautiful, just make me feel good...

The very nice lady, Ms. Trotter, at the gallery, was almost as excited as I...

So..

I now own this...

and I'm damn proud of it!

Rocky and Adrian...

I moved Rocky and Adrian today just in case, as the real Gem is apparently being dismantled... I know our cyber gem stands strong, but I didn't want them to hear all the fuss until the dust settles...

I took the fish too... not that they are as exciting as our rocks, but I'll bring them all back soon...

I hope...

Travels with Lucifer...

Ok... I AM getting senile... you can read THIS post, or go to November 5, 2005 and read it again... or at least part of it. It's morning... what can I say (grin) There is a picture of Lucifer, too...

Since it's been mentioned - this traveling with cats, let me tell you a small story. I'll try to find a picture of him...

In 1976 my 'ex' and I traveled the country for 4 months in a VW campter, trying to find a place where we could get along. Learned one of life's great lessons in the process: If you can't get along where you are... you can't get along where you go.. But I digress.

We had a cat. Lucifer. He was a bold, brave buddy, but totally disliked cars. Imagine our surprise when he started sitting in the camper while Joe worked on it. It was as if he knew and wasn't going to be left behind. So we took him.

We never leashed him, or restrained him in any way. We had a cat box for a couple of nights, but that didn't work space wise, so we put a branch against the side window and let him go out... It was in Zion National Park that we re thought that idea, as big things travel at night that eat kitties, so we locked him in so he could protect us. From then on, as we drove, if he had to go, he got on my lap (Joe drove) and kneaded my leg and we would stop the camper and he would jump out, go, and get back in. When we got to campgrounds, we opened the door. He would go and check things out and either stay outside or, in the case of Yosemite, where there was snow, get back in and head under the sleeping bag that was in the back seat.

He was a better traveler than Joe, that's for certain... At night, he would sleep between us, his back to me, as I never moved, and his paws towards Joe... I watched him, once, as Joe started to turn over in his sleep, and saw him put his little claws out and Joe stopped .

He was the ultimate companion.

He used to sit in my lap like a dog at times when we weren't moving too fast, his head leaning out the window, watching the world go by. He only violated the rules once. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, he saw something as we were driving through town (something we rarely did). We were looking for friends. He jumped out the window and hit the ground running. It took us a minute or two to get him back... phew!

When we finally returned to LosT Angeles, he would sit on the porch as if to say,, "OK, we've been here long enough... let's MOVE!"

One of a kind...

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggedy Jig...

I'll post some more later... i had to keep one hand on the cat all day yesterday, she just wouldn't leave me alone!

A Short History of a Traveling Girl...

Monday..
I’m in Buelton now, close to home. I can blog, but can’t seem to put pictures on.... I’ll do it later!

Sunday...


It rained and rained and rained all day today! I went to the Coast Gallery and just had to buy myself something I can’t afford... I’ll take a picture of it and show you later. Waaaay too much money, but I keep saying “When I hit the lottery”, or “ When I have a place for it in another house” and I realized that I was not having things i really wanted... This gallery is one of my favorite stops in Big Sur. It was made from an old wine barrel (a really BIG wine barrel), and then added to as the years passes. The movie, The Sandpipers, was filmed in it years ago.

so there...

I read another book. So far I have read: The Bleachers, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, The Lust Lizard of Melancholy cove, Stone Cold, Blue Highways, Hidden Prey, and am working on Ibid., a life and American Brutus, which I started a ways back and got stalled on... too many footnotes so I’m skipping them.

I watched The Hawaiians and Quest for Fire, an old favorite.
.

Saturday...

A foggy day before the rain...
Bought the paper at the little store here and watched an aging hippy smoke a doobie right outside the store.... ah... Big Sur. It never changes.

Didn’t rain last night.. I slept well but had the worst dream... must be because I’m headed south instead of north... Had breakfast in my favorite place on the coast... it has consistently had the best coffee I’ve ever had, bar none. They had ‘serious’ coffee years before Starbucks even thought about it.

more later.

Kids.... I'll Take Mine Medium Well...

My neighbors... from England, all the way to Big Sur! (picture to follow)
Friday...

