Chico Day to Day

Although I am certainly enjoying my exploration of the Northern California area, there is a lot to be said for the day to day activities in Chico. I have continued to develop my fondness for my bike and get on it almost everyday.  I ride my comfy bike way more often than my lightweight LaMond and now have it completely outfitted. Since I tend to go out to the grocery store in the late afternoon, I installed both a very bright headlight and a fancy flashing rear light. Although I have been successfully using my backpack for groceries (up to about $75.00 worth), I finally had a back rack put on my bike and now use David's old but fancy panniers. I have also taken to wearing my helmet again, since I finally read some convincing statistics. Over 70% of bike accidents include head injuries. I still support the points made in my very first blog post, but have modified my behavior, once again.

Like a workhorse!

Leaf piles in the bike lanes:(

Chico is to a great extent bike friendly, which makes it even more difficult for me to understand why the leaves are allowed to be raked into the street...right into the bike lanes. These piles are particularly dangerous at night, even with my new light.  But I am still loving the fact that I can bike everywhere....downtown, the bike store, multiple grocery stores, the post office, through the park, to the fitness center. On a regular day of classes and errands, I will put on at least 10 miles. Here is one of the local kitties that frequently meets me on the final leg back to the house:

Looks a little like Sam!

Even has the same little purple heart...

This is the kitty that lives at the local bike shop....clearly I miss Sam!!

I have also been getting to know the  neighbors more and realize how lucky we are to be a part of this particular community. We went to a neighborhood holiday party last night and we have now met everyone around our cul de sac. Lots of education-related people and very-welcoming, long time California residents. My neighbor Karen invited me to be a part of her book club earlier this month and we just finished reading a great nonfiction book about the water crisis in the United States. Part of my goal for the year is to read more broadly and I have been able to do this. But I just finished a second nonfiction book and need to retreat back for awhile to the safe harbor of murder mysteries. Keep suggestions coming!

Other day to day activities include yoga classes, fitness classes, exercising, researching recipes, experimenting with cooking and baking, and, of course, lots of reading. I also spend a good deal of time planning for little local excursions and enthusiastically planning our next trip home...in just three days! I am so grateful to be establishing a community here, but still very much miss all my Minnesota family and friends. Am looking forward to seeing you all soon!

December in Chico

It has been two weeks since I last posted and almost a month since we returned from spending Thanksgiving in DC. The weather pattern here seems to be emerging: a few days to a week of gray and rain followed by that same period of time of mostly sun and warm temperatures. The highs and lows are getting lower (mid-30s to low 60s).  This weather pattern in combination with the shorter hours of sunlight makes it difficult some days to get the energy to continue exploring the area and establishing routines. When the sun comes out, my mood almost immediately lifts and I find myself excited to get moving and plan new adventures.

With the help of our new neighbors and friends (Pete and Karen), we did some exploring of the Sonoma County wine region last weekend. We drove through a  number of little towns on our way to Glen Ellen, a small, cozy hamlet about 165 southwest of Chico. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and, although we had our bikes, it became clear that the weekend would include more driving and hiking than biking. It felt more like a reconnaissance mission than an actual immersion trip.

After we checked in at the Jack London Lodge, we went up to the Benziger Family Winery to pick up our neighbors' wine and to partake of the wine tasting party going on. Benziger is a biodynamic and organic family-owned vineyard and the staff was knowledgeable and fun to talk to. There is so much to learn about sustainability, wine and just the region in general. The wine was very good, especially compared to the wine we tasted in the Shenandoah Valley region early this fall. After much haggling and even more tasting, we bought a family membership in the winery. So, when you come to visit, we can go down and play and taste at the vineyard!

The drive down...sunny and 60s!

Our view from the Jack London Lodge

Vanna White!

Excellent restaurants and pubs

Although we had a couple of bike routes mapped out, we started our day in Glen Ellen by going to Jack London State Historic Park, just a little bit out of town. It was a perfect sunny day and once we started hiking on its many trails, we decided to abandon the idea of biking in favor of really exploring the park. I loved learning about this iconic American author while hiking his expansive vineyards and property. The strange juxtaposition of the day was following all the Facebook reports of the snow storm hitting Minnesota. While I certainly was enjoying the sunshine and hiking, it made me nostalgic to miss the big first snow. So, keep posting those pictures and those pithy comments....I enjoyed them all!

I have new appreciation for  his writings!

Vineyards Everywhere!

He built a dam for his property...

