The Potato turns 200,000

I woke up thinking it was Monday, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. I got up around 9:00 and suddenly remembered that it was Sunday. I already missed mass so I made a pot of coffee and started painting rocks. Around 10am I still hadn’t accomplished much so I thought I would get dressed and go to the meeting at Tucker Farm. Scratch that idea, as it is now 10:30 am. It seemed that I could not get my Mojo working today. I downloaded some old 60’s songs like Crystal Blue Persuasion by Tommy James and Kind of a drag by the Buckinghams which described this day aptly.

Next thing I know it’s past five and even a hike is out of the question. I took a second nap and my body was still recouping all the energy I had expended on Saturday was a great day both financially and Spiritually… however draining

6:30pm rolled around so I forced myself to make the meeting in St. Helena. Then in a moment of Spiritual enthusiasm, i took off for Berkeley to make the 10pm student mass at Newman Chapel. I drove south for an hour and a half and arrived in Berkeley just around 9:00pm and went to Bongo Burger on Euclid for a Hummus plate and a “Lassie” ( a cold yogurt soda ). They had never heard of it and corrected me calling it a “dook" or something like that. I said that I had ordered a Lassie there for years and the clerk looked at me with some suspicion. I think Bongo Burger changed management from Indian to Pakistani Vegetarian and didn’t switch the menu… only the NAMES of things like their stupid yogurt soda.

I drove from north Berkeley to mass, after which I spotted an old friend Tina who was surprised to see me there. She said that I was the reason for her attending the student mass at Neuman initially. We both still wanted to get home early enough after services, but agreed to meet each other on Wednesday at 2:30pm in San Raphael at Cafe Gratitude. I look forward to catching up.

Lastly, driving through American Canyon I got pulled over because the CHP said that I was going in and out of my lane. He ran a check on my license and then asked me if I had been drinking. I said that my car was out of alignment which was true and he let me go. I drove ten miles further and pulled off the road in Yountville. The Potato’s mileage had just turned 200,000 ! Good job, and great way to end the day.

Trip to Gualala

My friend Reid and I drove from Santa Rosa out to the coast for a five-hour trip to Gualala. I have never been there before and the route we took was great. I was especially impressed with the emergency access route on the return trip. We went through Redwood forests, small depressed areas, scenic vistas and long winding downhills.

Skaggs road in particular, took us back towards Healdsburg and close to the Dry Creek Winery district of Sonoma. The reason for the trip was to deliver a famous picture to a gallery that specializes in Ansel Adams photography. Reid had won the picture in an auction a long time ago and was now ready to sell it. The gallery owner knew what he wanted and so did Reid, so they agreed on a fair price and the picture of the “Sonoma Hills” which will be displayed and hopefully sold sometime between now and December. If not, it will be returned to Reid.

This was a time when we could have a long conversation about many things, to get current with each other. Now that he is a dad with three boys, he hardly has any time to himself. It was fun just to cruise and talk.

The picture above is of the coast as it looked just outside of Gualala looking south.

Ceasar and Monica

Here are my neighbors children, Ceasar and Monica Ayala. This is a picture taken of them after their First Holy Communion at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. Their mother, Sylvia invited me to attend the reception afterwards which lasted from 3pm to 10pm in the evening. I am certain that if I drank Coronas and spoke fluent Spanish I would have been entertained the whole time. For better of for worse, I left around 4:30pm. I had given Monica and Caesar an envelope each with cash. I put ten bucks in Caesar’s envelope and only nine bucks in Monica’s envelope. I told her that I owed her a dollar because I used the twenty to buy a pack of Juicy Fruit and could not divide the money evenly after that. She held me to my promise to provide another dollar when I got home. I folded one up into a “Dollar Ring” and surprised her by putting it on her finger in front of her entire family. Then in a moment of ridiculous abandon, I asked her to marry me...Quite naturally, she refused.