I probably won’t be able to post this until I get home, but I’ll try.. if not, you’ll get the next few days all at once...
It’s raining-!! This little van is sooo comfy in the rain. I have a little seat in the back and I sit with my little light and watch the people come in to the campground. I’m back in Big Sur at my favorite campground and, because it’s the weekend, so is everyone else on the planet. But that’s a good thing because I’ve met some really super people already. It’s fun to watch them all pull in, big rigs and small, and maneuver as well as they can into the spots alloted to them. The rain lets up every once in a while and then I go out and meet the neighbors. A very nice couple moved in next door with a chocolate lab named Louie. Louie likes me, and has come over to my door to visit and see what I’m doing.

I have read 3 books already, and am well on my way in a fourth, something I haven’t done for a while. I need a good reading station in my house with a good light. You’d think I could do that, but I don’t seem to be able to find just the right spot... Hell, I’ve only been there 22 years...

Last night, in Olema, there was a .. oh , must have been a 6th grade graduation camp out. 8 billion kids... apparently they backed up all the toilets the night before... kids... I have to keep saying, “ I was that age once. I knew it all. I was cool and everyone else wasn’t:” It’s either that or stuff one or two of them and put them out for show, just to put the others on notice... (grin)

One of the books I read was one that St Julien sent to me.. “Blue Highways” , by William Least Heat Moon. He traveled around the county ( the edges) around 1980 in a van much like my old Ford, sticking to the small roads instead of the highways. He avoided campgrounds because of the ‘big trailers’ and the people he THOUGHT were in them. Assumptions.... they’re usually wrong. When he got lonely (which was way more often than he should have) he stopped in tiny towns and went to the bars to talk to people.. He missed the boat for several reasons.

I have met people from all walks of life and states and countries in campgrounds, and found boatloads of people with whom I could talk and trade stories. I never feel lonely on the road. He limited himself to the same kind of people each place he traveled, which was a shame. There are many things to be seen on the backroads in this country, but there are some killer places on the big highways, too... I think he was a bit fearful.

I started long before he did, too... neener neener!

Coastal Fog and Other Wonders...

Still Thursday..

Scotch Broom in the fog... Apparently the Scots brought it to make brooms and it got kinda out of hand (grin). You can see it all up and down the coast, from Canada to the Mexican Border, It’s a good grower... and occasionally villified for it!

Hopefully I will find a place where I can post. The campground, in Olema California, (Point Reyes) has WiFi, but, of course, they charge. Greedy bastards....

I forgot to mention that yesterday, going up the coast, I rounded a corner on the winding road and saw a large bird on the yellow stripe. Fearful, I slowed... it crouched down. I stopped beside it, hoping it wasn’t horribly injured. It was a wild turkey. I looked at it... it looked at me, balefully. I said “shoo” and it got up and walked away! Must have been warm on the yellow stripe or something...

No wonder they call them turkeys!

I have two pictures of the road in the fog. It’s really pretty driving in the fog as long as you can see. The one where the trees arch over the road is beautiful... the other shows one of my favorite trees, the Monterey Pine. I love these trees because they remind me of a furry gloved many fingered hand, reaching towards the road, bent forever by the wind from the ocean.



Now...

off to lunch and try to post!

YES!

Morning on the Coast...

View out the side door of Fallcor...

It's foggy this morning... it was cold and damp last night, the fog building up on the trees and dripping on my little dragon. She's named Fallcor, by the way, for those of you who didn't know... after the luck dragon in the Neverending Story. My niece named the first one, and I've kept it for this one. Fallcor two, you might say.

I'm heading back down the coast today. 706 miles after I started... a short trip, but sweet.

Not much to say other than FORT BRAGG HAS TOO MANY PEOPLES!

Here's a few pictures of the inside of Fallcor... the curtains up (front and back) and a view of my little nightstand and reading area.

Stealing WiFi Again...

No pictures today..;.. I'll try to get some tomorrow.

I drove up the extremely winding coastline again today, with Fort Bragg in my final sights. I passed through a tiny town called Gualala, where I could live... no, really... I'm gonna check out prices when I go back down tomorrow. Pretty. Remote as hell, yet friendly and big enough to survive.

So, when I stopped in the campground today near Fort Bragg, the woman and I were talking, and she was telling me the drawbacks of Gualala as opposed to Mendocino (Fort Bragg) area. It might take me 3 hours to get to 101, she said. I yawned. Too far to San Francisco if I wanted culture... and? I replied... anyways, I came into town to go to the market and get a late lunch and there are TOO MANY DAMNED PEOPLE IN FORT BRAGG! yipes! eep!

ewww.....

but the drive...

oh my friends and ah my foes... What a beautiful sight. I will take pictures tomorrow, I promise (and then won't be able to blog probably ha!)..

