Author: Claire

It is always a marvel to me how all year some or another plant seems to be blooming in California, feeling like it could be eternal spring, though I am well aware that fall is upon us. This week I noticed a striking blossom in the driveway of our AirBnB while I was sorting through our belongings that have been stored in the van.

One thing I came across is my previous passport. I had ordered a new one early last year when we were in the United States because it would be expiring, so had left it home after the new one arrived. It was nice to flip through to see several meaningful stamps…

  

I also put together a sack of little used items to take to charity this coming week. Loren noticed the letters on the side of the bag I was using and asked what they meant? I had to look the wording up online, and discovered that I have somehow held onto this plastic bag ever since we were in Croatia in 2016. I do try to reuse such items until they no longer can function… The words, mala bijela vrecica are translated from Croatian as: small white bag. When I added the actual Croatian character of the last word – mala bijela vrećica the translation returned a more specific meaning: a small white bag.

I took dinner to Loren’s Mom’s home this week, and thought to take a photo. Both his Mom and sister looked extra attractive in their tops, and Loren did a nice job of decorating the table in rearranging flowers for the occasion. After dinner he served his Mom her coffee where we watched the news then an A’s game – Loren has nearly switched his loyalty to this more consistent-winning team over the Giants, while I am still happier to root for the orange and black – and former New Yorker – team. 

 

Loren has become more serious about writing his book. Last week we attended and this week we joined a local Writer’s group. This week too we met with a Bikram yoga student who advertised her completed memoir for sale at the studio, and in meeting with us she had some nice tips for him to help with the publishing. Plus it was just delightful to speak candidly with the author of a book we had both enjoyed reading.

The highlight this week is that today is Loren’s and my 27th wedding anniversary! On the spur of the moment last evening, after I learned that one of my drop-in Bikram Yoga students was in town for a “Dueling Pianos” evening, I took Loren to the nearby pub where he was playing. We had never heard two pianists perform pop songs in duet before. When we arrived at the venue, there were few seats to be had. A friendly young group who’s table had extra seats invited us to join them. It was fun to converse – ok shout, with them, while enjoying the entertainment. 

 

Can you tell which performer is the yogi? I have to say though, while he hit all his notes, his postures look better in the hot yoga room!

My newest yogi friend took my request to play our wedding song to commemorate the upcoming day today. He called us up to the dance floor before he started What A Wonderful World, and even sounded much like Louis Armstrong himself in its rendition. 

  

The evening included sharing photos back and forth with our table mates, and enjoying the broad range of contemporary music. But, my ears are still complaining from the revelry around us. I thought it was much more fun to sit at the table front and close to the action, than it would have been to sit at the bar where it was projected by camera…

  

Looking forward to sushi dinner out tonight…

Loren and I started the week off at the Castro Valley Greek Festival where we enjoyed catching up with our former AirBnB host and one of her guests, and, we ate Greek food, drank Greek wine and beer, and watched Greek dancing. It was a fun evening!

 

We also went to make a copy of an historic family photo, and when we took the frame apart I was surprised to find a water color painting of Loren’s father tucked inside! It is not as accurate as a photo, but, definitely there is a resemblance that is unmistakable.

I have taught a couple more Bikram yoga classes this week, and for some reason I was moved afterwards one day to look up the Periodic Table of Elements. I found it interesting to notice how the electrolytes I remind my students to replenish after taking the hot yoga class – calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium, are all situated in a neat 4 square block on the table for some reason.

We have noticed much smoke in the air this week – it only looks a bit hazier as it rides in and out on thick fog, but, I notice it in my sinuses, feeling like I have a cold one minute, then it’s gone, then it’s back, several times a day. When Loren and I went for a walk in the regional park, we found a whole herd of goats fenced in, eating the dry vegetation, and making quick work of it. This is one measure being taken to try to protect the neighboring homes should fire threaten even closer to where we are staying. 

