Eureka - May 2018

May 6, 2018.

Monday was an interesting day.

In the morning I walked with the Ramblers a portion of the Humboldt Bay Trail. One section is new. It was just completed. In a few years people can walk from Eureka to Arcata. It was cold and windy.

After the walk I went to Brown Bag Lunch with Olli. Betty Chinn, Founder of the Betty Kwan Chinn Day Center, was the speaker. The subject was: “The Homeless Challenge”.

Betty Chinn has a lot of experience on that subject; she feeds hundreds of homeless people a day. Some people in Eureka love her and some hate her. Some people claim that she makes the problem worse.

In any case, she is a dedicated, hard working person.

In the evening I danced at the lodge. The flu season is over and we had 65 dancers.

On first Tuesday of the month is dancing at the Senior Center.

I gave my camera to one of our table companions and he took seven pictures of the coffee creamer on the table and Joann and I dancing. He took the pictures sitting down. No wonder they took his drivers license away.

Friday morning, we walked in the Ma-le’l dunes and forest.

Saturday morning, I went to the Humboldt Botanical Garden. They had a large plant sale and did not charge any entrance fee.

I walked up to the Santino’s “All Happy Now” Earth Sculpture.

There are some beautiful spots in the garden.

In the evening I went to: First Saturday, Arts Alive.

I started with the Morris Graves Art Museum and then visited some art galleries.

I front of the Clark Museum a Mexican dancer was performing.

The Eureka High School Jazz Ensemple was playing at the gazebo.

There were not many outdoor bands but they were present at the coffee shops and some galleries.

Sunday was a very good day. I had breakfast with Charley at Gil’s By The Bay. I forgot to ask her whether her name is Charlene. I do not like to go to restaurants alone; it is too depressing.

In the afternoon I went walking at the waterfront and Old Town. The sun had come out and it was very pleasant.
 

May 13, 2018.

Monday, I walked with the Ramblers on the Hikshari Trail. Some members of the group walked all the way to Gil’s by the Bay.

I went off the trail, and on the way back, walked along the beach.

Tuesday, I walked again the Hikshari Trail.

Wednesday, I went north of Blue Lake where my Advance Directive Group had a meeting at Cheryl’s house. She and her husband have lived on this property for over forty years. They live in the forest and have a fantastic view of the mountains from their house.

Their garden is deer proof. They have a high fence around their property.

Thursday I went with Charley to the Redwood Curtain Theater and saw the play: “The House That Will Not Stand”. It was a very good play and the acting was superb.

Friday, I walked with the Ramblers on the Bull Creek Trail in the Roosevelt Forest. When we left Eureka is was very windy and cold, but in the forest, it was sunny and there was no wind. We were in doubt whether to go south, but we had people from Fortuna and other communities waiting for us near the forest. It is not a good idea to walk in the Redwood Forest when it is windy. Those big trees fall easily.  

We walked through a tree which fell a short time ago.

We walked about two and a half miles and then ate our lunch.

Saturday, I went to Patrick’s Point State Park near Trinidad. I had invited Charley but she never called me back.

I walked to Mussel Rock overlook. The trail is very steep and there are many steps.

On a fallen tree is enough clearance to walk without bending down.

My next stop was Wedding Rock. I have been here several times and will come many times more. I believe this park is one of the most beautiful California State Parks. Today I had free entrance to the park. On the second Saturday of the month the park makes a number of free tickets available.

One has to apply on the State Park website.

From Wedding Rock, a trail leads down to the water. The sea stacks are surrounded by white churning water.

The large Cypress sits majestically on the bluff overlooking the coast.

I also visited again the Sumeg Village. Every time I come here I learn something new.

The Yurok people hunted grey whales and used all parts of the catch for their daily needs. 

Sunday, I did my morning walk in town. The Rhododendrons are in full bloom now. There are a lot of blooming bushes in the front yards of homes.

In the afternoon I went to the Morris Graves Museum of Art where the Redwood Raks World Dance Studio performed the Charleston and gave dance lessons.

May 20, 2018.

I did not walk with the Ramblers on Monday because I did not want to miss the Brown Bag Lunch program at OLLI.

I did dance at the Moose Lodge on Monday evening and Tuesday at the Swiss Club.

Thursday I went to the library in Fortuna and saw the film Black Stallion.

Friday morning it was wet and foggy. We met at the McKinlyville K-Mart and car- pooled from there to Lyons Ranch, north of Orick.

I would have also liked to go to the Senior Center for the monthly Birthday dance. But the Lupines are in bloom now and I did not want to miss that.

