When you travel with any kind of open mind you experience the fun and excitement of trying new things. I find myself sizing up the Mexican food section of the supermarket and wondering what to bring home this time. I had to look up 'tamales' on the internet to learn that the corn husks they are rolled in are not meant to be eaten. It's remarkably convenient to buy refried beans already refried, and save the great burden of , uh, refrying them. Some of the sauces are great. But -- what the heck is the story on those big, sweet, white buns?
The other side of being in a new environment is discovering which familiar things you simply can't do without. Coffee has turned out to be a problem. I'm no addict but perhaps what I'm recognizing is that coffee is one of those things I rely on having in predictable ways. In the morning, the coffee has to be hot and strong. Outside the house, it ought to be under $2.00 a cup and, well, hot and tasting like coffee. In the evening at home I sure do enjoy the decaf lattes Jim churns out of the cappo machine. The home-produced lattes were a bit much to expect when away from home, so I kissed that idea good-bye as one of the acknowledged hardships of the travelling life.
Now, I submit that getting a reasonable cup of coffee is not a lot to ask. Maybe I was wrong. First, we found ourselves in the coffee aisle at the supermarket having to get past the huge display of flavoured coffees in order to find the regular stuff. Back at the house the bad news is that the coffeemaker doesn't get hot enough, so whenever you pour a cup it has to go straight into the microwave. Just plain annoying. If we buy an RV, the first thing I'm going to do is get a French press coffee pot that we can use now, and leave in the RV. (Actually, there's a whole list of such items. The kitchen is not equipped with everything we'd like.)
When we're on the go, we truly do miss Tim Horton's. The thing is, there's always one nearby and you know what you're getting. Here there is no equivalent. We haven't seen a Dunkin' Donuts, or any chain that would have coffee as its feature product. Gas station coffee is always a last resort. Some of the fast-food chains whose coffee we have tried include: In-N-Out (not bad and only 80 cents a cup); Carl's Jr.: (better quality, cost more but we got the >55 discount); TCBY (huge, expensive and good). Small size has so far always been at least 12 ounces, same as a Tim's medium, and generally in a tall, slim cup that won't sit safely in the pickup's coffee holder. Don't even think of asking for milk -- if you can't take it with cream you don't get it.
The final part of the great coffee search is the workplace offerings. At both of our volunteer sites the quantity and quality of the coffee is fine (free at the thrift shop, drop in your coins at the library). BUT -- the only creamer is the plastic powder. The compensation is that each place often has high-class sweets to take away the bad taste.
In truth, the hunt for decent bread has been just as big a challenge. The term 'whole wheat' is not generally used; they call it 'wheat bread', as opposed to that other bread which is made of . . . what???? It costs $3.50 a loaf, is sliced wafer-thin and is dry and tasteless.
Anyone's heart would bleed for the hardships we endure.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
More El Dorado delights -- Jan 19
We joined an organized hike from the Marshall Gold Historic Site in Caloma. I thought the group of about 30 looked about the same as you would find on an East Coast Trail hike. Jim figured they were older, and some of them were pushing their limit. You sure have to be careful walking behind one of those old guys with the pointy topped ski poles. It might improve their balance but makes it scary for anyone nearby. There were a few women in odd attire, overly flamboyant for the outdoors or just plain odd, in the case of the big loose tops and the disintegrating jacket.
Walking in front of some of these women gave us insight into prevailing customs for baby showers: scheduled for after the delivery so as not to tempt fate; given by the grandmother even for a third child; complete with mandatory diaper cake, whatever that may be. We also learned more than we ever needed to know about the sex lives of potters. Apparently this is a vocation best practiced in couples, who share a home and a kiln. If the relationship fails, the person who is turfed out of the house must immediately take up with another potter.
Apart from the people-watching and evesdropping, the hike took us a couple of miles up a lovely big hill, on a trail under great Ponderosa pines. (Speaking of which, the TV show Bonanza was filmed not far from here, in the area of the Ponderosa River.)
We attended the Placerville Art Walk. Every month on the 3rd Saturday, the art galleries along the old main street open late into the evening. They offer wine and hors d'ouvres and a chance to meet the artists. There was quite an array of work -- paintings, photography, jewellry, wooden objects, with a wide range of skill and subject matter. I didn't see the same sense of local influence (i.e. the land and sea) that we often get at home.
Placerville is a small, kind of funky, town. Most galleries offered snacks which were either made by the owners or friends of the artists or came out of a supermarket bag. You couldn't accuse them of being pretentious. One tiny gallery was a single rented room. The artist's buddy from across the hall, a massage therapist, gave free neck massages.
