Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Day 14
I think this will be a fairly short post. Haven't taken many pictures. I got up early and left Woodland about 9:45am. It was a little smoky there but as I drove up the valley it got more and more hazy. I finally saw another tomato truck but I was in traffic near a rest stop and didn't take a picture while driving. I was driving for these pictures but there wasn't any traffic. I wanted you to be able to see how smoky it was. This is Orland.

When I got to Chico, I went to Costco to reprint the pictures I had made for Dee's funeral and for Dick. When I labelled them with a gel pen, the ink would not dry even after blotting so it smeared all over the pictures. One picture of Dee ended up with a mustache!!! So couldn't give them away. 

When I got to Lisa's house, she had a houseful of grand kids and a few day care kids. we had a busy lunch and spent a little time outside. It's pretty warm outside but not unbearable. One of the babies is 6 weeks old. I'm going to include a picture of me with him, but it's not good :-) 

Carter

Some had already left! Casey, Ryann, Amie, Elliahna, Tyler, Scott, baby Carter, Hallie

Now everyone is gone except Ernie, Lisa and me. The sun is bright red!! Tried to take a picture of it but my phone just won't show the red ball. 

Getting this done early.  Going to visit Lon and Velma tomorrow. Need to get some flowers to take. It's going to be hot so will try to go early.  

Until tomorrow. Take care.  Happy birthday to Bev. :-) 

Hugs, 

Carol
P. S. Just heard there is another grass fire on the Sutter Buttes! The Carr Fire (Redding) is now at 110,000 acres. I think containment is 27%. Pray for all.  

When driving in I-5 I saw signs hung on the fences thanking the firefighters!! Was great :-)

Monday, July 30, 2018
Day 13

Woke up to cool weather (60) that lasted a little while. Actually was pretty decent today. Upper 90's. Jackie had a dental appt. today in Davis so I went to town and got ingredients for the Texas Caviar to have with our dinner tonight. Also Jack needed a few ingredients for his famous fish tacos!  I definitely got my walking in today. Went to Costco again, had a couple samples and got what I needed. then went to the Nugget grocery store. I love that store!! I want to bring it back to Tennessee. I guess it is similar to Publix. They have a beautiful vegetable section, lots of healthy type foods, and super nice and helpful people. Huge artichokes for $1.99. It looks so artistic. Only problem is when you want something that is on the top shelf and you are short, it's difficult to get what you want. When I got a head of lettuce about 3 came down to the floor!! No one was looking tho :-) So I walked around  the whole store a couple of times looking for things.

Tonight Jackie's family came out for dinner. Jack made fish tacos which were excellent. I made Texas Caviar again. Only made a double batch this time and had about 2 cups left! Had some more tomatoes picked fresh from the garden and a big green salad. Then to finish off the great dinner, we had homemade ice cream with homemade mulberry sauce! Couldn't have been better. 

Jack, Jackie, Mark, Scott, Julie, Kaia, Teagan, Jeana 💜

Enjoying the tacos!

We visited for a while after dinner. The girls have an early rising in the morning for volleyball practice. School activities are starting every where. Jackie's dog Carley is on the landing and Scott is talking to her. His dog would like to have the bone that Carley has. :-) 

That's all for tonight. Short and sweet. Time to head for bed. Travel day tomorrow to Chico. Will visit with Lisa and families. Will have more pictures tomorrow night. Maybe can get it done a little earlier. 

Take care. Hugs. 

Carol 

Sunday, July 29, 2018
Day 12

Arose to another terribly smoky day. So many fires burning in Northern California. So many sad stories. We went to church this morning at the Lake Almanor Community Church. It was a wonderful service. Very casual and friendly. A lot of tourists attend during the summer. They asked where visitors were from. Several from other places in California, Atlanta, Hawaii, and me in Nashville. I didn't take "church clothes" with me so I wore long shorts and a t-shirt, and flip flops. Never have gone to church so casual. But almost everyone there was dressed as I was. So I didn't feel out of place. We sat in a room that is also used for a basketball court. We had the doors open to the mountain air during the church. Was great!

After church, we went back to the cabin and had lunch. Leftover tacos or panini sandwiches. I had tacos and sat on the deck to eat. Of course the meat bees had to join me. So I put a little piece of hamburger on the table and it kept them busy and out of my food. 