So I'm safe in my little campground for tonight...

but right this minute I'm sitting outside the Mendodino Cookie Company, stealing Wifi...

A Short Blog from a Foggy Place...

Haven't seen Linus' kite, but I have seen several like that... I'll be sure to look closely...

Just a note. I can blog (at least here) and I can receive e-mail, but can't send any...

go figure...

Anyone got a couple of cans and a loooonnnngg string??

Bodega Bay...

I can't believe I can finally blog... I wonder what was the problem? Maybe something with the River inn WiFi? Oh well...

I didn't realize this place had Wifi until I was reading the local tourist paper. I guess I have to try just everywhere I go. It's almost the only campground in miles, so who would figure...

I left Big Sur this morning, and traveled up to Monterey. Had a super breaky along the way, gassed up (shudder) and took off. I had to cross over to highway 101 at Monterey because of the outage up near San Fran.

See... here's the thing. There is no way to go from the bottom of San FRancisco (highway 101) to the top of San Francisco (highway 101 and the infamous Golden Gate Bridge which isn't really golden, by the way, but that's a bridge of another color) without going THROUGH THE STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO!! arrrghhh! You'd think by now the town was big enough that they could fix that problem... it's not like they NEED THE BUSINESS!

I cut back to route 1 (the coast) right after SF and then remembered what a winding mess it is ... but beautiful. It did take me about a half an hour to go 10 miles, but that's about average (and there WERE some messy spots... too much rain last year for the cliffs). The coast above San Francisco is, if possible, more devious than the lower road to Big Sur. The good news is, I was the only car headed in my direction. And, as I said, it's incredibly beautiful this time of year. Two months from now it will be yellowed and dry looking, but I have never seen it look as it did today.

I stopped for the night in Bodega Bay, a tiny little 'hamlet' on a point of coast. It has quite the history. Discovered, several times, apparently, by the Spanish (of course), and has been a major port at one time in it's life until the cows ate all the grass and mud filled the bay and... well... you know the story. In the early 60's THEY started to build a Nuke-u-ler (gotta honor our president at some point) power plant, one of many they had planned. The dug a hole 192 feet deep before they were stopped. I have to go tomorrow and see if it's still here!

Now ... I'm going to r-u-n-n-o-f-t to find pictures now that I can blog!

Heaven.... I'm in Heaven...

Heaven... I’m in heaven...

Monday...

I can’t seem to get Blogger to let me post anything, and I can’t get on to ask them WHY THE HELL NOT!? (She said, sweetly). I’m just going to go ahead and write daily and put it all down when I can.

I used the new bed for the first time last night and, aside from kicking myself because I waited THIS LONG to do it, I had a wonderful time. I needed to put a little extra air in it this morning... kind of an adjustment period, and I DO have to watch my head if I sit up straight, but it’s wonderful...

The old bed, in case you don’t remember, was a very narrow fold out futon thingy that I got in the 1970’s at the Akron... a store so long out of existence that generations of people don’t have any idea... I would stretch it out in the van length wise (as the back was full of things I needed) and put pillows on either side to try to make comfortable places for my arms. I had to make it up every night and then tear it down and pack it up each morning, and spent all the time in the back of the van on my knees... and we all remember my knees, don’t we?. I even had to get dressed kneeling, which is a helluva thing for a woman my age!

But now... sigh... the bed is made all the time and all i have to do is throw myself (albeit carefully) on top and sleep... I can even sit on the edge comfortably and get dressed... put on my shoes (other than sitting in the door of the van), plan what to wear...

It’s heaven....

pure heaven.

and.... of course... I’m in Big Sur. Double my pleasure double my fun for certain!

Mother's day at the River Inn...

Shh... they’re sleeping!

This picture was taken last time I was here at Big Sur. I haven't taken any pictures so far today.... it's a helluva long trip up here (300 miles) and I have never seen the Big Sur road in such poor condition. It looks as if it has been patched in about 20 places, some of them crudely. The problem is that there is NO OTHER ROAD. No where, no how. They need to shut it down for about 6 months and fix it, but that is nearly impossible. Above here, just below San Francisco, the road was closed due to a slide.. indefinitely. The hardship on the people who live 15 miles from San Francisco and have to drive many miles east to 101 to go north... shudder.

