Tag Archive for: #HighlightsFoundation #iamwriting

“Cause All I Wanna Do is Have Some Fun…”

/in /by

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind.

Christmas in Marina and Monterey

It was hard to be away from family and friends once again over Christmas, but Brad and I kept ourselves busy taking advantage of all that the area had to offer.

We stayed at the Marina Dunes RV Resort. It was a lovely campground just 500 yards from the ocean. I loved the hues of the native plants along the path on the dunes leading to the ocean. Luna basked in the sunsets!

We golfed at Pacific Grove Golf Links, known as the Poor Man’s Pebble Beach. We were paired with a father and son and just had a blast. We saw surfers along the coast running beside the course. This is me pretending to be one.

Monarchs winter along the California coast too. We took in one of their migratory spots at the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary. I could almost hear the thousands of pairs of wings fluttering in the breeze.

We biked along the coast. It was hard to keep an eye on all the car traffic right along the bike path. The ocean was a bit distracting!

We kayaked at Elkhorn Slough, an awesome estuary featuring these little critters.

I teared up at the sight of the mama otter cradling the cub on her chest. It made me miss my kids all the more so.

I couldn’t wait for our reunion in LA.

Pacific Palisades

We rented a home in the beautiful enclave of Pacific Palisades for the start of our time together. The home was built in 1949 and featured an awesome outdoor firepit and views of the ocean right across the street. A nightly ritual involved walking down to the park just up the way, coffee cups filled with favorite beverages, and toasting the sunset.

Hiking and Beaching

We used to call all of our adventures “Brad’s Boot Camp.” I think the apples haven’t fallen too far from the tree, as we made the most of the area. Our first full day, we hiked at Solstice Canyon. We took both the Solstice Hike and then continued on to the Rising Sun Trail for an awesome two-hour experience.

The hike features the ruins of the Roberts Ranch House, designed by Paul Williams, who was a famous African American architect. Here is a fascinating article about this trailblazer whose hand is prominent in over 2500 buildings and homes, most in LA.

After lunch at Malibu Seafood (“the reason we don’t serve breakfast is because we’re out catching lunch”) and then, after numerous attempts, finally found coastal access to walk along the Malibu Beach.

 

Venice and Santa Monica

We sang Sheryl Crow’s iconic song All I Wanna Do is Have Some Fun while visiting the Santa Monica area. We took in the famed canals of Venice Beach. We walked the Santa Monica Pier. And we made a quick stop at Zibby’s Bookshop. I am inspired by the dedication and passion owner Zibby Owens has for books and sharing authentic stories. I’ve been in touch with Zibby about our story…perhaps her publishing house may be interesting in sharing our journey some day.

Pasadena and New Year’s Eve

We shifted to Pasadena for what will become obvious later in the post. We took full advantage of the area and the beautiful home we stayed in as we brought in the New Year together.

On New Year’s Eve we took a nice 5 mile hike on the Eaton Falls and Henninger Flats trail. Great start to the day!

Later in the day we headed to Griffith Park and the Observatory. We packed a charcuterie board and some bubbly and watched the last sunset of 2023 on a little path down below the iconic Observatory.

I discovered a bit about the park on our drive. At over 3,000 acres, Griffith Park is the largest municipal park with wilderness in the United States. The land was donated in 1896 by Griffith J. Griffith and his wife, Tina. Sounds great, right? Well, as we all know, there’s always a story behind the story.

Let’s just say that Griffith J. Griffith’s life is rather checkered, including accusations of tax evasion and imprisonment for attempting to murder his wife. For the rest of the story, see here…

We returned to our beautiful rental home in Altadena and worked together to create a scrumptious NYE dinner featuring grilled steaks (from the grass-fed beef we bought at Rafter W. Ranch in Simla, CO), brussel sprouts and smashed roasted potatoes. Yummy!

Rose Bowl Experience!

