Frances Takes A Vacation, Epilogue

Well, I have come to the end of my journey and this will be my last FTAV blog post. I have had a wonderful time writing and have enjoyed all your feedback and comments. I would like to leave you all with some post trip reflections and observations from my days traveling the great state of California.

I think that every woman should give themselves permission to vacation alone at some point in their lives. Fear was never a factor for me, and the longer I planned this trip, the more adventurous and courageous I became. I trusted my spirit guides and just knew that whatever came about in the trip would be a life learning event. I also trusted that I would always be put in the direction of some healthy, traveling individuals, who were just as interested in experiencing California as I was. I met many such people.

These are some of the things I loved to smell:

Skunk, the wind carrying the scent of cows grazing on a meadow, hay, campfires, dirt, a good steak grilling, Coppertone, hippie boy/girl scent, lavender, milk, clean hair, coffee, fresh warm muffins, trout, lemons, grapes, apples, corn, wine, and sycamore trees

These are some of the things I loved seeing:

Acres of corn, strawberry patches, a city sign that said, "Strawberry, Population 50", Red Tailed Hawks leading the way my entire journey, rolling hills, horses running, the Kern River rapids, the American River rapids, my loving friends, signs indicating I have arrived at my destination, flies that don't bother me, brine shrimp having sex, Karen and Tim's first grandchild, the Redwoods, frogs, country roads, meteors, the ocean, trees swaying in the wind.

These are some of the things I loved feeling:

Ice cold water coming from a water faucet, Mono Lake, hand lotion, tomatoes, Alowyn (Karen and Tim's grandchild), family hugs, rocks, my horse Sweetie's tail smacking me, a hot mineral bath, the wind, emotion from way deep down, a sense of pride in being a native Californian.

These are some of the things I loved listening to:

Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Django, Casey and Tyler, birds calling, the wind blowing, people talking without yelling, Karen, Tim's jokes, the old songs sung by John and Danny, the ocean, encouraging words from friends and strangers, California history, me talking to myself.

These are some of the tastes I enjoyed:

Tempranillo, Tik's Cupcakes, the best oatmeal served at the Cozmic Cafe in Placerville, Latte's, tomatoes, portabello mushrooms, plums, fresh water from the tap, tofu tortilla soup, fresh bread, blackberry muffins, wild berry danish, healthy living, a fabulous red port.

So to all my faithful followers, and womankind as a whole, thanks for supporting me and following my blog. I look forward to next years vacation, whatever it may be. There is still so much more of California that for me has yet to be discovered. Whatever the journey is, it will involve my childhood best friend and her family. Until then....Just Do It All!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig (R.R. Burt c.1986-2004)

Let's play a round of visualization therapy. Now close your eyes and sit back. Imagine a place tucked away in deep forest. This is a place that is so far away from the sounds of a freeway, or other people's voices, that you are amazed that you can hear your own breathing. Now, imagine yourself picking your jaw up off the ground when you hear a voice say, "Hello, Mrs. Burt, glad you have arrived. Your spa is waiting for you." Picture yourself walking through rows of sycamore trees (au natural, call of the wild and all that), to your very own private hot bubbling mineral spa. While you are soaking, you lay your head back in amazement, as you watch these old sycamores that appear as if they are touching heaven, sway to and fro. Then suddenly, you hear the distant singing of birds communing with one another. You have become part of the earth. As your body falls into total relaxation, you say to yourself, "Now I get it." This is exactly how I spent my evening last night. The mineral bath was then followed by a body treatment with a scrub and lotion filled with extracts from the Chardonnay grape, grown in the San Louis area. After an hour of this bliss, I thought to myself, " Hmmm! I wonder what my blood alcohol level is now?" Back to my hotel room, I went to bed and fell fast asleep. This morning was a monumental breakfast. I ordered my usual oatmeal, and without asking, the waitress gave me the senior discount. Ouch! I couldn't handle this so I went ahead and left the non-senior price difference in her tip. I showed her!

Chele's on Pomeroy Ave. in case you are interested. Good but not great oatmeal. At 11:30, I began my trek back home. I decided to take the scenic route to Belmont Shore. I got so excited to be in my hood. I love Long Beach. I stopped and took this picture of Cherry Beach from the Bluff, for Danny Jaurequi. He will know why I did this.

I arrived in LB at 3:30 to smiles, hugs and sighs of relief from Casey and Tyler, and some kisses from three very happy pugs and one delighted guard dog. Click, Click, Click,..."there's no place like home."

