Can you go back again?

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 !

When we lived there we used to go to Amador and El Dorado Counties for wine tasting.  Now, new, small boutique wineries have sprung up all over Placer, Yolo and Solano counties so it was necessary for us to check these out.  

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??

Snapshots in the windy city

I had been to Chicago before for an 8 week class in the 80's and I can't say that I was impressed with the City.  However, we were excited to go this time because we were going to see the opening of the Steven Schwartz new musical scrapbook "Snapshots" at the Northlight Theater.  Steven has a very prestigious resume.  Among his successful past musicals are "Wicked", "Godspell",  "Pippin", and many others.  Snapshots is a new type of musical that they are calling a scrapbook because it uses songs from his previous shows with new lyrics and in a new presentation.  This was our first venture into investing in a musical so we were nervous, excited and couldn't wait to see the results of all the production work that had been done. 

First things first though.  We were only staying in Chicago for two nights so we wanted to see as much as we could and get a feel for the city.  Some friends who live there suggested the Architectural Boat Tour, which didn't sound very exciting but we took their advice.  It was an amazing tour.  I didn't realize there was a Chicago river that went through the center of Chicago and the building designs were really beautiful.

Richard, Jann and I went on the tour and learned some interesting things about the history of the Chicago river.  When Chicago was first being settled, they had a lot of meat markets, industry and, of course, residential, and all the waste was thrown into the river.  Since this was the source of drinking water, this caused a health problem.  You would think the best solution would have been to stop throwing the waste in the river - but you would be wrong!  The brains at the time decided to change the flow of the river.  Instead of flowing into Lake Michigan, they re-engineered the flow to head away from the lake and have the fresh water from the lake provide the water they needed.  Chicago waste now headed down river to
St. Louis !   Of course, St. Louis was not happy about this and was definitely not impressed with what was considered to be the most incredible engineering feat of the century.  They sued and, surprisingly, lost.  Obviously, eventually it has all been taken care of, but we thought it was an interesting titbit. 

It was a nice cruise even though we had some rain.  The boat provided everyone with ponchos free of charge to help stay dry. 

We then headed to the Chicago tourist spot - Navy Pier - had lunch at Harry Carey's restaurant and drove back to Skokie along Lakeshore Drive.  Harry Carey was the famous and long lasting announcer for the Chicago Cubs so there was a lot of sports memorabilia in the restaurant.  Lakeshore Drive was surprisingly very scenic, right alongside Lake Michigan.

When we got back to Skokie, it was time to get ready for the theater.  There was a cocktail party before the performance for the high donors to the theater and, of course, all of us involved in the production.  The Northlight Theater is a beautiful theater and everyone was buzzing about the new production.  Steven Schwartz was there, as well as all the producing team and we couldn't wait for the show to begin.  "Snapshots" is about an older couple of empty nesters who have grown apart.  He is a workaholic and is unaware that his wife is preparing to leave him.  The action takes place in the attic where she has hidden her suitcase and when he comes home early and surprises her she hides the suitcase but spills a box of photos that catalog their life, from highschool friends, to young marrieds to where they are now.  Their younger selves come to life from the snapshots and the highschool couple, the young married couple and the couple they are today all interact musically and verbally and review their relationship over the years.  There were some funny moments and some very emotional moments, just like real life.  I watched the audience as well as the show to try and guage reaction.  It seemed it really hit home for a lot of couples and there were a lot of tears among the audience as they saw themselves on the stage.  Glad to say that there was a spontaneous standing ovation at the end of the show and the 6 actors were really good and deserved all the kudos.

After the show, there was a private opening night party at Bloomingdales.  All the buzz from the party was very positive for the show and it was a lot of fun.  We got to meet the actors and, of course, Steven Schwartz and now we await the reviews. 

What a great experience.

In front of the Northlight Theater

After party at Bloomingdales

Wesley, Richard, Me and Jann at the after party.

