One constant for us is to walk along as much of the shore as we can, wherever we are. California is an excellent place for this, as the law strongly protects public access to the shore. Some landowners have tried to oppose this system, but all they’ve done is unloaded some of their excess cashContinue reading “A new coastal walk”
Category Archives: California
Making Our Move
We spent October 2020 in Eureka, CA, and moved on to Monterey after that. What brought us back now is our impending grandchild and her parents. That, and Jonathan and I can’t seem to find a way to live together comfortably in hot weather. Eureka, in far northern California, has very little snow in theContinue reading “Making Our Move”
——–What makes Eureka Eureka——– The Kinetic Grand Championship
I read some local news and discovered that Eureka’s best known annual event, the Kinetic Grand Championship, was underway on our first weekend in town. Artists and enthusiasts create moving sculptures, kinetic works of art. Over three days, these pedal-powered artworks race along roadways, up and down sand dunes, and with a break to attachContinue reading “——–What makes Eureka Eureka——– The Kinetic Grand Championship”
Moving from East to West
Over the past couple of months we’ve considered where we’d like to live in the US. I wanted to try the East coast before making a decision about which coast we’d prefer, since coastal life is our first choice. As much as we enjoyed Virginia Beach, VA and Wilmington, NC, recent family developments convinced usContinue reading “Moving from East to West”
Transformed: -1 house, +2 suitcases
I am grateful that our packing is as uncomplicated as it is, but it still takes me several days to organize all the things I want to take to the next stop as we try and get back into two suitcases mode. After eight months in one house, the nooks and crannies have started toContinue reading “Transformed: -1 house, +2 suitcases”
One Last Festival
The weekend before our departure from the Monterey area was the regionally-well-known Artichoke Festival. Trivia fans know that Castroville, CA is the Artichoke Capital of the World. (The festival is sometimes called the Castroville Artichoke Festival.) We were pleased to hear the festival would take place live and in person, and were determined to attend.Continue reading “One Last Festival”
On the way to the beach
We set out for Zmudowski State Beach, just north of Moss Landing, where the Salinas River meets the ocean. There’s a sign that points off the highway, and the road goes left, right, left, right, through field after field. The long zigzag brings us to a quiet, sandy area, good for a long walk toContinue reading “On the way to the beach”
Discovering Ft. Ord
A disused Army base, Ft. Ord National Monument, now is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and is open to the public. From Ft. Ord Dunes along Monterey Bay (see banner photo for this post) to hilly inland scrub, it’s a huge park, more than 14,000 acres. We’ve explored the long stretch ofContinue reading “Discovering Ft. Ord”
Letting go of our mooring ropes
Having mulled over what I love about this area in my previous post, I have to face what it will take to get us on the road again. We’ve made ourselves comfortable here; after all, we will have been here 3/4 of a year. Unweaving the strands of connection that tie us here will takeContinue reading “Letting go of our mooring ropes”
My favorite things, Monterey edition
In just under four weeks, we’ll set out from the Monterey Peninsula, where we’ve spent eight months sheltering from Covid and its aftermath. We’re not leaving the US yet, but moving on to Bainbridge Island, Washington, for the month of August. Much as we are looking forward to exploring a new region, and taking aContinue reading “My favorite things, Monterey edition”