The Bennett Gallery had mainly sculpture. I noticed that several of the featured artists had versions of the Bennett surname and asked the woman hosting the evening to tell us the story. Her late husband and his brother, Tom and Bob Bennett, started it all and several of their children and other relatives have shown similar talent. Most of the work was very pricey, but I was intrigued by their wedding cake toppers. They are handcrafted sculptures that sit on top of the wedding cake, and are later mounted as permanent keepsakes. http://www.bennettgallery.net/
Walking in front of some of these women gave us insight into prevailing customs for baby showers: scheduled for after the delivery so as not to tempt fate; given by the grandmother even for a third child; complete with mandatory diaper cake, whatever that may be. We also learned more than we ever needed to know about the sex lives of potters. Apparently this is a vocation best practiced in couples, who share a home and a kiln. If the relationship fails, the person who is turfed out of the house must immediately take up with another potter.
Apart from the people-watching and evesdropping, the hike took us a couple of miles up a lovely big hill, on a trail under great Ponderosa pines. (Speaking of which, the TV show Bonanza was filmed not far from here, in the area of the Ponderosa River.)
We attended the Placerville Art Walk. Every month on the 3rd Saturday, the art galleries along the old main street open late into the evening. They offer wine and hors d'ouvres and a chance to meet the artists. There was quite an array of work -- paintings, photography, jewellry, wooden objects, with a wide range of skill and subject matter. I didn't see the same sense of local influence (i.e. the land and sea) that we often get at home.
Placerville is a small, kind of funky, town. Most galleries offered snacks which were either made by the owners or friends of the artists or came out of a supermarket bag. You couldn't accuse them of being pretentious. One tiny gallery was a single rented room. The artist's buddy from across the hall, a massage therapist, gave free neck massages.
The Bennett Gallery had mainly sculpture. I noticed that several of the featured artists had versions of the Bennett surname and asked the woman hosting the evening to tell us the story. Her late husband and his brother, Tom and Bob Bennett, started it all and several of their children and other relatives have shown similar talent. Most of the work was very pricey, but I was intrigued by their wedding cake toppers. They are handcrafted sculptures that sit on top of the wedding cake, and are later mounted as permanent keepsakes. http://www.bennettgallery.net/
Taking it all in
Three months is a fair chunk of time, but it will be gone soon enough and we need to make the most of it. We took a Sunday trip to Sacramento, which was a good idea. Traffic was light on the highway and the sights we wanted to see were not crowded. We stopped by the state capitol, which has the striking white dome common to many such structures. We hadn't expected to be able to go inside, but followed others in through a security check and then we had the freedom of the building.
The high ceilings and marble floors reminded me a little of the parliament buildings in Ottawa. The capitol was constructed in the late 1860s. It looks as if there must have been gold rush money to spend. The assembly chamber is spacious and grand, marred only by a hideous green carpet in the gallery. Each member's desk was equipped with a laptop -- I wonder if our provincial or federal members have that? The senate chamber was closed that day so we couldn't look. Original offices for the governor, state treasurer and others were open for viewing as museum pieces. We cringed at the portrait of former governor Ronald Reagan. Got as far as the door of Arnold Schwarzenegger's office. Several displays referred to initiatives of First Lady Maria Shriver, who was credited with starting two museums, the California Hall of Fame and the museum for History, Women and the Arts. We had lunch in the historic downtown amid goldrush-era buildings and tourist-trap shops. At least the city has a riverfront, so that makes it alright in our book. No water, no heart.
The high ceilings and marble floors reminded me a little of the parliament buildings in Ottawa. The capitol was constructed in the late 1860s. It looks as if there must have been gold rush money to spend. The assembly chamber is spacious and grand, marred only by a hideous green carpet in the gallery. Each member's desk was equipped with a laptop -- I wonder if our provincial or federal members have that? The senate chamber was closed that day so we couldn't look. Original offices for the governor, state treasurer and others were open for viewing as museum pieces. We cringed at the portrait of former governor Ronald Reagan. Got as far as the door of Arnold Schwarzenegger's office. Several displays referred to initiatives of First Lady Maria Shriver, who was credited with starting two museums, the California Hall of Fame and the museum for History, Women and the Arts. We had lunch in the historic downtown amid goldrush-era buildings and tourist-trap shops. At least the city has a riverfront, so that makes it alright in our book. No water, no heart.
[Aside: Just read a rant in a freebie newspaper that referred to Governor 'Arnold Kennedy' and the RINO contingent, i.e. Republicans in Name Only. Gotta love the politics.]