Me and the lead actor

Jann and the lead actress

Jann with Steven Schwartz

Me with Wesley, Steven Schwartz and the director

Home to Ohio.....briefly

Here we are in the great state of Ohio where I was born and reared and could not wait to leave.  I personally felt that there had to be more to life than work, work and more work!  Remember I’m half German.

I tell friends that I started working at seven years old and they ask me what I was doing.  Well, I started picking strawberries for Virgil Yeager.  The strawberries had to be ready to go to the market by noon so we started at 6:00 AM!  We got paid 50 cents for a carrier—that would be eight quarts.  In the afternoon we hoed the next year’s crop to keep the weeds at bay or we also picked raspberries.

I had a lawn mowing route when I was 11 years old and walked with the mower—sometimes three miles to get to the lawn!  I remember these were friggin’ big yards and if I got paid $10.00—was a lot—because I didn’t get paid that much!  Linda also had her own lawn mowing route.  I pointed out to Patricia a couple of the lawns I used to mow.  While I was busting my buns mowing lawns, she was busy in England reading and getting smart!

Trust me—our upbringings could not be more dissimilar.

When we weren’t picking berries, hoeing or mowing, we had to help at home with our own garden.  We were self sustaining because we grew all of our vegetables, got our milk, some meat, butter and cheese from Grandma and Grandpa.

My father decided when I was 11 and Linda was 12 that he (and therefore the rest of us) would go into a business of making apple crates.  He thought we had too much time on our hands I guess.  This wasn’t a “family discussion” it was a “you will” make apple crates.   Linda and I had to make 25 pairs of ends each day after school.  He had welded the frames, ordered the wood, sawed the wood and we made the “ends.”  Irmgard (stepmother) nailed the rest of the crate together.   To this day I can use a hammer and nail quite well.   

My paternal Grandma and Grandpa lived about seven miles away and had a farm that had about 16 acres.  They went to market with their produce and my Grandma sold eggs and raised and butchered chickens.  She also made the most incredible chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles!  The chickens were not caged and were fed food that made the egg taste incredible and the yolk was orange—not yellow.  There is nothing like the flavor of those eggs!

My Grandpa plowed with draft horses, butchered hogs in October, smoked bacon and meat, milked the cows and went to market every Saturday.  I remember that they also had a “route” and had regular customers that they delivered things to.  I used to love going to the market with them because it was something different and fun because I got to go to “the city” (Youngstown)

I have very fond memories of my Grandma because she had to take care of us when our mother was killed in a car accident.  I was seven and Linda was eight and our brother was a baby.  It was clearly a defining moment in all of our lives.

Linda says that it was one of the best years of her life when we lived with Grandma.  That year we lived with Grandma we both went to Canfield school.  It was a much bigger school and we had to take a school bus.  Before, we walked to school and could come home for lunch.  Grandad and Grandma's house burned down later (no-one was hurt) but everything was destroyed except the barn.  So of course we took pictures of the barn that still exists.

It’s funny—or maybe not—but Linda remembers different things than I do about our early years.  She was always willing to do what she was told to do without question—me—not so much!  I got into a whole lot more trouble than she ever did and I’m sure those of you who know me well do not find this surprising. 

We were brought up in the era of kids are to be seen—not heard; you ate what was put on the dinner table at 4:30 when your father came home from work.  After dinner Linda always washed the dishes and I always dried the dishes!  Don’t ask me why.  Also, dinner was called supper. 

I spent my entire life in Ohio outside.   From the moment I got up to when I went to bed, I was always outside.  My mode of transportation was mostly my bicycle.  I rode the hell out of my bike.  That’s something that has stayed with me too I love riding bikes—with motors or bicycles.  That remains with me today too.  I prefer to be outside.

Linda got a bike for her 5^th birthday and it was taking her way too long to learn how to ride it so I had to take over.  She won’t admit that I learned to ride before she did.  My sister’s personality is so different from mine—Patricia often says that she thinks I was adopted.

The expectation was that you grow up in Ohio; you get married, have children, stay there and die there.  I remember as early as 12, that that was not going to be my life.  I knew there had to be more to life than what existed in Ohio and I was going to make sure I figured a way to get out of there.