A Friendly Fourth

My neighbors, Dick and Carol Uschyk hosted a lovely BBQ in their backyard over the fourth. They served ribs, chicken, frittatas, potato salad, beans, rice and assorted plates that the guests brought. Now that I am foregoing meat, I satisfied my appetite with frittatas and smiled pleasantly as others devoured flesh ( no judgement, mind you ).I also provided Dick with a bottle of Alacante Bouche from the grapes harvested atop the entrance to Greystone. I can’t and won’t be able to tell you what the wine is like because I never sampled it. A Chef by the name of Lars Kronmark gave it to me after an event at the Culinary Institute one year.Since my memories of the CIA are bittersweet at this point, I am passing along all those items that I have collected over the years.

I spoke with Dick’s friend, Peter as we discussed some of the history of the Napa Valley. I did not know for instance, that many people had snubbed Francis Ford Coppola’s opening party at the former Inglenook Winery ( I have learned that they are now planning on restoring the name, and abandoning the name Rubicon Estates ). Over 200 guests were invited, and only the Mondavi’s showed up. Robert Mondavi inspired Francis to start processing some of the classic grapes of that area.

After dinner, we gathered across the street to watch the annual fireworks display after sunset. It turned out to be an enjoyable evening. Earlier in the day I had spent three hours swimming at Bothe State Park ( which has been slated to close at some point ) and received a righteous sunburn on my face,neck, back and arms. The image above is of a thistle that was discovered during my hike with Don Freeland.

Getting out of Dodge

Not me, not yet. I will be traveling to Oregon sometime before the end of July and perhaps to Mineral King for four days in the middle of July. We shall see. My friend Raphael, who you read about in the last post is now with his mother in Mexico. The family here in Calistoga is here indefinitely. Sylvia, Caesar, Monica and Jessica are living next door with no daddy to support them. I am making myself available for rides, groceries, etc. but right now they are taking matters “One day at a time”.

I went for a hike up to Sugarloaf Ridge yesterday with my friend, Don. The hike started at 1:30 PM and ended at 5:30 PM. It was an intense scaling hike that was uphill from the start. Luckily, the temperature was not unbearable and I found a way to stay cool and comfortable. We reached the summit or saddle of the mountain around 4PM. We ate a simple lunch and made are way down the hill after that. It was a first for me in this area, and I hope to visit it again in the future. The picture above is of the view looking west from the summit.

Everything is okay…

Today I got up early and heard some crying outside my window. My next door neighbor Rapahel was being deported for not showing up to court for a minor traffic infraction which was not even his fault. His two daughters, his wife and son were all sobbing as he was handcuffed and brought to a police vehicle parked out on Lake street. I immediately went to talk with Sylvia his wife. We held hands and prayed quietly to Our Lady of Guadalupe for guidance and direction. Sylvia explained the situation through her tears and it was clear she was very distraught but had faith that everything would be okay. The children were the ones took it hard.We called Father Manuel from our local Catholic church to see if anything could be done on the short term. He is a strong influence in the Spanish Community here in Calistoga.

Because I don’t speak Spanish very well, I was only capable of picking out certain words as the phone was passed onto Sylvia as she was consoled in her grief. It was Tuesday and I went to bag up groceries at our local Food Bank. Thankfully I was able to get a few bags for the Ayala family. When Wednesday arrived, I learned that Raphael was transported to a San Diego Immigration office where he awaited extradition.He spoke with the family and explained that he was being treated fairly, and that he was fed during his trip south. This was the month where Immigration sweeps usually take place in the Napa Valley, according to the secretary at the Catholic Church in St. Helena.

When the weekend came we learned that Raphael had made it safely to his mother’s house in Michoacan, Mexico. The family is now seeking legal help to get him back with his family here. If not, they may all return to Mexico.

Father Brinkle who is another pastor around here who has dedicated most of his life as an advocate for the Hispanic Community ever since the days of Ceasar Chavez. He is a good resource for these type of situations I have learned. Since this happened, I have been invited to attend a meeting with all the parties concerned to be held at the church on the 28th of this month.