Also this week we drove up the mountains to Lake Tahoe. The highest elevation is about 7500 feet, a height which guarantees some extraordinary views. In an hour's drive we went from 60F/15C weather to freezing temps and mounds of snow remaining from the storm of two weeks previous. The lake must offer great recreational opportunties in summer, but during our visit a frigid wind blew on shore. We tried to appreciate the attractive blue-green shades of the waters. There was some large-vessel traffic at a distance. A few sailboats were moored close to shore and a couple of paddle-wheelers appeared to be in service as floating restaurants or tour boats. The California side of the town of South Lake Tahoe caters to those coming for the snow sports, while the second you cross into Nevada you are confronted by gigantic hotel/casino complexes.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Living in the Sierra Foothills.
Week 2 of our petsit was happily free from the drama of the first week. We've worked out where we are, equipped our nest to suit us, and worked on a few ideas for how to spend our time for the next 12-13 weeks.
Location: We're in ranch country, half an hour east of Sacramento. Grocery shopping is easiest in Cameron Park. Clothes and housewares we can get in Placerville, major shopping is available in Flosom, thoughwe have not checked this out as yet. None of these places requires more than a 20-minute drive. For exercise, we can go down the driveway and walk for 30-40 minutes without leaving our non-county-maintained back road. A scenic walk/hike probably requires going north to the American River again, but we have also parked the pick-up on a side road and walked around various upscale neighbourhoods. In many cases each house is surrounded by 5-10 acres of land. Houses range from ordinary-looking bungalows to sprawling ranch styles and every sort of pretentious design you could imagine, from colonial to tudor to mediterranean to alpine lodge. As we search for places to walk, we are constantly reminded how fortunate we are at home to have access to so much crown land.
Nest building: It's funny to discover what you can't live without. I looked around half a dozen stores before finding the right kind of plastic dish scrubber. One big need was for a barbecue. Three months in a place with decent weather was too long to go without access to a grill. We were trying to decide whether to go propane or charcoal. Which would be safer and create less mess? Charcoal is a nuisance to work with, but propane canisters are environmentally wasteful. At the end of our stay, would we donate the BBQ to a thrift store or just leave it? We dropped into a thrift store one day to look for something else (port glasses), and I found an outdoor electric barbeque complete with lava rocks for $5.50. We were allowed to test it to prove that it worked. Then the woman at the cash noticed it had a yellow sticker so was half price. Oh yes, we were given 10 days to return it if it didn't work out okay.
Things to do: We are enjoying the geocaching and have taken our doggie friend Jessie along a couple of times. She enjoys the concept -- a short drive along a country road, followed by sniffing under rocks and fallen trees to find hidden treasure. One night a week we take dance lessons -- East Coast Swing -- in Folsom. On Tuesday mornings we will be volunteering at the Placerville library, doing unskilled chores. We attended an RV seminar one day and then an RV show in Vallejo (saw waters of the Pacific Ocean, but not a real ocean view). We've given some thought to the idea of buying an RV here and it might be a reasonable way to go. If we bought one in the next month, we could bring it to the house and spend some time equipping it with basic supplies. Finding a storage facility should be fairly straightforward. The cost of flying here would not be a lot more than flying to somewhere other prime spots for buying RVs, i.e Florida or Arizona. We could depart this area in the fall to drive south, spending time in Nevada, Arizona , New Mexico, Texas. Later on we could decide whether to continue to Mexico. Jim belives he has figured out how to register and insure an RV in the U.S.
Location: We're in ranch country, half an hour east of Sacramento. Grocery shopping is easiest in Cameron Park. Clothes and housewares we can get in Placerville, major shopping is available in Flosom, thoughwe have not checked this out as yet. None of these places requires more than a 20-minute drive. For exercise, we can go down the driveway and walk for 30-40 minutes without leaving our non-county-maintained back road. A scenic walk/hike probably requires going north to the American River again, but we have also parked the pick-up on a side road and walked around various upscale neighbourhoods. In many cases each house is surrounded by 5-10 acres of land. Houses range from ordinary-looking bungalows to sprawling ranch styles and every sort of pretentious design you could imagine, from colonial to tudor to mediterranean to alpine lodge. As we search for places to walk, we are constantly reminded how fortunate we are at home to have access to so much crown land.
