Party Time!!!

To celebrate my step-mom’s 60th birthday and my step-sister’s 40th birthday, we threw a Halloween Ball in Sonoma, California. There’s nothing like a Halloween party to bring out the creative genius that lays dormant in most of us for most of the year. For nearly a year, the “kids” (me, Gideon, my brother Brad, sister-in-law Amy, step-sister Polly, and brother-in-law Aaron) have been planning our costumes. For some inspired reason, we went with a “Wizard of Oz” theme. Each of us pieced together the most outrageous costumes. Amy was Dorothy—the cutest ever, with the highest-heeled homemade ruby slippers you ever did see. Aaron was the Cowardly Lion, who kind of reminded me of a cute, cuddly, overgrown child in fuzzy pajamas. Brad was to be the Scarecrow, but as I mentioned before, was unable to make it out due to a last minute conflict. Boo. Gideon was the most fantastic Tin Man ever with a completely homemade costume made the day of the party—we expected no less from Gideon, of course. Polly was the hottest Wicked Witch of the West in her couture hat, little black dress, and kick-ass witch shoes. I was Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, covered head to toe in pink sparkles and homemade fluff... I was in my element. (By the way, the role of wicked witch for Polly and good witch for me mirrored our childhood roles quite precisely!)

Dad and Sharan did their own thing. Sharan was the classiest witch ever with her retro mini-witch hat, funky green taffeta skirt and fitted jacket. Dad was a refined Dracula in full tux, red satin-lined cape, and prosthetic, fitted fangs. He had a few kids at the party convinced that they were his real teeth—they were that creepy.

The party was held at the Sonoma Women’s Club in downtown Sonoma. The Arts & Craft style of the place was a perfect backdrop for the vintage Halloween decorations gathered and/or created by Sharan. The place was absolutely transformed. Add a rockin’ Deejay, delicious food from Polly’s fabulous restaurant Meritage, 140 homemade cupcakes, 100 enthusiastic guests, and California wine and beer, and a marvelous time was inevitable.

For once, I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking. Enjoy, and happy Halloween!

Tin Man Extraordinaire

Uncle David, as engineer; Aunt Marietta, 50's chick; Glinda

The Egyptian Gods have arrived

Yummies

Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Frankenstein and his lovely bride (my favorite costume of the night!)

Used car salesman Vic, and Sharan bustin' a move

Geisha Peggi

Scott waiting for the leaves to fall

The BEST Lucy ever... perhaps better than the real thing!

Dracula Dad after the teeth came out

The party girls

Feelin' it

Oh that Tin Man... what a card!

Getting a bit scary

Baby Ingrid and Sharan

Wizard of Oz girls getting along

5 months pregnant witch, Jody and Sharan

Best shoes, male and female

Vogue, Thriller, or Monster Mash... I'm not sure

Freudian Slip, Lauren

Mother Superior Rosemary and baaaaadddd Polly

Yosemite

Arriving in Yosemite is like coming home for me. I was ten years old when I first visited Yosemite. To say that it made a big impression on me that first visit would be a major understatement. I think it would be more appropriate to say that it changed my life; it helped shape the person I am today. It instilled in me a deep appreciation for beauty and grandeur, as expressed in its mile high granite walls, its timeless sequoias, its ever-changing waterfalls, and its affect on all who enter its valley. When I was twelve years old and then again when I was sixteen, I climbed to the top of Half Dome. It was such an empowering experience for me that I chose to write about it for my college entrance essay. I do think writing the essay was far more torturous for me than the actual climb, but that’s another story.

Yosemite is my “happy place”. When I am in need of an escape from my present circumstances, I escape in my mind to one of a few particular spots in Yosemite. One spot is in a meadow in the valley that stretches out beneath Half Dome. It is a spot where many come to watch the evening light color the face of Half Dome as the sun sets each night.

