Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Time to Finish It Up!
The Morgans and Their Animals Above
Here it is, kidz, the last post!
Things kind of lost coherence once I got to Olympia and felt like home. It's not accidental that these two things, home and non-coherence, go together.
I drove up from Salem and upon encountering traffic in Portland had to use my silk mask all the way through on 205. Recent studies note the problems women are having with particle pollution, and this woman seriously reacts still (unfortunately) to exhaust fumes when they get to a certain intensity. However, the mask worked and kept me breathing, which is cool. And the minute I got past Vancouver, things mellowed out.
Of course, it also started seriously raining, the first rain on the whole trip. By the time I got to Olympia, it was at a steady drip, and I loved seeing people dressed like me slouching around in the grey. Since it was Tuesday and a work day, I ran into Caffe Vita (http://www.caffevita.com/) and had an intense afternoon catching up with myth, along with a bunch of student types all hanging out and slogging through their work. At least I get paid for mine, low salary though it is!
I did manage to trip off a landing I didn't see and sprawl on the floor for a minute to my acute embarrassment. I'd attribute this to age and fatness except that I have been doing this about all my life and just never seem to get hurt. That will surely change, but meanwhile, it's been handy. If you're gonna be a klutz, at least be a bouncy one. (Really helped when I skied a lot--never broke anything.)
John Flory
The wonderful John Flory, so I learned from email, had a close brush with death from a nasty old rat he was handling in his position as veterinarian. His wonderful daughter Adi kept us all posted, and he has now pulled out of this awful disease that starts with "L." I had wanted to do some banjo talking with him since he is a master player and repairer and maker of same, but that will come later.
Hangin' with the Animal Kingdom
My buddies Jim and Laurie Morgan came to meet me for dinner at the new Spar. McMenamin's has taken it over. It was pretty great and does have wifi, but don't order a side of tater tots unless you're ready for some serious food that sits around in your stomach for as long as the decay rate of most plastics. But yeah, it's good. (http://academic.evergreen.edu/b/basdar24/SparStory.html)
After supper, we went back to my camping spot for the week. Jim and Laurie are old friends from our Holy Trinity Orthodox days, where we all sang in the choir together. They have two dogs (Bobbie and Buster the Wonder Dog), a llama (Nutter) with other llama sadly having just passed, and two huge donkeys (Trotter and Abe) that they ride and take to various arcane donkey events. Buster was the newest addition, so I had to get to know him--a sweet but huge dog, and you never want to let him out. That dog can run, as I found out to my grief! Luckily, he soon returned home, but I made sure to shut the front door firmly after that!
I spent Wednesday catching up with laundry, school, etc.
Vicki
I finally got time to hang with one of my best friends, Vicki Scannell, from Pierce College. Once she was done with school and I was done with grading at Cafe Vita, we went for a great long walk around the bay as we almost always do when I'm down there. Vicki is a great writer and walker and a real source of inspiration to me. We went out to Ramblin' Jack's (one of my fave Oly restaurants--they have EVERYTHING!) and then sat around in the living room too stuffed to move, talk, or think. It was great!
Before we totally checked out, we each gave each other a revelation about how to use our online platform for school. That's another reason I love time with Vicki!
Scott Gets Restless
By now, Scott was getting pretty determined to come down, so he did on Thursday night after playing tunes with our buds Becky and Michael and Karen. (He even made them chicken soup and dinner! I should leave more often!)
It was a bit after midnight that I woke up from a cozy sleep in the van to the sound of our camper revving up the driveway. Our camper is a tiny Toyota truck with what used to seem like a small camper on the back, but it seemed like a palace now though, oddly, not as comfy as my cot in the van! Go figure. Still, we re-routed the heater, set up beds, embraced, etc. T-Lou was there, too! So it was all wonderful.
The next day, we actually went and got some foam for the van that really fits the cot, so no more overhang! And we schlepped around and did various stuff.
Fine Times at Our House
We couldn't wait on Friday to see Joe and Paula McHugh, along with my main Coattail Rider man, Forrest Newton, perform at Evergreen. After a challenge finding the place, we made it in just in time to see lots of friends in the audience. Joe has just written a novel, Kilowatt, which Yours Truly is going to copy edit. Joe is a fabulous storyteller and fiddler of the West Virginia persuasion (a definite fave for us thanks to Jim Ketterman)! His wife, Paula, is a great banjo player and artist, and her art was featured--pictures of fiddle tunes. We bought one that looked like a picture of T-Lou. For more, do see http://www.americanfamilystories.org/home.html to listen to some great stories!
And yeah, I'm the one that yelled when Joe scared us!