Short Sleeves, Shorts and Sandals

The Sea Turtle painted on this blue Spirit Rock is something I saw on my friends t-shirt, and thought it would be a nice addition to my summer collection. I would like a shirt with a whole assortment of these turtles on it. I would like this idea on a aloha shirt, however.This would be part of my ensemble for the summer months. Here it is June 14th and the good weather is now coming in. My neighbor Raphael is barbecuing the carne asada which is always delicious.

Today I bought some Chia seeds to add to my Quinoa. When I eat, I like to mix it up. One day healthy, the next day the emphasis is on comfort. I still feel driven to find some gainful employment. I applied for work at the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce for a Concierge position. It turns out that they want someone with more “Web” experience. This is fine. I felt compelled to apply for this position based on my experience alone, which is vast. It is not a surprise that I knew two members who are on the board of trustees. One of which was my former boss for whom a lot of unfinished business still exists between us. Be that as it is, I am still glad that I applied for the position. It tells me that I haven’t given up.

The above is the latest design motif I have for my Spirit Rocks. You like? You buy? Twenty Dolla .

Wild and Wacky Weekend

Last Saturday I was up early and over to my sister’s house in S.F. to see if she was going to be attending Cliff’s Variety 75th Anniversary Celebration. She was, only she would be showing up later. We had a cup of coffee and talked for while and around 9:15 am I got into my car and drove over the hill to Castro Street. I parked in a lot close by that was to be used for vendors who were unloading their goods to be sold, etc. The rain was coming down so I had to unload my display promptly.Then I drove to the top of the hill to my sister Martha’s house to park my little car in her garage so that I would not be ticketed during the day. She then drove me down the hill to the store where I gathered up my display and began setting it up out in front of the store. It was a good thing that my niece Terry was so organized because the entertainment that was to be outside could have been a total wash if it were to continue to go as planned. The Castro Theater was commemorating the days event by showing “The Love Bug”, a Disney movie for 75cents. A lot of adults and children began to gather outside the theater as noon approached.

The rain finally ceased and slowly but surely, I had a few customers stop to purchase some of my Spirit Rocks. Inside the store, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence put on a great show and presented my niece Terry with a certificate of CANONIZATION ! Now she is officially a Saint in the eyes of the all the nuns that roller skate and collect donations for AIDS relief throughout the Castro district.You really can’t beat having a Saint in your own family. The day ended when most of the present and past employees of Cliffs showed up at my sister Martha’s house for food, drink and camaraderie. A special cake was made that was passed around as each person talked about their adventures working at the greatest family owned store in San Francisco.

Winter in June

This is the view from my bedroom window.

I told my friend Reid that I was going outside to get some exercise. I lied. I went outside to check my mail and went right back inside and made lunch. If you are reading this and want to motivate me to go for a hike, PLEASE… give me a call. I will take you up on it. Left to my own devices, I am would not get out of bed on a day like today. Luckily, I have things to do. Namely, rock painting and pendant making. The weather is around fifty degrees and it is supposed to rain the next couple of days. Great. I am planning on going down to S.F. for the 75th Anniversary of Cliff’s Variety Store. Outside their should be music and dancing, come rain or shine. Keep your fingers crossed for some decent weather this weekend.

