What I Learned on my Trip to the West Coast

10.  Get rid of the old rat poison pail and invest in a real Kitchen Compost Canister.
9.  Get a salad spinner.
8.  Start carting cloth bags and old plastic bags to the grocery store. Plastic bags have been banned in San Francisco, and they charge a 10 cent tax if you need a paper bag!
7.  Rent a bike and take a ride.
6.  If you're Dan, you'd skip the stupid bike and rent an ATV.
5.  Celebrate your dining room table's wood and get rid of the table cloth.
4. While you're at it, forget buying paper napkins and just go with cloth.
3.  There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.
2.  Skip the taxi cab and call a cool, classy black Uber car.

and the number one thing I learned (from my 17 year old) on my trip to the west coast...

1.  Ten days is too long to spend with your parents and without Xbox.

Ten Days is Too Long

December sunrise picture, east central Illinois. Who says you have to leave home to appreciate Mother Nature? 

We flew into Portland, OR on Christmas Day.  It cost only $7.50 for the 3 of us to ride the light rail into the city! It rained the whole time we were there, but we felt better about ourselves after reading "There's so such thing as bad weather, only soft people" at the Nike store.

The Columbia River Gorge, located north and east of Portland, borders the state of Washington.  We drove to the gorge on the Washington side and returned on the Oregon side so that Dan and I could claim another state visited.

Ahh, nothing like traveling with a teenager.

Columbia River Gorge area.

Dan wanted to tour the University of Oregon.  We didn't realize that Animal House was filmed here, nor did Dan know what Animal House was!

Our rental car was a Ford Flex.  Tom was sure to park it between 2 Priuses.

So this is where they make those funny folding bikes!  We even met Alan Scholz, the owner.

We went ATV-ing at the Oregon Dunes. Dan & Tom liked this a whole lot.

Bandon, OR - this motel was perched on top of a cliff overlooking the Pacific.

Here's the view out our window!

Thank goodness our paparazzo was along to snap pictures.

Coastal redwoods in Oregon and California.  These trees can grow higher than 300 feet.  They make their own fog, too.

Ukiah, CA. 

Out for dinner at Shamus T Bones, Eureka, CA

Cool things always start in California. This is Arcata's unique wastewater treatment facility, marsh, and wildlife sanctuary.  

Enjoying some breakfast.

Good morning!

Union Square Park, San Francisco.  Taking down the Christmas Tree.

Chinatown boasts their t-shirt deals (notice the 99 cents in tiny print).

Transamerican Pyramid, San Francisco

The sign on the wall says, "If at first you don't succeed, call an airstrike."

Tom

Coit Tower: we marched up to the top for some spectacular views of the city by the bay. Notice that cars may only be parked at 90 degrees on these steep hills.  You can see members of our entourage skipping up the hill on the right.

All that work called for some well-earned IPAs.

The view from the back porch.

Wasn't there a movie from Sonoma, CA called SIDEWAYS?  We had a lovely visit with Kathy and Rob Arnold! 

Someone had the hair-brained idea to bike across the Golden Gate Bridge.   

Seeking dessert

Perhaps Dan's second happiest moment of the trip (after the ATVs) was crawling into MF's over-sized chair to watch TV. 

Thanksgiving 2012

Joel took all these great photos! Shadow is on patrol.

Joel and Dan...are they up to something?

A tasting, except for Dan. 

The Chandelle wine is ready to go and Tom is trying to sneak some samples of turkey, but he was caught red-handed. 

Matt is whipping the potatoes.

Will there be a face-off between the dog and cat? 

Karen and the Abster

We had lots of fun playing, but the real treat of the night was when Matt sang Mountain Dew! 

Thanks for the pics, Joel!  We missed ole Craig this year. 

Going to California...

When "Going to California" (Led Zeppelin IV) came on the radio at 5:35 am last Monday I knew it was going to be a great week.  The first time I heard that song was during the mid-70s on a visit to Uncle Mike and Aunt Ollie's.  I had been out and about with cousin John when I bought that album. 

A year and a half ago Uncle Mike became afflicted with Guillain-Barre syndrome which left him paralyzed from the neck down. My gosh! Look at him!  He has recovered beautifully, slowly but surely regaining strength and feeling throughout his body!  He has such a great sense of humor. :)   

Here is a picture of Uncle Mike's sisters (Mom - Ann and Aunt Harriet) and my dad back in June at Teri's graduation party.  These four (Uncle Mike, Mom, Dad, and Aunt Harriet) are some upbeat octogenarians who always manage to have a great time whether talking on the phone or sitting through a Rutgers football game. 

Uncle Mike has some cozy digs. Good care, company, food, and living spaces.

UMike has done extensive work on the family tree over the years.  Here is the package Mom sent him with a newspaper article from the Walton Historical Society (or was it the Walton Reporter?) about Arthur North. 

Cousin Dave recommended the Claremont Loop Trail for some exercise and great views. Marta is my grand friend from our Peace Corps experience back in the 80s.  Next spring she will lead a trip to Peru for 4 months with her students.  Amy is my pal from work.  The three of us always carve out a little time at our annual conference for outdoor recreation.  

I think this is Mount Baldy which is northeast of Glendora, CA.  Cousins Bob, Dave, and John wore a beaten path up and down this mountain during their high school years. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the integral role Cousin Kathy played in helping me make arrangements to visit Uncle Mike.  From cell phone numbers, email addresses, and detailed directions through LA traffic (!) - she did everything possible to make the visit as easy as possible.  XO Kathy!!

Fall Fun

 ISU's Homecoming with Noelle and Brock was great except for the L at the end of the day. 

 Where the heck is the pot of gold?

 In Illinois you never know when you'll run into a real ass.

 This 70% chocolate is Tom and Dan's new "go to" after dinner chocolate.  It's made in Boulder, CO. I keep waiting for Tom to read me the "love poem inside."

Senior night at Prairie Central.  Dan with his parental units.

As mentioned before, the corn crop is about 1/3 of a typical year. Here are a couple of ears he brought home this summer.  The one on the left didn't pollinate at all.





Tom and I took a bike ride on the Constitution Trail and ended up at ISU. 

Deer Mountain in Estes Park, CO