Brad booked our tickets to the Rose Bowl parade and game through the Al Brooks Ticketing Agency almost a year ago. The package included awesome seats to the parade and special seating to the game. We had no guarantee that the kids or their partners would be able to join us.

It was a gamble that paid off in spades.

Sadly, our daughter Kyle’s husband, Will, was not able to join us, as his brother is on the coaching staff of Wisconsin. Wisconsin was in Tampa for their bowl game on the same day as the Rose Bowl. We missed Will during the entire trip. But, Kyle, and our son Ian and his partner Adam were with us for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Everything that could have gone right for the day, did. From easy-peasy access to the designated parking area for the parade (although we got up at 5 in order to be at the parade route by 6!), to the incredible weather, everything was perfect.

I got chills (and, okay, a few tears) at the start of the parade as the B-2 Stealth Bomber flew over the parade.

Television coverage doesn’t do the parade justice, as we witnessed all the incredible flowers that decorate the floats.

Then, the piece de la resistance! Game Time! Although our beloved Buckeyes from The Ohio State University didn’t make it into the Bowl as we hoped, Big Ten was represented incredibly well by the University of Michigan. As you likely know, the game went into a thrilling overtime and Michigan claimed the victory.

We scooted out in a flash, catching the drone show as we walked to the parking lot. We went back to our rental home and watched Washington beat Texas together in the cozy family room.

Our time ended all too soon. It’s always so hard to say goodbye to our kids, with Ian and Adam in Denver, and Kyle and Will in Atlanta. But before the final goodbyes, we were already planning our next adventures.

“Cause All I Wanna Do is Have Some Fun…”

Angel’s Share, a Master Cooper, and other tales from Napa

/in , /by

We’ve been blessed to visit Napa several times in the past, but this week-long visit gave us the opportunity to explore more than ever before. Wine tasting was at the heart of our activities, but we also snuck in a round of golf, a kayak run on the Napa River, and a bike ride from Napa to Yountville.

We made some new friends and had visits with one of my dear writing friends along the way.

Most of all, we learned so much about wine-making and wine-makers during our visit.

Angel’s Share

Our first tasting was at Rombauer Wines, just north of Napa in St. Helena. We chose the vineyard because of its beautiful family history, its reputation for producing yummy Chardonnays, and the awesome hilltop setting. Carrie was our server and did a fabulous job teaching us about the wines they produce.

As our curiosity intrigued Carrie, she was kind enough to give us a tour of their wine caves. While there, I noted a barrel presumably seeping red wine onto the outside of the French Oak barrel. Carrie offered that as the oak barrels are porous, that through the oxidation process, the tannins from the stems, seeds and the grapes seep out of the barrels.

Way back in the day, when cellar masters discovered the product disappearing from barrels, they determined that angels were enjoying their share from heaven. The term, “la part des anges”  or “angels share” refers to the missing portion from the barrels. Wine makers will regularly check their barrels, from a few days to a few weeks, and fill the barrel from the top bung hole to replace the Angel’s Share.

Even the golf courses have wine-related names!

We had a lovely round at Eagle’s Vine Golf.  There was a foursome of younger guys in front of us, who were kind enough to let us through on the first par 3. I came within 5 inches of a hole-in-one, as they cheered the ball toward the cup. I nearly beat Brad straight up on the front side, but he found his stride on the back. Really fun round.

Off the beaten path…or waterfront

We finally got back out on our kayaks on this segment of our travels. We were directed to Fagan Marsh on the Napa River. A great site for bird watching, we took in hawks, yellow-rumped Warblers, ducks, and egrets. We maneuvered through the marsh until the natural channel got us caught up in the reeds. We got kind of messy in the process.