Composure

Thursday was a wonderful day. I picked Veda up at the Santa Rosa bus station around noon and drove from there through the Russian River Resort area and then to the coast. All the way to Russian Gulch to be specific. The sun was out, with a whole assortment of puffy clouds and a very light wind. We got to the beach around 1pm and proceed to look for rocks that we could collect to add to the Spirit Rock inventory.She had packed a very nice lunch with stuffed olives, salad fixings, biscotti biscuits, candy box tomatoes and the like. I had brought some lemon tea and dried fruit and nuts to share. We walked around the beach and met up again at the opposite end after filling a blue bag with a whole quarry of beautifully smooth, round rocks.We then walked back to the other end of the beach to discover our picnic lunch STREWN all over the place. It turned out that the seagulls swooped down and had a feast of our food ! Veda was disappointed, but did not react too badly. We salvaged what we could ( I guess the didn’t care for the stuffed olives ) and made our way back to the car. When we drove back through Guerneville we stopped and had lunch at a nice little Cafe which made up for the little glitch in our plans.After lunch, we found a little Spiritual storefront that had some workshops offered in yoga, breath work and healing. We walked in and talked to the woman there who was very enthusiastic about the history of the place which was founded by 13 grandmothers from different nations and tribes. I was very surprised to find some of my sister’s art work for sale in the gift shop! Talk about Providence ! Veda and I were invited to stay for the Kundalini yoga class which lasted about an hour. We both benefitted greatly from this practice and came away energized and serene at the same time. All in all, it turned out to be a very adventuresome day.

Dora the Explorer

It seems that the only thing worth talking about is Dora. She is the parakeet of my neighbor, Cindy. Cindy is four and her little bird is kept outside under the eaves of the laundry room. Early last Monday evening we had a big storm blow through which left a few trees down and numerous puddles to drive around. Later on in the week around Thursday, the sun was back out and Cindy was playing outside as I went to my car. She always says hello, and I try to find something to talk about with her. Naturally it is fun to tease a four year old who is given to believe most anything you say.

I told her that Dora was upset and was crying because she was left outside during the storm and that Cindy had forgotten her. Cindy immediately looked me straight in the eye and said, “ SHE DID NOT SAY THAT !” Dora is a bird !

Anyway, I thought I would share that with you.

The Farmer’s Market

Saturday was the kickoff for the Calistoga Farmer’s Market. I got up early after a long Friday which involved gathering all my resources in order to have a successful first attempt at selling the “Spirit Rocks”. It went pretty good actually. I met lots of locals and tourists alike and made enough to pay for the space and buy some lunch ( whoopee ! ). A Car Show was going on, which took up most of Lincoln Avenue. The foot traffic spilled nicely onto the side street where the Farmer’s Market was being staged.

I had an area that was near a coffee stand, so a lot of people stood around, drank coffee and talked while they checked out my merchandise. It’s odd to think of these rocks as merchandise, because I would rather have people think of them as personal talismans which they are gravitated towards and would naturally make a "suggested donation.” ( yea, right ) Of course, this scheme would not work for teenagers and others who probably just walk off with them. People liked the Glow-in-the-dark aspect of the Spirit Rocks, and I pitched the idea that it helped youngsters who were scared of the dark to get to sleep easier. My friend Veda was there and she helped out a lot by providing me with much needed moral support.

Later on in the day we went to my nephew Edward’s house for an early Mother’s day celebration. A lot of food and conversation ensued as many close relatives were present. Ed’s brother in law Nevin, announced his engagement to Jo, his fiance. She proudly displayed her engagement ring as we all helped ourselves to the Lumpia they brought for us to feast on.

Venturing out

Just in case you haven’t checked it out, I strongly recommend a blog called “ Smart-Ass Cripple “. This guy knows how to write !
His most recent submission is hilarious… real dark humor.

Today was another warm and sultry day in Calistoga. My friend Don and I decided to hike to China Camp which is just beyond the Palisades cliffs, just north of Calistoga. I recall the hike being about 3 hours… how it ended up taking six hours I will never know. Initially we had prepared a modest backpack filled with two water bottles each ( we needed three ) Two apples, Two tortillas with turkey wrapped inside (no lettuce or filler), A couple of Clif bars and a bar of chocolate. Later on, it occurred to us both that a few more Clif bars each would have been appropriate, and perhaps a few oranges. We started at 11am and completed the hike at 5pm and we were both spent.Don has been out of commission most of the winter because of a ruptured disk. He felt confident enough at the beginning, but by the time we reached our destination it was starting to bug him a little. I’m a little sunburned and my muscles are cramping. I have taken some supplements and an aspirin to ease the pain. All in all, it was worth it. Kind of like banging your head against a wall… it feels so good when you stop.