 

Later on the hike we saw a flock of egrets heading to roost for the night, reminding me so much of the flocks we had seen when we were in Pokhara, Nepal, in November… 

 

We have met some nice people who stay or have come and gone at our AirBnB, and this week we had exciting news from one young couple who are visiting from West Africa. I learned that he proposed to her when he took her to see his school here. He even had a special heart laid out on the floor in the center of the hall to accentuate the occasion. Then they were married here in a civil service. My photos are from their video of the proposal and of a photo of them on their wedding day from his laptop. I am so happy for their joy!

   

As an unexpected coincidence, as Loren and I were leaving a writer’s group meeting, we discovered that it is held in the same building as this young man’s school, and, he offered to give us a tour. That is his country’s flag in the background, and, his shirt expresses the sentiment of his engineering studies: eat, don’t sleep, code.

 

We spent one enjoyable evening this week at the home of friends who have an owl living in a palm tree in their backyard. During the day you can just barely make out its head between the palm fronds. Each evening around dusk the owl flies out from the tree where it has spent the whole day. We were especially lucky to see him not only fly out, but to circle back around as if to say hello before he then headed off and away for his night of foraging. 

Another evening was spent with Loren’s long time friend, and after a nice dinner out together we enjoyed going for ice cream. The flavor he is eating – called Ube, is more delicious than how the color might appear it would taste!

Afterwards, together we watched a parade of sorts of classic cars driving up and down the main boulevard in town. We were delighted to find our friends whose palm tree hosts the owl were participating in it with their daughters!

  

And, this week we received a photo of my brother’s younger daughter who is now settled in her dorm room, as she starts her first semester of college. She’s look so happy and I am so proud of her!

 

Dear Family and Friends, Loren and I really appreciate you checking in with us by email, comments on the blog or by phone. Thank you for keeping in touch with us!

At the start of our week Loren and I saw the movie, BlacKkKlansman. Have you seen it? I was unprepared for the extent of discomfort that I would feel at times. I was therefore grateful that the theater where we saw it has big, cushy lounge chairs, as I noticed myself pulling my legs up and in close to my body during the tougher scenes. There were humorous moments too, and sad moments… especially given how it is largely based on a memoir by the real Ron Stallworth of the 1970’s Colorado Springs Police.

I read a couple of interviews of John David Washington, the lead actor, about the movie and his role. I agree with his ideas:

It shows us an example of people coming together, setting aside their differences to overcome this greater giant, this greater beast, and that is hate — this organized institution of hate that is generational because they’re so organized. I mean, that’s a huge takeaway. It wasn’t just one black man with one mission. …

I’m hearing positive things. This story should have been told. [Stallworth] tried to tell it. … We’re seeing an evolution of resistance, too. In the forms of hashtags and taking a knee. People seem to be ready to peacefully discuss differences. That’s what I hope this film can inspire — to start a dialogue and not be afraid. I think Ron talks about we can’t be afraid of racism. We have to be able to talk about it openly. But find the correct dialogue to negotiate such things amicably. …

We’re not pointing the bad guys. We’re not pointing to good guys. We’re pointing to Americans. We’re talking a history lesson — an entertaining one. I mean, it’s a period piece, but it has this very contemporary feel to it. …

And, on his own career learnings from the role, I believe his idea applies to not just him:

I see that change is a process, it’s not an event.

Loren and I had a dinner date that evening at 6pm with a couple of his colleagues. I had misunderstood the movie listing of 1.30 that the movie would be one and a half hours. Perfect, I thought – the cinema was near the restaurant, so we would have no concerns about traffic and would still have plenty of time to drive there after the show. I must say that the freeways in this area have taken on a more Los-Angeles-like feel – instead of what we remember from when we lived in the South Bay area and which is still the case there that commute lanes are restricted from 5am-9pm and 3pm-7pm, the newer commute lanes in the East Bay restrict traffic all day – from 5am-8pm. 

