Back on the road (and blog) again!

Whew… it’s been a long hiatus, 7 weeks felt more like 7 years.

Our first night out, we found a little strip of BLM along the way, “Snaggletooth”, for a quiet night’s sleep and exploratory stroll.

Great Boondocking site about twenty (20) miles south of Needles just off highway 95.

The Past Seven Weeks…

Seven weeks in central California falling in love with my in-laws (and “Hot Dice”) while seeing the true matriarch of the family off on her last “cruise”.

Bon Voyage Rosann!

Rosann and family Farrar & Feickert — June 2020

(And fulfilling her wish that Rosebud appear in a blog:)

Breaking bread with family…

Good ole South Dakota cooking (and eating) … learned how to make “barecka”(bierocks) and knoephla and shared my Californucated versions of Dakota Kuchen.

Seven weeks of reconnecting with my side of the family.

New levels of communication and deeper connection developed with my beautiful adult children. Endless Mimosa brunches with my favorite siblings. Not enough time spent with my mother, as vibrant as the quadrillion colorful plants she spends her days nurturing. Mere moments in the presence of my talented and beautiful 14-year-old granddaughter. How to connect and spend more time with a teenager? Ugh a never-ending question.

Birthday lunch at Pita Kabob, The Dome in the Sierras with followed by lunch at the Springville Cafe, and my beautiful talented granddaughter!

Boy…talk about a GREEN thumb!

Mom’s Rose Garden and More…

Rockhounding in Central California?

YES! Crystal’s Galore!

I certainly didn’t find the energy or desire to rockhound as I normally do. But a sweet sister-in-law and rockhound extraordinaire, Patty, let me in on a crystal hunting spot… Folsom Lake, east of Sacramento, Ca. A beautiful area with a rich California mining history. The lake was especially low during our visit which is the perfect time to find crystals littering the shore. Well, littering may be a bit of an exaggeration but there are quite a few for the devoted Rockhound!

Folsom Lake and the historic town of Folsom

When rockhounding Folsom Lake be sure to visit Folsom, the town. According to Wikipedia, “Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is commonly known for Folsom Prison, the song “Folsom Prison Blues” as well as for Folsom Lake.”

View down Sutter Street from shoop’s photography

The progressive nature of Folsom currently could give the impression of a relatively new city but, in fact, Folsom is one of the older cities in Northern California and is very proud of its past.

From myfolsom.com, “The first known European to explore the area we now call Folsom came with a company of trappers in April of 1827. Prior to that the only people here were the Maidu Indians. Fur trapping was the primary occupation until gold was discovered in 1848, about 20 miles to the north at Sutter’s Mill. After the discovery of gold, many communities sprung up along the American River.

Folsom Trails

Folsom has over 50 miles of beautiful, paved trails. Many of the trails line the American River. Just watch out for the skunks as Max can attest to!

West Sac, who knew it was so “hip” and a Port Town?

Discovered “West Sac”, green fields along the Sacramento River, bike trails galore, downtown Sac nightlife just across the river and a hip local brew scene. I even saw a sea lion! A sea lion in Sacramento!

Draw bridge on the Sacramento River, Streets of London Pub, West Sacramento Harbor, Bike Dog Brewing, Jackrabbit Brewery and their GREAT food trucks, shrimp and grit hushpuppies yum!, Campus Brewing (once Yolo), Lil’ Joe’s Cheesesteaks at Broderick’s Roadhouse, and Track 7 Brewing.

Short road trip down river to Locke.

“Locke (traditional Chinese: 樂居; simplified Chinese: 乐居; pinyin: Lèjū; Jyutping: Lok6geoi1), also known as Locke Historic District” is an unincorporated community in California‘s Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The 10 acre town was built between 1893 and 1915 approximately one mile north of the town of Walnut Grove.” ~ from Wikipedia. This town has a remarkably interesting history. To read more, click here. Or to get there, click here.

We visited on a quiet weekday searching for lunch. Alas, nothing was open. We were hoping to eat at Al the Wop’s (not open) but we were invited to look inside. The buildings are tall and thin and appear ready to collapse at any moment.

We did find a great lunch spot just down river in Courtland at Tony’s Place. Proof that you can’t tell a book by its cover.

What else does too much time in Suburbia do? sigh…made me think I needed a job!

I picked up a job (even opened my very own company), a full timer friendly job! Thanks to my little brother. Remote regulatory compliance specialist. Funny, I hadn’t thought of it before. My career path was littered with compliance. Besides, I’ve always been a bit of a rule following nerd.

There seems to be a great need for compliance specialists out there and it is a good fit for the remote worker. Wish me luck and check out my developing websites for more, KDVBVentures.com and RegulatorySCHIT.com – “Strategic Compliance High Impact Team” – we are the SCHIT! 😉