Eureka!

I think I was in Eureka once, a gas stop on the way to Portland. Now I can say I've been to Eureka. Enough to know its natural food store (if I'd taken photos of this place, most of the people I know on Culebra would be crying, so that got skipped) and its garden center (again, tears would result; I kept my eyes firmly glued on the exit or I might still be there) and its bowling alley. Not the bowling alley where you drive out into the bush and make a few turns and there it is in all its 60's glory, even to the point, that old fashioned point, of being closed for the 4th of July weekend, but the 'new' one, with machines to keep score for the hapless and/or lazy - or, like me, oh wait, I said hapless, never mind.

Caveat: I'd never bowled in my life. With my dominant arm not in the best shape for sports, I figured that statistic could stand the rest of my life with no regrets. But Allie was determined I should bowl and with The Girl's sweet "I'll help you, Grandma MJ." what else could I do but put on some incredibly stylish gear and give it a thunk?

Elijah bought us new socks. I'm stunned the local style editor didn't show up.

For a ready to born a baby woman, she looks pretty damn fine!

The girl got to use a lane with bumpers on the gutters, every ball went somewhere. I was not allowed to do the same. And we tried. Really.

I could have used her help.

My kid can bowl! Three strikes in a row? Yeaaaah!

Proof I really did bowl. That's me, with the score of 80.
Allie tried to tell me the lowest score was the winner.
Good try!

This was parked outside the bowling alley. Of course it was.

But before that, we'd gone to the local farmer's market to sell freshly made organic orange juice. The Girl's first business! Yes, Grandma was proud.

Making her sign
(and it worked! With the help of her Mama, she sold out of product!)

I thought that was a 'cute' thing kids and cartoonists did on purpose.
Nope, they really do it just like this.
Yes, I had kids. No, I don't remember that part.

Lucky for you there aren't 27 photos of mare's tail clouds that filled the entire sky.
It was glorious and my camera lens wasn't really big enough to gather it in.

Always music. And great to see some old friends

Lauren made Bahn Mi, the classic Vietnamese street sandwich. Equipped with portable propane cookers, she got to work. Her version included fish, some black snapper she'd caught at the beach. The daikon and carrots she'd pickled, organic jalapeños, cilantro, mayo and baguettes and wa la, a business is in business. I might have to consider this one a bit more for the future. Maybe with a jalapeño cilantro aioli?

More music arrives

All through the day, from before we went anywhere to the drive to Eureka (where the weather changed from blue skies and bright sun to grey skies, low hanging rain-filled looking clouds with intermittent fog), there is always plenty to see.

There are plenty of flowers, both wild and cultivated, this time of year

This reminds me of sea oats

Deer trim these apple trees every year. They are loaded!

More 'through the window while on the road' shots. There are SO many wonderful barns around here, with a very distinctive style (if you are a barn freak, you know that each region has its barn style, for reason of weather or where people came from originally and simply carried on what they knew). These barns are big and friendly looking.

It's fuzzy but if you are interested in a BIG houseboat, there's one for sale here on the edge of Humboldt Bay. A huge bay.

Lots and lots and lots of miles of bay

I know some of you faithful readers don't use facebook, so this next part, the last part of our day except for lots of hugs goodnight, is what I wrote there last night. For you fb readers, you can skip this part.

"Tonight, after a great day in Eureka, we were all (me, Elijah, Allie and The Girl) driving home when along the way we saw a young boy by the side of the road, with no shirt and no shoes on. It was cold and late. We stopped and Elijah went back to see what was going on. He and his mother (who, from the sound of it, has substance abuse issues) had quarreled and he left. At her urging. He is 12. He told us how to get to his Dad's house and we could tell he was nervous. As we turned in the drive he said, and they might start shooting at you with guns. Oh. Okay. But his Dad came out and was very glad we'd brought him there, no guns in sight and seemingly a normal guy. One boy delivered home safely. We thanked the fates that let us find him, rather than a lot of imagined alternatives. Parents, love your children well. I'm so proud of my family tonight."

We will all be thinking about that boy for a long time to come. The Girl was full of questions and we adults were filled with a mixed bag of emotions, shaken and stirred. It was an incident to remind us how powerful love or the lack of it can be. 

But right now, I'm going for late coffee with family and to play with some tomato plants from the market, three types I've never heard of and can't wait to get in some big pots. Yay! Sunday Funday Play in the Dirt Day!

Have a salubrious Sunday. Do something swoony.