Sunshine on my Shoulder

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Swan Song ACCORDing to Mint Julep

By MoBerries at 12:21 PM #bayarealife, family No comments

The following is based off of Chuck's soliloquy from Supernatural's season five episode, "Swan Song".

The Honda Accord, of course, has all the things other cars have... and a few things they don't. But none of that stuff's important. This is the stuff that's important. The many used facemasks that Natalie lost in between the seats – they're still stuck there. The fake fingernails that she accidently dropped into the vents – to this day, heat comes on and we can hear 'em rattle. These are the things that make Mint Julep hers – really hers.

Even when Ryan and Landon helped rebuild her from the ground up, they made sure all these little things stayed, 'cause it's the blemishes that make her beautiful.

The World doesn't know or care what kind of car Natalie drives.

On days off between Target and Starbucks, Natalie would mostly get a day – sometimes a rare weekend, if she was lucky. She used to pass the time watching cooking shows and Anime. Now, Natalie spends that time with Mint Julep. Her dream is that soon they will be able to go anywhere and do anything. But right now, with friends by her side, they fix the flat and the fuses, the distributor, too. The hoses are next, with an axel to spare.

Nicole, keys in hand and Laurie with pink slip, it was clear their gift to Natalie was her beloved Mint Julep. They'd park her in the middle of their lot for a year and now she is all fixed up, She's parked proudly next to Reba. Sitting under the moon roof and watching the stars... or hours turning left around the dog park... squirrels giggle but don't say a word.

It never occurred to Natalie she would own a '99 Honda Accord. A car born the same year as her.

Any one can buy car off a lot, all shiny and new. But taking a decades old car and turning it into your dream is nearly impossible. You need to be surrounded by clan of great friends. And still, the car may moan and groan. There's always gonna be more repairs. (She's 20+ years old) But, since this is a new beginning, it's all supposed to add up to something great.

I'm telling you, those surprise repairs are a raging pain in the a$$.

So, what's it all add up to? A 'new' car for Natalie. A driver's test, glasses, insurance and more... all those adulting things. And I think she did all right.

Up against good, evil, angels, ~~devils, destiny, and God himself, they made their own choice~~.

Natalie and Mint Julep chose each other. And, well... isn't that kinda the whole point?

Half Moon, halfway, on the Bay

By MoBerries at 11:03 AM #bayarealife No comments

March 2021...WOW! We have reached that point where we lived in the Bay Area for THREE YEARS! AND!!! Half of that time we have been fulltime RVers! Yes, I expected so much more to happen in the past 18 months, but who could have planned on this world wide pandemic? Still, I seriously doubt we can be considered 'newbies', anymore.

First off, we have moved our little Home Sweet Rolling Home 26 times during this past year and a half. TWENTYSIX! And yet, we have never once brought our sweet rolling world past the borders of this one campground. Sigh.

We have grumped and groaned and shouted and moaned over the frustrations of pulling this beast out of very tight spots. Backing the truck up to the hitch and missing by just an inch over and over. The too close to the line, too far from the line moments that RVer has again and again. Just none of the oohs and awes , mountains and seas from her bright shining windows.

Still, for the first time in 14 months we ate out an an 'open to the public' restaurant! Miramar Beach Restaurant in Half Moon Bay, CA. Located a couple of blocks off of Hwy1 on Miranda Road, I can tell you, we would never have found this place if not directed to it by a local resident, Shawn/Sean (not sure how he spells his name).

The Miramar is located so close to the ocean, you know, Pacific, we could feel the water splashing us in the face as it crashed against the rocks. Don't let the road in the photo fool you. It is literally falling off into the water. Outdoor dining is still all that is allowed in California. Not a problem, when you are dining on the water. This place has outdoor seating on both ends of their dining room. They also took our temperatures as they let us through the doors. I love California.