My lunch. 

Then it was time to pack up and head for the valley. We decided to go down Hwy 32 since Hwy 36 would put us into Red Bluff which is not too far from Redding where one of the huge fires are. And would probably be very smoky.  Even the route we took was smoky. We stopped at Potato Patch, the watering hole where we always stopped when growing up. I think I have mentioned it before. Finally got a picture of Jackie and me so I can prove I really was here :-) We could really smell smoke there. 

 I got ahead of myself. First picture is going across the causeway into Chester. Could not see Mt. Lassen at all or the surrounding mountains. It's such a beautiful picture and I was sad that I didn't get to see it this time. The next are a few pictures of Chester. Lassen Gift Company used to be a drug store and they have a soda fountain in there. The Holiday Market is where we buy groceries and Collins Pines is one of the biggest employers in Chester. A lumber company. They hold art festivals on the grounds there.

On the way out of town on Hwy 36 we pass a closed restaurant that we used to really enjoying having dinner at years ago. It's called Black Forest Lodge. Actually had rooms to rent as well as the restaurant. I think was German food but what I really liked were the pork chops. Sad to see it so run down. 

The next few pictures are of Potato Patch which I mentioned at the beginning and the rest of Hwy 32 down into Chico. The burn pictures are from a couple of weeks ago. When at the lower end of the hwy you should be able to see the valley and Chico and the Coast Range of mountains. We couldn't even see Chico!!! 

Potato Patch

Curvy road!! 

Looking over the Chico and the valley.

Everything is so dry!! California is on fire!! 

I finally got a better picture of a rice field and saffron field on our way to Woodland in the valley.  Had to get one of a palm tree! And a picture of a sunflower field. There were huge fields of them. They are hanging their heads so about ready to harvest. 

What a wonderful trip it was to the lake. Even though it was smoky and I didn't get to really see Lassen, it was worth driving 2400 miles!!! It was as hot in the mountains as it is in the valley. Actually tonight it has cooled off nicely.  Tomorrow another trip to Woodland to get a few groceries. We are having Jackie's kids and their families for dinner so going to make another batch of Texas Caviar.  We ate the whole batch at the lake :-) So, it's late now. Most won't see this until Monday. Good night. Take care. Hugs. Carol

---P.S. Jackie was driving while I took pictures :-) I took 80 pictures since yesterday evening so was hard to pare them down. Wish I had taken my Canon camera so I could have gotten closer pictures. I forgot and let it in my car here. We went in Jackie's car. Oh well, next time :-) 

---PSS. tonight there is another fire burning in the Clear Lake area. Lakeport has been evacuated and Kelseyville in voluntary evacuation. Lon's nephew Hughie is in Kelseyville but on the outskirts of the evacuation area. A friend of my sister's is in Lakeport and has evacuated. So far her home is ok. so many people have lost their homes while at the same time they are working to fight fires and take care of patients, etc. At this point, prayers are most welcome.💜💜💜

Saturday, July 28, 2018
Day 11

Well, this morning we woke up to smoke smell!! First time we have actually been able to smell it. And we have a fine ash on everything.  More fires started today in Northern California. The last I heard the Redding (Carr) fire was at 80,000 acres. That was this morning so I am sure it's more. We enjoyed a great breakfast cooked on the BBQ by Mark. Had our meal on the deck watching the activities on the lake. I walked down their road and took some pictures about noon. It was hot and quite a hike back up hill. Good thing it wasn't very far. Would have had to have Jeana come pick me up in the quad!!  That picture doesn't look like it's uphill but it definitely is!!!

A bunch or rednecks cooling off!! :-) 

Jeana, Teagan, and Tessa going down the road to feed the deer. They love to see them come in the evening and eat. They get scraps of lettuce, tomatoes, etc.  

Tonight we had another excellent meal. Mark smoked a Tri-tip. We had huge artichokes, and a yummy salad. We tried to eat on the deck, but the meat bees attacked us and tried to get out food so we moved back inside. One even came in with me!! But it was a great dinner with great people!! 

