June 25, 2013--Staying in Monterey and seeing Dale Ditsler in Carmel

June 25, 2013--Tuesday

        Taking a day off today from driving, fighting traffic, photo taking, etc. Staying at the motel, working on the blog, resting, going to the free continental breakfast, and having a chicken Caesar salad made here in the room is recharging our batteries…badly needed even if we didn’t realize it. Also recharging batteries on cameras, computers, and cell phones.

        We have also emptied the Teardrop and the truck of all containers and refuse and piles and bags, and will attempt to organize things a little better. Also will attempt to look through a bunch of magazines I brought to look through and which weigh a ton. The handle ripped off my Trader Joe’s bag (impossible!) and I nearly  got a hernia carrying it from the car to the room. This morning we also brought the truck and Teardrop up to our room from the large parking lot, unhooked the Teardrop and manually (me and Roy pushing it) put it into a parking spot right near our room, then parked the truck in the handicapped space next to our room. Just didn’t have the energy to do it last night, but could have as it has become a very quick and simple maneuver for us now.

        Fibromyalgia seems to worsen with stress, and last night after the stressful afternoon we had culminating in saying to heck with the budget, let’s get a motel, had me hurting everywhere. Roy had experienced angina the night  before, and last night I wanted a morphine drip. But a good sleep, a soft warm bed, and being quiet and peaceful today, has been a good thing.

        At least up until now. A few minutes ago Roy was putting something into his jeans pocket and a minute later there was blood streaming down his hand. Seems the skin had been torn and was bleeding away. We dressed it and chalked it up to old man’s skin that is thin and his blood thinners which promote excessive bleeding.

        Then I’m sitting here finishing up the blog from a few days ago and posting it, and I had an itch on top of my left foot. I scratched it with my big toenail on my right foot and thought nothing of it. A minute later I felt something warm running down my foot. Low and behold there is blood everywhere…running down the top of my left foot down the arch onto the floor, and all over the toes of my right foot where I had them crossed. Roy got me some t.p. to stop it, I checked it out and realized it was the wound from my shoe rubbing a hole in my foot a couple days ago, but was completely taken aback.

        So Roy, being Roy, has decided this is the beginning of a B horror movie. I have named it “The Hemorrhagic Hotel--You can check in, but you will bleed out!!!  (Definition of B Movie per Wikipedia---A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an art house or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature. Although the U.S. production of movies intended as second features largely ceased by the end of the 1950s, the term B movie continued to be used in the broader sense it maintains today. In its post–Golden Age usage, there is ambiguity on both sides of the definition: on the one hand, many B movies display a high degree of craft and aesthetic ingenuity; on the other, the primary interest of many inexpensiveexploitation films is prurient. In some cases, both may be true.)

        Tonight we met Roy’s long time friend (from Air Force days, about 40+ years ago), Dale Ditsler (aka Dits) in Carmel. He took us to dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant called Vesuvio. Beautiful place, great bar (we were early so I had a peach belini...yum), and delicious food. Roy had manila clams with squid ink pasta, I had Sanddabs Picata with gluten free pasta with

pomodoro sauce, and Dale had Petrale Sole Picata with vegetables and mashed sweet potato. We sat and talked while having a leisurely dinner, conversing and catching up for over 2 hours. It was delightful. Felt like the first time I’ve actually sat and enjoyed myself with no worries about packing up, making camp, breaking camp, or whatever. Sometimes a night at a nice restaurant can just make your day…certainly did mine.

        Dale is following the blog and has suggested the purple lettering is difficult to read, and it would be better in black, especially for eyes that do not see as good as when young. Roy said he’d thought the same, but didn’t want to get into it so hadn’t said anything (good thinking). So I have decided to be “reader friendly” with black instead of purple printing.