But I was shocked to find my watch read 6:25 as we exited the theater! I have now learned that 1.30 means 100 and 30 minutes! I am thankful that our friends enjoyed catching up with each other before we arrived. Yet again, I forgot my camera to record the experience… We had much fun talking of experiences and travels and dreams. One of them informed us that traveling around North America by van – not by RV, means that we are called “Vandwellers.” Despite my spellchecker, it is a word, I looked it up! Now we have another, new, fun way to refer to ourselves.

This week too, Loren treated on pizza at his mother’s. I noticed that both she and I were wearing pink tops and blue pants for the evening. I did think to take a photo of us in our nearly matching outfits. Since I just read this week in a Japanese-American’s memoir that this would be called a “pair look,” I can also say I have a another, new, fun way to refer to twin or matching outfits. On another evening I noticed for the first time that Loren’s sister’s rescue cat sometimes joins their Mom on her large comfy chair while she is watching TV, so I also snapped a photo of  them together.

 

On another day, Loren and I enjoyed a brunch/lunch with friends from our UU Fellowship. After they had left, I thought of my camera. So I did the next best thing to a photo of the 4 of us, I took a photo of the restaurant’s name…

One evening, Loren and I went for a hike at the nearby regional park. It was neat to see a doe and fawn, who were aware of us but not scared away, allowing me to capture a couple of decent photos. It was interesting to note how the deer here have a black tail, while I recall from our travels how deer elsewhere often have had a white tail.

 

  

This week too I had another email from a young man named Sohan who worked at the laundry in Kathmandu where I took a bag of clothes to be washed. He had asked for my email address, and every so often he will send a simple note. I respond each time, but have never heard further from him to my queries. This week his message was longer:

         Namaste dear friend how are you i miss you so much

adding for the first time the sentiment, “i miss you so much.” I hope he might one day send a followup email to my reply to him… Receiving that email reminded me of another young man who I had met when Loren and I were in Rwanda. His name is Stiven. He too asked for my email address and sends messages a little more regularly. The most recent one I received was this:

     How are over there? I would like to ask you what about you? I hope you
     are okay? Please mum are still travelling  or you are in USA right
     now? I miss you so much.

     Here is to much sunshine and hot.

     I look forward to hear from you soon. Have blessed  time and work

Stiven and I have had some meaningful email conversations. For example he has shared that his parents are both gone, therefore likes to refer to me as mum. He lives with his grandmother and younger sister, and, while the grandmother has had some health issues, she has been well again for some time now. Stiven is keen to improve his English and sometimes asks for my advice, so I try to help what little I can by email. And then there is the young minister who Loren befriended when I attended Father Michael Lapsley’s Healing of Memories course in South Africa. His name is Francky, but lately he has not responded to Loren’s recent emails. 

I taught another Bikram Yoga class this week. For the next month I am included on the schedule to teach a couple of classes each week. This will still allow me time to take classes myself, and to fill in if they need a sub once in a while. 

Loren and I had a date night at a sushi restaurant this week too. While there we were also able to watch a San Francisco Giants baseball game. We could not hear the announcers who we appreciate, but we could follow along from the notations on the screen what was happening. As the Giants lost, again, Loren is not enjoying the games as much. 

This weekend is the Annual Greek Festival here in Castro Valley. I remember how the year after our Honeymoon in Greece, Loren and I attended it for the first time. Now we will go this weekend for the first time since then, and, this time it follows our Honeyversary visit to Greece a couple of years ago for our 25th wedding anniversary. We are looking forward to it!

Loren and I were still visiting with friends in Sonoma at the beginning of this week. We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant of the lodge named for the famous author of The Call of the Wild and White Fang among other titles, who lived the last years of his life in this area. Afterwards, on our way for ice cream we noticed the moon and thought it was so orange because of the Yosemite fire, however, we learned from the grocery proprietor that it was due to an eclipse. Wow, I snapped a first photo of a moon eclipse!