Nest building: It's funny to discover what you can't live without. I looked around half a dozen stores before finding the right kind of plastic dish scrubber. One big need was for a barbecue. Three months in a place with decent weather was too long to go without access to a grill. We were trying to decide whether to go propane or charcoal. Which would be safer and create less mess? Charcoal is a nuisance to work with, but propane canisters are environmentally wasteful. At the end of our stay, would we donate the BBQ to a thrift store or just leave it? We dropped into a thrift store one day to look for something else (port glasses), and I found an outdoor electric barbeque complete with lava rocks for $5.50. We were allowed to test it to prove that it worked. Then the woman at the cash noticed it had a yellow sticker so was half price. Oh yes, we were given 10 days to return it if it didn't work out okay.
Things to do: We are enjoying the geocaching and have taken our doggie friend Jessie along a couple of times. She enjoys the concept -- a short drive along a country road, followed by sniffing under rocks and fallen trees to find hidden treasure. One night a week we take dance lessons -- East Coast Swing -- in Folsom. On Tuesday mornings we will be volunteering at the Placerville library, doing unskilled chores. We attended an RV seminar one day and then an RV show in Vallejo (saw waters of the Pacific Ocean, but not a real ocean view). We've given some thought to the idea of buying an RV here and it might be a reasonable way to go. If we bought one in the next month, we could bring it to the house and spend some time equipping it with basic supplies. Finding a storage facility should be fairly straightforward. The cost of flying here would not be a lot more than flying to somewhere other prime spots for buying RVs, i.e Florida or Arizona. We could depart this area in the fall to drive south, spending time in Nevada, Arizona , New Mexico, Texas. Later on we could decide whether to continue to Mexico. Jim belives he has figured out how to register and insure an RV in the U.S.
Monday, January 7, 2008
A shocking development: Jan 5-6
So, here we were in the middle of a power outage. It was after 9:00 p.m. and we were thinking of going to bed, as the house was cooling down. The dogs are taken for a short walk before bedtime to do their business. The laneway runs downhill from the house for a few hundred meters. Jim took them off but came back asking for the flashlight as he could not find the Doberman, Herman.* He came back again a few minutes later and this time he seemed to be quite alarmed (a rarity for Jim). He told me that the dog had fallen into the shallow ditch on the side of the lane. Jim pulled him out of the ditch, but now he was lying in the laneway and could not get up.
As Jim got the pick-up going, I took the other dog on the lead and ran ahead, to try to avoid frightening Herman, and to confirm that he was still where Jim had left him. The poor guy was unable to stand or even move. Fortunately, there was a wooden ramp in the pick-up and we carefully lifted Herman onto it and into the truck. Back at the house, we carried him into the usual room where the dogs sleep. We could see no evidence of a break or sprain to either leg, but he certainly was in trouble. We covered him so he wouldn't get chilled and decided to sleep nearby that night. The power came back on at about 2:00 a.m.. We looked in on Herman during the night. He was generally quiet but a couple of times he appeared to be trying to reposition himself to get comfortable.
At 7:30 in the morning we started calling the number the homeowners had given us for the vet. They eventually answered an hour or so later, but could not see us as they still had no power. They referred us to a nearby pet emergency centre. The vet on duty examined Herman carefully and did not find an obvious injury. She noticed that his neck was very painful. With some effort, I worked out how to charge an international call and got C on the phone. The vet spoke with her and then with the dog's usual vet. What came out is that the dog had experienced a recurrence of an aggressive cancer for which he had been treated some time ago. He'd had a tumour removed but the surgery did not get all the cancer. The vet believed the cancer had been growing back for some time and impairing his motor function. It's hard to say whether his impaired movement caused him to slip, or if the fall injured his already damaged neck and spine.
Anyway, after eliminating other possible explanations for Herman's inability to stand, the sad conclusion was that he could not be restored to a reasonable state of function, nor could the pain be controlled. C and H had to make the awful decision to end his life. There were many difficult phone calls on Saturday. We felt so sorry for the owners' loss, sadness that a fine animal was gone, some horror that such an event happened in our first week as caretakers -- oh, it was a bad time. The vet was very supportive. She was compassionate but very clear in her view that this was the only possible course of action.
*I'm very new to blogging but I think it's probably best to blur identity details at least somewhat, including altering names.
As Jim got the pick-up going, I took the other dog on the lead and ran ahead, to try to avoid frightening Herman, and to confirm that he was still where Jim had left him. The poor guy was unable to stand or even move. Fortunately, there was a wooden ramp in the pick-up and we carefully lifted Herman onto it and into the truck. Back at the house, we carried him into the usual room where the dogs sleep. We could see no evidence of a break or sprain to either leg, but he certainly was in trouble. We covered him so he wouldn't get chilled and decided to sleep nearby that night. The power came back on at about 2:00 a.m.. We looked in on Herman during the night. He was generally quiet but a couple of times he appeared to be trying to reposition himself to get comfortable.
