You can fool the fans - but not the players.... John Cage

Sierra Hot Springs

I met my work compadre earlier this week at Sierra Hot Springs in order to have a little time to talk about projects, goals, ideas, whatever. It was a great place to meet and a lovely, relaxing evening. My only complaint is that I ended up with ankles full of bites that itch like crazy... fleas? chiggers? no-see-ums? Whatever... next time I'm taking the repellent more seriously.

This is the view from the parking lot; looking northeast at the valley. I LOVE the Sierra Valley. It is a gem of a valley; all cows and hay and water.

This is the lodge. And see that door on the lower floor? I used to have a cafe through that door. Needless to say this visit (the first since I closed the cafe) was a trip down memory lane for me. Both good and bad. Relief and regret. Nostalgia and visceral flashbacks.

We rented a room in the lodge but there is camping available and also the Globe Hotel in Sierraville. Rooms are funky but charming and it is all European-style with shared restrooms and showers down the hall. We had a room at the south end of the 2nd story that looked out towards the campground and hills and overlooked the struggling vegetable garden (I think the soil is very alkaline and challenging to garden in). It was all done up with polka dot sheets and comforters; and the curtains were a patchwork riot of color and texture - I wish I'd taken a photo but I didn't. Very gypsy-esque.

We arrived in the late afternoon and immediately thought that these chairs were calling our name and we might sit outside with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc but nope - there is no alcohol allowed on site. Our chilled bottle of wine had to stay in the cooler and never got uncorked.

And the chairs remained empty.

We moved on to massage therapy and hot water.

While SS was having her massage I filled one of the private baths and enjoyed a tepid soak. The water in these Phoenix baths could have been hotter - but the privacy was nice and the view couldn't be beat.

We each enjoyed a wonderful half-hour massage with Joanna and then retreated to the lodge where we prepared a simple dinner in the shared kitchen - great resource with everything one needs- and ate outside. I'm thinking this is where the bites happened.

I didn't take any photos of the warm pool or the dome bath but this is where the real soaking is done (in my opinion). We walked up the hill, stored our clothes in the spacious, clean bathhouse and went into the Temple Dome. The dome has a circular pool with a sand bottom and is very, very HOT. It is delicious. If you are inclined towards shock therapy there are two bathtub-sized cold water tubs in the domes, but we elected to cool down by going outside to the large rectangular warm pool where we floated and star-gazed in the silky, slightly sulphury water.

Back inside the lodge there is a comfy sitting area and wifi. When we got back we found the lodge to be bustling with people (where did they come from?) and more than one person was hunched over a laptop pecking away.

This must be the goddess of the wifi.

Great retreat, despite the bug bites, and we left the next morning feeling rested and rejuvenated. There'll be a return visit, I'm sure, and eventually my memories of the cafe will be replaced with memories of hot water, massage, great views and good friends.

Hunewill Guest Ranch

I just returned from a couple of lovely days in the Bridgeport Valley and had to share a couple of photos from the Hunewill Guest Ranch. We were fortunate enough to have our board meeting out at the ranch and I could have happily stayed for days.

The ranch is a special blend of old and new - old buildings, new technology (wireless access in the reading room), cows and horses, big sky, big grassy meadows, big mountains.

Four Hunewill families live and run the ranch; providing hearty food, twice daily rides, cookouts and talent shows, cattle drives, and no shortage of hospitality. We enjoyed homemade peach and raspberry cobbler, meaty cheesy lasagne, fresh baby greens (no iceberg!) salad, homemade garlic bread and iced tea outside under the aspens during our lunch break. And... there were peonies in bloom!

Blooming a good two months after my one single peony bloomed.

Sorry, this one is a little blown out but I took it with my phone... yes, my photos have taken a turn for the worse (but only temporarily).

Hunewill Ranch has been a working cattle ranch since 1880 (or so - I might be off a year or two), and a guest ranch since 1931. If you are looking for a good western vacation you couldn't ask for a better place to spend a week. I don't work for the Hunewills but you can tell them I sent you! I'd like to go back!

Now, mosey on.... I'm finished with this post....

San Diego County Fair

I did the crazy weekend trip to San Diego this past weekend - family was gathering and I really try to be present when the family gets together. So I drove down on Saturday and back up on Monday... a little too much driving but we did get some good family visiting in.

And, we went to the County Fair in Del Mar.

It was crowded, it was noisy, it took all day but it was FUN! Fried everything everywhere you turned. Trinkets and sunglasses and t-shirts and carnies hawking stuffed animals all along the walkways. Animals of all sorts chillin' in their pens. Dirt and dust and carnival rides. So much fun for a few hours.

Mom and I love the flower exhibits and this year the theme was music.

The exhibitors really go to town with the plants and it is a peaceful oasis within the fairgrounds.

