Last week, two dear friends were visiting Loren and me at our AirBnB on Clear Lake. After a day’s drive along the east side of the lake together, we finished the day having ice cream at a park with Mount Konocti in view, then taking a walk around town.

This week started with the four of us taking another drive around the rest of the lake, along the west side. We began the day with a walk at Anderson Marsh,

then drove by the Dome home that Loren and his Dad had built 40 years ago, past the stalled refurbishing of Konocti Resort, and through Buckingham Park. We also stopped to see Bell Haven, a resort property that some years ago was in run down condition that Loren and I had seriously considered buying and refurbishing. Now, from over the gated fence we jealously admired the renovations that have been made. However we believe the costs incurred far exceed the vision that our own efforts likely would have produced. 

Then we dropped in to see the salesman for Loren’s Dome kit, who still lives with his wife in their own dome home. We had a nice catchup visit, and learned he has recently established a new business downtown for slot car racing. While it loses money, it offers  a place for kids of all ages to have fun. By the way, Clear Lake is the largest natural lake that is wholly in the state of California. It was fun over two days of meandering around to see some of the places that have been special in our friends’ lives over the years, showing them places here that are special to us, and making some new great memories.

Our last full day at the lakeside AirBnB was gorgeous – no clouds in the sky, and featured us hosting a BBQ. We were delighted that a cousin of mine who lives a couple hours away, and a long time friend of Loren’s who lives locally, were able to join us too.  

Before Loren and I left the AirBnB, I caught a photo of one of the hosts’ many curio cabinets full of old phones. This one holds similar models nostalgic from my parents and grandparents homes during my childhood, especially the pink princess phone, and, the red and the black rotary models.

Then Loren and I were off for a lunch date with our friend who lives locally. His home was burned in one of the fires here a couple of years ago. He is just now having a garage built on his property, and, had tree trimmers come to shape up some badly burned trees.

Loren and I then relocated to van camp at a marina further north on the lake. On our first morning we went for a four hour kayak ride across part of Clear Lake and all the way to the end of Rodman Slough and back. Last week I was sure I had seen a pair of water birds walk upright on the lake, but the event ended so quickly I couldn’t point it out to anyone. I was excited then on Loren’s and my kayak ride to see several pair of what we now know are grebes, doing their mating dances which is culminated by walking on water. It was so astounding to me that I must share a video: 

We must have seen at least a hundred grebes, dozens of great egrets and night herons, many great blue herons, lots of Canadian geese, a few North American geese, some ducks and cormorants, several raptors including osprey, a flock of pelicans, one bald eagle, and one black-plumed gray bird of some unknown-to-us sort, unless because it flitted out of sight perhaps it was another heron. There are a few noteworthy geese though that seem to be confused as to their “feather” –  one American goose consistently seems to believe that s/he is a Canadian goose, and,

a trio of two American geese and a mallard who remain inseparable in the marina. Or, just maybe they all are teaching us that different cultures can live together in peace!

Loren and I have been additionally naturally entertained by a variety of fishing boats – a feature of Clear Lake is that it is a bass fisherman’s haven.

Another couple of highlights this week include going to the local cinema to see the new Lion King, which had me crying even more than the first version, and, driving to nearby Blue Lakes, where we had a refreshing dip followed by a picnic lunch in the shade.