California! We Made It!

A visit with Grandpa Leon in St. George, Utah, July 2008.

An extra little surprise visitor to Grandma Norma Jeans grave site, July 2008.

Visiting Grandma Norma Jean's grave site, July 2008.

Lazy & crazy cousins, July 4th, 2008: Becca, Nicki, Jess, Chris, and Nick.

Pilon family reunion in Orange County, California, July 2008.

Little Corona State Beach, California, July 2008.

Jessica and Gus walking The Wedge, Balboa Beach, California, July 2008.

Chris, surfside at The Wedge, Balboa Beach, California, July 2008.

(Click here for more trip photos on our SmugMug site, don't forget to enter the password "California" in order to view the photo gallery.)

Nebraska: "Where everybody knows your name!"

We survived the bugs at the campsite at the dunes along Lake Michigan near the Michigan-Indiana border on Friday night. Slipping out of the campsite at 6 a.m. before the incoming storms hit. We shot straight through with great speed; before being lured into the "shopping den of evil", in other words an OUTLET MALL!

The second day of our trip ended with our weary traveling-bones in the small town of Henderson in western Nebraska. The trip that day was a lovely reminder of why we fell in love with Nebraska 11 years ago: All those beautiful and seemingly endless miles of the green farm belt, nostalgically beautiful Mid-west landscape of farmers working in the fields and young crops blowing in that familiar and wild horizontal Nebraska wind. In the Mid-west there are “real” trees, firm bold trees that grow into strong old oaks as they push against that constant Nebraska prairie wind, stretching up and broadly outward, defying the wind, yet the local joke is the trees would fall over if the wind ever stopped blowing.

The day is over, it is late, and we decided to stop for dinner and to do Wi-Fi at McD's in Henderson, totally unsure where we should stay the night. We are determined to camp our way across the U.S. but we are off our travel plans and are unsure where to stay. We learn quickly that our “tourist-like-appearance” is more apparent than we realize, as well as our concern over where to stay the night. Suddenly as we are about to give up, a woman walks up and begins to tell us that she “overheard” us talking about our concerns. She and her husband decided we were in need of some good old fashioned neighborly help: Within minutes we were talking as if we are all old friends, where we’re from, where we’re going and why…and they are local homesteader folk from Henderson out at McD’s for summer with their young son. They tell us all about the local camping site up the road, Prairie Oasis Campground, steering us away from the nearby KOA which is more visible but not nearly as nice. An elderly gentleman walks by our table and soon we are introduced to him as the former mayor of Henderson and the back-door-neighbor to the Prairie Oasis Campground. Before he leaves on his way, he lets us know that if we have any trouble during our stay, we should just knock on his door and he and his wife will be happy to lend a helping hand. As the couple said goodbye, the wife turned and as she smiled she said, "Hey, if you chicken out on the camping plans, the motel next door might be small, but it is actually very nice—a good place to stay!" The husband nodded in agreement and then they scooted out the door with their young son in hand. Instantly Gus began to laugh that all-too-familiar-hard-Gus-laugh, slapping his knee he turned to me and said, "Only in Nebraska!" Wagons ho...

On the Road!

It's 80 percent humidity, 90 degrees outside, and thank goodness we are headed straight out of the big storms headed our way over the next several days. While watching the weather channel the night before, it was amazing to see the predicted storms and clouds are all around us accept for where we'll be driving and staying, all the way to Utah. Yahoo!

We are about to head through the flood zones of the midwest, though it was a bit tricky to find, we are headed for a campground in an Iowa State Park a few miles away from the flooded areas.
Thanks to the new cargo carrier we finally have everything packed. We are about to drive off...see you soon...

Home Sweet Home

Home sweet home or home away from home -- whatever the CASE, this is the PLACE!

California or Bust!

The other day, while attempting to figure out how to download ringtones and music to my new cell phone -- praying my teenage sons don't walk by and become disillusioned as they hear me curse at the phone and online directions, discovering their computer-geek-mother might be feeling aged by the latest technology -- I find the perfect song! I've not figured out how to get it onto my type of cell phone, but I'll get there in time. Sigh!

So…I LOVE this song! By Ferras, "Hollywood's Not America"

Though I am not a movie star lured by the Hollywood lights, it speaks to the native California-girl in me, and how she is often in conflict with the Midwest-mom" – now very much apart of me.

As we prepare to head back to visit California for the first time in four years, and at the 10 year mark of our departure from O.C., I cannot help but be mystically driven to get to the Pacific Ocean, to family, friends, my roots.

Yet, on the other hand, when asked where I am from, I find myself no longer sure how to answer. “Where is home?" Until Michigan, the answer was easy, “California!” I would say without hesitation. However, I've noticed that lately I am not as quick to say, "California!" Like I might not be accepted, considered a Midwest trader or something!

The Midwest is a funny place, for many reasons. You can't help but be amused by it, especially mid-Michigan folks. In Owosso, we are smack in the middle of several Big 10 Colleges, of which every other person you walk by, there is a loyal fan of one or the other. Deathly loyal I might add! You have to be careful who you admit you are rooting for in the next big basketball or football game. You have to learn when to lie and say you are neutral, when to say “Go State!” (MSU, Lansing, 45 minutes south), and when to say “Why Michigan! Of course!” (U of M, Flint, 30 minutes east).

Recently it dawned on me why folks in the Midwest are so fiercely dedicated and loyal to "their team." Colleges don't get up and move to the next city or state with a bigger wallet, or bigger stadium! Honestly, I can't recall off the top of my head, where the Ram's call home any more!

Though we are not big on watching college sports, we enjoy the generally playful jabbing and banter back and forth, daily, as people talk and talk and talk about "their team". It is as much a part of the daily fabric of the Midwest, as asking about the weather yesterday, the weather today, the weather tomorrow...

Just like when dealing with the MSU verses U of M folks all about us, we are not always sure if it is safe to say, “We Love Michigan!” Though we’ve had two homes here, we’ve been here four years, as long as any other state we’ve lived in aside from California. California is home, but it does not look like home until we drive up to the home of family and see the faces of loved ones. Then and only then is it home. It surely does not look or feel like the California I loved and adored in my youth, but then again, I don’t look or feel like I did then either. We’ve both matured and like the additional toll roads and highways added to the coastline, I have wrinkles and lines showing on my face and my hair is nearly pure white.

We will enjoy our visit with family and friends – we can hardly wait to get there!

First stop: St. George, Utah on Sunday, June 29.

Second stop: Mission Viejo, California on Monday, July 7.

Adjoining Photos: Tonight we finalized the purchase of our new (used) 2006 Chrysler Town & Country Limited. Thank goodness it is fully loaded with a DVD player and 6 disc CD changer! One more way to keep the boys occupied as we drive the 1,200 miles! Not to mention the extra leg room now that they are both measuring at just under 5’ 10”! Wish me luck on getting them to help pack the van without them trying sneak the Xbox on board!

California or Bust! (And with these gas prices it might be both that happens -- YIKES!)

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