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.