Eureka - September 2018

September 9, 2018.

Saturday was First Saturday and Arts Alive in Old Town. The Morris Grave’s Arts Museum had Wire Art on display. It was very interesting.

I made the rounds and saw Ken and the Mighty Rovers at the Old Town Coffee Shop.

The Latin Peppers played across from the Clark Museum.

At the gazebo an organization had a very small building on display. It is intended for taking care of the homeless people in Eureka. They would have to build many of them.

Sunday, I drove to the Mattole Grange near Petrolia for the Beef and Bean BBQ. I had not planned to eat there. The event was a fund raiser for the new Mattole Valley Heritage Museum.

900 pounds of beef had been cooked on the large BBQ.

Beckie, who I know from the Monday night dance, gave the organization the land. Now they need money for the building. Here she is cleaning the table after the meal. When she saw me, she told me that I had to try the food. I had eaten at home, but I went anyway and bought a meal.

They had advertised that the meal would be “Country Portions”. I have now meat for three days.

There was of course a band.

The temperature was over 80 degrees F.

Under the trees it was pleasant. There was also a light breeze.

To go to Petrolia, I had taken the shorter route through Ferndale. The narrow highway had many pot holes and I had to be careful. Since there was no traffic I could use both side of the road.

On the way home I went South, and went through the Redwoods.

I had a good view of Mattole Valley from the top of the mountain.

I would have liked to bring Joan along for this little outing. She did not feel good though after the Friday walk. This was the second walk she did with the Ramblers and both times she felt bad. She will not walk anymore with the group.

Monday, we walked the Arcata Marsh Trail.

Canadian geese were flying to the meadows, where they eat the grass. They were very noisy.

Tuesday, Joan and I walked in her neighborhood. I liked this front yard at one house.

Thursday, after my walk, I went again for dance lessons.

Friday night, Joan and I went dancing at the Elks Lodge. Midnight Special is a good band. I danced almost every dance.

Saturday morning, I went Down Town where they had Cruising Eureka. Second street was closed off and old cars were lined up on the street.

This 56 Hudson is one of the rare cars displayed.

After enjoying the cars, I went for a walk. Artists are painting the electrical voltage reducing boxes, which are located near the sidewalks.

Sunday, I walked the Eureka Waterfront Trail. Joan went again to Grants Pass and Susie just came back from Chicago. They both travel a lot. I do not like to walk by myself on this trail but there were some people on the trail and only a few homeless people were around.

The Blue Ox old buildings are falling apart. The proprietor uses the buildings which are still in good shape. The Blue Ox Woodwork Company is an institution in Eureka. They use machinery from the 19^th century and before and fabricate parts for Victorian buildings. A lot of the machines are human, peddle powered.

September 16, 2018.

Monday, we hiked in the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge. In Eureka it was sunny but out here we had fog.

In the afternoon I had two small growths removed from the left side of my face. While the lady was taking care of this she also burned off small areas on my ears and the top of my head.

At the evening dance, people asked me whether I got into a fight. They were kidding.

Tuesday, I had lunch with Marry Ann at Gallagher’s Irish Pub. I had planned to go to the Marina Restaurant, but it was closed because they had a plumbing problem.

Thursday, I walked from the Boardwalk to the Red Lion Inn, where owners of Ford Hard Top Convertibles showed of their cars. The top goes in the trunk. There is not much room for anything else. It was unique, but Ford manufactured the cars only for a short time.

In the evening I went to the Redwood Curtain Theater and saw the play, Marjorie Prime.

Friday morning, I walked with the Ramblers on a super trail. We drove North of Orick, on the Newton Drury Parkway, to the Ossagon Rocks Trailhead.

We walked through the forest, one and a half miles down towards the ocean. We crossed a little creek.

Then we walked across the prairie.

We had lunch at the Ossagon Rock.

The beach was empty. Not many people come here.

Ice plants on the rock were in bloom.