Heading Home
I decided to go home with Scott on Saturday since I was becoming discombobulated, and with him there, it just seemed like I already was home. So you other Olympians, I'm just gonna have to come down there again so that we can hang. Or you all will have to come up to Port Townsend!
We had a glorious breakfast with Jim and Scott doing all the work. (Yeah!) The Orthodox were about to go off meat for Lent, so we had bacon, of course! And eggs, and potatoes. Well, you get the idea. We packed up and said farewell to our friends and headed over to Joe and Paula's to get in a few tunes before getting on the road. It was another fine time at their house by Boston Harbor (name cracks me up), and we found out we'll be seing them in about a week since they have a gig up here! They're staying with us! Yes!!!
I finally cut out at 3 p.m. because I didn't want to drive home in the dark, and it was great to go up the back way along the Sound, past all the familiar places and trails I want to get in and hike some more. Finally, I was pulling into our driveway! The place looked great except for the coffee table being covered with boat plans.
From there on it was a flurry of cleaning out the van (much faster than packing, though!) and laundry and dinner and then, finally sleep! I MADE IT!!!
Future Plans
Rather than feeling sated, I am already scheming some new plans. I don't want to hang in cities, and Joshua Tree would involve driving through some pretty bad air around Bakersfield, so I am plotting a month down at a beach north of Santa Barbara. I really did fall in love with US 1 in CA, so I want more of it, but I want some warmth, too!
Adieu and farewell for now!
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Banjos in Salem! Rain in Olympia!
I discovered that a neighbor had a great wifi network, though, and got in trouble staying up till about 2 a.m. doing the blog. I should have been doing work if anything, but at least I got a little caught up.
Rain! I Must Be Almost Home!
The next morning, I headed out crying, "Narnia and the North!" (Some of you, most notably my brother, will recognize this quotation.) I had the first serious breathing problem of the trip trying to drive through Portland. Don't know what was going on, but I think the I5 traffic is still problematic for me. Luckily, my silk mask took care of the problem, and once I was a way into good ol' WA, I was fine.
The first serious rain of the whole trip started to fall. I was definitely coming home.
I popped into Olympia just grinning from ear to ear. I love this town, even if they are developing themselves in a completely gross manner. People were dressed like me. I went right into Cafe Venita and got to work catching up, or trying to, with work. Got the Intel piece done and out, and got through most of my classwork. Chatted back and forth with folks and found out that John Flory, the wondrously kind and talented banjo meister, is very ill and in the hospital. So everyone pray for him or do whatever you can to help.
I met Jim and Paula Morgan, our dear friends who are putting me up, at The New Spar, which has been taken over by McMennamin's, and a good thing, too. Good tater tots and cool booths and good wifi. We had a huge dinner and went home, where I got to meet Buster the Wonder Dog, who is a huge sweetie but does like to jump. I got set up for the night, played a little Wade Ward with the computer, and went to bed!
Wednesday
This blog is winding down. I'm back at The Spar typing. I slept in till about 10:30 this morning until Jim pounded on the door and I chatted with him and our old friend Nilus, who is back in the area. Very good to see him!
Got to meet the Donkey boys, who are both huge, with Trotter being very curious and Abey (sp?) being very shy. Pictures coming.
Then I headed out for Value Village and really scored. I think VV is one of the things I miss most in PT. Gonna go out for Thai tonight and go see Pan's Labyrinth. Review to come.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
LSRHS Grads!
Following my excellent directions from my friend Cheryl, I soon found her and her husband, Larry's treehouse abode.
Cheryl is an old friend from my high school, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS), and, amazingly, we have kept in touch in vague ways over the past 30 years or so ever since she came out to Eugene. She and Larry have also visited us, along with their daughter Sarah, up in Port Townsend. They were hiking then and sleeping in weird hammocks that close you in all around like pod people.
Bob-o's Again
Holy Moly, I Gotta Catch Up!
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Cruising up the California and Oregon Coast
On Monday, I managed to get out of Berkeley by 10 a.m., which for me is pretty good, and I only did one bad thing--snagging a water bottle by mistake! Sorry about that, Susan! Check's in the mail, or will be soon!
It was an exquisite robin's egg of a day, with the sun shining, the air all cleaned out from the rains earlier, and the temperature something warm in the sixties, which felt balmy to this Northwesterner. I drove though all the ugly suburbs on 101 and then turned west on 116 and felt back at home on a country road leading through little towns (admitedly shamelessly tourist ) with things like the Uneeda Eat Grocery and the Dew Drop Inn (is there one of these everywhere?) and redwoods and the crazy people who build houses under them and then get to live with their lights on all the time. The usual roadwork, but all well managed (even with traffic lights--good grief!). I guiltily drove past a Curves. I wanted to get to the coast.
