"Like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway ~~ We're the best of friends ~~ Insisting that the world keep turnin' our way…" Willie Nelson – Johnny Cash
We left Sacramento in May to spend a couple of weeks in Palo Alto watching a house and a little cat. We had signed up for TrustedHousesitters in 2019 and did two sits in Oregon just before Covid-19 struck, but this was our first sit since then. TrustedHousitters matches nomads like us with people who need someone to watch their homes and pets while they are away. We were in one of the most beautiful sections of Palo Alto and we enjoyed walks through the neighborhood and on the nearby Stanford University campus. Click on the first photo in each block to view larger images in a slideshow.
Gorgeous scenery in old Palo Alto.
Blind kitty that we took care of in Palo Alto for a week through Trusted Housesitters. She was old and mostly napped, but she enjoyed being scratched and purred loudly.
We could walk around most of the Stanford campus but the central portion was closed to the public.
Roads were closed in downtown Palo Alto to create pedestrian-friendly walkways and eateries.
We left Palo Alto to drive south down the coast. We stopped for lunch at the old pier in Santa Cruz, then toured the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum.
A fenced area on the pier provides an undisturbed place for nesting gulls.
Carrie on the pier.
UC Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden highlights plants from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
We spent a couple of nights in Monterey and took the opportunity to visit Pinnacles National Park, in the hills south of Salinas. The park preserves a scene of ancient volcanic uplifting along the San Andreas Fault. We had passed the Pinnacles turnoff on Highway 101 many times but we had never visited the park. It was an interesting and worthwhile outing.
Hiking in the time of Covid.
The start of an easy hike up the hill at Pinnacles National Park.
Considerate place to put a bench at the top of the trail in Pinnacles National Park.
We continued southward on Highway 1, which provided many scenic views of the rugged Pacific coast. We drove through Big Sur south to Cambria.
Eye on Big Sur.
We had a lovely, sunny day driving down Hwy 1 from Monterey to Paso Robles.
We ate lunch at Ragged Point, along the coast.
Seals are molting on the beach just north of Cambria, CA.
We then spent a couple of weeks near Paso Robles, house sitting and cat sitting for our friends Sue and Leo while they went on vacation. Their house is quite remote, about a 45 minute drive west of Paso Robles, so we enjoyed the peace and quiet. Leo is a winemaker with a beautiful vineyard just downhill from the house.
View of the vineyard from the house.
View of the Paso Robles house from the vineyard below.
The ocean and Hearst Castle are just over the hill where those fingers of fog are cresting.
The start of the grapes at Leo’s vineyard.
Purrkins is always ready for extra scratches from visitors who visit his house.
The view along Cow Loop, Carrie’s walk while staying with friends in Paso Robles.
We kept on going southward to spend a few days with our friend Betsy in Ojai. We continued our cat odyssey with Betsy’s two friendly cats. We were also able to visit family in Camarillo while we were in the area.
Fun in the children’s park in Ojai.
Betsy and Charlie enjoy sculpture in downtown Ojai.
Buff greeted us in Ojai.
Bama also was happy to see us in Ojai.
Outside dining with Betsy in Ojai. Happy to be able to go to restaurants again!
We returned to Sacramento to spend a couple of months before heading to southern Oregon in August. We are at a house that we stayed in last summer near the Carmichael neighborhood. It is very spacious and has a backyard pool that is perfect on the hot Sacramento summer days. We are not far from Oakland so we have been able to visit Andy and Heather several times.
We’ve always seen wild turkeys at this house near Carmichael, but this peacock has joined the flock this year.
Nice shady path at the park for our walks.
Carrie is knitting socks with a yarn colorway, trout. The left one was unraveled (uncomfortable fit) and re-knitted into a sock matching the right one.
Quick knit basket with fat yarn and big needles for holding odds and ends.
Bottom of the knit basket.
Start of a sock in the trout colorway.
Carrie knitted these kitties in a box and a bag for Heather’s birthday.
We lost 3 cats this Spring. This is
Corpsegrinder, who was Kevin’s cat. Andy had to put her down due to cancer in her shoulder.
Zippy developed feline leukemia and had a sudden decline. Our friend Linda who was taking care of him took him to be euthanized.
Mai Mai wasn’t our cat, but we took care of her in Albuquerque when her owners traveled. She was tiny with a giant purr. We’ll miss these little fur balls.