        Contacted our wonderful friend Iris. She and husband Dave will be hosting us while in Santa Cruz. Her sister and nieces are in visiting also, but she insists it’s no problem. We’ll sleep in the Teardrop, and we will shower, use the toilet, use the laundry, and do family dining with them while there. Plus we can use it as a base and leave the Teardrop untethered and thus be able to park easier as we go around to lighthouses for photos and to see other friends. I am hoping we can get most of the lighthouses in the San Francisco area too, as getting a state campground spot in which we can turn around easily may prove to be a pain…or we will get fog and drizzle and be miserable again. We’ll play it by ear, and sit down and make a plan of attack once we get to Santa Cruz.

        Not sure what is going to happen on the lighthouses, though, as Roy is not pleased with the time/effort/cost that may be needed in order to do it. But unless it’s absolutely impossible (aka they are on a military base that will not let us in, or they are at the end of 3 flights of steps and a 3.5 mile hike), then I really would like to photograph them, but I guess we’ll play it by ear.  That was the original intent of the trip and the fun of it…sometimes it will push us into doing things we’d never do otherwise. But his negative assessments are making me feel like packing it in and just going home. Sometimes I think my retirement road trip would have been better alone. Oh well, we’ll have to discuss this further and see if there can’t be a compromise that doesn’t compromise my entire premise for the trip and leave me feeling like I’ve been cheated out of my dream, and yet doesn’t make him feel like he’s doing things he absolutely does not want to do. Being married really sucks sometimes…being alone and selfish works out for the better in some circumstances!

        I am really looking forward to seeing old friends in SC and old haunts. It’s been too long. And even though Bill and Priscilla are in Canada (we’ll see them later on the trip), there are plenty to see….Steph and Maureen Betita, Dan and Cathy Blake, Patty Talbot, Robert Jaramillo, Nikoletta Yukich, Donna Seda, Mary and Darren Luther….more than I can list.  

June 24, 2013--Monday--Piedras Blancas Light, Cambria, Dog Park, Coffee Cambria with Swedish

June 24 2013—Monday—167581 odometer reading

        The people we shared the camp area with last night are a church group from the Sacramento area who are riding from Watsonville to Malibu on their bikes. They do this each year to raise money for a mission in Africa, where they have built a school, and residences, and are now working on raising funds to build a bridge of the local river that swells each rainy season and cuts the village off from everything else, including the school. They were a great group…positive, fun, lots of laughter and good will toward each other and others in the camp. They offered us dinner and dessert last night, but we needed to get set up and it was foggy and late, so we declined. This morning they offered us breakfast and coffee, and Roy was there in a jiffy for that coffee! While there he brought back that one of the women had on an apron he thought I out to have. It was black with large white letters on it that read “Stressed Backward Is Desserts”. 

        Down side from last night—Roy had an angina episode. We did the nitro routine and it quit with his 2^nd nitro, so that was good.  It was not inspiring, however, it never is, and I am now on alert for him doing anything too strenuous.  However, since it all worked out, we will proceed. Plus there was no phone service in this camp…cell phone service was not to be found. If the 2^nd nitro hadn’t worked, and had to give him a 3^rd, the protocol is to call 911 at that time. I guess I would have gone over to the ranger cabins and found someone to help, but glad I didn’t have to figure that one out.

        It’s extremely damp with heavy fog this morning. Guayo is cold and

Daddy and Guayo waking up

shivering and miserable, so I got out his sweater and put it on him, put an extra blanket on the back seat, and wiped off his paws and got him all

cuddled in. He was much better then.

        While Roy showered I set up the butane stove and made breakfast sandwich for him…no eggs so used bread, swiss cheese, prosciutto, and avocado…he was delighted as it was warm, good tasting and had plenty of protein to keep him through the a.m. By the time I finished, the fog had turned in to drizzle, so dishes were washed,

area cleaned up and packed in, and everything closed down to keep all from getting wet/damp and getting stinky, and we hooked up the Teardrop in records time…we’re getting good at this!

