Although obsessed with the pack-up for moving from off-the-grid wild land life, I secretly (foolishly) fantasize a la dee dah beach scene near our upcoming temporary lodging in Cambria.
It’s wiser to embrace real life as it rolls.
Turns out our May/June habitat is cold, cloudy, windy, damp, and often shrouded in fog. This video is a failed attempt to show fierce wind. Don’t know why audio of wind sound is missing.
In addition, I am exhausted. The first weekend in our friend’s kitchen, I scrub a cast iron skillet so vigorously that each set of muscles and nerves in my hand, arm, shoulder and shoulder blade develops its own version of pain that night. Despite cold packs, hot packs, and massages, the muscle knot in my back steals four nights of sleep. A black hole bores into me with radiating pain.
I’m a zombie wreck bumbling through each day. However, now that I’m finally telling you, this photo can be a metaphor for how an event seems enormous, but is really a teensy drop in the bucket of life. By the way, the original photo is a raindrop arrested in mid-plop.
Of course, the ridiculous, pitiful skillet scrubbing muscle knot eases up. Of course, the foggy veil is lifting and we’re adjusting to wind. So it is high time to fill you in about our long-time friend who generously invited us to spend our transition time in her Cambria house. Before our off-the grid wild lands era, Anne Seltzer and I had many adventurous decades together–years of practicing aikido, exploring/expanding/honing our arts, learning Photoshop skills, helping to organize and curate exhibits, participating in exciting experiential art installations, traveling and discovering streaks of whimsical humor. These days, Anne is a nationally recognized button collector/seller in addition to being an antique dealer and artist known for whimsical story paintings.
Before leaving Cambria to attend to other business, Anne takes us on a whirlwind tour of local sights. On her last afternoon, she bursts in exclaiming she is kidnapping us. We quickly pile into her car and head into the sunset glowing on San Simeon’s elephant seal colony. These months, females are molting, lounging and throwing sand to cool down.
The beach masters battle for dominance in winter months–their harems range from about 15 to 150.
Anne also introduces us to the 437-acre Fiscalini Ranch Preserve along the ocean bluff.
On June 1 we start walking the bluff every single day. On Day #1 we first see a great blue heron.
Day #2: Trudging along the trail we feel creaky, weak, decrepit. We’re resting on one of the many beautiful benches when a tall, lean oldster with walking sticks approaches. He almost turns down our invitation for him to join us. However, he nestles himself–our chat meanders over a lot of territory.
While we, in our 80’s, are feeling pooped, Chuck Dowdle , 97, has walking stamina, enjoys a dandy memory and lives independently in Cambria. He used to teach in Santa Rosa and when we mention we’re from Cazadero, he remembers Maureen Berry, a bright light in his 9th grade class. He also remembers she became a lawyer and is delighted to learn she is our lawyer right now.
By chance, later we meet Chuck on the same trail at the same place. His daughter, Allie le Caux from Oregon, accompanies him. We discover we three have read Oregon writer Brian Doyle’s Mink River. We all rave over this novel, which has a raven as a main character.
Now, though, let’s back up to Day 3#: one day after meeting a 97- year elder, we meet a 2-week youngster. Romi Rose triggers keen memories of when I carried a new baby in a front pack and folks would ask to see her. Words are not big enough to convey the wonder of witnessing a new being wide-open to life. Amir, her father, joyfully exclaims how amazing it is to realize we were all once babies–cared for, nurtured, loved.
Our sense of wonder compounds exponentially each day.
On the boardwalk, footstep percussion softly accompanies the waves. Jim notes construction details–six screws in each slat. We are impressed with the massive amount of work it took to design, plan and complete.
Many patrons have plaque commemorations along the trail and on the unique benches.
The trail is all-time easy, and walking every single day, we become stronger.
We greet the great blue heron every day.
We count 15-20 sea lions sunning on rocks. Pelicans, gulls, and hawks ride buffeting currents with great skill. We frequently see two does with a spotted fawn. Sparrows are rustling and tweeting in lupine bushes. Squirrels emerge from their dens to munch.
Bumble bees laden with pollen alight on flowers galore. My heart shifts out of exhaustion, which perhaps had become dangerously close to a habit, and I join the fun.
Jim AKA Dog Man of the West has fun every day. He pets between 7 and 17 dogs on each walk. He connects with Sparky, Sparrow, Papillion with butterfly ears, Ruby and Scarlet, Emmy , Patty, Muffin, Charles, Honey, Austin and Juniper (Juni for short) and many more.
He pets Yasmine’s dog, who had never let anyone pet him before. She is so excited she takes his picture to share with her family and friends.
At the populated end of the trail, we see a faux topiary mountain lion slinking around fancy houses. He’s some sort of cousin rendition of the Sonoma County P36 wild cat. (See previous Migration story.)
The green cat seems strangely out of place–as do my recent nightmares occurring just as I’m regaining some ooomph in real life. At 2 a.m. I wake up because I’ve lost the car keys, lost the car, lost the van, lost my iphone, lost my $ pouch and my plane ticket home, lost my clothes. I’m wearing only shorts and it’s too cold, too late and too dark to try to find another plane. I suspect these dreams are part of the transition between major life changes. Probably it’s healthy to acknowledge this stuff.
I think of a favorite Fiscalini trail-mate. Uh–he’s also in a transition phase.
Footnote: FYI–Yoyo the cat is adjusting to Cambria. In his former life, he commanded 40 acres day and night. Here, he sits on the window sill behind the curtain while yearning to carouse through the night. Instead, his bed-snuggling purrs bring on our sense of well-being. In the morning, he gets to run around the neighborhood.
