This Land Was Made for You and Me

Hello faithful readers!

I appreciate your patience. I have been busy with work (getting home late) and scrambling to finish up my CEU's for my MO OT license. I successfully completed my 16 hrs for Spanish for Healthcare Providers and more recently my course on TBI and OT intervention.

Work has been busy with people taking off and it is a bitch to get to both buildings in one day and not go into overtime. So as I have at many other buildings, myself and the PT are usually the last ones there working off the clock to finish all the necessary (and redundant) documentation.
My next plan for a weekend trip is to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area- across the bay from SF. They have trails and beautiful scenery and most importantly, allow dogs. I have to get this CEU stuff done first so I can work when I go home.

I digress. Leslie and my mom came to visit me late May. My dad drove a car out to me towards the end of their visit and they all flew out of Sacramento roughly the same time.

We visited the Redwoods and drove to the coast.

rest stop before the Redwoods

The Redwood National and State Parks are kind of intertwined. Lots of places to pull over and get on a trail or take a photo. Here is one such example.

Leslie Johnson Henley for the outdoors, take #1.

Lindsey and Mom

An overall rather gloomy day but fog is very typical in this area.

This is a very Disney Channel pose a la "That's So Raven"

We didn't make it all the way to Fern Canyon much to my dismay. People actually drove through this (deeper than it looks). Weather was working against us. 

Closest to Fern Canyon I'll get

Next stop, Fort Bragg and Mendocino. We spent the night in Eureka before heading to the coast the next day.

Sea Glass Beach

Leslie

Seals and one pup

 

Tide pool at Sea Glass Beach

MENDOCINO

Clearly, I didn't get as many pictures here. You'll have to look it up though- super adorable Hallmark-move type town. Loved it. Shops, cute houses, beautiful scenery. Expensive AF.

In short, it was great to have company and see my family. Bella loves my parents too. She tolerates Leslie. 

I've got to get going and run errands. I've already got a headache as evidenced by me wearing sunglasses inside while writing this post. 

Bella and I are doing well. Trying to sleep a lot and not get fat. 

Thanks for hanging in there.

Peace, love, and boogaloo shrimp and pogo sticks,

ME

  

Infiniti vs. Doe

Hello all! This is part 1 of my updates. I've been working and had family visit (next post) and just trying to get my shit together in general. 

So, a couple weeks ago I was on my merry way to work and not going to sugarcoat it- just plain hit a freaking doe (a deer, a female deer) who couldn't make up her mind about crossing the road. I felt terrible about it but it happens all the time out here and while I think deer are so cute they are not the brightest stars in the sky. I did not intend to plow into her (was only going 55) but she couldn't make up her mind. Homegirl flew across the road to lay there and remind me on my way to work to slow down and watch for God's less intelligent creatures crossing the road. I think she's either been picked up or eaten by birds and other animals and thus continues the circle of life.  Scroll down for pictures and the rest of the story. 

this photo captures the angle of the hood

So here is the conclusion to this story:

• I did NOT get hurt or spin out of control
• I was actually able to drive to work without incident (after stopping and checking for leaking fluids)
• My car is going to the salvage yard in the sky- the estimated repair cost was way more than what I paid for it. Deemed a total loss by insurance.
• There was more internal damage than it looks including AC, radiator, and other car words I don't remember because of the angle I hit the doe. It would have run for a little bit and then something else would have happened. 
• I got to see my dad because he drove a car out to me- what a guy, to say the least. 
• There are tons of deer that populate my neighborhood and we are still friends because I give them apples and carrots. I still feel bad- worse than when I ran over a raccoon on Hanley Rd. after working at the Muny one night (then again I had no car damage there).

Next post I will talk about my family's visit. Until then,

Peace, love, and wildlife,

ME