One of Sparky’s favorite expressions is “you can never go back again !” Well, I think our return to Northern California to visit our old stomping grounds and see some of our favorite friends debunked that theory.
When we left Palm Springs we headed North to Granite Bay to fulfill a commitment to house and cat sit for Joni and Paul while they went to Sweden to pick up their new Volvo. Their trip was for three weeks so this gave us a great opportunity to visit all our old friends and neighbors and we took full advantage !
Joni and Paul have a wonderful home in Granite Bay (our old neighborhood) with a huge deck, surrounded by oak trees. Their cat, Frankie (because of the blue eyes), is a ragdoll that loves being brushed and spends his day going in and out, and in and out, and in and out……… you get the picture ! He is a very sweet cat and loves company so we got to have our cat fix and Frankie got well taken care of.
The first night there, Pam Sutherland came over with Scrabble. Pam and Bruce live in our old neighborhood and their dog, Cookie, used to come and visit us every day when they left for work. Cookie, a border collie, became a part of our family too and, when we went to get a new rescue dog, we took Cookie with us to make sure she would welcome our new pet. That was how we got Scrabble. The idea of Cookie and Scrabble getting along, however, backfired. They became inseparable. Scrabble went looking for Cookie whenever he could get out and they were joined at the hip.
When we left Granite Bay we made the heartbreaking decision to leave Scrabble with Cookie (and Pam and Bruce of course!) and it turned out to be the best decision. Scrabble and Cookie remained best buddies until we lost Cookie earlier this year.
So you can imagine how much we enjoyed seeing Scrabble again and he remembered us with much jumping, kissing and crying. He has definitely been affected by losing Cookie but has the best parents in Pam and Bruce so he is a happy camper.
When we lived in Granite Bay we helped Pam plant a small vineyard on her property and over the years helped harvest the grapes and bottle the wine. This time Pam was getting ready to press the grapes. We had visions of being Lucy and Ethel, stomping in a big vat with a babushka and floral apron, but apparently times have changed and you don’t have to get grapes in between your toes any more. Pam had a device where you pour in the grapes and in the center is a rubber sac that expands and crushes the grapes against the outside of the container. Then the wine runs out the bottom and is collected in the carboys.
Luckily, Pam had some of her wine from previous years to help us get through this process. It was important to sample what the wine would become so we could be appropriately enthusiastic !
The countryside was beautiful, weather was great so our wine tasting trips turned into unforgettably great days. We got to meet with the winemakers, all enthusiastic about their businesses and, for the most part, the wine was very good.
Some of the best times were spent having great meals with friends. Cindy and Bob Sullivan—other neighbors who became good friends -- made a fabulous Italian dinner menu that they had learned on a cooking trip to Italy – and we ate off the Italian dishes that they brought back with them. Lunch with Dana after a tour of her new home. Pam and Bruce hosted a dinner party and told us to invite our friends. Keith and Dee came over for a steak dinner and introduced us to their new baby, Madison. Dinner on the town with Jeanette and Chris and, of course, a welcome home dinner for Joni and Paul when they got back from Europe.
This is our previous home on Crown Point Vista.
Who says you can't go back again??
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