Eureka - March/April 2018

March 26, 2018.

Today, we walked the Addie Johnson Trail in the Rockefeller Forest. Addie was the first white woman to die in this area. She was only 27 years old when she died.

The group met at the Target store in Eureka and we car pooled about 45 miles south to the Humboldt State Park.

People who live south of Eureka met us in Founders Grove.

In the evening I danced at the Moose Lodge. Many people were sick and there were only 49 dancers.
 

April 1, 2018.

This was a strange week. It started fine but soon fell apart.

I must have picked up a bug while dancing on Monday. By Wednesday I did feel lousy.

Then Claudia called me and told me that Hanna was in the hospital with very little chance to make it.

Claudia had gone to Hanna’s house to pick her up for going shopping. There she found her mother unconscious. The hospital did not keep her long and send her home. Now Claudia and her friend sit with Hanna and try to comfort her. She can not eat or drink. The massive stroke stopped all brain functions.

I had gone to the Senior Center all week for lunch. Friday I barely made it. I did not want to miss the Easter Celebration, since they usually serve a very good meal and have chocolates.

After lunch I went back to the motorhome and stayed on the couch the rest of the day. Saturday and today were not different.

Hanna is still hanging in there.
 

April 8, 2018.

Monday evening, I went only for a few minutes to the lodge and looked who was dancing. There were only 29 dancers. A lot of people are sick.

I spent most of my days on the couch.

Hanna died at home. Claudia is getting some deserved rest now.

I was sick while the weather was beautiful. Thursday I felt fine again and a giant rain storm arrived.

The Redwood Coast Music Festival started on Thursday. I went for the kick off dance at the Adorni Center.

The Zane Jr. High School Band was playing from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

Stompy Jones was playing from 7:30 PM to midnight.

Friday it rained all day and night. I walked a bit at the Bayshore Mall. I did not feel like buying a ticket for the remainder of the Music Festival. They have venues all over town and shuttle buses are available. But I am still a little weak and do not feel like moving around in the rain.

Saturday afternoon I drove to the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary Interpretive Center to take part in the guided marsh tour. I checked out the inside displays and when I came outside the weather had changed. The sky was dark and it started to rain.

I went to my car and drove back to Eureka. There the weather was still fine.

At 5:30 PM I headed for Old Town. Today was first Saturday-Arts Alive. All the art galleries were open and there is always a lot going on.

I parked the car at the Northcoast Repertory Theater because I wanted to come back at 8:00 PM for a play.

I walked over to the Morris Graves Art Museum to check out the new art displays and listen to the band. Since the museum is this weekend one of the venues for the Music Festival the band was very good.

I left after a short while and headed for Old Town. I did not get very far when I noticed Doris getting out her car.

She was on her way to the Morris Graves, but needed to eat something because she had not eaten dinner yet. We stopped at the pizza place and from there went to the museum.

The Cocuzzi’s Quartet was doing a tribute to the Kings of Swing.

The Dave Bennett Quartet came next with a tribute to Benny Goodman.

The last band was the Kris Tokarski Sextet, they played until 10:00 PM.

Doris and I had enough time to tell each other our bad news. Her son was recently diagnosed with cancer and I told her about Hanna.

Today, Sunday, it did not rain. In the morning I walked the Hickshari Trail. In the afternoon I walked in Old Town.

The carriage driver was waiting for customers.

Spring is here. The ornamental plum trees are in bloom.

April 15, 2018.

Monday was a busy day. In the morning I walked with the Ramblers the Riverside Trail in Fortuna.

We met at the River Lodge.

At noon I went to OLLI, where they had a lecture called: “From Farm to Hospital”. The food service manager of the Mad River Hospital explained how they are growing some of the food served in the hospital.

The hospital has plenty of land and started their own farm.

In the evening I went dancing at the lodge. We had 49 dancers. More people are recovering from the flu.

Tuesday evening I went to the library and saw the movie: “Little Ceasar” with Edgar J. Robinson as the gangster. The film was made in 1931.

Wednesday evening I went to Temple Beth El where they had Holocaust Day of Remembrance.

After the Rabbi gave a little speech, and the choir sang some songs they presented the movie: Marianne, One Emigrant Story.