 

In the morning Loren went for a 2 hour hard hike with her husband, while his wife and I enjoyed a 1 hour gentler hike around a reservoir. On our way though, she first brought me to see the lot where a house had once been – this was just a few doors away from her own home. The house that had been here was decimated in last October’s Tubbs fire.

It was also sad on this morning to find smoke in the air and to find ash on our cars from the current Yosemite fire, as well as see how low the water reserve is right now. Otherwise it was a beautiful walk in the sunshine, and we could have hiked longer. We plan to do so on our next visit, along with going together to see Jack London State Park.

 

On driving southward Loren and I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. I think I may have taken it for granted for many of the years that I have lived in California, though I never tire of seeing it. I realize now what an incredible landmark it is in the world. On this day, one of its towers was partially shrouded in fog, making it that much more alluring.  

 

That afternoon we arrived at a dear friend’s home, where another very special friend was visiting from Ashland, Oregon. We had a short visit together before heading to other friends’ home for a fun evening and dinner.

  

Over dinner I learned that Loren and I were familiar with the two pieces that our UU Fellowship of Sunnyvale choir would be singing the next day for a memorial service that we had also intended to attend. As the choir was not strong in numbers at rehearsals recently, I was delighted that we could add our voices to honor this long time friend’s life. 

We had a sweet slumber party at our one wonderful friend’s home, then had a nice brief breakfast together before our other dear friend left to drive home to Ashland. Our one friend and I then enjoyed the walk to UUFS, while Loren drove our car to meet us.

I shed my first tear of the day when we sang our children off to their Religious Education classes from the Sunday service. The song our congregation sings is one that a former choir member composed. I love the melody and meaningful lyrics, while it also brought back memories of having sung it in this precious community so, so many times before… 

I shed a few more tears during the Memorial. I snapped a photo of one of the tribute photos afterwards. Two of the women in it, who were among the important female role models in my life, have now died. I am proud and grateful to have known them. 

Later in the week we had a lovely brunch date with friends who will be moving soon to southern California. Somehow I overlooked taking a photo. However, today I can include a photo of their daughter – who we had visited with when we were in Adelaide, South Australia. I had forgotten to take her photo when we were together there, and she was kind enough to later send me the photo she took of herself for my blog!

We also had a memorable lunch this week with cousins on Loren’s mother’s side. One of them brought an old family photo which was fun poring over to identify who was who in the extended family. Afterwards the one cousin and her daughter who live the farthest away came to Loren’s Mom’s house for a special visit with her and Loren’s one sister.

  

Loren and I finished the week over a potluck gathering with friends who are members of Loren’s first Toastmaster’s club. The couple who hosted have large owls nesting in a palm tree in their yard, and during the afternoon we could see one of them sleeping on a frond! Again, I forgot to take a photo of the event, but, I had spotted a feather on the patio which the host gifted to us and I attached to Loren’s hat. At least I can share that.

The big news this week too is that we began a new schedule. I taught my first two Bikram Yoga classes since we have been back, and look forward to more that I am scheduled to teach later this month. Loren too started a set schedule to be with his Mom. He is taking over one of the days when the paid caregiver had been coming each week, as well as helping out on other days. Now that we know which days, we are able to make time for such things as having our vaccinations for shingles, and other important appointments. 

I will finish with our San Francisco Giants, who will be playing a large number of games this month. Watching them, especially when they win, has become an enjoyable pastime.

I just had to snap a photo of the rock I noticed at the base of a big redwood tree in the parking lot of my credit union. I have no idea who left the rock, or if the message was meant for people or as tribute to the tree, but I will take it as meant for you and me!

Loren and I started this week spending the day with a dear friend from our UU Fellowship of Sunnyvale. She drove the hour or so to see us and we enjoyed a hike around Lake Chabot, then lunch and a long visit that afternoon at our AirBnB. It was a very meaningful time with many good conversations over our day spent together. 

We then had a special email arrive this week, it pointed us to a travel friend’s whittled down photo collection from our tour of Australia’s Red Center. I have so looked forward to receiving this, as he had snapped two phenomenal photos of the night sky that we saw while we were there, which he has generously and graciously included in his collection.