Jenner and Beyond
I came out at Jenner, having been warned to avoid Rte. 1 south of there since it was closed or something. I drove through rolling hills, hairpin curves, and around me soared huge black birds that I thought might be condors, but when I looked up condors, I realized they are too rare and big. They were like hawks but bigger, with red on their faces, maybe vultures? Anyone? There were lots of hawks, too. Some towns were awful--one I called the Place of Big Boxes, all these boxy, modern, identical houses for rich people. Really boring white posts for roads, all the same. But most of the towns were cool and funky with the California twist of "wine lounges," organic markets, and beautiful little B&Bs.
The ocean crashed below in turquoises, blues, and white froth, and I drove along in a happy dream until I got to Mendocino, where I turned off for Caspar Beach RV Park. I had called them the day before to make sure they had wifi because, alas, I needed to work and do laundry and get food and get organized. So I did all that on a beautiful sunny day instead of taking the walk I should have!
Because the next day, it was cloudy and cold. My asthma was acting up, so it was a short walk around the beach and then a long day online. Internet Explorer was acting up and making me crazy. A loooooong day.
But Scott was busy. Check out the beautiful raised bed he is building. I'm starting to get homesick! It didn't help when he told me it was sunny up there!
Tomorrow, I'm going to aim for an Oregon state park. They have electricity and are cheaper, but no wifi, so I'll have to go into town for that. That will be a nice change from the cot in the van. It's nice in here with my Christmas lights and music playing, but my hands are sore from typing, and I think I'll sign off for some serious goofing off with the banjo, fiddle, and a Harper's.
Susan's Hats
Those of you who went to Centralia last year (http://www.centraliacampout.com/) probably know that Susan Sawyer is an amazing felter, but her hats are beyond beyond. I bought one (she wanted to give it to me, so we haggled backwards to a price if that makes any sense). It's FABULOUS. Anyway, here are some pictures of the "hat pole" and hats and me in mine.
Sunday in Berkeley
St. John's. Inside the church (sorry, not such a great picture). The Bazaar. Alex and her grandma. Ashkenaz. Maggie. Marci and Alex. Mark and Julie. Adrian rockin' on the keyboards. The Jupiter.
Going to Church
Sunday morning I actually managed to get up plenty early and even put on a skirt for church. I was walking over to St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church. It is just across from the Ashby BART station, which, on Sunday mornings, is transformed into a neat kind of flea market with lots of cool, exotic stuff and then your normal boring stuff like DVDs and sneakers.
The church, like so many Orthodox churches in America, wasn’t much to look at on the outside, though they do have a lovely blue dome. But inside, it was a jeweled secret cave of gleaming gold and icons and incense, with many little altars to various saints or aspects of God (i.e. the Holy Trinity, etc.). All these altars had flowers, and many had ornate carvings. Icons were everywhere.
I arrived too early and had to wait on the steps, and when I went in and was talking with a woman, made the mistake of saying I was a choir director. This almost led to my taking over for the sick choir director or singing in the choir, but since the entire service was in Slavonic, I demurred. Turned out I knew most of the music and more of the words than I thought, but it was wonderful to just be part of the congregation.
I had come early to introduce myself so that I could take communion, and the priest, the V. Rev. Kirill Hartman, also very elderly and courteous, with square black glasses and gleaming white hair and beard said, "Of course you can."
Here I've been to and sung Orthodox liturgies for what, 15 years? Yet I found myself hypnotized by the liquid nasal sounds of the Slavonic, and humming along with the music, I was in some other weird state, unable to literally translate the service to myself, though I know much of it by heart. It was a very strange and wonderful experience, experiencing worship only partly with words. Of course, the epistle and gospel and Lord's Prayer and Creed were in English.
A few women talked to me and were very nice, especially someone named Micki, who told me she was a convert and had tried going to the suburbs for English services but found herself returning here. "I'm just not suburbs," she said.
A tiny, tiny lady with a hunchback moved mysteriously between the altars on the side, Russians in head scarfs bowed, a thin young man in baggy, gang-like jeans stood rapt, and a black deacon intoned some things in English.
I should have stayed for lunch, but I got embarassed afterwards when I put all the change I had in the donation basket, went to get lunch, and was given my change back by a Russian lady who said, "It costs four dollars." I know I should have just written a check, but it freaked me out, so I left.
My Cousins!