Marianne was a small child when her parents sold their business in Germany in 1935 and moved to Switzerland and from there to Southern France.

They finally made it to the United States. It was an interesting story.  

Friday morning I walked with the Ramblers in the Arcata Community forest.

After the walk we had cake and coffee at Linda’s house. She lives near the trail head.

Saturday I went on to the Arcata Marsh Tour again. Leslie Scopes Anderson, the tour leader, was very good in explaining the flora and birds we saw on the tour.

I learn something every time I walk in the marsh.

Sunday it rained again. In the morning I walked for a while and when the rain increased I drove to the Grocery Outlet store to look around. I ended up getting a cart and buying forty dollars worth of groceries.

Since it rained it was a good day for cooking. I bought four pounds of corned beef and put it in the slow cooker.

At 2:30 PM I left for the Morris Graves Museum for Wine and Jazz. Unfortunately the Journal had the wrong schedule and little girls were dancing.

I went next door to the Eureka Theater where they played the movie: Big Trees, with Kirk Douglas. There was no entrance fee today, which surprised me. It was probably free because the outdoor scenes were filmed around Eureka.
 

April 22, 2018.

Monday morning we walked on the Clam Beach. It rained heavy when I arrived at the beach but as soon as we started walking the rain stopped.

There was a film crew on the beach.

From the beach I went to Brown Bag Lunch at Olli. The editor of the Lost Coast Outpost Internet news site was telling us how they started and how they get their news.

In the evening I danced at the lodge. We had 57 dancers. Most of the people are back now and the flu is history.

Tuesday evening I saw the film: “ Gold Diggers of 1933” at the library. It was a black and white musical.

Wednesday I tried to walk with the Wednesday group. The Email said to be at the trailhead at 9:00 AM. I had a feeling this was wrong since the group starts walking at 10:00 AM.

I went early anyway and had to walk by myself. On my way back I met the group. It worked out fine since I wanted to eat lunch at the Senior Center.

Thursday was a beautiful day. I did not walk, instead I organized all my belongings I have stored in the sauna at Scott’s and Claudia’s house. It is a separate, small building.

When I moved out of Doris’s house I put stuff in big, clear, sealable plastic containers. I had not separated the items. Today I put under- ware in one container and clothing in another one and so on.

Now it is easier to find things.

Friday we did the Lyons Ranch Trail. We drove north on highway 101 to Bald Hills Road and then a dirt road to the trailhead.

The ranch was a sheep ranch. The first owner had married an Indian woman and used some of the Native American ways to ranch.

We walked to the barn and the small buildings where the ranch hands lived.

We ate our lunch there and walked back. It was a two mile down the hill and two mile up the hill walk. I prefer to do it the other way around.

Unfortunately, the Lupines were not in bloom yet. I have seen pictures where whole hills were blue. I will call the National park from time to time to find out when to go up there again.
In the evening I danced at the Elks Lodge. A very good band was playing and a lot of the Moose dancers were there.

Saturday, I had planned to do things in town but changed my mind when friends told me to do the hike with the Sierra Club.

I met the group at 8:30 AM at Ray’s Food Place in Arcata. Seventeen brave souls had shown up. When the leader arrived we went in five cars. I was one of the drivers.

We drove on highway 299 east past Willow Creek where we waited for our leader, he went and picked up two more people.

When he arrived again we drove on a very narrow road for about twenty miles and then on a dirt road for about ten miles. It took us two and a half hours to get to the trail head.

Since we were all together I took a group picture.

The South Fork Trinity River Trail was described as a 7.5 mile, medium difficult hike. 

At one spot we had to crawl under a fallen tree.

Pictures can do no justice and show the beauty of the landscape and the flowers.

We had to check for ticks though.

We crossed several creeks.

Walking with a group is more fun than doing it alone. People see different things and let everybody know.

We crossed another creek and decided to eat lunch there.

Some of the trail was dangerous. Here we had to be careful because of lose rocks. It would have been no fun falling down hundreds of feet.

I did not finish the complete hike. I did not do the last half mile, going down to the river. I walked only 6.5 miles. I took my time going back. I had looked at my feet a lot while walking. On the way back I stopped a lot and enjoyed what I saw. There was nobody behind me and I did not feel like I had to move on.