Photo credit: cricketsblog

Cheers to old friends and new trails

I met author Nancy Hudgins a number of years ago at a Highlights writing workshop. We’ve kept in touch ever since, visiting each other twice in our hometowns. Here we are celebrating the sale of her first book, a biography of famed children’s book editor Ursula Nordstrom. I’m so proud of Nancy! Brad, Luna and I enjoyed lots of time with Nancy and her little pup, Buddy. (Who is cuddled on her lap in the photo.)

Brad and I made it back to Frank Family wines again on this trip. Yummy reds and beautiful setting for the afternoon wine tasting. We took a nap after.

Tempting as it was, we didn’t stop at any of the wineries along the route of our 12 mile bike ride on the Vine Trail, from Kennedy Park to Yountville.

Fun fact: George C. Yount planted the first grapevines in Napa Valley. Way back in 1839.

A Master Cooper and Sharing Angels

Ahh…the beauty of Facebook. A college friend of Brad’s encouraged us to check out Caldwell Vineyard.

We’re so grateful for the recommendation.

What started as a private tasting in the wine caves turned into a personal sharing of our own angel stories with Ramiro, the Master Cooper.

Ramiro makes all 350 barrels for the vineyard. Most vineyards buy their barrels from a cooperage. We were mesmerized by Ramiro’s tales of growing up in the region, his passion for, and dreams of playing soccer professionally, then fate (and his nose…very important for toasting the barrels just right!) intervened and he became one of only several dozen master coopers in the world. Here’s a great article on Ramiro.

Caldwell’s website header reads, “For us, it’s personal.”

Our experience with Ramiro became quite personal and spiritual as we shared our mutual losses. It was an incredible “Angel Share” experience.

And the wine was pretty incredible too.

Cheers, Napa.

We can’t wait to get back.

At Caldwell Vineyards Wine Caves Tasting, Caldwell barrel handmade by Ramiro, master cooper, view from the Caldwell hilltop. Breathtaking experience and views.

Post Script

/in /by

Post Script noun

an additional statement or action that provides further information on or a sequel to something.

Seven years ago, I served as the adult leader in a church youth group mission. The teenagers assigned to work with me were from across the country. They were amazing as we were thrust into a situation that none of us were prepared for. Our task for the week was to paint both the interior and exterior of the home of a man who was an alcoholic. A nasty, mean man.

I figured God must have known what he was doing, because I’ve had my share of experiences with alcoholics. Maybe I was meant to learn something from the experience, to be enlightened, and to guide the teenagers through the challenge.

A young woman confined to a wheelchair lived next door, and my crew gravitated toward her. In just a few hours the kids befriended her and learned a lot about her. Including the fact that the man she was living with was beating her.

They were afraid. For her, and for us.

We discussed whether to stay, or to work at a different site. The vote was unanimous. We left.

But, I’d always wondered if we stayed. What difference would we have made in the life of either the alcoholic or the young woman next door?

So of course, I wrote the story, imagining what was never to be in real life.

And I set that first draft aside for five years.

I’m now actively rewriting that story, thanks to a tremendous jump start through the magic of the Highlights Foundation. I participated in an on-line course led by the incredible Sarah Aronson. Eighteen of us involved in the workshop came to know each other and our stories from afar.

We gathered together last week at the home site of the Foundation, featuring cabins, a farmhouse (which I had the pleasure staying in along with a new friend, Elisa) and the Barn, where we heard lectures and ate amazing meals that Amanda the chef whipped up. (I want the gluten-free meat loaf recipe!)

Our stories were shared, listened to and critiqued by Sarah, her co-leaders, and by each other.

What a blessing it was to hear positive affirmations of my writing, my believable 17-year-old Joey’s voice. To hear words such as “crisp, visceral, strong” in describing my prose.

And to have the opportunity to offer the same to my fellow writers.

I’ve made a promise that the final draft of Joey’s story will be available to my group members to read by August 1. Every one of them offered their support and willingness to read again.

What I’m discovering through Joey is the post script. His story is mine. Mine is his.

Maybe writing this story is the lesson intended so long ago.

God works in mysterious ways, they say.