I have also never seen it quite so beautiful on the way up. It has rained a great deal north of my place, and the hills were greener than I ever remember... and wildflowers... and green...

So I got here, but my favorite spot was gone but that's Ok... the little pills must be working, because I remember crying one time when it was taken... hmm... I came over to the River Inn to get something to eat and, of course, it's MOTHER'S DAY... the parking lot is full and the restaurant is even more so... but there's a jazz band on the deck and all is good...

and I'm even not too tired to blog!

I have had trouble with blogger up here.. so this may be without a picture... deal with it (grin)

I CAN FINALLY BLOG!! (Tuesday)

Silly Daddy, I'm going camping!

A rather ridiculous (and therefore priceless) picture of my father, a man who had to be fairly serious all his life...

My father didn't like it when I 'hit' the road. Hell, he didn't even want us to go away to college. Right close to home worked for him... My first van was his old delivery van, a 1969 Ford. It had 90 thousand miles on it when I got it. It said "California Venetian Blind Co" on the side. Dad told me to get it repainted, but I just took a sanding block and scraped off the letters.. Worked just fine! It was an empty shell with no right seat (I added one). I loved it. I had that van for almost 10 years before I got my first Astrovan. Then I had that one for 17 more. I know how to make a car last, that's for certain!

I'm going traveling for a short while. I have to try out the new BED in my van... I'm going to put a picture of it at the end of this. Last trip, the thing I hated the most was making up the futon every single night, crawling around on my poor knees, and then making everything right again in the morning.

No more.

A friend built a platform that goes between the sides of the van, resting on the wheel wells. The distance is 68 inches... I'm 5'5". You do the math. I haven't been this excited about a new traveling thing for a long time. I can PUT things under the platform. There is an airbed on top, so I'm soooooo comfortable... and I still have room for everything else!! It's soooo cool!

Ok.. 'nough about that...
Here you can see the covered platform, and then the fully made bed (minus about 4 more pillows!)

Awww....

Just a short note and a picture of my father as a bippy...

My nephew looked a bit like that as a child... I have some wonderful pictures that I will put here of some REALLY old people. I don't know who they are, but one of them has my brother's eyes... EXACTLY.

I get a kick out of fabulously familiar family faces...

The Bird Woman of Manhattan Beach...

I think I saved a life today... Not THIS pigeon, but one about this age. As I started walking home from dropping off my car so it could get fixed (!), I saw a crow attacking something with wings. I thought it was a dove or a pigeon, but as I ran closer I saw it was a 'baby' pigeon. A big baby, but a baby nonetheless. I stopped the carnage and picked up the victim and ... and THEN what, I thought...

I walked to the nearest vet, but they didn't do birds. sooo..

I walked back to my car, borrowed a towel from the car guy and drove to the vet who DOES do birds. They took her/him from me quite cheerfully and thanked me. I have no idea what they will do with it. At least, if they can't save it, it will die a lot more peacefully...

poor thing!

A Barn, by any Other Color...

Before I had my wonderful little digital camera, I used an old 35mm. On one of my long trips (back to Florida, up to Maine and across and up into Canada and down the west coast), I took two of them. I had my mother's camera, and then acquired my sisters, which was the exact same year and model. This had the added bonus of having several lenses that fit both cameras. Having a taste for black and white photography, I put B&W in one camera, and color film in the other, and set out across the known world... Well, MY known world at least.

Often I would take the identical picture with each camera, loving the inherent differences that present themselves with each type of film. I love black and white photography because color doesn't even play in the picture (get it? the picture... ha ha .... sigh.. never mind). You notice line and shadow and composition in B&W, and the play of a picaresque palate of pleasurable hues with color film. Each has it's strengths...

I also love old barns, and the south east, particularly, is rampant with them... I make special effort to get off the main road just to search for them, lonely and forlorn in the middle of a field. I find them on the interstate, broken and forgotten in spite of the constant flow of civilization just outside their door... I love old barns that live with new houses, trying their best to hold up to the elements and make their people proud...

So..

Here's one of my favorite barns... take your pick.

you CAN have it both ways...