At 7:30 in the morning we started calling the number the homeowners had given us for the vet. They eventually answered an hour or so later, but could not see us as they still had no power. They referred us to a nearby pet emergency centre. The vet on duty examined Herman carefully and did not find an obvious injury. She noticed that his neck was very painful. With some effort, I worked out how to charge an international call and got C on the phone. The vet spoke with her and then with the dog's usual vet. What came out is that the dog had experienced a recurrence of an aggressive cancer for which he had been treated some time ago. He'd had a tumour removed but the surgery did not get all the cancer. The vet believed the cancer had been growing back for some time and impairing his motor function. It's hard to say whether his impaired movement caused him to slip, or if the fall injured his already damaged neck and spine.
Anyway, after eliminating other possible explanations for Herman's inability to stand, the sad conclusion was that he could not be restored to a reasonable state of function, nor could the pain be controlled. C and H had to make the awful decision to end his life. There were many difficult phone calls on Saturday. We felt so sorry for the owners' loss, sadness that a fine animal was gone, some horror that such an event happened in our first week as caretakers -- oh, it was a bad time. The vet was very supportive. She was compassionate but very clear in her view that this was the only possible course of action.
*I'm very new to blogging but I think it's probably best to blur identity details at least somewhat, including altering names.
Weather's coming!!
By mid-week the TV stations were bombarding us with warnings about a series of BIG winter storms coming in from the Pacific. We understood that the Sacramento Valley to the west would have heavy rain, and east of us, up Highway 50 and into the higher elevations of the Sierra, Lake Tahoe South area, there would be many feet of snow. Our altitude is about 1400 ft, so we were not at risk for snow. Power outages were a risk, with the biggest problem being the loss of water since we are on a well. The house has a few large containers of water and wwe filled another jug just in case.
On Thursday, the day before the storm, we topped up the wine supply and got a few more groceries. We also visited our first winery, Boeger, to buy tickets for the Out of the Cellar event taking place the last weekend of the month. They were very hospitable and they even knew where Newfoundland is located ('the place where people took care of airline passengers during 9/11'). The wines were not remarkably higher in quality than the $3 stuff we've been drinking. There are 17 more El Dorado wineries to go.
We turned on the Sacramento TV station early Friday morning to enjoy the hysterical reporting of the storm ravages. What we were getting was heavy rain and strong (30-40 mph) winds. At home we'd complain about the miserable day and just get on with in. The systems here seem to be more fragile. We've been trying to work out why this is. Clogged freeways we can understand -- greater population density means more vehicles to pile up in delays. Flooding may relate to loss of natural areas that help to absorb rainfall. Downed power lines in some cases could be affected by poor design or installation, or lack of maintenence. Who knows?
By 1:00 we lost power. We stayed cool, conserved water, lit the many candles available here (maybe this was not the first time they were needed for the purpose) and watched the storm through the big window over the kicthen table. I was forced to spend the evening playing Eights with Jim. It's the only card game we have in common, and I hate playing as Jim always beats the socks off me. The dogs stayed close and kept coming over to nudge against our knees.
On Thursday, the day before the storm, we topped up the wine supply and got a few more groceries. We also visited our first winery, Boeger, to buy tickets for the Out of the Cellar event taking place the last weekend of the month. They were very hospitable and they even knew where Newfoundland is located ('the place where people took care of airline passengers during 9/11'). The wines were not remarkably higher in quality than the $3 stuff we've been drinking. There are 17 more El Dorado wineries to go.
We turned on the Sacramento TV station early Friday morning to enjoy the hysterical reporting of the storm ravages. What we were getting was heavy rain and strong (30-40 mph) winds. At home we'd complain about the miserable day and just get on with in. The systems here seem to be more fragile. We've been trying to work out why this is. Clogged freeways we can understand -- greater population density means more vehicles to pile up in delays. Flooding may relate to loss of natural areas that help to absorb rainfall. Downed power lines in some cases could be affected by poor design or installation, or lack of maintenence. Who knows?
By 1:00 we lost power. We stayed cool, conserved water, lit the many candles available here (maybe this was not the first time they were needed for the purpose) and watched the storm through the big window over the kicthen table. I was forced to spend the evening playing Eights with Jim. It's the only card game we have in common, and I hate playing as Jim always beats the socks off me. The dogs stayed close and kept coming over to nudge against our knees.