        So we are off to the Piedras Blancas lighthouse. It resides across from Hearst Caste on a large promontory. The fresnel lens has been removed and resides in a park in a special housing in Cambria. I want to explore Cambria also…was 6pm last night when we passed through and a Sunday, so nothing was open, plus needed to get to camp and set up before dark. So we went into Cambria first and found the lens and took a couple photos.

              

           
While I was doing that, Roy called the number listed for the Piedras Blancas tour, and when I got in the car he said we had to move as the tour was at 9:45 a.m. and was approximately 7 miles up the coast. It was 9:33!  But with some fancy driving, and the fact they were running a bit late, we made it.                   We did not stay for the entire 2 hour tour, as 
just didn’t want to be out in the cold damp rain, but the BLM representative we had gave a great talk about the history of light houses and about the differences in the main marine animals of the area.

skulls left to right...otter, harbor seal, female sea lion, male sea lion, elephant seal

I’m telling you, the difference in size and teeth size between the otter and the male elephant seal is outrageous!  Wouldn’t want either of them 

biting me, that’s for sure. 

sea otter skeleton

         We also learned that President Roosevelt was the first one to standardize all the lighthouses and he put them all under the auspices of the U.S. Coast Guard at that time. Since then, due to GPS and such, many of the lighthouses have been decommissioned and the Piedras Blancas light was turned over by the Coast Guard to the Bureau of Land Management to be taken care of and preserved. The cost of the tours helps pay for continual maintenance and repair of not only the light, but of the other buildings and the grounds around them. It was very educational.

Native vegetation after ice plant remova

Jane with our asst guide Joy

 Photos of the light are not so good due to again, the heavy fog, but at least we were able to get close to this one.

        After we left, we went back into Cambria. The fog had lifted somewhat there, and we found a parking space for the truck and Teardrop, and found Coffee Cambria where we sat with a chai for me and coffee and a scone for Roy. Guayo was there with us at our outside table, and was a happy guy. He loves coffee

houses…he gets nibbles plus lots of pets and attention from all the patrons!  While there, we met a couple, the husband of the pair was originally from the UK and the wife from Sweden. They now live in Sweden, and they had their youngest son with them. We struck up a conversation with them, and had a great time discussing all manner of things with them. It was such a joy to speak to the young man, who was knowledgeable of history, politics, geography, and technology, and could carry on a conversation with aplomb. So different than most of the American high schoolers we meet…never once did I hear “Whatever” or “Dude” in our conversations. 

        I explored some of the shops, finding a quilt shop and purchasing 2 very cute patterns, and a t-shirt shop where I picked up a t-shirt on sale with Cambria on it.  We headed out of town, but at the end of town found the J & J Helling Dog Park and stopped to give Guayo a good run for his money and let him stretch his legs for awhile. He was very appreciative, and settled back in for the next leg of the journey afterward. We met another couple there with their dog Lucky, thus named as he was a rescue dog. A fine black lab who chased his ball and vaulted into the air to catch it…quite a spectacle.  
        To see all the photos taken at Cambria, go to my Shutterfly Album at                 http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=d009b2a15581d2b66cbbd47cbb382743

        On our way North, we came across a group of cars on the East side of the road. There were typical golden rolling California hills with cows grazing, but among them were zebras!  It was such a silly thing to see, everyone was entranced and taking photos 

                

        
        On through Big Sur…such a beautiful area and such magnificent scenes of the ocean, but all blocked out by fog today. Summer on the coast, such as it is.

