September 2008
Birthday Month
Gordy and Sherlock (Wally) jamming
September 2008
Birthday Month
Gordy and Sherlock (Wally) jamming
September is "The Birthday Month" since Gordy and I have our days just one day apart. Over the last couple of years, we have celebrated with a trip to the beach. This year is a little different. We headed to Marin County on Saturday, the 13th, not only to celebrate our birthdays but also to celebrate the 75th birthday of the Marin Amateur Radio Club (MARC). Gordy was president of the club twice when we still lived in Marin and we have maintained our membership in the club.
My friend, Marilyn, treated me to lunch at the Slocum House. We sat out on the patio. The day was beautiful - not too hot. The food was great and so was the company.
On Gordy's birthday, we went to Tyler's first home football game. Tyler is a junior this year. During the summer, he was talked into trying out for football. Up to now, he had been playing basketball. So, he went to summer camp, tried out and actually made the varsity team! However, since he is new to the game and team, he is about 3rd string. It's been a long time since we have gone to a high school game. Tyler didn't get sent in but as Gordy says, "He didn't make any bad plays." Unfortunately, Ponderosa lost to Nevada Union by one point.
We sat with Dale and Diana. JJ was there and made one short appearance before she left to be with her friends. At the end of the game, we briefly saw her as she walked in circles talking into her cell phone. I guess the grandkids are growing up. The other thing that I noticed while watching the crowd, is that high school boys are really dorky. Have they always been that way? Well the universal answer that I have received is - "Yes."
On Saturday, we loaded up the motorhome and drove to Marin County. Gordy has a friend from his Air Force days who has a trailer park in Greenbrea, Wally Holmes - but Gordy has always called him Sherlock. Wally invited us to stay at his park. The park is in between Nordstroms and Cost Plus and backs up to the Corte Madera Marsh Bird Wildlife Sanctuary. Buster loved it because he got plenty of walks. Saturday night Gordy and I finally celebrated our birthdays with dinner at Marin Joe's. It is amazing how that restaurant remains consistent. It was exactly the way it was over 20 years ago. They don't take reservations and are always crowded. It is usually a two scotch wait for a table. This time, on our second scotch, I decided to ask the hostess how much longer. She asked my name and said we've called you 4 times already! Since we were in the bar, we couldn't hear her. I told her about the two scotch wait and she laughed. Dinner was great as usual.
On Sunday, we went to the Marin Amateur Radio clubhouse in time to check in to the Sunday morning net and to join in on the 75th anniversary celebration. Chet Rice, WA6PAC, and a few other hams that Gordy knew were there. Much to our surprise, no one was there to run the net. The radio was on but the call sheet wasn't there. One of the guys picked up the mike and put out a call, but no one answered him. So much for the net! Let the party begin. They barbequed hamburgers and chicken sausages. One of the ham's son dates a lady who is a personal chef. She did all the cooking and it was fun. Lots of reminiscing.
Stilts in the marsh - Nordstroms across the marsh
This is the marsh where we walked. You had a view of San Quentin and the San Rafael bridge from the marsh. You could also watch the Larkspur Ferry come and go. Plenty of places to explore and lots of marsh and sea birds even white pelicans. Also, plenty of other dogs. They have dog deposit cans along some of the trails with extra plastic bags. The fog would come in and be there in the morning but lift by the afternoon. We discovered that we had lost the lid over the bathroom vent. It looked like it was still there when we first parked because it was foggy, but when the sun came through, we could see that it was gone. It was back to Camping World for a new one when we got home.
Wally was there on Sunday and we got to visit. In the evening, he and Gordy jammed like they used to do 50 years ago. As the night wore on, they actually got better and rembered more of their old songs. Unfortunately, Wally has sold the park but he said the next time, we can stay at his place in Novato.
On our river walks, I noticed that some of the "willow cones" had actually hatched (see Previous Adventure - July 2008 for an explanation). It looks like as the gnat matures, it eats the insides of the cone. The open cones were very hollow.
I was taken by the twist of the oak tree's trunk. In fact, one trunk has grown around the other. We are now watching the river for the salmon to return. So far, we have only seen one. The turkey vultures are also waiting. They have started hanging out by the river en masse. This year, there is no salmon season. They had very few salmon spawn last year, so they felt we shouldn't fish for them until we know what is happening to them. I sure miss our trips down the river. Gordy and Jim went bass fishing last week in the Delta. No fish but they did sea a sea lion with a fish.
The Woman's Thursday Club of Fair Oaks had its membership meeting. The theme was "Shell We Gather". The tables were decorated with shells, sand and pebbles. There were also paper shells inscribed with things the club gathers - like friends. I have a big shell collection from different places I have lived - North Carolina, California and Hawaii. They sure got a work out as the decorations. The garden section of the club toured the garden of Gordon and JoAn Heidt. They had kiwi farm in Orangevale. At one time it contained eleven rows of kiwis. They have sold off a lot of their land and the garden is smaller, for personal use. Their citrus trees were huge - over 50 feet tall and loaded with fruit. In addition they had apples, peaches, figs, grapes, an overwhelming amount of things. Gordon told us about kiwi propagation and I got to see how they hang on the vines. Kiwis are harvested in October. So, that is probably the best time to buy them.
There were quite a few other things we did during September. Raley Field had their Rhythem and Ribs event. We missed it last year but this year, we went with Jim and Marilyn on Friday evening. In the past they have had about 10 vendors. This year, there were only 5. We shared 5 half racks and tasted them all. They had a dining tent near the music so you could listen and eat. The variety was limited, but we enjoyed ourselves. The next day was Fair Oaks Chicken Fest - a celebration of the Fair Oaks mascots, the feral chickens. Gordy and I tasted beer and wine, ate and listened to music. There were all types of booths. Some were political ones like the one promoting Proposition 2. That is the state initiative to give laying hens more cage space. Remember, this is California.
The Crocker Art Museum is under construction and was having its last Third Thursday Jazz night, so Marilyn and I went. We viewed the Andy Warhol exibit, then went to listen to the music. This year we have had fewer over 100 degree days than we normally have. So being outside in the evening has been very pleasant. The last event was communications for Rio del Lago - the 100 mile and 50 mile endurance race. Norm, the race director, is retiring, so this is the last time we will do this. It was a warm day, and I ended up at No Hands Bridge. The heat radiated off the rocks near the bridge and just zapped my strength. All of us at the rest stop drank tons of fluids just to keep hydrated and we weren't even running. After my position closed down, I was supposed to go back to Twin Rocks and stay there until it closed, around 1:00 AM. But, I lucked out. Jim decided he didn't need me to go there. I got to go home at 7:30 PM. Still, it took us at least two days to rest up from the event.
So, that's where we are.
Thanks for stopping by,