At my "Happy Place" in 2007

Another spot I find myself escaping to is a pebbly beach at Mirror Lake (or now Mirror Meadow). This is a spot I found with my two best girls, Courtney and Ellen, while in Yosemite a few years ago. We hiked to the meadow, took off our shoes and waded across an icy cold stream to lounge on the sun-soaked pebbles on the beach. We watched deer cross the creek and simply basked in the gloriousness of it all.

At my second "Happy Place" in 2007

Gideon and I arrived in Yosemite on October 12th to meet up with my dad and step-mom (Paul and Sharan), step-sister and her husband (Polly and Aaron), and my brother’s wife (Amy). (Unfortunately, my darling brother Brad could not make the trip due to a last minute change of plans which he was unable to finagle his way out of... We all missed him terribly.) While waiting for the family to show up at our meeting place, Gideon and I had time to explore the BIG TREES at the Mariposa Grove. No matter how many times I see the giant sequoias, they will always take my breath away and slap me with an instant perspective check.


One of the great things about our time in Yosemite was the fact that my dad put us up in old-school cabins in Camp Curry, my favorite “village” in the valley. It’s not that Gideon and I were tired of our tent, it’s just that Yosemite and the surrounding area received many, many inches of rain over the first 36 hours of our visit. At first I was annoyed about the rain. I had become quite spoiled by the streak of luck we’d had weather-wise over the course of our trip. I let the rain slow me down a bit the first day. While Gideon, my dad and Sharan, Amy and Aaron headed out for a hike to Vernal and Nevada Falls in the rain, Polly and I stayed in the warm, dry cabin to play cards and down a few bottles of wine. Personally, I think we made the wiser choice. I tried hard not to laugh at those suckers when they came back to the cabin resembling drowned rats. But they seemed to have enjoyed themselves, despite the pouring rain. So, I think it’s fair to say a good time was had by all that first day.

Ahh, how could I forget? Night one in the cabin should have been great night. A warm bed, a hot shower, the sound of rain on the roof, coziness all around... What we didn’t know was that there was a skunk in residence under the cabin and for some reason, it decided to spray its eau du parfume in the middle of the night. The not-so-air-tight cabin was so seeped in stench, I instantly woke up and could not fall back asleep. All I could do was lie there in a cloud of fumes and feel my brain cells dying off by the millions. My only theory is that the skunk was not a fan of the snoring going on above its den. Too bad it wasn’t me who was the snorer; otherwise his evil plan may have worked.

To everyone’s great surprise, we woke to clearing skies on our second full day in Yosemite. And because of the great amount of rain that had fallen over the previous two days, all of the waterfalls in the valley were running full-tilt as if it were the height of spring. In addition, there were dozens of impromptu waterfalls flowing down the granite walls creating a valley I had never seen before. It didn’t take long for me to change my tune about the rain. I was darn glad we happened to be around for it.

Impromptu Waterfall

While the rest of the family took off to visit the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, Gideon and I decided to go for a short hike. By the time we got going, it was noon. We decided to do a hike to Columbia Rock, a lookout point about a mile up the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. With a few bottles of water, some snacks and the camera, we took off. We arrived at the lookout less than an hour later. I knew Gideon had really wanted to do a “big” hike in Yosemite, and considering how quickly we had arrived at the lookout, I suggested that we continue on to the top of Yosemite Falls. Gideon was ecstatic and we hiked on. To my surprise, we reached the top of the falls in another hour. We looked over the edge of the falls and decided to continue on to Yosemite Point, a perch about a mile beyond the top of the falls that has incomparable views of Half Dome and the valley below.