This blue flower was right on the trail. People were careful not to damage it.

The walk was just fun. I could have done the whole hike but it worked out fine for me.

Those flowers look like Indian Paint Brushes.

Here I stopped for a while. I took pictures where I show more of the river, but then the Red Bud bush is not as beautiful as on this picture. Those bushes were all over the hills. The colors were spectacular.

When I came back to the car I was sitting there for a while and thinking about how lucky I am. I am going to be eighty years old in a few months and still walk with people who are a lot younger.

Fifty minutes later the first group arrived.

When we got back to Arcata it was 6:30 PM. I did not feel like going home and cooking dinner. I walked over to the Oriental Buffet. This is one of the best places in Humboldt County for Chinese food.
 

April 29, 2018.

Monday morning we did two hikes. First. we did the Trinidad head Trail. On that hike one can enjoy spectacular views of the beach in Trinidad.

When we came down from Trinidad Head we walked on the beach towards Elk Head.

On the beach were young people doing exercises. They jumped around and walked on all four. There were several groups of three people.

Three of us walked all the way to Elk Head. The rest of the group went by car to the trail head.

On the way back I saw those Forget Me Not flowers.

I enjoyed the hike. The weather is just wonderful. I hope it lasts for a long while.

Tuesday I saw the film Shanghai Express at the library. It is a film made in 1932 and Marlene Dietrich was the main actor.

Wednesday I walked with Janette’s group. They walk an hour or a bit more. Today we walked on the Mad River Beach, near the mouth of the Mad River.

The weather has changed; it was foggy today. That did not stop Janette’s dog from having fun. He was running and digging in the sand.

I still had time to go to the Senior Center for lunch.

Friday we walked the Elk River Trail at the Headwaters Forest Reserve.

I walked only four miles and headed for the Senior Center where the Accordionaires were playing before lunch.

It rained on my drive back to town.

I was able to dance and eat one of my favorite dishes, namely cranberry chicken.

After lunch I went to the library, where the Friends of the Library had a book sale. I bought eight books for $ 3.00. This will keep me busy for a while.

Saturday morning, I went to see the Rhododendron Parade. It was raining, which does not stop the people in Eureka. I stood in a door entrance and was sheltered from the rain.

The Eureka Police Department was heading the parade.

The Fire department followed.

Virginia Bass, one of the city council members, was of course there too. She comes several times a month to the Senior Center and helps serving the meals.

There would be no parade without the veterans and the Shriners.

The Zane Middle School has a very good band.

Miss Humboldt County did not get to ride in her carriage the whole parade route. The harness on the horse broke and the carriage had to be parked on the side of the street. The horse was tied to a lamp post and I watched the horse while the driver went to get another harness. He came back when the parade was over.

Miss Humboldt rode in the back of a pick-up truck and got wet.

The cub scouts were advertising their Sunday Breakfast at the Moose Lodge.

Volkswagen beetles seem to be in many parades.

After the parade I went to the Humboldt Yacht Club where they had open house. They served free hamburgers and there were free boat rides and demonstrations by the Coast Guard. A dummy drowning victim was thrown out of a helicopter and was rescued.

In the evening I took Nicolette and her friend to Arcata for a wedding and reception. I went to a birthday party a few blocks away. Janette celebrated her 80^th birthday.

A lot of people had shown up and there was plenty of good food.

I had told Nicolette to call me when they wanted to pick me up. At 9:00 PM I parked in front of the Portuguese Hall and I wanted to wait. I heard dance music and went to the hall. There was a band and one couple was dancing. Later people came down from the second floor, where the celebration was held.

One woman was dancing by herself. I went over to her and we danced together. Later, Nicolette and her friend came down and they were surprised to see me dancing. We stayed until 10:00 PM and then I took them home.

It was a wet day but I still had fun.

Sunday, I went to the Lutheran Church on Harrison Street where Carolyn, who teaches German at the Arcata High School, has a get together for people who like to speak German. It was a small interesting group.

Carolyn comes from San Boniface, in Manitoba, Canada. I worked in San Boniface when I lived in Winnipeg.

One lady brought a cake. It was not only a beautiful decorated cake, it also tasted good.