Sunshine Galore

Spring has sprung. The weather has been just gorgeous. The birds are chirping in the morning, the plants are almost growing as fast as we watch them. This Saturday morning is a day I’ve been planning for a long time. I will be selling Spirit Rocks and Chefs Toques at the Calistoga Farmer’s Market. I hope this is going to be as simple as it sounds. I will be setting up a table under a large umbrella in an area designated for craftspeople. I will have a few chairs, a table cloth and some small display tables on top of the large table. As I write this, I am trying to remember all the little details of other items I will need to bring. A receipt book, change, Sunscreen, hat, etc., etc. My brother and I have talked via Skype about things to expect. He has been in the Flea Market business for some time now, and knows the ropes, so to speak.

Messing with the mail

It seems that just when everything is hunky dory with my electronic devices something goes buggy. I reset my password for my gmail account and brought on a whole boatload of crap.I had prepared an email to send to my friend Eric who is one of the five or six readers of this blog, and it didn’t send ! So after calling tech support at Apple and reading all the online tech support material in the online forums I ended up deleting my account. Great. When I re-established my account, I could receive gmail, but it still would not send any. Damn. To this day, when something goes wrong I always assume that it is my fault somehow. As it turned out, it was Google’s fault ! ( No wonder they don’t have a call-in system ). So if you had trouble with your gmail Thursday morning, Google reported technical difficulties online. Well, that is just great. Anyway, it is up and running as far as I know. It’s a good thing I was able to send a conciliatory gmail to Eric before I went off to bed, because I was dog tired after a day of bashing away at this. The movie I am featuring is what it looks like in my room upon rising. Enjoy !

Easter Sunday

A lot of birthdays are happening this week. Best wishes to my sister Rita, my nephew Edward and a few friends I know. The weather is still rather gloomy but that is to be expected this time of the year. Yesterday was earth day and I drove down to Napa for a meeting and noticed that their were some blocks sealed off. A lot of people were milling about and checking out the vendors booths. Mostly, it was a host of environmental groups showing people how to recycle and plant sustainable vegetables and stuff. I saw my ex-girlfriend there, and went to sit down to ponder what to do. Then after careful reflection, I decided to leave.

Later, I went to view my High School’s history and statistics on Wikipedia and read some interesting information.My friend Eric Swenson will appreciate the following…

For a school with an enrollment of less than 700 students, the recent athletic history of St. Mary’s is rather impressive.

St. Mary’s continues to have outstanding success in track & field under the guidance of head coach Jay Lawson '81. Known for the 1600 meter relay, the 1992 version of the team AKA the 4 Horsemen ran a time of 3:11 and was one of the best teams in the country. The 1998 version of the team was arguably the most rounded team, anchored by a great boy’s 1600 meter relay squad which was ranked 9th in the U.S. and had a best time of 3:13.79. The relay traveled to the famed Penn Relay’s where they finished top 10 in an international field of 500 teams. The boy’s hurdles and jumps were also strong with Jerrod Mack jumping a best of 51 feet in the triple jump, earning him 3rd in the U.S. that year. The deep boy’s squad also had 6 members running sub 50 second 400 meters, led by Jafar Williams who went on to play football at the University of Washington. The boy’s team had continued success through the turn of the century in sprints and jumps helmed by Lawson, and jumps coach and Cal Berkeley jump legend Jeff Rodgers. In 2010 Maurice Spikes, current high school state champion in the high jump, reached an impressive 6'8. Another quite astonishing record is that of current hurdles champion, Trinity Wilson.