Settling in, Dec 31 - Jan 3, 2008
In deciding how to begin we thought of our stomachs first and went grocery shopping. We had to make sure there would be a suitably large meal for New Year's Day. Only when I picked up the very large chicken did I think of the savoury. Imagine the horror (for a Newfoundlander) of stuffing a chicken with no savoury to season the dressing. As expected, many of the fruits and vegetables were priced lower than we see at home, and did not have the tired look of produce that has been transported 4000 miles. Convenience foods are cheap, but some other essentials (eggs, fish) have similar or even higher prices than we are used to. It may take a while to find a hearty whole-grain bread that is under $5.
We drove about 20 minutes north of here on New Year's Day and found a hiking trail along the American River. The water is low at the moment and it's a bit cold for boating but the banks offer other opportunities for outdoor activities. Most people, either couples or singles, had two dogs with them and we felt slight regret that 'our' dogs, especially Merlin, are not up to hiking. We drove through Caloma, and old town at the heart of Gold Rush country, and found a recreated village in the style of 1849. We joined tons of other people walking around the park property -- it was closed for the holiday -- and peering in through the windows.
This week we made our debut as geocachers. This is the new diversion where people hide small containers, i.e. caches, containing a visitors' log and a few trinkets of little value. The lat/long coordinates are posted on the internet (http://www.geocaching.com/) so that anyone armed with a GPS can locate them. Yes, it's a bit like Geeks Go Outside, but in our case it will help us learn the back roads, and it gives you a reason to go outside with the option to walk a little or a lot. You usually park your vehicle when you get close to the spot, turn on the GPS and wander around looking for the plastic bin that may be concealed under a rock or in a tree. You sign in, take and/or leave something if you wish (e.g. pins, badges, small toys), then log your visit on the website.
We drove about 20 minutes north of here on New Year's Day and found a hiking trail along the American River. The water is low at the moment and it's a bit cold for boating but the banks offer other opportunities for outdoor activities. Most people, either couples or singles, had two dogs with them and we felt slight regret that 'our' dogs, especially Merlin, are not up to hiking. We drove through Caloma, and old town at the heart of Gold Rush country, and found a recreated village in the style of 1849. We joined tons of other people walking around the park property -- it was closed for the holiday -- and peering in through the windows.
This week we made our debut as geocachers. This is the new diversion where people hide small containers, i.e. caches, containing a visitors' log and a few trinkets of little value. The lat/long coordinates are posted on the internet (http://www.geocaching.com/) so that anyone armed with a GPS can locate them. Yes, it's a bit like Geeks Go Outside, but in our case it will help us learn the back roads, and it gives you a reason to go outside with the option to walk a little or a lot. You usually park your vehicle when you get close to the spot, turn on the GPS and wander around looking for the plastic bin that may be concealed under a rock or in a tree. You sign in, take and/or leave something if you wish (e.g. pins, badges, small toys), then log your visit on the website.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Ground rules
The housesit arrangements originated through MindMyHouse.com and were organized by C and myself with the husbands in the background. She had prepared a couple of pages of printed information and instructions. As might be expected, much of this had to do with the pets' needs. There was a fair list to cover -- how much food, of which type, how often, who goes outside and who doesn't (cats both indoors), when and where to walk the dogs, sleeping arrangements, vet's phone #. Twice there was an apologetic, "I hate to mention this, but . . ." to be followed by the requirement to give the arthritic doggie a daily dose of cod liver oil (no, not from Newfoundland) and his companion a twice-daily squirt of ear drops. Not exactly a burden .
We stopped by the post office to see where to pick up the mail. They showed us where to buy groceries and the best pet food store. We visited a friend in a posh but soulless housing development. The requirements of the assignment are not demanding. No complicated rules we'll find hard to follow. Some of the housesitting adverts I read in recent months were outrageous. "Sitters will be expected to walk Precious for 60 minutes each day, 30 minutes before breakfast, followed by two 15-minute walks at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.. She needs to be brushed for a minimum of 10 minutes each evening and requires a foot massage twice a week."
The expectations for the house are also quite relaxed. In general we are to treat the place as our own, and try to adhere to the recycling rules. The sole disappointment is the vehicle. We knew we would have use of the pick-up, but did not realize it has a standard transmission. I don't drive standards. (They have other vehicles but I believe they are also manuals.) For three months Jim will have to drive me around -- such a drag for both of us, though he has not complained.
Here is our Canadian moment for the day: In the post office we met an old geezer whom C knows well. When she asked him how he was, he held up his hand and showed the finger where he was bitten by a rattlesnake in September. He gave us the entire scary story about having to drive himself to the hospital, fighting to stay conscious, emergency treatment with the antidote, three days in ICU, and -- the truly frightening part -- the $72,000 hospital bill. "And", he added, "it already cost $90,000 for my back surgery in the spring." It sure made me want to go read the fine print on our travel insurance.
