April 23, 2000 Santa Paula , Ca
We had a lovely Easter lunch with Rick’s sister Kay and her husband Howard. (And their little dog…Bear) Their house is wonderful…bright, airy and so welcoming. It’s exactly the house I would expect them to have. Kay even sent us home with a care package of food !
There were little cottontails chasing all over the place this afternoon. It’s such a wonder how close to nature we feel out here. We listened to the coyotes howling at the moon last night.
April 24 Santa Paula
This park is a little gem. Green lawns and flowers and so many trees, of all kinds. As I write this, the breeze is blowing in the window and the smell of orange blossoms washes over me. The sun is starting to set behind the hills and is slanting golden though the pepper tree.
A local resident recommended the La Terraza Mexican restaurant on Main Street in downtown Santa Paula. There are ways to know you are in an authentic Mexican eatery For instance…when the entire time you are there you are the only Anglo in th entire restaurant and your waitress doesn’t speak one work of English! YOU HAVE FOUND REAL MEXICAN FOOD!
April 25
We had lunch and shopped in Ventura today. They were mowing around the campsite and rather then stew…we just went exploring. Came back to the smell of fresh cut grass and the whoosh of rainbirds. What is it about that combination that makes me think of slamming screen doors and summer days?
Rick just invited me out to see how bright the stars are tonight against the darkness and how loud the frogs are croaking. I told him that has the beginning elements of a good story……”It was a dark and froggy night”. (Grin)
April 26
We have been working on getting a ‘web site’ going and it’s finally coming together. We will go back to Hemet in a day or so and let Steve help us finish it up. That’s his area of expertise.
Howard has a print shop downtown and we dropped in to see him. One of his projects is a brochure on Santa Paula…the man does sharp work!
Walked around and took in some more of the downtown shops. They have several amazing painted murals…some of the best I’ve seen.
April 27
We met the most amazing family today. Leslie is a widow with two children and a couple of dogs and today is their first day of fulltiming! She sold her house…bought a new 35 foot motorhome and she plans to home school the kids. What courage that would take and what an adventure that would be…those children will never forget this time in their lives. You go girl!
Howard came out to eat dinner with us. Kay had a couple of meetings tonight and couldn’t come…work, work , work!
April 28
Back at the house for a couple of days. We got all the way back and discovered we both had ‘lightened up’ our key rings and the home keys were safely back in Santa Paula! So I was FORCED to shop for the afternoon. (Grin)
We spent the evening with Steve and Adriane and the grandbaby. He’s not such a ‘baby’ anymore…4 years old! As anticlimactic as it is to come back to Hemet again so soon…at least we got to tank up on hugs and kisses. And the boys got a good bit done on the web site.