Destination Friend

Ma: The California coast is probably one of the most amazing wonders of the world. We meandered on PCH 1 until Monterey, where we parked and walked down one of the piers to look at the Sea Lions. They were everywhere, perched on buoys, playing in the water, sunning on rocks barking at all of the kayakers and paddle boarders. It made me happy. Afterwards we became serious about our next stop- LA to visit an old friend who I haven't seen in 15 years. As a matter of fact the next two days were devoted to reconnecting with old friends. As soon as we arrived at Lisa's all feelings of nervousness about our reunion faded into the familiar feelings of fondness and friendship. The kind of friendship that knows no time, where you pick up right where you left off. Rekindling a friendship after a long stretch of distance is an adventure in itself and to me, much more gratifying than anything we could see or do in LA. We never left her lovely home, talking into the night and then again in the morning over coffee and a yummy homemade breakfast before hitting the highway and making our first foray toward the east. California you have my heart! Later that evening we found ourselves 90 miles south of Tucson in the middle of nowhere- a vast desert of rock, dust and dry to visit Katie, my best friend from high school. Her home is southwestern adobe style on 8 acres in the middle of this beautiful vastness. We've been better about keeping up with each other the past couple of years, but this was the first time I visited her in her home and it was great to see her son Zach and husband Dennis and get a feel for her family life in this unusual slice of Arizona. I love Katie. She is one of those rare friends that has shared almost all of the important aspects of my life and has been there for me since I was 15! Traveling the landscapes of these friendships reminded me that my far away friends are really not so far away and that if I can't get in my car and traverse the country to see them a call or an email can bridge the distance.
Lu: The drive from San Fran was really beautiful. We did a bit of the coastal road so we could see a man about some sea lions. They were pretty darn cute and playful and loud and blubbery. It was cool to see my Mom's old friend Lisa again. I was really young when I last saw her when she used to babysit me sometimes and do art with my bro and I. She still has our paintings in her yard :) I didn't want to leave that yard, I didn't want to leave LA. The weather was just so nice. I was surprised to find that the weather in the middle of nowhere Arizona desert was beautiful too. We arrived pretty late but that didn't keep my mom and her good friend Katie from hanging out til 3am. Katie is such a sweet woman, there's just something real about her and her whole family. It was fun to hang out with Zack and her. I heard coyotes in the middle of the night which was exciting, apparently, according to Zack, there's nothing nice "out there." Coooooool. They took us to a delicious vegan cafe for brunch in the cutest little town in the desert and then we were on our way. What sweet people we have gotten to hang with the past couple of days.

Note: The cute town was Brisbee, AZ. and full of art galleries, eateries, music venues and some pretty cool looking people. It's worth a diversion from I-10 if you are out that way.

Grateful

Lu: It was Thanksgiving and we couldn't leave wine country without a good morning tasting. ;) the weather was beautiful and set the tone for a good Thanksgiving adventure.We were on our way from beautiful wine country to San Fran. I've never seen it in the day, and the drive to it was a beautiful invitation. We immediately parked the car on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and walked over half of it. Soon after our walk we set out to start our mysterious thanksgiving celebration. At the end of the day we had a great success. We started off the night sharing a rum cocktail for 2 at a tiki bar and preceded towards the wharf for a famous Irish coffee. We tromped all around the city in all sorts of ways. The streetcar was definitely my favorite way to get around. It was such a cool way to view the city. Each area we visited felt very different, it was a lot of fun walking around. We found a yummy late night Chinese restaurant to top the night off.