        We traveled north, checking camp grounds—state and private—along the coast with varying luck. Either no room at the campgrounds, or no room to turn around the Teardrop, or way too expensive, or what we thought we campgrounds with trailer/camping facilities were not. We were tired, it had been a long day, and the more rejection we found, the more frustration. So we decided to go to Monterey.  Again, couldn’t find the campgrounds we were told existed, did numerous u-turns and found ourselves lost yet again. Finally we got onto the right path, found a Motel 6, and went inside to check in. Motel 6 always take dogs.,  However, tonight this Motel 6 had a problem…their laundry facilities were in trouble and therefore they couldn’t rent out any rooms. Huh?  You can’t send the laundry to the laundrymat with an employee?  Or call a linen service to bring in fresh sheets, towels, and blankets?  Wouldn’t that be cheaper than not being able to rent out rooms and losing revenue?  Oh well.  SO down the street we went to Travelodge, and I was so tired and sick of wondering where we were, trying to find a place to stay, Roy being upset about directions not working, I checked in and checked in for 2 nights!  There was parking for the Teardrop, Guayo was welcome, it was not great accommodations, but better than sleeping in the car, and had wi-fi and electricity and a desk so I could work on the blog…as usual, so far behind it was ridiculous.

        We called Ditsler to let him know we were there, and made arrangements to meet in Carmel the next evening for dinner at Vesuvio, an Italian restaurant. We unpacked the Teardrop and truck for the things we needed, took showers, I set up the computers, and we went down to the attached restaurant for dinner…9:45pm!  Oh Sushi wasn’t fabulous but it was open, they were kind and served us, and it filled our tummies.  Looking forward to being able to sit and rest a couple of days, and there’s free breakfast in the mornings!

June 23 2013--Sunday--Cambria, Cayucas, Elephant Seal Point, PIedras Blancas Light and San Simeon State Park camping

June 23, 2013, Sunday—167429 odometer reading

        Left San Luis Obispo this morning after helping Diane with a load of laundry and assuring her we would stop back by on our way home at the end of the trip. It was good to see her, but not good that she was feeling so poorly. Her back was a little better this morning, but her massage therapist was coming over to work on her to see if she couldn’t give her some relief. We found out later in the day that the massage had actually aggravated it more, and the therapist thought she might have dislocated a rib, so she was going to see her chiropractor on Monday.

        Heading north and thinking probably might be a Walmart parking lot for camping tonight to make up for the $$ spent at the motel last night. But it was very nice to lay back and watch some TV.  Would have been better had I not been upset all night trying to back track to where I had last used my missing wallet. But alas, when I got up in the morning and got dressed, I went out to the car and found it under the front seat where I had put it. So I was upset all night for nothing. Oh well, got things reorganized in the Teardrop and back seat a bit!

        Driving up Hwy 1 was so beautiful. It’s an entirely different California than Highway 101 at this

point. Often the two of them come together, but in this stretch, we are going through farm lands and small towns that are amazing.  Acres and acres of grapes, cabbages, celery,

strawberries, all different shades of green .This is the land that feeds California. The people are warm and friendly, but the radio stations are pitiful. The beautiful landscape and old barns along the route make up for it though.

        My Canon EOS is messed up—need help to rest it as can’t get theflash menu to turn off autoflash, plus doesn’t seem to be focusing correctly.  Went through all the menus and found nothing, although I tried changing things along the way. Need someone to reset it to all pre-set automatic factory settings at this point so I can try again, but alas, no camera shops to be found. Will have to rely on the Canon Power Shot til I get to Santa Cruz.

         We went through Pismo Beach, Oceano—where there was the greatest  old fashioned diner 

 with 2 cars hooked together (a 

                   

definite 

stop for Guy Fiero for Diners, Drive ins and Dives); Guadalupe with a cool mural map showing

cities and how far they were in miles; 

and Santa Maria, 

where we gassed up and had so many people looking at the Teardrop and smiling and asking questions. They all thought it was cool, young and old, and one oldster knew exactly what it was and when they were first made. It’s always fun when people stop to ask about it.