We didn't didn't just randomly decide to end our quarantine 14 months in because we suddenly had an uncontrollable need for fish and chips. Our niece, Greg's brother's daughter, Katie is out in California visiting her boyfriend Shawn((?) see above). We have not had a chance to get together since 2014 when we were back in Minnesota for a family reunion. She left the winterly wonderland of Dallas!?! to fly here. Thank goodness they are finally warming up in Texas. Crazy times.

After lunch, we walked down a 'rustic 'stairway to Mirada Surf Beach. There were surfers there when we first arrived at the restaurant, but most had dispersed by the time we finished eating. On this cool last day of February the only creature left swimming was a sweet yellow Labrador. Even he didn't seem quite sure of his life choices.

A quaint little beach, I am not certain we would ever have noticed it with out the help of Shawn, who grew up just down the road.

Driving in with the help of Siri, she directed us to turn on Magellan Ave to get to Mirada Road. Having been there one whole time, now, I would definitely say those are BAD directions. At least on a SATURDAY turning left. There is no stop light at that intersection, and traffic DOES NOT STOP! Either go up to the next stop sign and U-turn around. Or, look at a map and drive up Mirada from the other direction!!!Once you are into the turn lane, there is no getting out of it.

Half Moon Bay is a small city on the California coast, south of San Francisco. A string of beaches along the bay includes Half Moon Bay State Beach. The Coastside Trail leads north to Pillar Point, near the huge waves of the Mavericks surf spot. Nearby, Montara Mountain rises in the protected Rancho Corral de Tierra area. The Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve is on the slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. ― Google

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=531

https://www.pinterest.com/castateparks/half-moon-bay-state-beach/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Moon_Bay,_California

It was a nice time to visit with family and feel the sand between our toes. Figuratively, cuz there was no way I was taking my shoes off in 50 degree temperatures with the wind and the waves. As you can see in some of the photos, Katie and Shawn were both much more adventurous than us East Bay folks. I will wait for either the eighties of summer or a full body wet suit, thank you very much!

Our first step back towards normal was pleasant. More family, more friends, More time out in the world just doing 'things' and living life. Hopefully we are more than halfway there. It was super great visiting with you and your beau, Katie, in Half Moon Bay, CA!

Hope to see you again, real soon.

Off to the Mall

By MoBerries at 10:17 AM #bayarealife No comments

Rolling around on our third year anniversary up in the Bay Area, we went to visit one of our favorite spots as soon as we could once the Stay at Home order was lifted. The Blackhawk Plaza Fountains. Greg came up North a month earlier than Natalie and I, while we packed up our life in SoCal. Less than a week after we arrived, Natalie and I found these beautiful ponds after driving up to Mount Diablo. This is where we stopped for drinks on our way back down.

We made it about half way up the mountain before realizing we were almost out of gas, so we stopped for photos then turned back. The plan has always been to go back and finish our trip up to the top of the mountain, Though that trip has not occurred, we have visited the ducks and geese many times at Blackhawk.

We have come out many times for the clam chowder made at Draeger's Market. The Chemistry Ice Cream Parlor, which had opened shortly before this pandemic began, appears to have closed up permanently. All their signs are now gone. I will surely miss their green and thai ice creams. Some favorites from their free Friday night concerts. Another pre-pandemic pleasure.

Out duck feeding benches were removed about a year ago to help people 'social distance'. They have still not been replaced. I miss the time we spent relaxed while the ducks and geese swarmed around our feet begging for some of the duck food we bought at Draeger's just to feed them. Hopefully, it is only a few more months until things get back to normal.

The Blackhawk Museum at the south end of the mall is closed, along with the Cinema (and all of the other Cinemas in the area). It has always been pretty quiet, not counting concert nights. There are people here and there , but social distancing is not an issue. Still, the majority of the people that were enjoying the sunshiny day in the Plaza with us, were wearing masks.

Map of the Mall

On the way home, I noticed the trees were beginning to bloom. The joys of living in California near the Bay. These photos were taken on January 31st, and a couple of blocks away, the streets are lined with flowering trees. Minnesota has below zero temperatures right now. And, the East Coast, like Long Island, NY is in the midst of a major snow storm.