Tomorrow: Final Blog for "Frances Takes A Vacation"

San Juan Bautista

After a quick breakfast with Darlene, I continued onward arriving in San Juan Bautista by noon. First on the agenda was a visit to the famous San Juan Bakery. Sadly, this bakery does not make a lemon danish. As a result, in my opinion, Katella Deli still ranks #1 in the lemon danish world. They do, however, make a wild berry danish that is out of this world! I then did a little window shopping before heading over to the Mission. Mission San Juan Bautista is quite a sight. It lies directly on top of the San Andreas Fault and survived a violent earthquake in 1906. Sadly, this earthquake caused the bell tower to crumble. So the Bell tower that Kim Novak falls out of twice in the movie Vertigo, filmed in 1957 (the year I was born), was actually a Hollywood prop compliments of Alfred Hitchcock. Check out the whimsical San Juan Bautista. His eyes move every time you change your position.

So by late afternoon, I landed in my final destination.....Pismo Beach. After a Cosmo on the Beach, I am headed for the Sycamore Mineral Spa in Avila Beach.

Thursday Destination: Long Beach...Home

Change Is The Spice of Life

Guess who I had dinner with tonight? Our own Darlene Hanson, The Autism Whisperer. Turns out, she had business up in San Jose, and since we can never get together in So Cal, we were able to rearrange things and meet here in San Jose. Nice to have a piece of home while on the road. Nice to finally taste Sangria.

Well, I checked out of the Jumping Frog Motel in Angels Camp this morning, and headed towards their downtown area for breakfast and antiquing. Did you know that this town holds an annual frog jumping contest? It's true. The town is actually inspired by the writings of Mark Twain., one of my favorite American writers. I met some wonderful people in town today, and while having a latte at the Angels Camp Mercantile, I ran into a family from Downey, Ca. I was able to navigate from Angels Camp to San Jose, but it was pretty tricky. Thank goodness I have two GPS units in my car.

Today, I am feeling the after effects of caving. Now some people, (like my Idyllwild friend Dave), would support the idea of returning to the thing that made you sore in the first place. Well, not me! I support a manicure and a pedicure. So I did just that. Now, with opalescent blue toes, I will head onward towards the Mission in San Juan Bautista.

Wednesday Destination: San Juan Bautista, landing in Pismo Beach.

My Leap Of Faith, Moaning Caverns

Today, Monday, was my leap of faith day. I made it to the Moaning Caverns, took a tour, and Zip Lined 1500 ft. This is the tower we step off of. It's a beautiful ride way above the trees and rock. The sun was beating down, so when you land, they have a water mister showering you with droplets. Zip Lining is like flying...you get to your destination really fast but you can't do it for to long. This was my new personal adventure and my next place to Zip Line will be in Costa Rica (that's where the pros go).The really bad video I took will come later. After a morning of cave climbing and zip lining, I started listening to the calls from the row of Wineries I was passing. I decided to answer, and which one did I choose? The Twisted Oak Winery.It was the perfect choice. To get to it, I had to drive this "Twisted" dirt road, so to make it entertaining, they posted these really fun signs. When I finally got to the winery, I heard the sound of Jim Morrisons voice singing. This place was blasting the "Doors" the entire time I was there. I knew I was home. So I stayed for a while, tasted some fabulous reds, bought some fabulous reds, and a t-shirt that asks, "Are You Twisted?"

Next Stop: San Jose/San Juan Bautista and a surprise change in plan

Placerville

Has anyone ever had the experience of driving down the road, and a song comes on, and it brings back a memory from long ago, and you are suddenly immersed in a huge overwhelming sense of emotion? I had a weekend filled with that. I had a weekend filled with memories and lots of love. There was non-stop laughter, and silliness, along with tons of bonding conversation, and of course, great music. Meet Karen. She is still so beautiful and so lovely. She has held onto her honesty and family values that her parents gave her. Meet Tim, her husband. He looks serious, but he is so funny. Now here's a guy who has not changed at all. If anyone can stand back and tolerate a couple of middle aged gigglers, he can't be all that bad. He has been so patient with us through the years. Meet Danny, Karen's oldest brother, his wife Claudia, and Ginger, their Mom, beside the Woody.

The weekend ended, well, in a bar. Danny, and John P. played at Poor Red's, a local landmark.

There were so many memories in a short period of time. As Danny said, "We're Lakewood!" He is right...."always remember your roots."

Placerville and Camino....I will return.

Next Stop: Angels Camp.

Old Friends (Simon and Garfunkel)

"Time it was and what a time it was it was, it was..., a time of innocence, a time of confidences. Long ago it must be, I have a photograph, preserve your memories, their all that's left you."

Well, I have arrived in Placerville. As Karen said, "this is a forty year flashback!" We are laughing just like we use to, we are sharing beauty tips just like we use to, and we are talking aging, a new subject.

So faithful blog followers, I will be enjoying my friend, and her family all weekend, and will not be blogging until Monday.

Pictures to follow.

Stay tuned.

Monday Destination: Angels Camp and Zip Lining at Moaning Caverns