Ma: Lucy is such an easy travel partner. She won't let me drive because she says she is too much of a control freak, but other than that, we agree on most everything. She's a good driver and fast, so that's good. Jumping onto the Golden Gate Bridge walkway as soon as we entered San Francisco was a perfect way to stretch out after the drive and to see the city spread out
before us from such an historic vantage point. Our eyes traveled from surfers catching wave after wave to the lonely Alcatraz and then miles of water, mountain and city. I highly recommend doing that if you ever find yourself there. We stayed at the Phoenix Hotel in the Tenderloin/Little Saigon District. The Phoenix is a hip refurbished motor lodge and the hotel of choice for touring bands. For a little more than $100/ night you get a very comfortable " hip" room, great bath products ( I'm all abut that), free breakfast and the use if a perpetually heated pool in the middle of a chic lounge area with cabanas, lounge chairs and lots of art and sculpture. This was probably my 4th time back there but I never knew that the best Bahn Mi sandwich was right across the street! For $350 at Saigon Sandwich you can sink your teeth into a crusty french roll filled with roasted chicken or pork in a savory sweet sauce with hints of five spice topped with freshly shredded carrots, sprouts, cilantro and thinly sliced jalapeño peppers. Lucy and I both agreed it was probably the best sandwich ever and we ate them standing up while watching the toaster get her tire repaired! San Francisco is truly a romantic and beautiful city and even in only one day you can experience the sight sounds and tastes of so many cultures.

What we did in less than 24 hours: Walked the Golden Gate Bridge, Thanksgiving dinner outside at Cafe Flora in the Castro District, climbed Twin Peaks for a 360 view, chilled at The Phoenix Hotel, cocktails at the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel, street car ride to Fisherman's Wharf, Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista, China Town, midnight snack at Yuet Lee!

Note: We love Anthony Bourdain and have had good luck following some of his food and drink pilgrimages.

Top To Bottom Equals Left To Right

Ma: We had to cross the Donner Pass to get from Reno to Napa Valley. At an elevation of over 7000 feet it was like entering another world as we climbed from the mild, partly cloudy and pleasant Reno to a sleety, windy and dismal mountain top hell. While Lucy concentrated on navigating the toaster, I entertained her with stories of the doomed Donner Party, the 87 American pioneers from Missouri who in 1846 set off for California in a wagon train only to become trapped in the snow atop the very mountain we were crossing. Not a happy ending. It took about an hour to descend back into the lush and verdant farmlands of the valley and then in another hour we found ourselves on Hwy 29 headed north through Napa Valley. Lucy has never been to wine country so it was like seeing it for the first time and I have never been there in the fall. The grapes were off the vine and the leaves were varying shades of gold, red, orange and green. Gorgeous rolling hills displayed row after row of perfectly pruned and carefully tended plants. All those plants, all those grapes, all that wine! First stop, Gotts Roadside for burgers, sweet potato fries and a bottle of Hall Sauvignon Blanc. We relaxed on a picnic table in the backyard enjoying our perfectly grilled grass fed burgers and wine, the sun warm on our faces. Feeling satisfied we decided to taste our way through as many wineries as we could before they closed at 5pm. Our favorites included Grgich, Elizabeth Spencer, Heitz Cellars and Honig. We ended up at Frogs Leap where we sat on a sprawling back porch over looking green grass, gardens and distant vineyards while we sipped six wines from a tasting list, the glasses laid out before us with our server instructing, "Top to bottom equals left to right". 5:00 arrived too soon so we made our way through Calistoga to the Mountain Home Ranch, an eco-friendly, rustic resort that Dan and I had stayed in years ago. The hundred year old estate is family owned and charming. While there Lucy and I fed goats and sheep, talked to chickens and enjoyed a delicious fireside home cooked breakfast in the dining room of the main lodge. Our cottage had two king sized beds and a wood burning stove that we lit as soon as we returned from dinner at Pizzeria Tres Vigne in St. Helena where we feasted on wood fired pizza, caesar salad, frito misto and tiramisu. I couldn't even get through one page of my book before falling fast asleep.

Lu: too tired

Reno Nun-11

Ma: I've always been curious about my Aunt Carol and wondered what it would be like to dedicate my life to prayer and contemplation. Just 16 when she took her vows, she had to say goodbye to everything outside the walls of her convent- all of the sensations of the physical world including the touch of her family and friends- and commit to a life long relationship with god. We talked about commitment and how some of her fellow sisters had given up their calling as nuns to embark on new lives outside of the church. My aunt, ever devoted and firm in her commitment, has not only maintained her happiness all these years, but she has grown and changed as an individual throughout her long relationship with God and at 75 is a vibrant, interesting, funny, loving and very holy lady. Today we had a lot of time to just talk and get to know each other and as we fell into the routines of the day it was fun to interact with the other sisters living here and get a sense of how they lived. There are 14 sisters living here and they are an amazing example of living in community, not only sharing the daily responsibilities of cooking and cleaning, but also managing and operating an elaborate greeting card printing business. These sisters are creative and resourceful providing all of the original artwork for the cards that are all beautifully done with meaningful verses for the various seasons and blank cards for anything else. Generous grants provided the funding for much of the modern printing and production equipment, but even so, this time of year the sisters still have scramble to meet the demand. On a tour of the facility we saw beautiful original artwork created by sister Sa Ra and my Aunt Carol, a musical work station for Sister Claire who is a composer and cellist, (we heard her practice in the chapel last night), gardens and memorials to loved ones passed and we heard Sister Cecilia practicing her haegum, a traditional Korean instrument that she played while singing ancient korean songs before her Skype music lesson from Korea. The peace and love held within these walls was a vibration I gladly breathed into.

