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We left Quebec in mid-October to begin our cross-country drive back to California, and just in time, too. A few days before we left the snow removal contractors began placing their metal stakes at the entrances to driveways that they had been paid to plow after each snowstorm. The stakes are about four feet tall! It seemed like a perfect time to head south.
Our first stop was Rhinebeck, New York, about a hundred miles up the Hudson River from New York City. Rhinebeck is the home of the New York Sheep and Wool Festival, the highlight of the North American knitting calendar and the main reason for our trip to the Northeast. We spent a full weekend at the festival, blessed by crisp fall weather and beautiful fall colors. We saw hundreds of vendors’ exhibits, a sheep dog demonstration, and lots of sheep, alpacas, and rabbits. Carrie was in heaven and was able to reconnect with some knitting friends and make some new ones. She hopes to see some of these folks again at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March. Charlie, not a knitter but always a naturally curious person, found the festival to be fascinating and would like to return sometime.
On our return trip to California we stopped for a few hours in Kettering, Ohio, just outside Dayton, to explore the neighborhood where Carrie lived as a child. Her old house is still there and is in good shape but the neighborhood looked very different. It was a new development 60 years ago with no tall trees, only new saplings. Now those saplings are mature shade trees.
We made good time driving across country so we could arrive in California in time to housesit (and catsit) for our friends Sue and Leo while they were on vacation. Their house is far outside of town near Paso Robles so we enjoyed the peace and quiet. Carrie especially enjoyed living with a cat again.
Next we drove north for a quick visit with Andy and then we headed south again to spend a couple of days in Palm Springs. We hadn’t been there in many years and we wanted to see it again. We enjoyed seeing all of the well-preserved mid-century architecture, a feature of Palm Springs.
Then we were off to Ojai for another round of housesitting and catsitting for our friends Betsy and Bob. Their house is quiet and serene, with birdfeeders off the patio to attract a variety of birds. Unfortunately, we thought we were being helpful visitors when we threw the old Thanksgiving turkey carcass into the trash can outside after several days in the kitchen trash. But, a local bear must have smelled it and raided the can, strewing trash all over the driveway. You’re welcome, bear!
After our visit to Ojai, we made a quick stop in Santa Barbara and then traveled back north to Paso Robles for a Christmas party with our dear friends from Food Group. Purrkins was happy for all the extra attention.