We stopped by the post office to see where to pick up the mail. They showed us where to buy groceries and the best pet food store. We visited a friend in a posh but soulless housing development. The requirements of the assignment are not demanding. No complicated rules we'll find hard to follow. Some of the housesitting adverts I read in recent months were outrageous. "Sitters will be expected to walk Precious for 60 minutes each day, 30 minutes before breakfast, followed by two 15-minute walks at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.. She needs to be brushed for a minimum of 10 minutes each evening and requires a foot massage twice a week."
The expectations for the house are also quite relaxed. In general we are to treat the place as our own, and try to adhere to the recycling rules. The sole disappointment is the vehicle. We knew we would have use of the pick-up, but did not realize it has a standard transmission. I don't drive standards. (They have other vehicles but I believe they are also manuals.) For three months Jim will have to drive me around -- such a drag for both of us, though he has not complained.
Here is our Canadian moment for the day: In the post office we met an old geezer whom C knows well. When she asked him how he was, he held up his hand and showed the finger where he was bitten by a rattlesnake in September. He gave us the entire scary story about having to drive himself to the hospital, fighting to stay conscious, emergency treatment with the antidote, three days in ICU, and -- the truly frightening part -- the $72,000 hospital bill. "And", he added, "it already cost $90,000 for my back surgery in the spring." It sure made me want to go read the fine print on our travel insurance.
Orientation Day
Dec 30 was to be our only day with the homeowners before they left to go south. The husband has a sabbatical at a Central American university, in a country where they have recently purchased a house. In retirement this will be their second home.
We started the day early as our fatigue and jetlag were overcome by body clocks that had us awake soon after dawn. The much-anticipated view of the Sierra Foothills had to wait, as we were socked in with fog. Coming from Newfoundland, we associate fog with the convergence of cold and warm ocean currents. Now we must adjust our thinking to incorporate the effects of mountains/valleys/altitude.
The animals are not intimidating. I did wonder about the Doberman, but he's an old dear, sweet natured and wanting attention. His long legs move stiffly; arthritis has set in. The black Lab was bound to be a sweetie. She's a bit heavy but otherwise in good shape. One cat is tiny and timid. We only saw a furry flash the first day. The big tom is a real smoocher. He looks like our own Stig, only 2-3 times the weight. He's tuxedo style except for grey not black, with white bib and feet. He rules the upstairs where our bedroom is located and did not hesitate to sleep with us right from the start.
We should be very comfortable in this house. The location is wonderful -- on several acres of land off a country road. The house has plenty of room, decorated in a fairly casual style, nothing fussy or pretentious. (The very worst would have been a place where we had to worry about damaging the ornaments or slipping too far below the housekeeping standards.) As we looked around there was a recognition of attitudes and ways of living that we have in common. C and H also have a thrifty attitude toward material things. I noticed features reminescent of our own home -- lots of old wooden furniture, some bright flashes of colour, plenty of artwork on the walls, same brands of products from soap to wine. NPR on the radio non-stop instead of CBC.
We started the day early as our fatigue and jetlag were overcome by body clocks that had us awake soon after dawn. The much-anticipated view of the Sierra Foothills had to wait, as we were socked in with fog. Coming from Newfoundland, we associate fog with the convergence of cold and warm ocean currents. Now we must adjust our thinking to incorporate the effects of mountains/valleys/altitude.
The animals are not intimidating. I did wonder about the Doberman, but he's an old dear, sweet natured and wanting attention. His long legs move stiffly; arthritis has set in. The black Lab was bound to be a sweetie. She's a bit heavy but otherwise in good shape. One cat is tiny and timid. We only saw a furry flash the first day. The big tom is a real smoocher. He looks like our own Stig, only 2-3 times the weight. He's tuxedo style except for grey not black, with white bib and feet. He rules the upstairs where our bedroom is located and did not hesitate to sleep with us right from the start.
