On Tuesday December 21st we picked the girls up at school after their 1st class and drove to Manchester NH to catch a flight to Sacramento California via Charlotte N.C. We experienced no delays and flying for the 1st time in the Age of Covid went really smooth. Since we’ve all had Covid there was no stress and it was kid of actually nice to have everyone wearing a mask on the planes. We landed at 9PM Californian time in the rain and Susanna and Oona were there in their blue Toyota Sierra mini-van to pick us up and drive us 90 minutes NW to their home in North San Juan.
Upon arriving we immediately fell asleep on the two futons Susanna had laid out for us. Ambiana and me in the bedroom with Sue and Oona and Colleen & Jakobi in the living room. We slept 8 hours and woke to Susanna’s life in Cali. She lives in a trailer on 60 acres in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada’s. Outside are Ponderosa Pines and other trees and shrubs that we do not have in Vermont.
We spent Wednesday at the ranch as it is called. It is owned by and 82 year old woman Donna who we did not meet because she had a hip replacement recently and was in rehab. We did meet Gabi, Oona’s 1/2 sister who is living on the land with her 2 horses, Elizabeth, an older woman, who lives in a trailer and teaches in San Francisco and Eric who is a trimmer and is from Mexico City. There are lots of cats, a chicken and a duck.
We went running on the hilly dirt roads, walked in the woods where we found a really cool octopus tree and the bones of a donkey that was put down last year in the forest.
Ambiana & Jakobi at Octopus Tree
Cousins
Oona in the Octopus Tree
Donna’s House
On Thursday we drove down a steep and winding road into a beautiful gorge and the Yuba River. It is still raining and everything is lush and green and waterfalls were everywhere.
We stopped on the bridge over the Yuba and got out to admire the beauty.
We then headed into Grass Valley to shop for Christmas cookie supplies, drop some stuff off to Donna in rehab and then tour N. San Juan. It is a small community full of weed growers and meth heads, tweakers hanging out at the cafe and natural food store. Kind of like a Pahoa in the mountains.
We mostly hung out at Susanna’s playing with Oona, reading books, getting to know Gabi, making food and cookies.
On Christmas Eve, one year since Momma’s death we held a séance and summoned her spirit, checking up on her well being on the other side. She came to most of us in dreams that night
Gabi on the right, Oona on our laps
Christmas morning was enjoyed by all but by Jakobi and Oona most of all! After presents and breakfast we packed up for our road trip. A winter storm was forecast for later in the day with 2′ of snow expected and we wanted to get out before we got stuck here. Already the ever present rain was turning to snow!
Meanwhile Thomas was enjoying his own Christmas back in VT with Christine, Nora and Levi