Here we are listening to the birds twitterpating and watching the prairie dogs scampering up and down the hills of Rancho Park San Ramon. Another of my favorite pandemic relief spots. Okay regular relief spots, as well.

Four square of us at Blackhawk Plaza

On our way home, we stopped at the local Safeway for the cheddar brats to barbeque on the grill. As the day cooled down into the upper forties, we grilled dinner as the dusk turned to dark. With our RV fireplace warming up the inside, the heat from the grill throws out just enough warmth to make it comfortable outside.

All in all, we didn't travel far, but it was still a nice way to break quarantine. With most of the year still ahead, who know where we will go next. North, South East West? Time to shake the dust of this 'Rona off and get our move on. Okay, maybe after a few more months...

Down by the Bay

By MoBerries at 10:28 PM #bayarealife No comments

Driving to Fremont, we started talking about last year. The year 2020 was crazy for many reasons, the pandemic obviously tops the list. What we realized during our drive was that we had not crossed a bridge over to the San Francisco Peninsula a single time during the entire year.

No Fisherman's Wharf. No San Francisco Zoo. No Half Moon Bay. Or Golden Gate Bridge. NOTHING!

Yes, the lockdowns began relatively early in the year, starting the 9th of March. But still, being less than 30 miles from San Francisco, it shows how homebound we were.

Even with multiple lockdowns of differing levels, we did do bit of adventuring around our side of the Bay. The place we visited most often last year is the first place we went this year, San Leandro Marina, right on San Francisco Bay. Less than two weeks into this new year, we have made our first visit to this waterfront park.

Last year we visited this San Leandro Marina five times, along with Coyote Hill Regional Park and Alameda Island, all of which are located right on the Bay. I love visiting the water. This trip, we started out with the intention of visiting Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge which is located right near the Dumbarton Bridge.

Having driven all the way to Fremont for Krispy Kreme and wings, we headed back long the waterfront, Once we got close to the Refuge, it was obvious that visiting it on a weekend, in the middle of a pandemic was a really bad idea. With stores and restaurants and movie theater and practically every other activity off limits, EVERYONE was at the wildlife refuge.

So after another half hour plus drive in the sunshine north, we made to my favorite spot on the Bay just in time to watch the sunset. With temperatures in the lower 50s by this time, my winter coat would have been better than the lightweight jacket I grabbed. Natalie stayed in the car while Greg and I walked around on the Pier.

We were approached by a stranger who asked if we would like our photo taken. Without thinking, we said, "Yes." Afterwards, we realized that handing a stranger our phone in the middle of COVID WORLD was really stupid. Thankfully, we still had hand wipes in the car left over from the chicken wings we bought for dinner. We wiped down the phone and our hands and are hoping we didn't give ourselves the plague because even after ten months we can't remember to social distance.

After our mini photo shoot, we drove over to the opposite side of the Marina to get a wide open view of the water. From this spot we had a better view watching the planes fly in to land at Oakland International Airport.

Natalie and I went down to get a closer view of the water and to listen to the seagulls singing as the sunset around us.

In the photo below, you can see the hazy skyline of San Francisco in the background. In front of San Francisco is the edge of Oakland International Airport. Thought you can't see it in the photo, we could just barely see the outline of the Bay Bridge right above the dark metal beams in the upper right corner.

Just as the sun was setting we decided to head back home. It was much easier to try and get as much driving in as possible before darkness turned to black. We headed away from the Bay, our first trip to the Bay in 2021 with the sun hanging just above the horizon.

Hope for a good year already a bit shaky with the 'rona' still hanging on and protests turning violent in the Capital. A few hours watching water just rolling peacefully up against the shoreline is just what we needed.

On the way back into town, we stopped at the local Dairy Queen to pick up an ice cream cake. It is time to celebrate Natalie's birthday. "Happy birthday to you..."