After Memorial Day, May 2007

Other than a photo in a newspaper, I've never seen a National Cemetery decorated for Memorial Day.

Yesterday (Memorial Day) we discovered you couldn't get within miles of the Cemetery. The crowds here in San Diego had the narrow single access road along the ridge of Point Loma - a total stand still, a parking lot that barely moved. We abandonded the try.

I headed back to the Cemetery early the next morning and found myself completely alone with graves as far as I could see. Over the acres and acres of gently rolling fields, every grave was marked with a single small American flag.

Within an hour workers started the long walk, pulling up flags. Thomas told me there are 90,000 graves/90,000 flags and though it will take hours for his crew to pick them up, there are so many volunteers (mainly Boy and Girl Scouts), that all 90,000 are placed right before Memorial Day in 45 minutes!

Sex with Richard

Yesterday Richard posted an ad with our local Freecycle group, offering kumquats 'free for the picking!' I responded as quickly as I could and was invited to his home to pick fruit in his back yard.

The morning sun was warm and inviting, shining soft light on all the fruit trees he has planted since buying his beautiful La Jolla home 25 years ago. Richard told me he retired as an engineer after 35 years, last year. Walking towards the almost totally orange (with fruit) kumquat tree, I noticed a tree I've never seen before.

Richard explained it's a Chilean fruit tree. The unfertilized tree makes tiny unappealing fruit, but fertilized (when the seed grows properly), the fruit is large, juicy and sweet. The problem growing the tree in San Diego is that the only insect (a tiny moth) that fertilizes the tree, doesn't exist in California.

Richard went on to explain how he uses a soft paint bush at night to move through the branches, brushing the tiny flowers - spreading the pollen to go forth and multiply.

Tree Travellers, Drew & Shannon

I parked by the bay under the shade of a tree and was totally surprised to hear large bird sounds in the branches above. Drew was up high - very busy tying ropes, looping straps, hanging a backpack and trying to set/turn on a small plastic motion sensor dangling in the breeze.

He explained to me they intend to travel through Asia - "Maybe sometime in the next 2 years". He added, "Because it's so dangerous in those 3rd world countries, we've already purchased our tree hammocks to sleep in each night".

They plan to climb high into trees every evening, install their parachute thin hammocks high in the branches under the stars and hang all their belongings with them. Because Drew travels with expensive things and doesn't want to get robbed, he's working with an outdoor light sensor, to set it for any motion at the base of their trees.

Shannon was as quiet, calm and patient as Drew was busy, anxious and a bit frustrated. Shannon held long cords, moved around as instructed and kept setting her cell phone timer as Drew tried to get the sensor to work.

Shannon told me, they've come from Humbolt, CA where they met. She works as a nanny and Drew works as a juggler on various boardwalks around San Diego beaches. Shannon is learning juggling and seemed pleased to share she'll soon start performing with him.

Reynaldo, his art and his puppy Furullis

The brightly painted RV caught my eye.

Reynaldo and several friends were enjoying the warm sunshine, sitting in their lawn chairs with an 8 week old puppy chewing shoe laces.

When they saw my camera, they kidded it would cost me $20 for photos and if I wanted the puppy's photo, that would be an additional $15, please.

Reynaldo told me he paints all the time and never took a single art course. He added that he especially loves painting faces from photos.

He was excited to pull portraits out of his RV and tell me who they were. He asked if I might have some portrait photos I would like painted.

Armed and with a statistics degree from UC Berkeley too

(June 2005) - I met Helen (in her mid seventies) at the Lochsa Lodge (Idaho) registration counter (Lewis & Clark Hiway #12/ 60 miles west of Missoula, MT) as I sought a cabin for the night too.

Unpacking our vehicles in the muddy parking lot, we learned from each other that we drove the exact same picturesque route from McCall, ID that soaking rainy day, were road tripping alone from CA, were the youngest daughter in a dysfunctional family of 3 females and raised only sons.

Later that evening and the next day during a delightful early breakfast together, I met Tara, her 90# furry traveling companion and learned Helen often tent camps on her road trips, but never without her 45 Magnum pistol under her pillow. She added she's licensed and it's a must for the 240 acre cattle ranch she owns alone in northern CA. She said just flashing the holster is usually enough to discourage would be trespassers.

She then shared with me how her husband died of brain cancer at 41 and how she added a teaching degree to her statistics degree to raise 4 sons by teaching elementary school. Whew!