We six are off to Rio Vista California to see family and friends.

The faster we go the behinder I get. I got almost caught up when we were in Rio Vista but now that we are back on the road we are staying in places without hookups or internet access. 

 Getting out of Aspen Creek Campground - Not as easy as getting in......

 So when I last wrote we were in the Aspen Creek campground. Saturday morning broke cold and clear. We decided to pack up and head over the pass to Rio Vista to see friends and family. The campground was beginning to fill up and a little white car had parked where we needed to back up. We decided to pull through the adjacent site since no one was there and the fence separating the two sites had been pulled out by previous campers. 

The problem was there was very little room to work with and the truck and trailer are almost fifty feet long.  I began pulling out but the trailer slid on the loose dirt and the slope of the hillside pulled the trailer up against a tree. The awning was tight against it and the truck was turned, the only thing to do was to unhitch and reposition the truck. So it’s pull out the blocks and jack up the trailer. Then reposition the truck and try again. We tried to go back to get the awning away from the tree we now had put the trailer at an angle where backing up was no longer an option. As  I eased forward again the trailer once again slid against the tree. One more time I jacked up the trailer and this time Denise drove and got the truck aimed at the bushes and the site marker. Denise made this attempt. I tried to get her to back it up again but she shouted out fuck it I’m going,  I said something about the awning and she yelled “That’s what insurance is for”. She dropped the transmission into drive and pulled forward crashing through the brush and flattening the site marker.  The awning scraped along its length and then suddenly the trailer was free with just enough room to turn onto the road. 

We were both relieved and switched places to continue onwards. Tioga pass is not maintained in the winter and is opened only when the snow melts to a point where it can be plowed. The date changes yearly and has been as late as June. This year it was the 23rd of May, just a week before we crossed. There was still a lot of snow on the top and patches of snow in the shade for a long way down. The sun was shining and it was warm. Wildflowers were beginning to bloom and we stopped as we were able, to photograph them. There are few pull outs long enough to accommodate the truck and trailer but we managed to find ones that were close to the flowers we wanted to photograph. 

After we left the park we made our way down the mountains to Rio Vista and the Sacramento river delta. The roads are steep and winding with switch backs and hairpin turns. A pleasure to drive in a small car or motorcycle but extremely taxing with truck and trailer. I was beat when we arrived at the campground at Sandy Beach. 

We pulled up to the Fee Booth and I told the attendant that we didn’t have reservations. He looked at me and said “we have one spot left.” What a relief. We quickly got into it and got settled in for the night. 

Denise called her brother Tony and made plans to go to their house the next day. 

Family Time is the best time.

Sunday dawned with a pink glow across the river. There were no clouds to create a memorable sunrise. Rio Vista is located on the Sacramento river near the delta. At this point it’s more than a half a mile wide and swift enough to make swimming too dangerous. I walked the beach and there were a few fisherman out in the early morning. There’s no dogs allowed on the beach so Miss Pata had to wait for her walk until I was done exploring. At the end of the park the brush and trees on the riverbank become impassable so I cut up hill and found myself on a sand dune that covered twenty five to thirty acres. It was beyond the park boundary and on Federal land. It was also deserted. I saw animal tracks crossing it but not human. I had just discovered a place to take Pata where she could run free and burn up some energy. I later asked Tony about this place and he told me that this was one of the places that they would dump sand when the river was dredged. 

 Our happy little Purple Princess Peanut who on occasion Poots

 The Purple Princess of Sandy Beach Campground who Pouts.

We watched the campground empty out and looked for a different campsite with some shade. Once there was one open that we liked we switched places. We showered and changed and headed to Tony and Linda’s house to meet up with them and the rest of the family. Denise’s niece Shannon was there with her Beau Jessie, also her other niece Brooke with her boyfriend Jon and her daughter Cierra. 

We had a great get together talking, laughing and catching up on the passage of time. I had never met Cierra, Jessie or Jon and I can’t remember the last time I saw Brooke. Needless to say it was a lovely day. 

It's off to Sonoma to relive some memories

The rest of the week was a whirlwind of activities. Tuesday found us driving up to Sonoma where Denise and I met more than fourty years ago. There was a huge fire that swept through it last year so we were thinking we would see much more damage than was evident. Reports we had heard had the fire sweeping through the valley but thankfully those were greatly exaggerated. The damage we saw was mainly on the mountain ridges. 

We went to the plaza and walked around seeing what shops were new and what remained. The buildings  I helped remodel were still in good shape, they’re painted inside where we had left them with bare wood walls. Between them is an alley leading to some shop buildings that have been built in what used to be alley access and off street parking. 

 This was a Rexall Drug Store in the 1960' and early 70's Larry Yarnell worked his magic on it by himself

 Larry and I did the next two. The one on the left was originally a blacksmith shop and the yellow building on the right was a Telegraph office.

 Detail on the false front of the Telegraph office

 We added 30' to the back of the original building. We had a mill match the siding, the walls are a mix of both. The entire building is made from Redwood.

 The back of the buildings with the alley between them now.

 The window casing are handmade. A guy named Hans Wulf made 5 of them and I made the sixth. They still work!

 The crown jewel of the plaza - Sonoma's town hall

 The Sonoma Barracks (El Cuartel de Sonoma)

We had lunch at Mary’s Pizza Shack that’s now on the square next to The Cheese Factory. It was as good as ever. After lunch we drove around seeing places we both remembered. First stop was the old cemetery on the hill above the city. I was looking for a grave with the name Cousins on it. I climbed up the hill many years ago and had come across the grave. We didn’t find it but did see some other graves we did not know were there. 