The ranch is in a valley. We started out in higher elevation and walked in the fog.

We walked down two miles and at the ranch it was clear and we could enjoy the blue flowers.

There are also a lot of white flowers.

The valley and the mountains are a wonderful sight.

When we came back to the road the fog was not that strong anymore and we saw some lupines on the side of the highway.

In the evening I drove to Fortuna, to the Railroad Museum, where Jerry Rhode gave one of his talks and slide show about Humboldt County.

Saturday afternoon I went to the boardwalk where they had Bounty by the Bay. Two bands provided the music and vendors were selling all kind of wares. It was supposed to be a Pirate themed affair. Some people wore pirate attire.

The little trolley was also running along second street.

In the evening I went to the Eureka Theater and saw The Goonies. The movie was part of Bounty by the Bay and no entrance fee was charged.

Sunday afternoon I drove to Ferndale and saw the play: ”Chicago” at the Ferndale Repertory Theater.

It is a musical and very good.

Before I went to the theater I visited the cemetery. It is located on a hill. Unfortunately, there was no sun and the pictures came out rather dark.

 
May 27, 2018.

Monday, I walked on my own and attended another session at OLLI. It could turn out to be life changing moment.

My neighbor at the talk came also from the San Diego area and we had a wonderful conversation. I did not have enough courage to invite her for a lunch date. When I got home I was thinking about calling the speaker and asking her to ask Susie, my neighbor, whether she could give me her telephone number. We all had signed in with our personal information. I wanted to do it the next day but was still not brave enough.

Wednesday, while gathering at the Azalea State Reserve, for a walk, Susie showed up. I believe it is one of her first walks with any group. This time I had enough nerves to ask her out. We are going Saturday to Arcata for the start of the Kinetic Grand Championship. I hope the weather improves.

Friday it rained all day. I walked in the mall.

Saturday. we had fantastic weather. I picked up Susie at 10:00 AM and we drove to Arcata and found a parking place not too far from the Plaza.

First, we circled the Plaza and checked out most of the Kinetic Machines. The brake inspection was in progress and all the other inspections. One of the important ones is to show how fast one can exit the vehicle. On land it is not that important but when the machine is sinking, while on the water, it can save a life.

The machines are human powered and have to go on the street, over the sand dunes and across the water.

We stood near one of the inspection stations and got a good look of the machines and operators.

I was fascinated with the horse. The tail was moving and so were the eyes.

The Kinetic Kop was all over the place.

The Lion King was another beautiful machine.

There were several bugs.

On this machine the sails can be an advantage or may be causing trouble. Since the sails are ridged it depends on the wind direction.

The Flying Squirrel was another great machine.  

There were all kind of machines, large and small, simple and intricate.

On the way to the car we saw two machines which had broke down.

Today the object is to go to the Manila Dunes, go over them and the go on the road to Halvorsen Park in Eureka. There the machines will be parked until Sunday morning.
Susie and I went to the Oriental Buffet for lunch and after that to Halvorsen Park to see the first arrvals. Nobody was there yet and we went home.
This was a fantastic day. The weather was great and so was the company. It was fun to experience this wild and crazy affair with somebody.

Sunday morning I went to the marina and watched the crews attach tanks or inflatable floating devices to their vehicles.

Some vehicles had attachments to the wheels which propelled them forward.

At 9:00 AM the first machine hit the water. I was not near the launch site and could not see when vehicles turned over or went under water. I heard the commotion though and the laughter. I had to use the telephoto lens on the camera to take pictures because of the distance.

Even the motorcycle made it.

The bug floated nicely but was very slow.

The vehicle with the big wheels was very fast. The wheels acted like water wheels on a flower mill.

The Caltrans vehicle was fast on land and on the water. I have a feeling it was designed and build at the Caltrans shop.

The Unicorn and the hat were racing.

The Lion King looked just as majestic on water as it looked on land.

The volcano was spewing fire and smog.

The Madaket had noisy passengers on board. I believe they were officials from the Kinetic Championship Organization.

The crew of the car was trying to paddle but this did not work, more power was needed.

I was waiting for the horse. The crew had no problem.

This was an exciting week. The weather was very bad for a few days but it cleared up for the Kinetic Championship.

I also found a new friend which makes a big difference.

When I did not walk with a group I walked alone, one day in Sequoia Park.

Another day on the boardwalk and Down Town. There I watched a group of musicians entertaining and feeding homeless people.

The bushes at the Moose Lodge are now in bloom.

My beautiful granddaughter sent me a picture of her Prom.