San Francisco Here I Come!

I guess it's not surprising that all the photos I seem to have of San Francisco are of sailboats on the Bay, and I have lots of them. I spent years sailing and also as a photojournalist in the field of sailboat racing, in this fine city.

Tomorrow morning early I head south. Tomorrow night, I will attend a 65th birthday party for a man I worked for way back around 1970. We've managed to remain friends through all my travels, although we rarely meet in person. This is worth a trip!

I already had planned a trip to Napa in the middle of next week, so in reality I only upped my plans by a few days. I am so grateful to my dear friends in Napa for offering me the use of their studio apartment in San Francisco for my visit -- I could never have afforded to go otherwise.

This is Sandpiper, a wonderful aluminum boat designed by her owner, Jim DeWitt. Sadly, she was burned in a senseless arson attack on Jim's houseboat/studio sometime after her 1971 TransPac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, where she was the smallest boat entered. She finished, too! That was quite a party -- but a story for another day. I'll also be visiting Jim, enroute to Napa, at his studio in Point Richmond. The photo below was taken when I lived in Point Richmond in the early 1970's.

Sunsets from our home in Point Richmond were generally spectacular. For this one, I drove down the street where the view was unobstructed and snapped what may be my all-time favorite photo of all the ones I've taken. This, believe it or not, is the Standard Oil Long Wharf, which never looked so good. In the distance is Marin County.

I have lots and lots of photos of the Napa Valley, but they are slides and only a few of them are scanned and on my computer, so this is a fall shot -- but one of my favorites. I lived here for 7 glorious years from 1979 to 1986, when living here was fun and not outrageously expensive. Now, I can only visit and again, am grateful to my dear friends whose guest I will be for a few days.

I'll return home on the 9th. In the meantime, assuming I can cadge a wireless signal in San Francisco, I'll be updating here daily with photos and tales of my 4 wonderful days on the ground in San Francisco. It's been about 25 years since that has happened, and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing the city I love most in the world once more.

Stay tuned -- even if it all happens after I return.

Dang it!

I think the crabs are trying to tell me something. I've been down to the port a couple of times recently and watched all the people crabbing, some successfully, so today I worked up the nerve to go down there myself, crab gear in hand. Working up nerve is necessary because I don't enjoy looking like a fool in front of people, and while I'm learning this new 'skill', I pretty much look like a fool. But -- off I went.

First, I had to buy more line and tie the two together, because this big dock is rather high and you have to toss the trap way out. The little dock I've been to before is right on the water, so takes less. I expect I'll be going back to that one.

There are rocks off this big dock and I know you have to be careful when pulling the trap in, so it doesn't get caught. That's the beauty, supposedly, of the little butterfly trap over a bigger, heavier one. The first couple of tosses, it came in just fine -- sans crabs. I don't think they liked my bait. The third toss I didn't get it out as far as previously, and was a little concerned about that, but left it awhile.

Yep, when I tried to pull it up, it was caught on rocks or other lost traps or something. One of the guys down there tried to wrestle it up, but the knot that held the line to the trap didn't hold under that much pressure (although my splicing knot did!). All I have left is 100' of line.

I was already thinking of trying a crab ring, which is bigger and a bit heavier but much easier to bait with whole fish carcasses. Yesterday, I watched a guy down there pull up a couple of those and felt envy. He also had two keepers. Now, I would never be able to toss one of those rings far enough at this dock, but I can go back to my lonely, but easy-to-use dock, or even the big commercial fishing dock, and not have the rock problem. This big dock is too crowded for me anyway.

Either way, don't think I'll do it yet. The guy who tried to free it from the rocks said he'd gotten a keeper a few days ago and there was no meat in it -- they are either just over molting season or just going into it, so they are not very meaty. I've heard both versions, haven't a clue which is correct. Point is, it'll be better in a couple of months, so I'll try then.

If and when I do actually catch a keeper, it's going to one darned expensive crab!