We haven’t posted to our blog since December so this post will update our (somewhat limited) activities over the winter and spring. An accompanying post describes some traveling that we were able to resume in May. Our last post was on December 16, Andy’s birthday! We weren’t able to celebrate in person due to Covid-19 but we had a Zoom visit. Click on the first photo in each block to view larger images in a slideshow.
Andy is celebrating his 40th birthday. How can we have a son that age?
Fancy balloon bouquet for Andy’s birthday.
Andy and Heather went to a crazy Christmas hat party. A Gothic Christmas.
We spent the Christmas holidays at a guesthouse on the outskirts of Davis, described in our post last December.
Our home in Davis over the Christmas holidays was out in the country; a guesthouse behind the main house.
The owner of the Davis country house used to teach gardening at UC Davis, so his yard is a joy to view.
The main Davis country house, with our guesthouse to the right in the rear.
Delicate glass mobile/wind chime on a bare fig tree at the Davis guesthouse.
We decorated the guesthouse for Christmas and made it look quite festive. We spent Christmas day alone but were able to visit with family and friends via Zoom.
Our pictures and decorations are above the TV which is tuned to a YouTube Christmas scene. Creates a holiday ambiance for our home-free lifestyle.
Stockings from Christmas past and present decorate our mantle.
Presents and decorations make it a cozy space.
Slow but sure, putting a snowman puzzle together.
Carrie finished the snowman jigsaw puzzle. It wasn’t easy!
Zooming with Andy and Heather on Christmas morning.
Celebrating Christmas morning opening gifts with Andy and Heather via Zoom, a first!
We enjoyed walks around Davis and around our old neighborhood in nearby Woodland. Christmas decorations brightened our walks.
Full harvest moon rising over fields in Davis countryside.
We can always count on Woodland to deliver beautiful holiday decorations to view on our walks.
A festive door in Woodland.
Christmas navels, juicy and sweet.
Is this Alice in Wonderland or Woodland?
One of many xeriscape yards in Woodland to reduce water usage.
Roses in December.
Red hot poker plant seen on a Woodland walk.
Christmas views in Woodland.
Clever idea to simulate a campfire with red lights and twigs.
Our guesthouse was a short drive from UC Davis and we enjoyed walks around the UC Davis Arboretum and around the nearly deserted campus.
Llama at UC Davis campus.
Taking a walk along the xeriscape garden at the UC Davis Arboretum.
In January we moved to a cottage in the Arden Park district of Sacramento to spend the winter hiding from Covid-19. We had stayed at this cottage several times in the past and it is one of our favorites. The neighborhood is perfect for long walks and it is near the American River Parkway, another great walking destination.
Interesting shape is reflected off the towel rack with sun coming through the bathroom window.
Spring blooms are spectacular in our neighborhood in Arden Park.
Deer along the American River in Sacratmento.
Ubiquitous turkeys. He’s showing off for her today.
Mating season in Arden Park.
Turkeys roosting in the tree for overnight.
We celebrated Charlie’s 70th birthday in April. We didn’t feel comfortable going out to a restaurant so we splurged on a beautiful prime rib roast that we cooked at home. Charlie got a fancy new meat thermometer for his birthday so the roast came out perfectly.
We splurged and bought a nice prime rib roast at the local butcher in Sacramento for Charlie’s birthday.
We requested lower fat, less marbling in this rib roast. It was delicious!
We got our Covid-19 vaccinations at the UC Davis Health System. The process was quick and efficient, kind of like a big assembly line.
Waiting for our turn to be vaccinated at UC Davis Health.
Time to get vaccinated against Covid! UC Davis Health.
We enjoyed occasional drives over to Woodland to walk around our old neighborhood. The central part of Woodland has homes dating back to the latter years of the 19th century.
One of Carrie’s favorite Victorian homes in Woodland on 1st St.
Bright white trellis, flowers and a flag in the sun are beautiful together.
Driveway gate with interesting metal work in Woodland.
One day in mid-winter we drove out to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, about an hour north of the city. Migratory birds spend the winter at this preserved wetland and they are spectacular to see.
About an hour’s drive north of Sacramento, the best time to view the most birds here is Fall/Winter.
Egret posted on the tip of a long branch.
3 turtles on a log.
Partly cloudy/sunny day for viewing the wildlife.
Turkey vulture spreads its wings to gather heat from the sun.