 

Loren and I also listened to a webinar one evening this week, given by an RN who’s expertise is in end of life oncology. She was teaching about providing end of life care in general. As part of the advertisement for it, we found this quote worth pondering: 

There are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers. Rosalynn Carter, former US First Lady

Another highlight this week was the day we spent across the bay. First I saw my acupuncturist – he had helped me some years ago with leftover pain from a broken wrist, and now he is working his magic on my long term knee and more recent pelvis issues. Loren also had lunch that day with a good friend, while I took myself to see the new Anderson Gallery at Stanford University. Before going inside I ate my picnic lunch beside a couple of plaster companions…

 

Inside I found three favorite pieces among the permanent collection. One is titled Full Time. I appreciated its message about Memory – something else to ponder, and, a new to me technique of painting the title on the edge of the canvas.

   –

Memory is not accurate recall. We remember what we want, what we choose. Our present moment influences our memory of the past. We remember what we want. We make it real by writing our own history, the one tattooed in our mind’s memory.

The other two pieces I especially liked were titled Red in Red, and, At the Lake, Morning.

 

That afternoon we had a nice visit with our neighbors who have been so helpful through our Journey with managing our mail. But how could I have forgotten to take their photo? In the evening, Loren visited over dinner with a group of men who were invaluable to the success of his business, and the restaurant offered a special photo souvenir. At the same time I caught up on some shopping. 

We have also enjoyed seeing more Giants games, and taking more Yoga classes. We learned a little more Italian this week too from another of Loren’s Mom’s frequently used phrases:
     Chi mancava ancora quella.
She taught us that it means something like, That’s all we need, or, Just one more thing. It taught me too how I cannot always trust online translation tools. Here is what one of them suggested: chi means who, mancava means was missing, ancora for still, and quella for that. Who was missing still that? It just does not accurately translate!

Now we are visiting overnight with friends who share our passion and interest in long term travel. We have had two enthralling evenings and one stimulating day of sharing our favorite places that we have visited over our lives and especially our four+ years and their seven+ months experiences. We are also exploring our next places of interest to visit, and just sharing about meaningful life experiences we have all had. We are enjoying being in their lovely home, which they too plan to rent out while they travel. Currently it is decorated with many attractive pieces of art that come from Africa, which is from where one of our friends hails, and reminds me so much of our visits to Africa. And, they have a remarkable yard where they can sit and enjoy seeing the seasons change and where birds come to nest annually.

  

We also so enjoyed toasting to their retirement that we learned was just a day new on the day we arrived! One interesting coincidence is how the bottle they chose to especially celebrate with is both a honey infused flavor – reminiscent of Loren’s and my recent time in Australia and perhaps the destination of their next adventure, and, the name of the drink is the same as a Servas host to Loren and me when we visited Freiburg, Germany.

Dear Family and Friends, I am still writing here weekly because, although Loren and I are settled down in one spot in California – near Loren’s Mom, we are not in our home in San Jose. We are keeping our house rented out because our plan is to continue to travel in the future… So, in my mind, we are still on our Journey Toward Wholeness. I hope you will indulge me in my keeping a running commentary here, Loren and I always appreciate your comments and input!

We have settled into an exercise routine of my taking near daily yoga classes, and Loren takes class on alternate days as he prefers riding his bicycle on the others. We have enjoyed watching several San Francisco Giants games with Loren’s Mom.

This week there was the beginning of the “Battle of the Bay” with the Giants facing the Oakland A’s in San Francisco for three games. This coming week they will finish the series with three more games to play in Oakland.