Mill Beach

Still chasing those 10,000 daily footsteps, I set out this morning after my weight workout and breakfast to explore a different area of town. One of my neighbors told me yesterday about this beach, with vague directions. Once I reached the general area, a kindly dog-walker pointed me towards the beach access. This is not state park land nor, I imagine, do many tourists find there way here. As a result, it's very natural and ungroomed and at low tide should have plenty of tide-pooling critters. Unfortunately, it's also rather heavily trashed around the access entry -- must be a hangout for local teenagers, or others who don't understand the concept of 'haul it in, haul it out'. A trash bin might help. There was no one else walking this beach today, and the only signs of recent occupancy were some deer tracks and a few big dog prints -- fortunately not in the same place. Above, the beach gives a different view of Chetco Point.

It's not an overly photogenic beach, but there are lots of rocks and shells, even a starfish that had begun to dry out (but not enough so for me to pick it up and put it in my backpack!). As usual, these and many other patterns in the sand piqued my interest.

More patterns in the sand. I'm glad to have discovered this beach that is within easy walking distance from home. The weather gods were with me -- just as I arrived the fog lifted and the sun shone bright and warm. Only about 4400 footsteps, but the day is young.

Home Made Yogurt -- A New Discovery

I remember buying an electric yogurt maker a lifetime ago and being very disappointed with the results, so until recently, I never really had much interest in the process, particularly since Eugene is the home of Nancy's Yogurt, which I consider to be about the best I've ever had -- until now. I just made my third batch, and each successive one (made with a bit of the previous as a starter) is better.

Before I left Eugene I read an article in the NY times online that made the process sound easy and delicious. Now that I have more time and less money, I decided to give it a try. I started with Nancy's, then I took the extra step of draining the whey from the finished yogurt and that produced something that to me, is just short of ethereal. It's not only thicker, it lacks the tartness that I didn't enjoy in yogurt. It's pretty damned close to a good whipped cream, or a less-tart sour cream, or a good creme fraiche. This stuff is so good that it should not be defiled with fruit or any other flavor additive, because they simply can't measure up. Eat your fruit separately.

If you want the whole article, follow the link above. I'm just going to give you the basic recipe and steps. You can choose any kind of milk you wish -- I use whole milk and would use organic if I could still afford to buy it. Start with a plain version of your favorite yogurt to get the ball rolling.

First, heat the fresh milk to 180-190 degrees, or to the point that it's steaming and beginning to form bubbles. This is what it looks like. Be sure to use medium-high heat and stir frequently, or you'll have burned milk.

Stir in the starter -- for each quart of milk use 2 tablespoons of yogurt, preferably from your last batch, but you've got to start somewhere. Thin the yogurt with a little of the milk, to make it blend more evenly.

Pour the mixture into a container -- mine always has this foamy surface -- and put it someplace warm until it sets, usually about 4 hours. If your home is warm, you can just cover and wrap and let it sit undisturbed until you have yogurt. My home isn't warm, so I put it into my oven with the light on, which surprisingly enough maintains the heat very well. It probably isn't necessary, but I turn my oven on for a few minutes so it can start out with a little heat. When it's yogurt, put it into the refrigerator, uncovered, until it's cold. At this point, it's ready to eat but after trying the next step once, I doubt that I'll ever make yogurt without draining it.

For thick, rich, creamy, to-die-for Greek-style yogurt, place the finished yogurt into a strainer, with or without cheesecloth (my first batch was a little thin and yours may be, too. In that case, use the cheesecloth), and return to the refrigerator to drain, which will happen surprisingly quickly. This photo represents about half the batch, or about one quart. I don't have a larger strainer. You can see how thick it already is, and each successive batch seems to be thicker and thicker.

From the above batch, this is what drained out -- exactly 8 ounces of whey, which contains riboflavin and lactic acids. Don't throw this away -- it's not a bad drink and is healthy. I use it to wash down my vitamins, or add a little sweetener and just guzzle it.

The resulting yogurt doesn't last very long around here -- which is why I've begun starting with a half gallon of milk. The first batch, one quart, didn't last long at all. Remember to save out enough of your batch to use as a starter for your next batch. Supposedly -- and so far my experience confirms -- it just gets better as the starter gets older.

Lots of steps here -- but really, there's not much work involved. Most of the time is spent fermenting, cooling, and draining -- no action on your part required here. Mother Nature does it all. Enjoy!