One can almost hear the chanting.

But around the corner there was this wild ragtime ensemble.

I loved the piano.

I can't imagine donating a piano to the elements but for awhile it might make a beautiful garden piece.

This cheerful trio played all night without a break. We had a blast. Watched a hypnotist make ordinary people do foolish things on stage, ate all kinds of junk food we would not touch in real life (I ate an entire LARGE cream puff by myself!), purchased all kinds of things that seemed like a good deal at the time, laughed, got grungy, tired and stuffed..... and bonded like only family can.

Yeah, baby!

PS - Sorry for the photos - no photoshop right now and they are poorly edited. Sad, very sad.

Travel

Last week was a traveling week - all in the Sierra but many hours along US 395. And not without the obligatory car break-down.... it has to happen every once in awhile. Luckily many good things aligned:

• It wasn't snowing
• I had cell phone coverage
• We have AAA with 100 miles towing
• It was daylight
• A chivalrous CHP stopped, doubled checked AAA and then sat in his car behind me until the tow truck arrived 45 minutes later.
• I was only 55 miles from home
• It was on the way home and not the way there
• and so on....

I'd driven to Truckee to meet with co-workers at Sierra Business Council, stayed with my good friend GD, and then was on my way back to Bishop planning to attend a cocktail party for all the departing teachers of ICOE. Driving along with all systems GO - suddenly all systems were not GOing anywhere. Turns out the fuel pump went out. Without a whimper or a warning. Sheez!

Got home finally and then turned around the next day to drive back north to Reno with JC - his knee surgery was scheduled for Friday am. We got a room on hotwire - the best room we've had in Reno so far - at Harrahs for $44. Nice room. Overlooking the pool. Only it was raining in Reno, just like it had been raining in Bishop. The wettest June I can ever remember in the eastern Sierra. Our yard is so lush right now; it will never look this green again.

I have a special fondness for Reno and I took this the morning I was on my own as JC underwent the knife. It was a beautiful morning in the Truckee Meadows and I took Chance for a lovely walk along the Truckee river before hunkering down in the room and getting some work done.

Our drive home was uneventful - thankfully, since JC was all whacked out from the anesthesia and we were already in our "other" vehicle. Not too much travel this week - just lots of database building, setting up appointments and getting out there to meet people.

I'm switching over computers and can't buy my macbook pro until the end of the month - so posting might be sporatic the next couple of weeks. It is making me crazy to think of saving all these bookmarks and files - I've really settled into this computer. Change is good, right?

Little Italy in San Diego

Home from southern California and one of our expeditions was down to India Street area to search out the architectural salvage store I have passed by so many times and never been in. The area has been recently "discovered" as Little Italy and the store had moved; but we found it after some walking around.

I could've dropped some serious money had I had any (and a truck to put it all in) and I will definitely be keeping this type of store in mind when and if we ever get to build or do some remodeling.

Everything you can think of has been organized and neatly priced - hardware, porcelain, columns, grates, gates, doors, chandeliers, mantels, etc. My apologies to this gentleman who had no idea he was about to be blogged.

A wizard is in charge of display - many vignettes.

A truck was unloading more stuff as we browsed - a casino sign, carousel horse, more columns.

Some of the gates and doors must have been 10' in height - you have to have a lot of house to utilize those puppies!

This was my single most favorite display - a tub of crystals! Get my towel!

A place I'll definitely revisit soon. Next time; more shots of Little Italy. We did walk around and browse through other shops but this, this was my reason for the drive.

Manzanar

Mom and I went to Manzanar yesterday afternoon and if you've never been to one of the Japanese internment camps from WWII - well, you really owe it to yourself and your kids to visit one. What a history lesson.

I'm not sure they are all this well-designed but this one in the eastern Sierra is growing a beautiful interpretive center. We went to see a special program of speakers, but even without that there is a 22 minute film and a very beautiful and informative set of exhibits.

The exhibits are in a big building that used to be the camp gymnasium.

Right now I'm reading the book Farewell to Manzanar and will have a much better picture of camp life afterward.

And then there is an auto tour that takes you through the compound. It was windy and cold yesterday, so we didn't get out and walk around but I imagine that would be even more fascinating and I think that I will do that this spring.

There are acres of old fruit trees - no doubt dead now that there is no more irrigation - and the remains of what must have been beautiful gardens the residents created over the 3 years they lived at the relocation center.

The backdrop is the stunning east face of the Sierra Nevada. This is the cemetery site.

And one of the old guard towers. There are plans for more buildings - a WWII era mess hall was recently relocated to the site and is being reconstructed with more exhibits. They plan to build two barracks - one will be as barren as when the residents first arrived at the camp; the other will show how the residents created homes out of these 20' x 24' spaces.

A stop well worth making.