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Diaryland
A Week With the Grandparents (1) 2004-08-02 @ 12:10 p.m.
I am sorry, diary. I have had several oppertunities to write over the last week and a half, and every time I sit down, I come up with some lame excuse and don't write. What I have found works best is if I just sit down, throw aside any attempt to sound cool or cultured, and just pour out what's been going on with my life. So with no further ado, here's me... again.
Last week Jonathan and I went up to Oroville to spend five days with my mother's parents. I was worried at first that between the heat and my grandparents' completely opposite political views, the trip would be a pain. Actually, I was surprised that it went as well as it did. About a year ago, my grandparents got rid of their old speedboat and got a houseboat that they use quite frequently. So when we got there, we got supplies together and went out and spent 3 days out on Lake Oroville. It's not a bad looking place but you can't help but sense looking around it that the lake is artificial. Oroville Dam was built a couple decades ago for flood control, power and such, and Bidwell Canyon was flooded to create the lake. There's even an abandoned old mining town named Bidwell Bar sitting at the bottom of the lake. Lake Oroville fluxes more than any other body of water I know, except perhaps for the Nile. The water can be low one day and be up 30 feet the next in some seasons. The Lake branches out into a couple of different forks that twist around the hills. The hills are topped with trees and scrub brush, but as you go down towards the water line that plants suddenly dissapear. In the front part of the lake there's a tumble of granite rocks down to the water line, and in the back part, where the houseboats dock, there are barlines of sand and sandstone that graduate down to the water. There's at least two bridges over different parts of the lake, and the lake and the land are stocked with lots of different critters that will sneak up on you if you are unwary. This includes bees who will wake you up in the morning, foxes and deer that stroll right by, and little fish that come up and bite you if your flesh has the right consistancy.
The highlights of that trip: a random red bucket floated up and landed on the shore. There was a nest of osprey on the power line tower above us, and we got to watch dad fly back and forth to get the hungry kids food. My grandmother's friend and former coworker came by with her husband and daughter. They came in a speedboat and took us out for water sports. Jonathan and their daughter Amanda went wakeboarding. Jon took several tries to get up and although he enjoyed it immensely, he was very sore afterwards. I opted for waterskis and got up on the first try, but my back hurt so much the whole trip that it made it hard to enjoy it. I really need to get back into Pilates and other stretching. My grandma got all mushy and started crying on me because she's scared to death I am going to get HIV. I assured her that she was hardly the first one to be concerned and that I had been bombarded by warnings and advice for the last few years.
This library computer is getting ready to kick me off. I'll make this a two part entry and get back to y'all later.
"Details in the Fabric" - May 31, 2009
Not So Quick Questions - April 6, 2009
The Morning Stars - Lords of the 15 - April 9, 2009
Sincerity and Faith in Magic - April 10, 2009
Not So Quick Questions (2) - April 14, 2009
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