Looking over the edge of the falls

Top of Yosemite Falls

It was at Yosemite Point that I had the realization that I have really changed in some big ways over the past few years. I am not the frightened control freak that I used to be. I have accepted the reality that I really have no control over anything other than my own reactions (most of the time). As I watched Gideon bouncing from rock to rock like a mountain goat, mere feet from thousand foot drop-offs, I didn’t have a panic attack; I didn’t scream at him to move away from the edge. I did look away a few times, but all in all, I was not afraid. I felt a resigned sort of peace instead—a “what will be will be” sort of feeling. At one point Gideon was sitting on a high rock pinnacle with his feet hanging over the edge of the cliff.
Instead of swooning, I took a few pictures of him, and then I tried going out there myself. As you will notice, I was not as relaxed as Gideon, but I went out on the edge. I wanted to.
Then I made the mistake of lying on my belly to look over the edge. And then I freaked out a little. I kind of froze for a moment and had to ooch my way off the rock and breathe with my head between my knees for a few moments. But all in all, I was not afraid the way I have been in the past. And for me, that’s a big thing.

(Click to enlarge for a good laugh)

Gideon and I made it back down to the valley by 6pm in time for a big dinner with the family at the buffet in Camp Curry. I was marveling to my dad at how much easier the eight mile round trip hike to Yosemite Falls had been this time around, compared to the last time I hiked it when I was 16. He pointed out to me that I am probably in much better shape now than I was at 16, because as he put it, I “didn’t do anything” when I was sixteen. Um, Dad. I did theater. And it could be highly physical at times. Thank you very much. No respect...

Our time in Yosemite was wonderful. To be there with my family in the rain turned out to be a very unique experience. That’s the great thing about Yosemite; no matter how many times I go, it is always new to me in some way.

I Love Oregon!

We’ve spent the last few days in Oregon. I had a feeling about this state long before we got here. It’s been calling my name for years, ever since I did a major project on the Oregon Trail in my masters program. “Emily, come visit! You will like me, and I will like you.” It’s true, I am in love. I love this state, everything about it.


We started off by exploring the coast. We came in to Astoria, Oregon from Washington. You may remember the cute town of Astoria from the classic movie “The Goonies” which was filmed in Astoria in 1985. Just down the coast from Astoria are some of the most picturesque beach towns I’ve ever seen. We spent the day in the town of Cannon, home of the famous “Haystack Rock”, which I think made an appearance in Goonies. Cannon has a fabulous state park called Ecola. We spent hours lounging on the beach in Ecola before making our way to Portland for the night.


According to our map, we had a number of camping options for the night along the mountain pass to Portland, but to our dismay, all of the campgrounds were closed for the season. We ended up at a Marriot at the airport in Portland at 11:00 at night. I was deemed a “distressed traveler” by the kind woman, Nikia, at the front desk and got a fantastic suite for $75. We enjoyed our night in the lap of luxury, plus the complimentary hot breakfast the next morning. Thank you Nikia! You saved the day!

Our exploration of Portland led us to the Japanese garden to the west of the city. As I told Gideon, the garden worked on me. I felt serene and at one with nature after our visit. I think I might need a Japanese garden in my backyard some day so I can feel serene and peaceful more often. I’ll probably have to get a backyard first. And a home.


We explored Portland’s “experimental” rose garden. Who knew Portland was “The Rose City”? Not me. I’m not really a huge fan of roses, but I was a huge fan of this colorful, abundant garden.


Our next stop was the famous bookstore “Powell’s”. Powell’s takes up an entire city block in Portland and is divided into endless rooms of books. Gideon and I could have easily spent the entire day exploring this book-lover’s paradise, but we limited ourselves to an hour and a half. After Powell’s we grabbed some sushi and headed to the waterfront to eat lunch and enjoy people watching. Believe me, there are definitely some interesting folks worth keeping an eye on in Portland. We were entertained, to say the least.

Our next destination was Bend, Oregon. Now, this is a town I can see us moving to. It has a great downtown area along the Deschutes River. One of my favorite aspects of Bend are the uber-cute Craftsman houses surrounding the town. Unfortunately, everyone else who visits Bend is crazy about it too, and there are few jobs available for those who want to move to Bend. We toured the Deschutes Brewery and they are looking for a few new brewers... I think Gideon would love that! As for me, I’m sure there’s something I could teach someone in Bend.