Retreat

Saturday was a gorgeous, sunny day here in the Napa Valley. I went to Mt. La Salle to attend a “Retreat for busy people”. This is the third one I have attended. Brother Richard Moratto conducted the retreat. It was about the Resurrection, just in time for Holy Week. I took lots of pictures and felt very good about my time spent there. A lot of memories about that place harken me back to a less complicated period of my life. It seems to be an anchor spot for me. It is a place I have returned to at various times in my life. I have resided there for over a year on two seperate occasions. The brothers have alway treated me with love and respect. I feel the same way about them.

Walker Ridge

I was prepared to go on a long hike Saturday, for at least five miles. It didn’t happen. Dieter drove Harrison and I all the way past Lower Lake to Walker Ridge. This place is really out in the Boonies. We parked in an area where dirt bikers and ATV’s were buzzing around kicking up rocks and dirt. Gathered were a group of naturalists who looked somewhat like a chapter of the Sierra Club ( I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them were members ). After “ gearing up” with our backpacks and poles we sauntered across the street to where the meeting was taking place. As it turned out, our little hike was going to be more like a politically motivated nature walk in an area that had been set afire by an arsonist back in 2009. The group leader launched into an explanation of the serpentine soils that were just beginning to support new growth and that the government had slated the area for an expansion of a windmill project that (according to the group leader) was going to be environmentally devastating to the area.This talk went on for a good twenty minutes. Finally we got “ungeared”, hopped back into Dieter’s Toyota Avalon and proceeded to follow a bunch of SUV’s up the mountain road to the summit. After parking, we had decided it was no point in throwing on our backpacks because this walk was only going to be a quarter mile at most. We learned about larkspur flowers and golden fields and a host of other succulents and wildflowers that were just beginning to sprout in an area peppered with shotgun shells, beer cans and broken clay pigeons. The trash left in this area was equally depressing. I found a fairly good sleeping bag mat made out of EVA styrofoam that I took back with me. We stayed until just after lunchtime. Then we hopped back into the car and drove towards Middletown where we stopped for coffee at a place called Mugshots.Eventually we got back to Calistoga around 3PM. We even took in an Estate sale on the way back. I picked up a ball peen-hammer, wire snips and shoe laces all for 3 bucks! Woo hoo !

Meet Mitch

This guy looks like a composite of all the bosses I ever worked for; or more accurately, Mitch looks like the owners of the companies I worked for throughout my career in Hospitality. Perhaps a Union Rep, who later became a slum lord, who later bought a hotel or resort, who later would hire a General manager who would be inept, so then they would eventually try to run the place themselves. This is a classic recipe for dysfunction and unhappiness in a work environment. The owner who wants to manage the boss.Classic. It’s all about control, suspicion and more control. Fuck. Today I got up, took a shower, cooked a nice healthy breakfast and got out the door to go to a job fair today. I went to Solage, which is a nice resort here in Calistoga just on the outskirts of town. It is owned by a French Company called Auberge ( they have a few resorts here in the Napa Valley ). I had applied for a Concierge position when the CIA showed me the door. I didn’t hear back from them, so I saw that their was an opening for a bellman on Craig’s list so I applied for that. I have done most every job their is to do around a Hotel, Spa or Country Club. I have been a Bellman, Concierge,Lounge Host, Server, Cocktail Server, Front Desk Attendant, Reservationist, Tour Guide, Massage Practitioner, Room service waiter and Banquet Captain. These are all fun jobs if you don’t get too involved with management and keep a low profile. The best job of all of these by far, has been the Concierge position. I will be forever grateful for the work I did in this position, the people I met and the good times I had.

A Day at the Beach

When I get cabin fever, I head out to the coast. The Ocean represents freedom from worry. I drive out River Road through Guerneville and then to Jenner. I collect lots of flat, round rocks to bring home to paint, and I also pick up a few interesting pieces of driftwood. Yesterday I found out that my unemployment insurance has run out. Now I have to rely on my savings to stay afloat here. I went to Mass today ( April 1st ) to say a few prayers. I am looking for a a sign. I am looking for guidance and direction from my Higher Power and it hasn’t been forthcoming. I am lost at this point. I suspect something will be revealed to me, so I will wait.