Arriving "home" at Susan's, I found they had saved three of Pellinore and Lindsey's wonderful oat pancakes for me! (Pellinore is Lindsey's daughter, and I cannot believe I didn't get shots of both of them! Wah!) I ate nervously, got into my jeans, and braced for meeting a whole bunch of family. Would they be creepy or stuck up or fashionistas or heavy drug users? I didn't think so, but you never know. Would they be nice and therefore hate ME?
Susan dropped me off (what a wonderful host) at Ashkenaz, (http://www.ashkenaz.com/) where my grandcousin (??) Adrian, who is 10, was playing with his rock band. I had my banjo and fiddle so that I could play some music and they would recognize me.
What a cool place. Ten-year-olds were up on stage blasting out the classic rock stuff, proud parents were filming them, other kids were tearing around, and Michael found me right away. Within about 15 minutes, everyone had gotten there, and I had met everyone. And we all seemed to just like each other instantly.
OK, here goes:
Julie: My mom's half brother's kid. Julie is a great anti-war activist and was giving a talk the next night on her father's history he wrote of the ACLU. Charles Markmann wrote many books and translations from the French.
Maggie: Julie's kid. Maggie is into motorcycles and remembers my mom with fondness!
Mark: Julie's kid. Mark has an energy business that I want to learn more about. Of course, I want to get to know all these guys more! AND he plays guitar in a band that does covers and stuff.
Marcie: Mark's wife. Marcie is a therapist, so we gave her my dad's collected works of Herr Freud. (She's not a Freudian, but she was the closest appropriate fit we could think of for the books!)
Adrian: Mark and Marcie's kid. The star of the day, Adrian and his band put away some awesome tunes with him on keyboard and vocals.
Alex (girl): Mark and Marcie's kid. Alex is a little younger than Adrian, who is ten, and just gorgeous.
OK, you guys, if I goofed this all up, email me and I'll fix it.
After the tour de force we all went over and ate and talked and then Mark had to go to band practice. (Gee, I can't relate to that.) And I played a little really bad banjo and fiddle for the rest outside the restaurant--I was nervous! And before we knew it, they were dropping me off. (The kids liked the van, even though it was pretty funky by then.)
Now they all have to come up and visit!!! It was so great to be around talkative, gregarious family that didn't scare or bore me. YEAH!
The Jupiter
I finished off the day by going over to The Jupiter with Susan. Or more like dragging her over. The Indefatigable One was finally slowing down! What a gorgeous place. It's all Christmas lights and open air with heaters (the gas ones I had to avoid), with a group of suspects playing tunes at frantic rates. As usual, everyone was ridiculously friendly, and I saw a few faces I knew! We did all AEAE tunes, so Karen Hackenberg would have been in heaven. No one knew Bruce Green stuff, surprisingly, so I led "Five Miles of Ellum Wood" and "Trouble on the Mind," the latter of which I had been trying to start for days.
Luckily, Bob called and I canceled my brave plans to camp with him and the others at Point Reyes because I really needed to do some serious catching up with work. Sigh.
Fiddle Festival
Check out the cool banjo in the bottom picture. It has a little hole in the neck for the fifth string and a guitar-like head. The man playing it made it after one he had owned for a while.
On Saturday, I was easily convinced to go to a fiddle festival about an hour and a half north of the city in Cloverdale, something like a mini Weiser with a contest and All That. I was torn between this and marching against the war in downtown SF, but I had been fighting some asthma ever since I got to the city and after the night before was in no state to brave the march. So I wimped out.
The gracious Bob came by with his jeep to take us up there. Bob plays autoharps with most of the keys removed (a la Bryan Bowers) so that he carries two or three around to play in different keys, almost like a banjo.
Unfortunately, I seemed to be reacting to his car as we drove off. It was a little scary as the asthma got worse, but when I put on my silk mask, all was well, and at the festival I cleared up. It was the usual cacophony of music, crafts, nervous contestants, and many folks just wandering around to listen to the groups jamming. After a short wander ourselves to check out the crafts, Bob and I started to play. Soon we had a group of people (including Susan) and Yours Truly even led a few tunes on the fiddle. Frightening, I know.
For some reason, no one plays in C here. I am missing my Skillet Licker and other C tunes! But there’s lots of cross tuning. I saw a bunch of people I knew at least vaguely from Fiddle Tunes, and Maria Muldair swished by in elegant black velvet and Her Divaness. I got to play an interesting banjo, eat a piece of vegetable pizza, and resist buying a big basket for the van. (As if I need more stuff in there.)
By about 4 p.m., I was wiped out from all the noise. Susan thinks I have some hearing loss anyway. I sat with some folks outside and contemplated the fact of orange trees with real oranges on them. Finally, we headed home to Berkeley, where Susan and I had a low res evening (as they say at Microsoft), and I got ready for all my Sunday adventures.