        At Shell Beach in Cayucos we stopped and for

the first time I had to put on my fleece jacket. We took Guayo down to the sea to play and run and 

Guayo running on beach with his ball

chase his ball and he was so  very appreciative. He’s such a sweet guy and  sure puts up with us keeping him in the car for hours on end on this trip.    

very cool house going to beach

tide pool with anemones

         








       Afterward, we went uptown and walked around…great little town. On the way out, we stopped at the Seaside Café and Bakery on Shell Beach Blvd. Great place—good coffee, friendly people, dog friendly…if it had been earlier and warmer, probably would have sat outside and kicked back for awhile. But need to head out and find a camp ground.

 
 


                              

        Down the road we go, and on the way we see a sign "Seal Viewing Today".  Seal Point, where elephant seals congregate with their strange noses,

rude noises, and unbelievable smell. The parking lot was full of on-lookers. Guayo didn't know quite what to make of these creatures, nor of their smell. There was a lot of air sniffing for sure--on his part. I tried my best not to breathe while I was

downwind.  There were mainly cows and adolescents, no big male elephant seals, but you could see by the antics of the adolescent males where they would be in a few more years of adding height  and blubber. Outrageous animals to be sure...and strong in more than smell.

      And we found our place to sit for the night...San Simeon Creek State Park.  Fees were $10 for sites without showers and with chemical toilets, or                                  $17.50 for sites with hot running showers and flush toilets...Roy made the decision without blinking for showers and flushing.  As we drove in, unhitched the Teardrop and pushed it into place, one of the ladies from a large group of campers across the road came running over seeing if we needed help. She was quite astounded with the ease in which we rolled it back into place and secured it with our brick…we’re getting good at this!!!

        The coast fog is already in and the marine layer much more dense and dark than in prior days, so everything is damp. But we were able to set up the Teardrop, set up the butane stove and make some Thai Curry Rice and warm up Jaipur Vegetables w/Paneer and Cashews for Roy and I had rice noodles with spring onions. We made hot coffee for him and a hot tea for me, and then proceeded to get everything washed and put away in order to keep the dampness from taking over.  I went to take my shower, and met a man, Floyd, who was biking down the coast. He had used up all the power in his charger and his phone was dead, so we let him plug into our inverter. Jason had brought up that we might just need one, so we had purchased one just 2 days before and this was the first test. It worked great, and in a couple hours he came back to pick it up. By that time we were inside the Teardrop for the night—we had put it into a

Guayo snuggled in for the night

zip bag on the table for him, and when he came back and gave us a holler we let him know. He then proceeded to look in through the windows to tell us how cozy we looked—it was okay as I was propped up reading with the lights on. So if I had any doubt that with the lights on people can see in, that question has been answered.

June 22, 2013--Blueberry Picking with Bobbi and Janet; Doe and Fawn; Off to San Luis Obispo

June 22, 2013--Saturday--167343 Odometer reading

       It was up and at 'em this morning to get to the u-pick 'em blueberry place by 10am when they opened. Any later and it'd be too darn hot!  It's really funny that Bobbi brought it up that she and some other friends were going picking, as when we were driving up I had seen the farm and wanted to stop!
      So we were up and on our way early, which meant Roy and Steve were up too. Steve was dressed

for relaxing and the morning air, as we gathered our hats and sun screen and bottles of water. Phone calls were made and received...cancellations, misunderstandings about date and time, etc. In the end, we would be picking up Janet who used to work at the bank with Bobbi prior to her retirement. 
        However, just before leaving I went back into the house to grab

my purse, and Roy called to me to come back to the bedroom.  Standing just outside our window, was a beautiful fawn and doe. They were amazing. I grabbed my camera to get a photo of them as quietly as possible, and would have gotten some amazing shots had it not been for the disturbing fact that I could not get the auto-flash to stop flashing! I tried everything to turn it off, but nothing. So the photos show the flash in the window, but you can still see them and all their beauty.
      The farm was huge, and after getting our buckets we were off to the picking areas. We were told to pick

