Close-up of Trinidad Head
Looking North down Hwy 101. Misty Layers.
North towards Trinidad Head and Clam Beach
Clam Beach
I spend three lovely days back home. Well, okay, it really did rain for most of the time I was there. I had forgotten the squishy feel of wet socks in wet shoes! That's one thing I definitely didn't miss. However, my skin and hair are still happy with the moisture fest.
I slept outside, on the porch of my childhood home in Trinidad. Don't worry, it is enclosed in Plexiglas. Frogs chorused as I went to sleep, and birds sang as I woke up. What more could one ask for?
One highlight of my trip was seeing a couple of my students at their current school. I walked in the door, and there they were. We sat and talked and shared for over half an hour. Just made my teacher self so happy to see them, to know they were happy to see me, and to see how well they are doing in both school and life. Lot of See's in that sentence. lol.
Another highlight was seeing my Whitmire home. It looks great; the renters are taking excellent care of it. Phew. What a relief. The hard part was taking a tour of the yard, and seeing all the bulbs starting to come up, and the fruit trees budding... To know I won't see them bloom and fruit and grow was a little sad for me. I was able to find my new fry pan and some books and things I needed from storage, and picked up my house plants (Christmas Cactus, all). Funny thing--the girls are not there to mow the asparagus, yet the asparagus is not growing... Perhaps it has just been too cold, and it will come up later. Wondering if we blamed the girls wrongly for being asparagus muchers?
I spent a good chunk of time visiting with friends, and it was great to catch up with my horse-people friends--shopping at Great Western for halters and lead ropes and lunge whips was a hoot. I stopped by to see my younger brother, visited with professors at HSU, and checked in on a "grandma" I care about. Spent time with my animal friends, at the pasture and at RA. Seeing Bobby run across the pasture when he heard my car was a real treat, and I was overwhelmed by how beautiful Cami was. Had forgotten how striking she is in real life. Top is handsomer than when I last saw him, having added some needed pounds as well as a lot of muscle. He only has eyes for Vandy, though...
The best part of the trip was getting to just DO stuff, without having to think too much. After all my studies and reading and writing, I didn't want to do anything that required cognitive overload. So I helped my friend with a bunch of chores at her house- put in a new dining room lamp, put together book shelves, installed a new faucet/drain. To me, that was perfect. A sense of accomplishment and purpose, without a grade attached to it! lol. We drove up to Crescent City to shop at Home Depot, which was probably my favorite part of my vacation. I love that road, and it was good time to catch up. Also got a kick out of watching girls oogle at her son wherever we went. Yeeeesss, he's a girl magnet! Often oblivious to it, as many are. lol. Even in Denny's, they are there, watching, waiting, hoping.
A Barn that is slowly melting into the earth, just south of LakeView.I left Tuesday morning, at 5 am, with a full heart, several good meals under my belt, and a trunk stuffed with horse blankets to repair. The drive home was as clear and pleasant as the trip down. When I arrived home, Stuart caught me up on the goings on at Boise home, and we were able to hang out for a couple days before he left. Coolest thing: I now have a desk and a nice office chair. No more sitting on the floor to do my school work! Stuart installed an automatic water-er, which Ber thinks is pretty cool, and he also hung my clothes line. Dried a load of towels in an hour yesterday. Yes!
View of Mount Shasta from the South-East
Mt. Shasta in line with Cinder ConeWhen I started to lay out my school work and get going with the reading again yesterday, I felt like taking a break may not have been such a swift idea. Was incredibly hard to get started. But today, I'm beginning to hit my stride again, and feeling like I can do this. Maybe the break WAS a good idea. Six weeks to go... And the trees are beginning to show signs of spring. Yeah, I can do this.
Here is a link to Stuart's videos of horses rampaging around, Georgia dreaming, and other assorted animal antics. http://www.sgibson.com/emily/
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