Ingredients for above batch

1/2 gallon milk
4 tbsp starter, admittedly for me these are heaping tbsp of my drained, thick yogurt which no doubt has a concentrated number of those lovely bacteria.

More Ego Stroking

This is a photo I ran on my other blog recently, also uploaded to CNN.com's IReports section. I got a call from a producer today and they are using it in an upcoming Travel Companion feature. It posted June 3 -- here's the link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/getaways/06/03/ireport.secret.places/

This is the second of my photos they've chosen to use, and my ego always enjoys the hit. The photo quality isn't great -- to get this with their logo on it I have to hit 'print screen' then paste it into Paint and crop and....resolution suffers but I don't care. I have the original, after all.

I know. As a good Buddhist, I am supposed to vanquish ego, not stroke it. Oh, well. What can I say? :)

Lazy Week....

Another quiet week with little to report but yes, I am still here and still alive and well.

I'm not sure if it was the weather or what, but I just haven't had much interest in going out and exploring this week. I've been sleeping well, thank goodness, and have morphed into a rather strange sleep pattern that I've fought in the past, but which actually seems to work for me. My drowsy times are generally in the early evening -- 6pm-9pm, or thereabouts. I've fought this because it seemed counterproductive to sleeping well during the night. Lately, with little real reason to worry about having to get up in the morning -- no work! -- I've just relaxed into this and if I doze off while watching a movie, I don't fight it. Oddly enough, it revives me just a bit and then I settle in to watch another movie before getting drowsy again and actually sleeping through the night. Big stuff, for an old insomniac like me.

One would think that sleeping well would lead to more energy, but that hasn't been the case. I haven't felt tired, just -- comfortable in my peaceful pursuit of reading and watching movies. I've been a good girl, done my exercising as scheduled and puttered about a bit. But mostly -- I read.

Three wonderful books came my way. First, I finished Riverwalking by Kathleen Dean Moore. This lovely little book is a series of essays that mostly involve the writer's experiences in, fascination with and love of -- moving water. She is wonderfully, beautifully eloquent and aside from the beauty of her words, I was really moved by the beauty of herself and her family, all of whom share her water-borne adventures.

Then, on to Finding Beauty in a Broken World, by the famous environmentalist writer Terry Tempest Williams. This is her latest and I admit that I had some trouble getting into it, but in the end I am SO glad I persevered. After that initial reserve, I couldn't put it down and once again I was moved as much by her personal inner beauty and her long, happy marriage as I was by the story she told.

And then -- the unauthorized biography of Ernest & Julio Gallo, fittingly called Blood & Wine. What a story! I just finished that one today. Go out and buy some JosephFarms Cheese (Google it), produced by Joseph Gallo, the 'unknown' Gallo brother who by all appearances was robbed of his parental inheritance AND blocked from using his own name on the label for his cheese. Incredible.

In the midst of today, to take a break from the heaviness of the Gallo trials, I watched Bottle Shock, a movie that I just loved, but had never heard of. Released in 2008, it's the story of the famed 1976 Paris wine tasting that virtually made the Napa Valley world famous, when a local chardonnay and a local cabernet beat out the best of the French in Paris by French judges. I moved to the Valley in 1979 and this tasting was still a big topic of discussion. Maybe I was moved more because I know the story and the wineries, but even if you didn't, it's still a really well-done feel-good movie about the little guys winning over the big guys. And the cinematography of the Napa Valley is exquisite -- although that could just be Kitty feeling a little nostalgic for days long past.

Aside from books and a lot of movies, I also made a faux Mexican casserole, some banana bread and some yogurt this week. AND I have fought -- and lost -- with IKEA and North American Van Lines regarding my furniture delivery. IKEA is wonderful -- unfortunately the goods are being held hostage by the van lines in Portland until they have a truck coming this way. Last week I was told "Friday", then on Friday I was told "next week" and now this week I've been told "next week" once more. I am not amused.

Alas -- not exciting to write about, but pleasant enough to live. Let's hope for more interesting news next time.

A Lovely Surprise!

I had a truly wonderful weekend and so far, the post-holiday week is trending fairly well also. The sun is shining bright, the air is warm, life is good.