a full basket and that we could eat as many as possible as we picked as they were organic and there were no sprays or anything harmful used on them, and since Bobbi and Janet were old hands at this, coming out here every 2 weeks during prime picking season, we headed for the bushes they thought would have the plumpest berries in great numbers.  
       They were phenomenal!  We picked for about an hour to get our buckets full (Janet and I had to help Bobbi fill hers as she was behind due to being picky about blueberry "hairs"  :-)   It was a warm day so good thing we had the hats!  We met lots of people:  many children helping their Moms fill their buckets or filling their own; a family of people from San Jose originally from Russia and speaking in their native tongue...it was lyrical and beautiful; a young Asian couple trying the berry picking for their first time and discussing the best techniques to acquire the best berries in the least amount of time.  Everyone was having a good time, and enjoying the berries. 
       When we got back to the stand after washing our hands and mouths thus removing telltale signs of berry munching, I enlisted the help of a young woman who was just beginning the process to see if she'd

take our photo.  Bobbi cracked up at my audacity, as this woman had 4 children all under the age of 6, thus her hands were a bit full. But I assured everyone that I always ask the person who seems to be doing the most to help with things, as they are usually the best multi-taskers...and it was very true in this case. She was a delight, the children were beautiful and she was happy to take a few photos for us. 
       We went back to the house anticipating a full weekend together, but plans were cut short. Our friend Diane who has been battling some very large health problems the last year, called.  It seems she has injured her back and is truly in need of some help.  So without hesitation, we packed up our things, hitched up the Teardrop, and bid everyone a fond adieu. 
       

It was so good seeing them again, and although we wished we could spend more time, they were so kind and understanding about our need to help our dear friend,.  We were sent off with iced beverages, new ice for the cooler, and lots of good wishes and hopes we'd come see them at their gorgeous home in Tennessee. Hey, another adventure in the making!!
       Upon arrival in San Luis Obispo, we went straight to Diane's. She was indeed in great pain, and looked so frail from her illnesses of the last year. But we were so glad to see her, and she us.  Because of her lung cancer, she could not have Guayo (no dogs or cats) in the house with her, so we parked in the shade and opened the windows.  That goodness the temps were low and there was a breeze, so he was fine and only a little confused with being left alone in the truck. 
       I put in a load of jeans for her, as she desperately needed washing done, we then secured a hotel for the night (not easy...it was Cal Poly Weekend and rates were raised and vacancies scarce, but finally managed and the rates were inconsequential when the reality of a dear friend's well being is at stake).  Diane ordered delivery of some wonderful Thai food, which we enjoyed together while the laundry dried and then we completed the folding and hanging, took it upstairs for her and I made her bed. It was the new beautiful coverlet on her bed that had messed up her back. It was magnificiently gorgeous, but heavy, and being weakened from her treatments, when we tried to pull it up she did some harm to her back.  
       Having accomplished items that were needed, and assuring her we would be back in the a.m., we needed to get to Guayo and get him to the hotel so he could get out of the car and not think we had abandoned him.  So with assurances that we would return in the a.m. to help with some other items, we left for our motel and some rest.  

June 21, 2013--Friday--Ostrich, Solvang, Bobbi and Steve Thompson Visit

June 21, 2013 Friday—167275  Odometer reading

        Got up for our last morning at the Carpenteria Beach State Park. After fixing coffee, cocoa, and hot cereal, cleaned up everything and proceeded to pack everything up to be ready to head north for the next adventure. After getting everything packed up, we locked up the Teardrop and took a bag full of laundry to a local Laundromat. Wait til Roy tells Les and Marge about the prices of the machines…single load machines $2.75 per load!  But they worked well, the dryer took $1.25 so for $4 all the linens, towels, and clothes are clean and ready to go. Was going to wait until our next stay over at someone’s house, but not sure when that will be and many of the towels and clothes were wet/damp from showers and doing dishes.

        Carpinteria is a beautiful town. A village or hamlet I would call it, with beautiful homes, quaint streets, artists, coffee shops, all the things that make for a happy life. However, looking at the Homes & Land magazine, we sure as hell wouldn’t be happy here…as we’d have to live under an underpass. Wow…forgot how expensive nice communities in California continue to be even with the downturn in the housing market.

