We moved back to our Temecula house almost six years ago. After purchasing it in 1988 and living in it until 2009, we then rented it out for the next six years and moved to Thousand Oaks for a job, only to return to our overused rental house. Among the many renovations, we completely redid the entire back yard, keeping only the concrete sidewalk and pad. Some of you followed those changes. I most enjoyed putting in a waterfall and pond, and we’ve enjoyed hours around it with a drink and company or a book or just the two of us. But…
Read MoreCostco and the Lord's Prayer
Costco and I have a love/hate relationship: I love their quality, prices, and return policies…and hate the crowds from so many others who also love those. Last week we had to make a special trip—our church closed the doors to worship this week so we could “Serve our City,” or show the love of Jesus with no strings attached. From the 100s of projects, we chose helping replenish the local food pantries. As we walked the main entry aisle, Sheila remarked that they had moved…
Read MoreSometimes You Win, Sometimes...
Some locals claim the upper Sacramento River, right under the I-5 bridge in Dunsmuir, may yield the best trout fishing in California. Pines creep right down to the water’s edge of the gorgeous stream, yet leave enough space to cast and still not get hung up. Too often, at least.
Wild blackberries give ample reason to study the river, and large boulders in the 20-yard width provide holes for the trout. The rumble of nearby freight trains adds a sense of timelessness.
I’m not sure about the quality of fishing, but I did come to doubt the fisherman’s rationale, “The worst day fishing beats the best day working.” I’d caught…
Read MoreHow Easy Got His Groove Back—By Listening
I’ve enjoyed every bike I’ve owned, but my Honda ST1300 topped the list—a sport touring bike that was nimble around town and great on long rides. Carving mountain curves on it always caused a smile. But upon entering my 70s, I realized a less aggressive bike might keep me upright—and alive. Enter the Honda Goldwing above, with unsurpassed comfort and protection from rain and cold and heat. A great bike—except for…
Read MoreA Time to Replant?
Several weeks back we visited our favorite Chapin Winery in Temecula, then in the midst of pruning. The long branches, accurately called canes, that produce the grapes had been cut back to the spur buds on the laterals, or cordons, that grow horizontally. But some long canes remained, seemingly at random, and we puzzled about the purpose. Then last Sunday we figured much of it out. Most of the long canes were now gone, and we first noticed some…
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Brushy Streams
In streams like this, I lost countless hooks by allowing the line to drift too freely, catching a lot of branches and roots, both under and above water. Hundreds of times wild roses attracted my line like a magnet, requiring the loss of precious trout time to untangle the bird’s nest. Hundreds of wild trout darted to safety when I trod too hard, or unknowingly let my shadow cross the creek, or when I let the bait land too hard on the water. And fisherfolk face…
Read MoreAnticipating Adversity
Toward the end of the often-disastrous 2020, social media got flooded with memes and posts and comments expressing joy that the crappy year would soon end with 2021. That may explain why I so liked the above meme put up by Jeff Boyer. 2021 won’t fully flush out 2020, and some of the crap will continue to need wiping away. The vaccine rollout has started, but slowly; the cases and hospitalizations have reached all time highs. Yes, we’ll likely beat it, but…
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The Fine Art of Doing Nothing
Back in May of 2020, COVID provided an unexpected opportunity. I had a week carved out to ride my bike to Estes Park CO and teach at a writing conference, then COVID cancelled it. So I subbed in a trip to my beloved Sierras to pull out some trout. I rediscovered why we call it fishing, not catching, because the catching was below mediocre. Maybe pathetic. And from mid-morning to mid-afternoon, it almost totally died. I grew sad…
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