Yellow flowers were covering part of the beach.

The whole walk was almost five miles. We had blue skies today. It was a perfect day for walking.

When I came back to the Moose Lodge I saw noticed four motorhomes with WIN decals. Max, Donna D, David and Mary B will be staying a few days.

Saturday, I went with Mary Ann to a Block Party at Carson Park and then we drove to my motorhome.

Our next stop was Rita’s Mexican Restaurant for a late lunch.

In the evening I went to Mary Ann’s house for a while. Her house is four houses away from Doris’s house. I spent a lot of time in this neighborhood.

Sunday, I went to the Fair at the Plaza in Arcata.

McKinley’s statue was covered again. Some people want to have it removed.

Nicolette and her Desert Lilies Tribal Belly Dance group performed from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM.

Jacob, Nicolette's boyfriend and other friends were in the audience.

After the performance I drove to Redwood Field in Eureka where the Sons of Italy had a celebration.

The Accordionaires were providing the music. I danced with Pat.

Mary Ann was a volunteer and selling wine and beer.

September 23, 2018.

Monday, we walked some of the trails in Founders Grove.

There are some burned out trees.

Some of the redwood trees have giant burls.

David, one of the visiting WINs came along on this hike.

Our next stop was the Newton B. Drury Grove where we walked another two and a half miles.

Monday, Mary Ann and I danced at the Moose Lodge and Tuesday at the Swiss Club.

Friday, we walked at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The meadow was black because of a controlled burn. I can not understand why they would risk a controlled burn with all the fires going on.

We ate our lunch at the big tree.

In the afternoon Mary Ann and I had a long talk. She had a list with about 100 items listing what she expects from a man. I passed with flying colors.

I failed some minor items, like not being a Giants fan.

Saturday, I helped Mary Ann empty her Jacuzzi and clean it. In the evening we went to the North Coast Repertory Theater and saw “Dial M for Murder”.

We had lunch at Applebees.

Sunday, we did not do much. I visited mary Ann in the afternoon and then came back to watch 60 Minutes on television. Since I moved the motorhome I get WIFI from the lodge but can not get CBS on the television.

September 30, 2018.

Monday, I went with the Ramblers to the Avenue of the Giants where we hiked the Chaney- Drury Loop.

Since 2.5 Miles was not enough we did also a hike in the Enoch Percy French Grove.

There we walked to the Gridded Tree.

The bark was removed and used to build a tree at an exposition to show how large redwood trees are.

We danced at the Moose Lodge in the evening.

Tuesday, after lunch at the Senior Center, I walked with Joann the new bay trail. Mary Ann cannot walk much because of her knee. She had both hips replaced and now needs work on one knee.

There is a new bench at the trail. It is fabricated by using material from the junk yard.

We also walked on the old railroad bridge.

Thursday, I walked the south end of the bay trail. There is a new bench, mot much for sitting down, but for admiring the art work.

There are also several new signs explaining what the area was like some years ago. An empty field was a rail yard.

Fishing was a mayor industry in Eureka.

Friday evening Mary Ann and I danced at the Elks Lodge. Judy, on of the WINs, walked in. I had not seen her for a long time. She is staying at the Elks Lodge for two days.

Saturday, at noon, Mary Ann and I went to Fortuna where they celebrated Oktoberfest. The Accordionairs were playing in the morning and the Scotia Band in the afternoon. We danced only one dance while the Accorionairs were playing, but more with the Scotia Band. Unfortunately, it had rained and not many people showed up.

At 4:00 PM we went to McKinleyville, to Kathy’s house, for the Ramblers yearly party. There was plenty of food. Because of the weather most of us stayed inside.

Sunday morning, I did laundry and did some shopping. In the afternoon I went with Mary Ann to the home where her mother stays. Her mother is 92 years old and she is a very sharp lady.

I had a good weak. Most evenings I went to Mary Ann’s house.