        It’s interesting as to how many people have approached up about our Teardrop. I should start charging for tours to support our trip! All think it is very cute and most are truly surprised as how roomy it is inside compared to the smallness of the outside.  A lot said they would love to have one as soon as the kids are gone. Yeah, not good for a family that’s for sure.

        The blog is so far behind I must stay one day someplace…a motel, a coffee shop, someone’s house who has to work all day…so that I can get photos downloaded, edited, logs written from handwritten journal entries or out of my head into Word documents, all transferred to the blog pages and then get them published. But without a plug in I cannot work on the laptop, and without internet I can’t publish to the blog. I need electricity and quiet!

        As we are driving north on 101/1 from Carpinteria, we are talking about the next lighthouse which would be Pt Arguello. This is a bit south of San Luis Obispo, where we will visit Diane, and I’m hoping we can get a camp site at Avila Beach. But Roy and I think maybe we’ll have to settle for a Walmart parking lot for the first time, since it is now Friday and the weekend campers will have made reservations at all the state beaches, and there probably will not be an empty spot anywhere. But that's okay, as we have prepared for this eventuality, and we are truly enjoying the scenery.

       About that time, a sign says “Rest Area Ahead” and I told Roy that sounded like a good idea to me, so as we come around a blind curve we see the exit and pull in…..whoa, there are cars backed up and I almost rear end the one at the entry closest to me. Seems the parking spots are full and so everyone is just waiting in line. Very dangerous I must say. I pulled over to the left just to get out of the way of any oncoming vehicles that might  want to exit and slam into us, and about that time a pickup  with a trailer hauling a Model T pulls out, thus leaving us room to pull in. I let Roy do the exchange, as on my way to the toilet. When I come out things are pretty clear, so let him go and pull forward. About that time 3 semis pull in, and a woman in an SUV pulls in front of me, past the line for parallel parking and practically in the merge lane back onto the highway. I’m telling you, it’s crazy driving the roads over here.

        A couple miles before this complete cluster, I told Roy I know people in Buellton (when we saw the sign that is was ahead). Bobbi and Steve Thompson. Steve used to be the Town Manager, but I was pretty sure he had retired, but not sure if they were still there. Well, while Roy went to the loo, I pulled out the computer with my address list on it, and low and behold, found Bobbi’s cell #. I called, no answer, but leave a voice message. As we pulled out of the rest area, the phone rang and Roy answered. It was Bobbi. She was astounded to hear from us and that we were in Buellton. She was in Camarillo having lunch with a friend, but would be back in a few hours and wanted us to come stay with them. This would work very nicely for Friday night and not having to worry about finding a camp ground or a Walmart. We told her we were heading for Solvang as wanted to visit the Danish town, and would take up the time taking photos, walking around etc. so made plans for her to call later and give us directions.

        What we didn’t know at that time, was they were only in Buellton for the summer. Seems they moved back to Steve’s home state and town in Tennessee three years ago when he retired (thus the reason the Christmas cards had been coming back to me), and housesit each summer for 4 months in Buelleton for the last 3 years. So it was only by the grace of meant-to-be that we were going to get to see each other again after 25 years.
        As we traveled down the road toward Solvang, I

saw some deserty type land with large dark animals. Second look revealed...they were ostriches!  I stopped at the Ostrich Farm and while Roy and Guayo waited in the car I went in and took photos and feed the guys  and got some great photos.   

          From experience I know how strong their necks are when used to propel their necks forward toward your forehead siting it with the end of their beaks! 

         

 A sweet young Asian couple were there with their little boy, and while Dad was taking the photo, one of the ostriches came up behind the Mom and baby who were next to the fence. I sensed immediate danger, and thank goodness Dad had already taken the photo, as I alarmed her when I said, you need to step forward you're about to get pecked.  That big ol' bird was about to knock a hole in the back of her head!  She didn't realize what danger she was in...none of them did, and I'm so glad I could warn them before any harm came to any of them.

