Week 34

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Last week was super busy and very eventful both good and bad.  It's been awhile since we've had such a full week.  Thankfully some of that time was spent getting back to nature which always helps clear the mind and sooth the soul. Unfortunately some of that time was spent dealing with volatile natural situations that were no good for anyone.  It's all about balance, right? Also so many pictures this week so please forgive the over share.  I made a bunch of collages to help fit them in.

Here's a look at how last week went down:

Day 230- Monday, 8/17/20

It's time to move Justin back to Humboldt State for his second year.  Today was a travel day (6 hrs on the road) and we'll stay overnight since he has an early morning appointment for move in tomorrow.  We arrived just in time for a late lunch in downtown Arcata--outdoor dining of course.  The temps are in the mid 60's and such a relief for us coming from a string of days in triple digits. We had time to kill before checking into the hotel so we went more north an usual and found Agate Beach.  You access it by taking a trail through the dripping redwoods and down a steep ravine which was an adventure in and of itself.  Excellent find! The beach is also know as a great place to collect moonstones so we did and had the best time.

Day 231- Tuesday, 8/18/20

Justin will be living on campus in a dorm room all to himself and sharing a bathroom with just one other student. Move in this year came complete with a COVID test upon arrival and of course masks are required and were handed out with some other swag by the school.  Once he was settled we hit up "A Slice of Humboldt Pie" for lunch and then said goodbye. See you in a few months kiddo!

Day 232- Wednesday, 8/19/20

Ugh!  This is what I came home to.  I went from enjoying beautiful green terrain, endless fresh air, and bright blue skies to 500+ fires surrounding us and a valley that resembles an ash tray. 😢  We had a couple nights of dry lightening that started all these fires and the LNU lightening complex of fires is the one most concerning to us and the closest.  We know many who had to evacuate in the Winters area up here and also in the Santa Cruz area more south. That table in the second pictures is right outside one of my work buildings in Davis covered in ash and my car after work did not look much better.  In other news today is Brandon's first day of 11th grade doing the virtual learning at home which will be way more interactive than it was at the end of the school year in May.  Such crazy times!

Day 233- Thursday, 8/20/20

Our masks are pulling double duty these days helping protect us from COVID and also from the poor air quality due to the fires.  I took the dog on a pretty short walk just to the park and back quickly because it's not safe to be outside too long right now.  You can feel it in your eyes, throat, and nose.  It smells like a camp fire everywhere and it's darker than it should be with the smoke hiding the sun but still hot!

Day 234- Friday, 8/21/20

This morning at work I saw them setting up these outside class rooms for vet students.  It would be a great idea without the extreme heat and poor air quality but right now not really a healthier option than social distancing indoors.  After work John and I were able to escape and take a break from the smoke by heading to Tahoe for an anniversary trip. There is still smoke in Tahoe but not nearly as bad as in the Sacramento valley so we'll take it!  It for sure looks and feel refreshing here.

Day 235- Saturday, 8/22/20

Happy 28th wedding anniversary to us! Were staying at this hotel near the Heavenly ski resort which is walking distance to the lake, shops and places to eat.  We took the gondola up the mountain to check out the views and do a little hiking--so nice to see pretty blue skies again and breathe some fresh mountain air.  The elevation up top is 9150 ft and you can stand on the state line between Calif and Nevada.  It was a great way to spend the day.  Later we celebrated with a nice steak dinner on the patio at restaurant in the new Hard Rock casino down the street. 

Day 236- Sunday, 8/23/20

We're back home in the smoke and hoping the fires are under better containment soon and that we have no more dry lightening to make matters worse.  Also look what we found in the mailbox! Tyler's diploma finally arrived and he immediately put it in a the frame we ordered for him as a graduation gift.  It's really official now and looks amazing in that frame.  Up in Humboldt Justin is enjoying his last few days before classes start tomorrow.  It's great to see some pictures from him back in his home away from home.

OK--wow!  That's it!!  What a week and only one more before we start a new month.  August really flew by and hopefully moving forward things will start to get better or at least more back to what normal used to be.  Do we even remember what that was like anymore?