Aside from the parade and other Azalea festival events on Saturday, my best friend from Eugene decided to pay me an impromptu visit on Sunday. Nothing could have been better than that! He arrived mid-afternoon, left Monday morning, and while it wasn't a long visit, we had a great time and I am SO glad that he was here. I needed that contact -- needed to see someone dear and familiar to me. We didn't do much -- a couple of shops to visit in town for him, then lots of good food, good wine and good conversation. I hated to see him go, but more happy that he came at all. So, thank you, my friend. It was wonderful sharing my new home with you.

And speaking of my new home, it's finally beginning to actually feel like home. I expect part of that was because with a guest in the house, I finally needed to use my kitchen for some real cooking, and of course, share the results with someone I care for. I bought some tulips to brighten up the place, and was happy to find them this late in the season. Today, as you can see, they're opening up and still looking quite lovely.

I made a wonderful soup for dinner. A few weeks ago I read in the NY Times web edition about Rancho Gordo, an heirloom bean company down in Napa, and ended up ordering some. Along with the article came the recipe for Rustic Rancho Gordo 'Yellow Eye' Bean Soup. My only complaint is that when you order the beans they come in one pound packages, about 2 1/4 cups of beans, and the recipe calls for 3 cups of beans. I know -- the world has bigger issues. Still, rather than try to re-proportion the entire recipe I used it as-is but with fewer beans. It was wonderful! Anything that has 2 whole heads of garlic in it can't be all bad, really. We enjoyed it with some fresh-baked southern buttermilk cornbread and I have lots left in the refrigerator and freezer for future use. Yum.

I'm heading down to visit friends in Napa soon, and hope to get some more of those beans while I'm there. They're a bit pricey, but worth it. Besides, if they're good enough for The French Laundry (home of Thomas Keller, about the most famous chef and restaurant in the Universe), they're good enough for me. I tried the pinto beans first, and let me tell you, I've had a LOT of pinto beans in my life so I didn't really expect any surprises. I got them anyway. Who knew pinto beans could be so much better when grown and packaged like this, and sold about as quickly as they can get grown and dried. Highly recommended.

I love this bay window in my living room, especially when the sun starts streaming in early in the morning. I tried the table and chairs in the 'dining' area of the room, but it didn't work for me. This works.

I'm still awaiting a call from North American Van Lines regarding delivery of my furniture from IKEA. I can't say I'm happy with them. Last Wednesday the IKEA people checked with them and relayed to me that they had a firm delivery date for last Friday and would call to set a time. When Friday morning rolled around and I hadn't had a phone call, I called IKEA again -- and North American gave them a different story this time -- said they'd be calling me this week for delivery this week. OK, it's only Tuesday and they would have been closed yesterday, but still no phone call. My guess is that my stuff is sitting in a warehouse maybe in Grants Pass or some larger city waiting for a convenient time for them to make the trip over this way -- or a truck headed this way. I'm not a happy camper on this issue, but will continue to bug IKEA as needed. With any luck, by the end of the week I'll be able to show you new pics of the living room. I want my footstool! Everything else is less important.

Anyway -- the sun is shining and the air is warm. Life is good. Stay tuned.....

Quiet Sunday

I'm feeling really pensive this afternoon. Perhaps it's the effect of the book I'm reading, which is Trespass, by Amy Irvine. I've been immersed in it for days and am nearing the end. Is it her personal struggle for inner peace and contentment that's bothering me, or is it her sad but beautifully-written tales of how the desert wilderness in her world of Southern Utah is being desecrated? Perhaps it's both. I've found some sense of connection with her personal plight, even with some of its seeds and perhaps with some of its meaning -- or is the meaning only of my personal plight as it parallels hers? Hard to tell. And, perhaps I'm simply feeling content with my day and that alone has awakened the pensive mood.

It's been a beautiful, warm and sunny day here in Brookings. Since there was no morning fog, I went on a very early walk of exploration of a state park less than a mile from here -- no need to drive, I simply walked down the road. A couple of hours later I returned home and have since spent the day puttering and reading and.... being pensive.