        The emus there were astounding also with their

 

fur-like feathers, blue necks, and strange ears. The diversity of animals on this planet is truly amazing.

        We went on into Solvang and certainly were not disappointed. What a beautiful quaint town, rather like Carmel but with everything Danish. We took

      

                                 

                    

photos, got some ice cream, walked around and checked out the shops and it was a blast. The weather was perfect for site seeing and the numerous sidewalk tables and benches afforded us resting spots. Roy and Guayo rested while I took tons of

photos…the architecture and flowers and alleys filled

with floral abundance were a pure joy. So were the Almond Horns and Sarahs from the pastry shop ( no gluten…had to do it), and Iberborg’s dark chocolate sample! 

Hans Christian Anderson murals on one of the buildings

       


       Bobbi called and gave us directions to the house, assured we there was plenty of room to turn around, and we said we’d meet her there a bit before 4pm. So around 3pm, we went back toward Buellton, filled up the car with gasoline ($70.33…that most we’ve ever paid for gasoline), came back to Solvang and followed her directions to a very nice house high on the hills overlooking the iconic California hills, live oaks,

vineyards, etc.  Steve was there to meet us, and help us unhook the Teardrop and push it into a resting spot, as turning around was not a possibility without backing it up, which is just not happening. He also had a couple of 4x4’s so we put them in front of the tires so it wouldn’t roll down the hill, and parked the truck in front, out of the way of everyone.
        What a magnificent gig...housesitting this gorgeous house in the Santa Ynez hills with views to die for and perfect weather.  It is an amazing place. 

        We obtained cold beverages, and talked a bit and then Bobbi arrived. OMG, she hasn’t changed a bit and just looks great. Still a bundle of energy and so good to see her. She immediately said she must have known I was coming as had purchased carne asada at Trader Joe’s, never having bought it before and not really knowing what to do with it. So we cooked dinner together…we cooked the carne asada, chopped up lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, avocados, sugar snap peas, added pinto beans, corn salsa, black olives, cheese, and tortilla chips and topped with the meat, it made a delicious taco salad. Guayo was so happy to be out of the car/Teardrop and able to stretch out and take a walk around the area, he was like a new dogger compared to this morning’s lethargy and pitifulness.  Plus he got to chase lizards, saw a gopher, and a deer…made his day.

        We laughed and talked, Bobbi showed me her amazing knitting, better than ever and outrageously gorgeous, and we talked to her son Jason via Facetalk on the iPhone. He was sure surprised to see me, and I was surprised that he wasn't still the teen-aged boy I remember so well who used to hang out with my Jason at our house in Cottonwood. He has 2 beautiful girls, 4 ½ and 7 months, and a gorgeous wife. They live in Hawaii, and have a beautiful house too. I’m so glad things are good…he was always a good kid.        So, pure Bobbi style, she is still hiking with her hiking club, has her knitting club come over, plays Mah jong with a group, etc. etc. etc.  So tomorrow morning we will be leaving around 9am to go to the U Pick It blueberry farm and pick blueberries! Roy and Guayo will stay here with Steve and rest and we’ll be back after picking. Not sure what’s next, but if we stay another night, or leave in the p.m., we’ll be heading to Vandenberg AF Base for the next lighthouse. We met the Andersons in Solvang. They were celebrating their 60^th anniversary, which was amazing as they only looked about 65 and I had to ask them if they were 5 and 6 when they were married!  He is retired Air Force, so I told him about the  lighthouse excursions and asked if he thought we could get on the base to take photos of the lighthouse at Pt Arguello. He said we should be able to do so as visitors, especially since Roy was an AF veteran, so that gave me some hope. We’ll find out when we get there, but tomorrow, it’s blueberry picking!