Gretchen Butler Wild Art 
I love a good travel log ! Thanks for the distant vicarious adventure….I’m into mink river now, the 6th of his novels I’ve done. I think the rest are short stories, etc…Loved Chicago and Plover too…all the best on your lay-over….I’m due to visit Lompoc next month and will plan on a visit if you’re still there. Sue and I have stayed at the Best Western and one other place in the past. And I’m sure you’ve gone to the Castle…amazing place. All the best, mike
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Thank you Gretchen for your beautiful and heartfelt share. I can’t imagine beginning again in a new place at this age and you share with us a mixture of new adventures and sadness at leaving the home you’ve loved for many years. Your share to us shows that your bravery, curiosity, artistic flair and candid sharing of your inner as well as your external world. I feel honored in receiving it. I send you and Jim my very best in this new adventure you are having. I am delighted that you are exploring and discovering so many wonders and magical places. Take very good care! diane
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Morning Gretchen. And welcome to the first day of Summer!!
Thanks for sharing your recent posting. Glad to see you guys are fitting in with your neighborhood. Seems as though there is always more to discover in life, no matter the circumstances. Also, glad to see Yo-Yo is adapting as well – changes can be difficult for cats as well.
So, any idea as to your ETA in Venice yet? I know those things can often take longer than anticipated…
Meanwhile, keep taking in Cambria. It is a very unique place on the California Coast. BTW, see any whales on your walks yet?
Keep up the communications. It is always good to hear from you. And please give Jim my very best.
Slater
PS: No more cast iron skillets for you!!
>
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Dearest Gretchen, oh how I can relate! You both are so very brave to make this transition, and good for you for, in your true spirit, taking in these moments of wonder along the way. I’m cheering you on and thinking of you a lot during this “liminal time.” Beautiful great blue heron!
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Alison, don’t know if yesterday’s message got through
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Hi, I see mine!
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As one of your daughters recently commented, “she finds beauty wherever she is.” And you, dear sis, are part of the beauty wherever you are. Another heartfelt and inspiring lesson in how to live.
all my love,
Susan
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As one of your daughters recently commented, “she finds beauty wherever she is.” And you, dear sis, are part of the beauty wherever you are. Another heartfelt and inspiring lesson in how to live.
all my love,
Susan
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Dearest Gretchen! Once again your writing grounds me and uplifts me. I am reminded of all the transitions we share and don’t fully respect and appreciate (unless we slow down a bit and see with your artist’s eyes). Love, Emily H
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Hi, Gretchen and Jim!
I can’t tell you how delighted I was to read about your adventures as you head south … and to see all those photos and videos. You are both amazing, resilient, funny and creative people and this dodgy old lady is just glad to know you!
I’m in San Francisco, feeling more isolated without a car now (although I do love the fog!), and adapting to a very different living situation. The facility .. Frank Residences .. is part of the Campus for Jewish Living that has been here for years and years, this part having been rebuilt just before CoVid hit. Josh and his family live nearby. Veronica, heading into her senior year and getting her drivers’ license training underway, came by bus to visit the other day and we enjoyed lunch and a LOT of conversation. What a generation!!
I’ve been learning how to balance time on the computer with people from all over AND time with people here in person. Lots of people here have disabilities of one kind and another i.e. strokes, Parkinson’s, hearing and/or sight issues, knee problems, and so on. So the dining- room is full of walkers and wheel-chairs plus able-bodied (?) folks like me. About 5 months after I moved in I got CoVid and, in the confused state, fell and within a couple of days, I was the victim of scamming. It’s fine now but it was a royal mess and scary for a bit. Now I enjoy the movies in the theater here, playing games with others, getting in the exercise at the gym, and enjoying celebrations …. the sheer noise of fireworks on July 4th went until 1am (Josh had warned me), but I had no view and sleeping comes easily, so it was like hearing popcorn. LOL.
Everything changes and life goes on. People move to the Memory Care rooms (spouses can stay here and visit) and die …. and new people come all the time. Maybe 40% with Jewish background (met many from NY), all interesting with varied professional backgrounds. We even have an art studio and art of residents hangs on the walls.
Are you still in Cambria? I’m glad to still have my sweatshirt from the FogCatcher Inn there! When you can, let me know how you’re both doing. How’s your family? And the new digs? I’m a lousy correspondent, but I love to hear the news.
New landline: 415-562-1881. My cell is the same. My address: One Avalon Ave., Apt. 425 San Francisco, CA. 94112
Time for lunch! Happy to have someone else doing the cooking, too! Write when you can, OK? Hugs to you both!!
Love, Margaret
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Love the story, Mom. Beautiful. You’re an amazing g writer and storyteller.
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Dear Jo–I’m glad you are my first, front seat critic.
Hate to admit it but today is the first time I looked on the Word Press dashboard especially to figure out how to make reliable replies to readers. It’s been hit or miss and when you first wrote this, I missed. Sorry.
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dear Gretchen, this was so beautiful to read as I sit on my 40 acres off grid filling a water tank so that I can pump water from our creek and water our little vegetable garden. I remember in the first year of Covid when you came to take pictures of our garden because it was so stupendous as so many others were that year, before the droughts came in the years that followed. I’m sorry if not all the punctuation is correct in this because I’m using voice recognition but have tears running down my cheeks at the happiness that I have for you and Jim that you have had these experiences in Cambria they seem beautiful and magical and, I completely 100% heart to heart recognize the dreaming in this transitional liminal space that your dreams represent because I know they are my dreams too. Be well and never stop sharing your experiences. We love to hear of them!
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