We should be very comfortable in this house. The location is wonderful -- on several acres of land off a country road. The house has plenty of room, decorated in a fairly casual style, nothing fussy or pretentious. (The very worst would have been a place where we had to worry about damaging the ornaments or slipping too far below the housekeeping standards.) As we looked around there was a recognition of attitudes and ways of living that we have in common. C and H also have a thrifty attitude toward material things. I noticed features reminescent of our own home -- lots of old wooden furniture, some bright flashes of colour, plenty of artwork on the walls, same brands of products from soap to wine. NPR on the radio non-stop instead of CBC.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
The joys of modern air travel
We were scheduled to fly from St. John's, at the eastern edge of the continent, to Sacramento, pretty darn close to the western limits. The flight was to leave at 8:50 a.m., connect in Newark and Los Angeles, and arrive in Sacramento by 7:00 p.m.. None of that happened. It seemed like amazing good luck that the plane was ready for us in St. John's, as the previous day's storm had prevented it from flying out the day before. We boarded on time and found that is was a tiny little thing, about 60 passengers, in rows of one person on the left and two on the right side. Only the aisle itself had standing head room, and that only if you weren't much over six feet.
First we were delayed because they could not fit all the baggage into the hold. Then, as they tried to push us back from the boarding gate, it became evident that the plane's brakes were frozen from sitting on the runway in snow and rain for two days. Next, we had to be de-iced once more due to the delay. Finally, we had be be refueled to replace what was consumed in the time spent straightening out the other problems.
My seatmate was a young physician from southwestern Ontario who was lured to Newfoundland after her residency. It sounds as if the situation -- the weather as much as anything -- is not to her liking and the province will lose yet another skilled medical person before long. Our conversation was a reminder that an extended education does not equal maturity in other ways, and that doctors in particular can be isolated from the realities of life for the rest of the world. That's not meant as an indictment, just an observation.
In Newark we had to be rerouted. They were pleasant enough about looking after us, unlike Air Canada has been with thousands of storm-bound travellers over the Christmas season. We flew via Houston-Bush (tried to ignore the airport name) and then into Sacramento. In spite of our 11:30 arrival, C and H, the homeowners, were there to meet us. We recognized each other instantly and seemed to skip the awkward phase of new acquaintances. By the time we got 'home' to their town 45 minutes east of the airport and settled for the night we had been on the go a full 24 hours.
First we were delayed because they could not fit all the baggage into the hold. Then, as they tried to push us back from the boarding gate, it became evident that the plane's brakes were frozen from sitting on the runway in snow and rain for two days. Next, we had to be de-iced once more due to the delay. Finally, we had be be refueled to replace what was consumed in the time spent straightening out the other problems.
My seatmate was a young physician from southwestern Ontario who was lured to Newfoundland after her residency. It sounds as if the situation -- the weather as much as anything -- is not to her liking and the province will lose yet another skilled medical person before long. Our conversation was a reminder that an extended education does not equal maturity in other ways, and that doctors in particular can be isolated from the realities of life for the rest of the world. That's not meant as an indictment, just an observation.
In Newark we had to be rerouted. They were pleasant enough about looking after us, unlike Air Canada has been with thousands of storm-bound travellers over the Christmas season. We flew via Houston-Bush (tried to ignore the airport name) and then into Sacramento. In spite of our 11:30 arrival, C and H, the homeowners, were there to meet us. We recognized each other instantly and seemed to skip the awkward phase of new acquaintances. By the time we got 'home' to their town 45 minutes east of the airport and settled for the night we had been on the go a full 24 hours.
Getting ready to go
At last, a second post. Maybe this blog will fly.
The week before leaving Newfoundland for our assignment was no fun at all. Christmas was a poor second to preparations for the winter months. We managed the presents and got to several parties, but no tree, few decorations around the house and only one half-hearted attempt at entertaining. I found myself waking during the night and making mental lists of what was left to be done (discontinuing services like paper, cable, propane delivery), wondering whether it's a mad idea to fly across the continent to live in a stranger's house for three months, feeling guilty about abandoning my mother and my own cat on this crazy whim.
The truth is I always get cold feet just before doing something outside the routine. It's not at all unusual to plan something that I think will be a great idea, then find myself fervently hoping at the last minute that I won't have to go through with it. It would be a colossal overstatement to say that Jim does not operate this way and has no comprehension of the energy I waste revisiting decisions already made.
The week before leaving Newfoundland for our assignment was no fun at all. Christmas was a poor second to preparations for the winter months. We managed the presents and got to several parties, but no tree, few decorations around the house and only one half-hearted attempt at entertaining. I found myself waking during the night and making mental lists of what was left to be done (discontinuing services like paper, cable, propane delivery), wondering whether it's a mad idea to fly across the continent to live in a stranger's house for three months, feeling guilty about abandoning my mother and my own cat on this crazy whim.
The truth is I always get cold feet just before doing something outside the routine. It's not at all unusual to plan something that I think will be a great idea, then find myself fervently hoping at the last minute that I won't have to go through with it. It would be a colossal overstatement to say that Jim does not operate this way and has no comprehension of the energy I waste revisiting decisions already made.
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