Another great thing about the Bend area is the great variety of outdoor activities in the area. We were encouraged by some friends to hike South Sister, the third highest mountain peak in Oregon at 10,365 feet. Now, I don’t know about you, but this hike sounded more like a “climb” to me. I was nervous about the idea, particularly because it had snowed seven inches in Bend a few days earlier. I decided to do some research online about the hike. Most of the articles and reviews I read started off saying something like, “If you’re crazy enough to climb South Sister, make sure you start before the sun comes up...” Yikes. Oh, but Gideon was set on doing the hike. We camped, or rather slept in the car at the trail head the night before so we could get an early start on the 12.5 mile hike. We hit the trail bright and early, slipping and sliding alternatively on snow and ice for the first few miles through the woods. Once we emerged from the woods and onto the sub-alpine plain, we ran into the first three of seven hikers we would see all day. These three folks had made it to the summit the day before and were on their way down after camping in the area the night before. I don’t know why, but talking to people who had just climbed the mountain made all the difference for me, kind of a “if they can do it, I can do it” change of heart. I didn’t have any more doubts from then on. Okay, that’s a lie. I had some serious doubts a few hours later after hours of climbing straight up the mountainside on volcanic scree. As my heart was pounding out of my chest and I started getting wheezy, I had a doubt or two. As my legs shook and I fought a bought or two of vertigo, I had a doubt. As we lost the trail in the snow time and time again, I had a few doubts.


But I kept on climbing, and climbing. And climbing. And somehow, I made it to the top with a BIG smile on my face.

The top of the mountain is a big volcanic crater, so once at the top we had to scramble along the rim for thirty more minutes to get to the actual summit. It was freezing on the top of the mountain, so we bundled up and moved quickly. We took in the million dollar view of the mountains, volcanoes and lakes that went on forever, snapped many pictures, ate a quick lunch and beat it around the rim to head down. The climb down was challenging, as we were constantly trying to find the trail as we were slipping and sliding down the scree. We made it back to the car about ten and a half hours after leaving that morning, thoroughly worn out and entirely impressed with ourselves.


Three hours later, we were at our next destination, Eugene, Oregon to visit with a good high school friend of Gideon’s, Shannon, and her husband, Sean. Did I mention they were the ones who suggested we hike South Sister? To call them a lovely couple sounds cliché, but they really are. Look at the picture below! Have you ever seen a lovelier two? Shannon and Sean were wonderful hosts, showing us around their funky town and letting us sleep on their fantastic futon. We ate our way through Eugene. From homemade pizza at Shannon and Sean’s, to berry-slathered French toast, sandwiches, eggplant parmesan, and downright sinful desserts at various restaurants in town, we beefed up for the winter in under two days. We also drank our way through town. Oregon has more than its fair share of microbreweries, which Shannon and Sean know well. They shared their beer with Gideon. I don’t really do beer, so Shannon took us on a tour of nearby wineries (poor Sean had to work on his dissertation). Oh, Shannon, my new BFF. How can I not love someone who takes me to taste numerous wines? Our favorite winery was Silvan Ridge, where I was crazy about all seven wines I tried.


Before leaving Eugene, Shannon suggested that we stay for Saturday Market, a farmer’s market/craft market that happens weekly in Eugene. I wasn’t one to argue against spending a few hours shopping and eating. Oh man. What an experience. Eugene’s Saturday Market is something that may happen once a year in your average East Coast town. It’s huge, packed with the most beautiful produce, artful crafts, scrumptious food stands, and wonderfully wacky people. (Side note: Eugene’s recent motto is “Strange we can believe in.” I love it!) Gideon and I got some fresh strawberries, apple cider and albacore tuna for the road and said goodbye to our wonderful hosts. Thanks for sharing your fabulous town with us, Shannon and Sean! We loved Eugene!


Off to California!