In between this series sandwich was the All Stars game in Washington, DC. Did you watch it too? Our Giant’s Shortstop Brandon Crawford participated, our Catcher, Buster Posey while chosen bailed out to treat a physical injury, and our First Baseman, Brandon Belt sadly just missed making the final cut. The excitement of the game was the amazing number of Home Runs that were hit – 10 in all, which is a phenomenal record. I have some old letters that my Mom and Dad wrote to each other during their courtship, and I was amused that my father would include how his beloved Yankees were doing. Watching the games and writing about them now brings up more dear memories of him.

While watching the All Star game, we saw for the first time LavAzza coffee commercials. Loren’s Mom was tickled that the company is located in Torino – Turin, Italy, which is the capital city of the province, Piemonte or Piedmont in English where her parents were both born. She said out loud that she would have to try it, and this week I made a point to purchase a package for her. The company actually has a variety of roasts to choose from in our local supermarket. She was pleased with the Classico Medium Roast version that I bought, and interested to find that the company has been around since 1895.

 

While on the subject of Italy, one evening Loren’s Mom had left the room where she, Loren, his sister and I often watch the TV together. It was just she and I at the point when she returned to find me reading Loren’s college Italian textbook. She asked a long question in Italian that I did not understand. So I automatically just asked her,

     Come stai? meaning, How are you?

as I had learned from friends in Italy. She seemed impressed. The next time she found me reading the book later in the week, she asked me the same long question, which this time I asked her what she had said and what it meant. 

     Come vano tutti e afari? or, How’s everything?

and she taught me the proper reply is,

    Molto bene, meaning, Very well.

One third evening this week, she sat in her TV chair turned to me, said

     Come vano tutti e afari?

When I replied, Molto bene, she was delighted. As I write this, I realize I could also say Molto bene, grazie, meaning Very well, thank you. Or I could also say Molto bene, signora, or Molto bene, Mama. I believe I will have many more opportunities to learn more Italian  while we are here.

I remember now when Loren and I were visiting in Italy how our young adult friends lamented in English their belief that the Italian language will one day go by the wayside. Their reasoning is first, that English is now required professionally for them, but the other, is that sadly they see it takes too long to express the same concept in Italian to the much shorter words – and I must add, much less melodious – in English. I am grateful to have the privilege to practice Italian with Loren and his Mom.

We have a couple of days of not being with Loren’s Mom now. One evening we went for a hike in the Lake Chabot Regional Park which we can access by taking a short walk from our AirBnB. Today we are looking forward to a dear friend coming to visit us here and we will take her to enjoy a hike in this park too. 

 

I must mention how while we are less than an hour – when there is no traffic, haha – from San Jose, it continues to be the ten degrees colder that I noticed when Loren and I were dating. And, it is more often foggy than the weather of our beloved South Bay. We have been enjoying waking up to sunshine these past few weeks, but this week was a different story. We have now had cool mornings from fog, more and lower fog, and more and thicker fog on each subsequent day seen from our bedroom window. The nice thing is that the sun eventually burns it off by the time the yoga class is over.

  

This week I will finish by sharing the inspiring quote I found on my older niece’s music therapy business card that she gave me when I was in New York:

     Music is the Medicine of the Mind 

I so agree! I found online that these words are attributed to John Alexander Logan, a nineteenth century soldier, orator and politician, and he is the one who called for Decoration Day – a national day of remembrance for Civil War dead – what we celebrate now as Memorial Day.

Uncannily, Loren and I had tickets for a local music performance last night thanks to a friend of a friend suggesting it. The concert’s title was Six Continents of Music – understandable as there is no music to pull from Antarctica. We were delighted with the evening, reminiscing over songs or similar songs as we have sung with our own UU congregation choir, to familiar songs from our youth, to songs new to us, and, songs that reminded us very much of our travels. Thanks to which, I was able to immediately realize that Cancao Da Costureirinha was a Portuguese piece. My top three favorites if I have to choose were Evening Prayer, Nella Fantasia, and their Pentatonix version of Royals. Loren’s were Born Free, Mambo Italiano, and Tafta Hindi. It was a fun evening being entertained by talented singers and musicians.

Baseball, exercise, family, friends, Italian, music – life is still good.