 The tomb of Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Vallejo laid out the town of Sonoma in 1835. He had a large plaza made in front of the old mission chapel

The grave of Henry Boyes who founded Boyes Hot Springs a town adjacent to Sonoma. It's where I lived.

 A couple of the living denizens of the Cemetery

 Coming down the mountain and back to town we heard the shrill blast of sirens and as we rounded a curve we could see smoke rising from down the valley. 

 I first learned this flower as Mariposa Tulip it's now called Mariposa Lily.

 Farewell to Spring

 A couple of purple beauties and some rattlesnake grass

We went past the house I had lived in for many years. It’s where Uriah was born so it’s deeply ingrained in my mind. We went by the house Denise’s family lived in and down to Larson’s Park where Sonoma Creek flows lazily beneath the trees. Denise took off her shoes and waded into the creek reliving summer days from long ago. 

 This used to be called the Yellow House. It had a white picket fence across the front.

 Uriah was born in this house July 11th 1975 brought into this world by Nancy Mills a midwife we knew.

 Sonoma creek flowing behind what's left of the dam at Larson's Park

 Denise wading

We then drove down Riverside Drive to El Verano slowly making our way to Oak and Linden where Denise’s sister Regina and her husband Larry had lived. It was a resort in the beginning but since Regina passed away the place is now just a memory. It looks like just another neighborhood but Denise spotted the house that Larry and Regina had lived in tucked behind a modern house. It had been added on to but was still there as was the building that housed the bar. Denise burst into tears. Tears of both joy and sorrow. We drove back to the plaza and turned south to return to Rio Vista. 

About two miles south of the plaza the highway was blocked by a police cruiser and we were detoured onto Watmaugh road. It was hours after we had heard the sirens but apparently the fire was still burning. We got onto Arnold drive and exited the valley. As we curved to the highway to Napa we passed the detour on the other end. Going past the pallet factory we could see smoke on the back of the property.  

Traffic was horrible all the way to Fairfield and I was glad that this was not my daily commute. Being retired is so nice! 

The rest of the week went by all to quickly. We visited Grizzly Island wildlife refuge looking for Tule Elk, we didn’t see any but had a nice time anyway. We drove some of the back roads in the area checking out the sights. 

 A mallard family and a little blue heron at the delta.

 A black necked stilt

A barn swallow posing for me

 A kildeer trying to draw me away from her nest

 Wild artichoke blossom

On Wednesday an old dear friend from high school days in Villa Park, Illinois came to visit us in the campground. Susie Ray who was best friends with my brother Mike. She came bearing gifts which is wonderful. We had a dinner cooked by Denise and then talked and caught up. It was so nice! 

Susie Rae Ray

On Friday we drove up to Sacramento to see Frank and Maria Farmer. Frank is one of the first persons I met in Sonoma and we have kept in touch over the many years since that time. We hadn’t seen each other since Denise and I lived in Newport Washington. Again a great visit and too short. Hopefully we’ll get together in the future. 

The next day, Saturday, we finally got to spend some quality time with Tony and Linda. We grabbed some donuts at the local bakery and had breakfast with them in the sunshine on the back terrace. After breakfast we drove up the river road to see some of the little towns along the river. 

Lockport is a town founded by the Chinese who were working the area building the levees. They asked for a piece of land to put a town onto and were given the place where the town stands. Apparently they never received title to the land and it’s still owned by the original people who gave it to them. 

There are a lot of Victorian houses and buildings in the area so we really enjoyed touring the river side and seeing the sights. There are a couple of ferries that take you across the river. We used two of them before returning to Rio Vista. 

 Tony at the farmer's market in Rio Vista

 Some sights in Locke California on the Sacramento River

 A gambling den from years gone by. The patrons would play with tokens so that if they law came in they wouldn't be caught with gambling paraphernalia

 A cable drawn ferry

Late afternoon we went to Vacaville to have Pizza with the rest of the family. This time Shannon’s daughter Lauren was able to join us. We had a great meal and then went to a local park to take pictures. We then said our goodbyes to Shannon, Lauren, Jessie, Brooke, Cierra and Jon. 

 Pizza at Pietros in Vacaville - It doesn't get any better than this!

Denise and her nieces - Brooke, Cierra, Denise, Lauren and Shannon

 Here's most of the crew except for Cierra who was running the camera.

Jon, Brooke, Denise, Linda with Tony behind Shannon with me behind Lauren with Jessie behind.

 Sister and Brother

 Lauren and Jon's little fire vehicle.

 Cierra

The next day Sunday was our last day before leaving and I wanted to see my Aunt Barbara who lives in Pleasanton about an hour south of Rio Vista. Barbara or Bobbie as we called her turned 92 on May 7th . I called her to ask if she was up for visitors and the phone was answered by a male voice who inquired who was calling. It was Bill, Bobbie's son in law. Bill Pruiksma was married to my cousin Lynne until she succomed to ovarian cancer two years ago.  

He told me that Aunt Barbara was sleeping but that if we came by at 3:00pm she would probably be awake and we could see her. When we got to Pleasanton and knocked on the door Bill answered and let us in. Aunt Barbara was still sleeping and he got a neighbor, also named Barbara to help her get dressed.  

We visited with Bill and got reacquainted. We had last gotten together many years ago. It was a pleasure to talk with Bill and Aunt Barbara. I really wish though that we had been able to get out there while Lynne was still alive. Bobbie remembered me I think, she lit up when she saw us, but her memory is going and she slept most of the time we were there. A nice visit but filled with sadness also. Aunt Barbara is in hospice.

We headed back to Rio Vista and had a dinner with Tony and Linda, said our goodbyes there and then back to the campground for one last night. 

It was a lovely week visiting with family and friends. It passed all to quickly but it always does. Onwards!