Long W'end
Nov. 27th, 2005 09:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mlerulesAnd it's only Sunday! Once again a few daze away has felt like weeks - in the most positive way imaginable. Drove up w/a Dear Friend ("DF") to the Bay Area in near record time on Wed (6.5 hours via Hwy 5 w/steak & eggs b-fast stop @ Harris Ranch - yum). Enjoyed T-giving a day early w/DF and fambily, who made me feel completely comfortable and welcome and part of the fambily. It helps that I've spent T-giving 5 of the past 6 years w/them, plus various other events, and have known this DF longer than ANYBODY (non-fambily). She was one of my bestest friends in high school and the Winnie the Pooh poster I gave her on her 16th b-day still adorns her bedroom wall. Her bedroom's exactly the same in fact, even down to the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling and walls (high vaulted beamed ceilings so they're nicely 3D)...what a marvie place to stay. We wined & dined and laughed and caught up (puns flying left, right & center) and enjoyed life thoroughly.
Thursday came, by which point it already felt that we'd been there for a week (or forever, perhaps). My DF kindly joined me in the ash and remains scattering of my father. Many jokes 'bout how like a noodle dish it doesn't matter how much you've poured outta the box, there's still plenty left as if you've eaten hardly any. Luckily it wasn't windy and pouring rain like the following morning, 'cause that would've sucked and been REALLY messy. In the process of tossing him 'round, we visited many of my fave places in Berkeley. Kept mostly to Tilden Park. Visited the animals at the Little Farm (huge happy sow, cute cow w/calflings, assorted fowl (including happy turkeys who weren't supper), soft fluffy bunnies, sturdy curly-horned & pated black Welsh mountain sheep, goats galore) then walked around Jewel Lake. Headed over the the Merry-Go-Round (closed for the holiday) where the handfuls of pop included two (2) twisted pieces of metal. Trying to figure out if'n he had any metal bits I should've known about. Know had had major back problems and his mom (my grandma) had several hip replacements, but couldn't figure out where these wire snippets came from. Minorly squeamishly tossed 'em into the bin rather than conduct further research. Next headed down the hill to Lake Anza and watched the clouds of ash fly. Fascinating how the heavy bits (bone fragments) fall right down while a mess floats around for quite some time. Now he's fish fodder (back to Nature). Onward we travelled to the Little Trains (also closed, but he's there anyway) and the Grizzly Peak Stables where DF & I each took riding lessons decades back. The final stop: Berkeley Rose Gardens.
I've retained a few cups of bio-pop (as opposed to step-dad or mom's hubbie or father of one set of step-sibs) for arts & crafts projects. Not quite sure what all'll happen along such lines. Need to find out what'd happen if'n I used him either in clay or on clay (in a glaze) when fired at high temperatures before experimenting and possibly wrecking other stuff in the kiln at the same time. Will prolly also add him to the some of my potted lavendar clumps. (They put my step-granddad into his tomatoes then feasted on tom sandwiches when they next ripened.) There's an awful lot of ash and whatnot from one body (he was overweight, but still) so I'm spreading him around lots.
This took the morning. We were hungry but not in the mood for leftovers (still to come for dinner), so headed out to Top Dog for sustenance. Napped and spent another good fambily evening together.
Friday found us at Dickens. What grand fun! Going back in another few weeks, this time in proper garb, damnit! Opted for Chinese take-out for dinner.
Yesterday we drove back, taking our sweet time, hitting outlets and then Santa Cruz for artisanal choco and cheese shops and wandering around olde haunts. We'd been roomies at UCSC over a quarter-century ago so nostalgia kicked in big-time, although a mess has changed since the earthquake (which she but not I was around for). Listened to the usual music we listen to (tapes from way back when), singing along, chatting, sitting quietly, making our way Southward, stopping at Anderson's in Buellton for the Traveller's Special. Luckily no huge fires in the valley or SB as in previous years.
Now: home again home again, jiggety jig. Had a most wonderous w'end. Continuing to feel happy and thankful and lucky. Today'll be spent tidying up and relaxing then beach walking w/various folks.
Thursday came, by which point it already felt that we'd been there for a week (or forever, perhaps). My DF kindly joined me in the ash and remains scattering of my father. Many jokes 'bout how like a noodle dish it doesn't matter how much you've poured outta the box, there's still plenty left as if you've eaten hardly any. Luckily it wasn't windy and pouring rain like the following morning, 'cause that would've sucked and been REALLY messy. In the process of tossing him 'round, we visited many of my fave places in Berkeley. Kept mostly to Tilden Park. Visited the animals at the Little Farm (huge happy sow, cute cow w/calflings, assorted fowl (including happy turkeys who weren't supper), soft fluffy bunnies, sturdy curly-horned & pated black Welsh mountain sheep, goats galore) then walked around Jewel Lake. Headed over the the Merry-Go-Round (closed for the holiday) where the handfuls of pop included two (2) twisted pieces of metal. Trying to figure out if'n he had any metal bits I should've known about. Know had had major back problems and his mom (my grandma) had several hip replacements, but couldn't figure out where these wire snippets came from. Minorly squeamishly tossed 'em into the bin rather than conduct further research. Next headed down the hill to Lake Anza and watched the clouds of ash fly. Fascinating how the heavy bits (bone fragments) fall right down while a mess floats around for quite some time. Now he's fish fodder (back to Nature). Onward we travelled to the Little Trains (also closed, but he's there anyway) and the Grizzly Peak Stables where DF & I each took riding lessons decades back. The final stop: Berkeley Rose Gardens.
I've retained a few cups of bio-pop (as opposed to step-dad or mom's hubbie or father of one set of step-sibs) for arts & crafts projects. Not quite sure what all'll happen along such lines. Need to find out what'd happen if'n I used him either in clay or on clay (in a glaze) when fired at high temperatures before experimenting and possibly wrecking other stuff in the kiln at the same time. Will prolly also add him to the some of my potted lavendar clumps. (They put my step-granddad into his tomatoes then feasted on tom sandwiches when they next ripened.) There's an awful lot of ash and whatnot from one body (he was overweight, but still) so I'm spreading him around lots.
This took the morning. We were hungry but not in the mood for leftovers (still to come for dinner), so headed out to Top Dog for sustenance. Napped and spent another good fambily evening together.
Friday found us at Dickens. What grand fun! Going back in another few weeks, this time in proper garb, damnit! Opted for Chinese take-out for dinner.
Yesterday we drove back, taking our sweet time, hitting outlets and then Santa Cruz for artisanal choco and cheese shops and wandering around olde haunts. We'd been roomies at UCSC over a quarter-century ago so nostalgia kicked in big-time, although a mess has changed since the earthquake (which she but not I was around for). Listened to the usual music we listen to (tapes from way back when), singing along, chatting, sitting quietly, making our way Southward, stopping at Anderson's in Buellton for the Traveller's Special. Luckily no huge fires in the valley or SB as in previous years.
Now: home again home again, jiggety jig. Had a most wonderous w'end. Continuing to feel happy and thankful and lucky. Today'll be spent tidying up and relaxing then beach walking w/various folks.
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Date: 2005-11-27 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-28 02:38 am (UTC)