The main reason for this visit was to check in on my sister who has some major medical problems.  We basically wanted to check in on her and see how she was doing and time it with our visit to Chicago.

We flew into Pittsburgh, which is the closest major airport to where we were going.  My sister, Linda and her husband, Raymond picked us up and we headed off for an hour trip to get to her house in Greenford. 

Pittsburgh Airport is relatively new and quite large.  I remember before they built the new airport that you would basically step out onto the street after you had picked up your bags.  They must have had a few travelers killed that didn’t know that when you exited the airport you were immediately on the road but now there’s a shuttle from the terminal to the baggage claim and it’s a state-of-the-art airport.

We didn’t arrive at Linda’s house until late in the evening so it was off to bed after greeting her huge collie dog named, Sonny.  He’s the biggest collie I’ve ever seen and very sweet.

My sister has a three-story house that she’s lived in her entire married life.  She raised her four children there and they are all living close by and have their own families.  Linda’s home also abuts our father’s property.  Linda has approximately 2-1/2 acres and my father has about 1-1/2 acres.  Mowing the lawn takes on a whole new meaning. Raymond’s father’s property also abuts their property and it is a farm that has approximately 60 acres, an old farmhouse and a barn.  It has been sold to a local mogul and he’s planted soybeans to be sold for feed for cattle.  Below is the house I grew up in and Raymond mowing the back 2 acres.

Linda’s house is directly across the street from what was the Greenford High School and where we both went to school for our entire 12 years of education.  The school has apparently also been sold to the same local mogul who bought Ray’s family farm.

The town has not changed much since I lived there.  People are content—I guess—to stay there, raise their family and select their funeral home, cemetery and pay for their burial plot in advance!  Linda told me where she and Ray will be buried and also where my father and stepmother will be buried.

Their day starts by meeting their friends at Mickey D’s in Salem (for the rest of us that would be McDonalds).  They meet from about 8:30 and chit chat till around 9:30 or 10:00 and then they head home or go on to a doctor’s appointment or run other errands.  We never joined them because it was too early in the morning, I am not a Mickey D fan and I don’t know her friends and didn’t feel I could participate in stimulating conversation so early.

We had a great day at one of the local farms that was having a crafts fair and all the fabulous fresh produce was hard to resist - so I didn't.

Linda was very generous with her car and we had access to a cute little VW bug during our visit.  Shortly after our visit, Ray totaled the VW by going into a ditch.  It didn’t help his knees any and now he has an infection in one leg and possibly the other.  He has a bad ticker and arthritis so he didn’t really help his health situation.

We ate well in Ohio and I did the cooking except for the night Patricia made one of her  (and Linda’s)

favorite meals—shepherd’s pie.  We lighten it up with half turkey meat and the other half beef.  We all enjoyed it. 

Corn was in season and it is truly the tastiest corn you will ever eat.  Linda had a lot of tomatoes too so I made some salsa and we ate tomatoes every day.  We drove around the countryside quite a bit and I appreciated for the first time the beauty of the rolling hills, the huge barns, all the great produce ready to pick and, here's a surprise, the slow pace !!!    The people were also incredibly friendly.

We took an excursion one day and went to Geneva on the Lake.  We had a great lunch at the Firehouse on the lake which would be Lake Erie.  It’s in Ashtabula County and the county is known for having the most covered bridges in Ohio.  We picked up a map and went on a mission to find them.  We managed to see about four of them and they all have a different character but are all in great shape and in fact many of them have been rebuilt and will last into the next century and beyond.

We also saw signs for a winery so out of curiosity we stopped.  The setting and the building were beautiful; however, the wine was underdeveloped and flavorless.   California has no reason to be concerned!

After four days in Ohio we packed up and Linda and Ray took us back to Pittsburgh Airport and we headed on to Chicago.  I think our visit was a pick me up for my sister and at least I hope so.   She’s looking forward to coming to Florida to visit us to get out of the Ohio winter weather so I think we can arrange that.