Mark channeling Jack London

Stunning sycamore tree!

Our plan after we left Jack London Park was to do some biking. Never happened. We were too close to the coast for me to resist the opportunity to see the ocean. So, we drove to Bodega Bay (the setting for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds) and did some sightseeing there. There are clearly many many more things to do in this area, so return trips are planned!

Bodega Bay Harbor

Thanksgiving, Swimming Outdoors, & Fall Clean-Up

One of my goals for my Leave of Absence year is to do as much traveling as I want and can afford. And I have been meeting my goal! Mark and I went to Washington DC for Thanksgiving and met up with all the kids and the DC family. I love that city! It is very bike friendly and I try to take every opportunity to support the Capital Bike Share. We were only there four days, but got to spend time with the little girls, played games, ate too much, drank wine, and toured the city by bike, car, and foot.

Starting the vacation with a stop at the Russian House Lounge

The Sputnik.......mmm....mmmm GOOD!

I never tire of hiking the mall

One of my favorite memorials--the FDR. The additional statues are pretty great too!

Seven people in the jeep to go to the zoo.

Zoo Lights 2012

 Coming back to Chico was quite a transition. Exercise always helps me adjust, so I got right back into yoga and am now trying to incorporate swimming into my aerobic routine. It should be easy to do given how beautiful the swimming pool is at our fitness center. I swam late one evening and after doing almost half a mile, I flipped onto my back and just enjoyed the sight of the palms waving in the breeze.

In Motion Fitness--Five Pools!

10 Minute bike ride from Nicole Lane

But in case you think all I do is play and relax, here is some evidence to the contrary. Yes, here too, we need to rake leaves and clean up the yard. Luckily, I was able to hire two of the neighborhood kids to help me, and we finished up just minutes before the rain set in. Working with the kids made me realize that I miss working in a classroom. So, I think the time has come for me to make some contacts in the schools this week. Wish me luck!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Yes, I believe the rainy season has now begun in Northern California. I wasn't even aware that there was one, but it is becoming quite clear that there is. We have been back from our DC Thanksgiving visit for a week and a day, and it has rained every day. There have been some fairly severe storms the last two days and even the locals are taking notice of the effects. Here are some pictures:

The Lindo Channel before the rains...

And just one day after the rains.....

The picnic area just north of us is completely flooded and the channel is filled with large tree branches and even tree trunks in the fast moving waters. Snakes have been washed out of their nests and a rattler was the object of quite a lot of interest as it rested on a floating mass of tree debris. It finally was sucked into the roiling water and I actually felt bad for it. This little garter snake appears to have faired better.

The City must have regular flooding
since they have these signs handy.

This is 5 Mile Picnic Area, the lunch stop for the Tweed Ride,
just a few weeks ago.

Here are a few other pictures.....

Hard to believe this was a completely dry rocky bottom just a few days ago.

But note the blue sky....the sun finally came out!

The Sundial Bridge

The week has been rainy and cool (50s and 60s) here in northern California. But Mark finally has some time off and so we decided to do a little out of town exploring. We headed up to Redding, CA, about 75 miles north of here. The town is slightly bigger than Chico and has great trails along the Sacramento River. The Turtle Bay Exploration Park includes the Sundial Bridge, which also includes a botanical garden. We will definitely return to the area when the weather is less wet. Very pretty!

He's looking pretty relaxed!

Cool glass walkway.

The Sundial up close

It was one week ago today that I returned from Chico from parts east and here are some other miscellaneous pictures from the week:

Out the front door of Fairmount in the morning....

Hiking up to Monkey Face in the afternoon!

Made plans today to come back to MN over Mark's winter break. Looking forward to seeing everyone again. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Trip Pictures: Sandy, Drag Queen Race & more!

After spending most of the month of October in Chico, I headed out for a three week swing eastward. I arrived in New York just about 48 hours before Hurricane Sandy.  After celebrating a 20 year anniversary of a first date, I got on the subway just hours before it shut down and took one of the last trains up to Massachusetts.

The view of Manhattan from Brooklyn

Smith College in Northhampton

Maureen blowin' in the wind!

The next stop after Northhampton, Massachusetts was Washington DC. Lots of visiting with family and also watching the Drag Queen Races in DuPont Circle:

Another highlight from DC--touring the Smithsonian and the Washington Mall using the Capitol Bike  Share:

Notice the sky....I did not see the sun for the entire trip!

Mall....setting up for inauguration??