Lu: What an amazing experience to meet my Mom's aunt (my Grandpa's sister) Carol. To be precise, Sister Carol. She's a nun that lives in place that feels somewhat like an all women's college dorm for older ladies that focuses on studying peace and laughter and community. It was so great to feel welcome and appreciated among these divine women. My mom and I had our own quarters in this building that they lived in. After my great aunt Carol gave us the tour the second day I couldn't help but feel guilty about the amount of space I was given and the abundance of comfort. These progressive nuns all live in a tiny room just large enough for a single bed, a bookshelf, and a chair to contemplate in. I was in awe of the happiness they shared, but don't be fooled, though I was extremely comfortable in their lovely community, I wouldn't consider becoming a nun. For older women, their lifestyle is quite appealing though. My Mom's aunt is a very sweet lady. We watched a movie with her on our last night, The Kings Speech. It was s nice to get to know her and the other Sisters. If I ever get the chance, I will most definitely travel back to Reno to stay with them and their beautiful community which happens to be such a great example of just that: community.

Destination Contemplation

Ma: I never knew a Honda Element was sometimes called a toaster. It makes sense now that I look at it. This particular toaster belongs to my 23 year old daughter Lucy and they were both waiting for me in Portland Oregon after a long flight from the east coast. Lucy had been traveling for about a month driving out here from our home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina with her girlfriend Kat and now Kat has returned to Australia and tomorrow we would embark on a mother daughter journey back home. We awoke to rain and after a quick breakfast, wasted no time throwing our bags in the brave little toaster, settling in and setting our sights on today's destination-The Carmelite Monastery of Reno Nevada. We chose a parallel route to I-5, the Willamette Highway which led us through mountains of ancient pine and birch national forests winding to an elevation of 5000 ft. where vistas were breathtaking and seemingly never ending. Although warning signs for elk crossings were everywhere we never did see any, but we did see buffalo, sheep, cattle and swooping black birds. Most of the time we felt like we were the only ones on the road. The 9 hours of travel were relaxing and went by quickly and soon we found ourselves pulling up in front of a beautiful chapel and monastery perched high above the city lights of Reno. After tentatively approaching the door and ringing the bell we were greeted by the warm and welcoming smile of my dads sister, Aunt Carol who is a Carmelite nun.

I have memories of visiting her with my family back when nuns of the Carmelite order were cloistered and we had to talk to her through a barrier. Now, most of the nuns in the Carmelite Order live a life of contemplation, prayer and service. Their website states thy are "Open to the times and the needs of the world"

My Aunt Carol seems open to anything.

Lu: After Kat left the weather seemed to drastically head to a consistent gray and dumping rain, telling me to get outta town and fast. I was grateful to know that after 2 days of a dramatic transition my mom would be arriving in Portland with a smile and an eager desire to make everything of the adventure we are about to embark on. I've been on the road for a little over a month now, it gets a little bit exhausting but I've yet to come across a bad experience. It'll be different on the way home for a few different reasons. My mom and I will be traveling to different places that Kat and didn't hit on the way out, and if I ever run out of money I know Momma's got a credit card ;) haha but I won't let that happen. Though I my heart is working through an emotional transition I am thankful to spending this time with my mom, and also loving our first stop at the nunnery. This trip couldn't start off in a more interesting way. Its been nice to be surrounded by open hearted and minded nuns here in Nevada, and having our own space to relax in. I'm excited to see what's ahead.