I miss my friends and contacts and yes, even the street people and strangers on the sidewalks of Eugene. I'm much more isolated here -- much less contact with people and I'm needing contact. I could, of course, go upstairs here in the building and no doubt find people in a community room, but so far that has not appealed. Most folks here are a good bit older than I am and not as active and I just don't feel like partaking of the necessary conversation that takes place as people first meet. I get tired of questions, of talking about myself and my past. There's a community dinner next Friday night and unless I get a better offer, I'll probably go to that with my neighbor the artist, who has made the offer.

Lots I want to do this coming week -- check out the local Azalea Park to see if the Azaleas are in full bloom for next weekend's festival; follow a path off the highway in search of a particular beach; and drive back north to Pistol River to walk that extraordinarily beautiful beach and check out the little village of the same name. I also am beginning to itch to ride my bike -- take off on a short trip up the highway to see how strong my biking legs are after a winter hiatus. Busy, Busy, Busy. But -- those are all solitary activities and I think I need to find something less solitary -- perhaps check out the local animal shelter to volunteer. That's been in the back of my mind since I first came down to check the town out, and I need to check it out. My furniture should also be arriving this week, although I don't yet know what date. More Busy, Busy, Busy.

My legs and ankles feel the barefoot walk in the sand -- which is a good thing. More muscles being awakened and used and strengthened.

What to do?

This retirement gig isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Sure, if I'd stayed in Eugene where all was familiar and the only thing that changed was that I didn't have to work, it would have been a piece of cake. But combine that with a move where everything is new and unfamiliar and home doesn't feel like home yet and it's another story.

This is the first day I haven't had a bunch of stuff to do and while on the surface that sounds wonderful, I'm also not quite sure what to do with myself. My mind isn't settled down enough to while away the hours by reading yet. I don't have the energy today to go out and walk or explore. Nothing new I need (or can afford) to order for the house. I can only spend so much time at this computer. Mostly, today I feel like sleeping, although my mind is a bit too restless to allow that. I think I'll walk down the block to watch the ocean. That should cure all ills and remind me why I'm here.

OK.

NOW I remember why I'm here. And I think it's time to take a short journey and spend part of a day on a beach, rather than just looking down at one. By the way -- I learned today that the island in the distance is Bird Island, which is the largest island off the coast of Oregon and is breeding ground for many sea birds, inclucing the tufted puffin. Cool.

Here at last!

This is the view from my bedroom, and also from the living room, minus the deck. As soon as I have the energy (!!) I'm going to fill those holes on the railing with pots of petunias, so I can have that sweet smell wafting into the house.

Yes, as you can see it is a picture-perfect day here in Brookings! Warm and sunny and utterly delightful. Yesterday was the same. Windows open, door to the patio open, birds singing, the occasional raucous seagull. Lovely!

The move went off without incident and I have almost everything unpacked and my car filled with flattened boxes for recycling. "Almost everything" may be an overstatement, but still, there really isn't much left. Most of it will go on the bookshelves and I'm almost ready to do that. Had to figure out how to layout the room, then get the phone/internet setup. Thank goodness for the laptop! I could not possibly have put this desktop together yesterday -- too brain dead. Almost too brain dead this morning, but it's working, and so is the stereo so all is well.

I am SO glad to be here! My heart started singing yesterday when I first began following the Smith River (I cut south into California for speed purposes), and kept singing for miles and miles as the road followed that beautiful green river that has much more water than a few weeks ago. Then a few redwoods, and then a few minutes later the distant blue of the Pacific. This really is where I need to be -- if I had any doubts, they are long gone. I met a couple of men leaving the building this morning with hiking sticks and asked about beach access. There is none here, but they told me how to find a lovely overlook down at the end of the street, and that will be good enough for an evening or morning walk when I need to clear my head. Like right now!

There is still so much to do here -- and yet, the body needs to rest a bit, if I can force the mind to allow that. The kitchen is wonderful! So large, so many cabinets and so much storage space everywhere. Much, much more than the apartment in Eugene. Cabinets are fitted out with glide-out drawers and a swing-out corner shelf. But again, the dishwasher door won't open all the way unless the refrigerator door is open, so it has its quirks.

I'll post more photos of the apartment once I get the boxes cleared out. For now, adios.