I'm sitting on the deck writing tonight. We have all the lights off so the bugs are liking the light from my computer :-) It's almost chilly after being hot today. It's 69 so after being low 90's today it's quite a difference.
That's all for tonight. Hope all is well. More tomorrow.  Hugs,  Carol

Friday, July 27, 2018
Day 10

It cooled off during the night last night, so was fairly comfortable with windows open and fans going. This morning the smoke had cleared quite a bit and I was able to get a good picture from the deck.

And it was downhill the rest of the day as far as heat and smoke. We went to town to have lunch at Cravings restaurant. The picture, by the little creek, was the back entrance to the restaurant. Had a good lunch. And then shopped for books in the attached store. Another quick trip to the grocery store and then to stand in line at the soda fountain for ice cream. There was a group of 12 ladies that had gone to high school together and in about 1976 had gotten together for a slumber party with all their kids. So every year since they have gone on a trip together and the soda fountain is one of their stops. One of the ladies has a cabin at Almanor so they all stay there for part of the trip. It started out as one night and now is 3 nights. They came from Washington, Oregon, Calif, and ?? The girls enjoyed talking to them. It was so hot in town 95 it was really uncomfortable.

On the way back to the cabin I was able to get a picture of a sugar pine. It's the tall tree on the right. Hopefully you can zoom in the picture to see closer. The pine cones aren't filled out yet so they don't look very big but they hang at the end of the branches. They get to 18" to 24" long.  Good for decorating especially at Christmas time. 

After we got back to the cabin, Teagan talked her Grandma into getting a kiddie pool for the dog and her to cool off in. So they went back to Chester and got it at Ayoob's store. On the way back home they took a picture of another fire that can be seen in the distance which is near Susanville. It looks like a cloud in the middle of the picture. 

So this is how you cool off in California when you don't have A/C!  A little poolside snack of Texas Caviar and social networking! :-) 

Jeana and Mark arrived from the valley about dinner time with the dogs. We had Jackie's Famous Tacos and Texas Caviar ( a recipe from Tina) and chips. Was so good to eat outside. It was finally cooling off. Now at 11:00pm it's 65 degrees. going to get down to 60 overnight. Then back to 91 tomorrow. At least it cools off at night. 

OK. time to get some sleep.  Looking forward to a fun day with family in our favorite place :-) 

Night all.  Hugs, Carol 

Thursday, July 26, 2018
Day 9
On the road again!!!  Leaving Woodland about 11am, Jackie, her 2 granddaughters Kaia and Teagan, and me.

Headed north on I-5. There is a huge fire burning just west of Redding, CA. The whole valley is very smoky.  Can't see the  Coast Range or the Sierras. They have air quality alert in Redding, giving out free masks to anyone who needs them. Urging children, people with illnesses, old people to avoid strenuous activities.  The fire grew from 7000 acres to 28000 acres overnight. So all of my pictures have a hazy smoke in them. I can't get used to the trucks going 55 miles per hour. 

Orland, CA exit

 

It is so good to see the mountains and the pines! And the smell is wonderful. We had some road construction and had to wait about 30 minutes. So Teagan got out and stretched her legs :-) 

I think the last group of trees are fir but you get the drift. :-) These pictures are on Hwy. 36. 

Of course, we had to stop at the grocery store and stock up some more :-) The melons looked great! Definitely no snow falling today!! Was 94 in Chester. Very unusual. It does get warm but this was special :-). My kids dad, Jim Peterson, grew up in Chester and my family had a cabin on the lake. So we spent every summer on the lake growing up.  Guess that's why I love it so much here. Good place to recharge your batteries. The Ranch House is a restaurant. 

And finally The Lake!!! My day is made. The bottom picture is from the deck of my niece's cabin.  Wish it was clearer. It's so beautiful. 

This is how Teagan deals with the 90+ degree weather! :-) The inside of the cabin. Our dinner was so good. Jackie cooked so we cleaned up. 

There was a military plane flying over so the girls were video taping it. Was going to post it but it's too big. 

Grandma Jackie and her girls are playing Old Maid. Yes, the one we all played when we were kids!! Jackie can't keep from giggling every time she get the Old Maid.!! 

We just had a short power outage and the girls freaked out. They have been watching some scary ghost movies and knew they were done for :-).  Now a very full moon just came up over the house next door.  Very pretty.  

That's all for tonight. Hoping everyone has a good night. Hugs, Carol