California or Bust!

Zella’s Tatted-edged socks

I have been tatting.  I did a lot of the edgings for socks.  Hit a dry spell after that, after we have moved I will be at my tatting again.

Son in love spent the August with his crew fixing up the duplex we bought; closed August 4th.  Decided he didn’t like the bulkhead at the entry way and tore that out.  Refinished the walls of the living room.  Put all new faucets et al in 3 bathrooms and kitchen. Painted everything including ceilings, Took out a fan in the living room at my suggestion and added one in the master that is remote controlled!  He and his decorator went to town.  Put in handicap-able grab bars in 2 bathrooms and a higher commode in my bathroom.  No more sore knees struggling to get up! Also, new window covers.  All new electric in the garage and covered the beams with a ‘floor’ so Loyal would have an attic in which to store stuff.  Cleaned all the cabinets inside and out in garage and kitchen, linen et cet.  Our realtor Jeanine, we’ve become chums, wrote and told me it looks fabulous and like a new house! I am blessed.  We did give him a generous budget but he went way beyond that and he paid all the sub contractors.  He also did a ‘wish list’ for our tenant, so that place is all fixed up too.  New gate and such.  Supposedly we move on Labor Day weekend..we’ll see.  He is our ‘official’ duplex contractor: RB Construction, Sacramento.  His company does renovations, decks, kitchens; just anything really. And he is a perfectionist.  I know it is hard to find honest contractors; so RB Construction and Richard are a gem in Sacramento and outlying areas.   

An elderly couple are tenants and we’ll take the other unit.  My son in love did his “punch list” and a lot of painting and touching up as a welcome gift.  He and BB found the property for us and we bought it sight unseen (well, some photos) as we trusted their choices.  They looked at a great number of duplex for us...at least a twenty! They’d already put in wood floors and added a family room; so it is a bit over 1,300 square feet.  Downsizing from 3,000 square feet!  But we are giving away a lot of things and just keeping the best and the sentimental.  LOL  I was glad to see there was a lot of wall space for my art collection.  It is 2 bedroom (a master with en suite) and guest room; and, two other full baths. And oversized garages.  A nice little grassy yard in the back where I can have a screened in porch for Pippa and I.  We could not believe it but the sellers accepted our first offer!!!!  It is in a residential area and a gaited community.  


I shall no longer be living on a ridge; but, near the Sacramento River. 
Question:  Do I change my name from Ridgewoman to River something?  I’m a ridgewoman at heart; always liked to be located up high and overlooking... I could be River Cat but that’s a franchise name for a baseball team in Sacramento.  LOL  River Kitten?  Anyone who can come up with a catchy new name, I’ll reward with a good tatting book.  But the name will have to rock my world.  LOL


Right now I’m supervising the packing.  Made one last trip to Carlsbad, where the children found a cute little house.  Loyal gave them the $$ to get in, and Omar’s teaching now.  His soccer team (he is the High School coach) won their first game and so he is a hero and in the paper now.  LOL  I warned him that fans are fickle in small towns.


Here are a few photos from the trip.  

Rebekah and Omar’s cute little house in Carlsbad.


We stopped at Carlsbad Caverns and I visited the gift shop and book store; didn’t get to do a tour of the caves but bought a virtual reality for my ‘puter, so I can visit any time. It was Bat central and all I could think of was what to get BatTatter that was easy to mail.  I couldn’t mail what I wanted to get...but found a couple of things I can mail flat.  LOL  And I found a special touristy gift for my mate, Jane Eb.  And a lot of little gifts suitable for a little older Zella!  

Painting of the Bats coming home to the caves.

New Mexico had a lot of fires and the one at Carlsbad burned right up to the parking lot of the Caverns!  They were fortunate that it didn’t take out the large center.  The peak in the far distance is the beginning of the Guadalupe Reef which spreads from NM into Texas. The Peak is over 8,000 feet and rises straight up from the desert floor. This whole area was a sea way back when; and under the ridge are many, many caves; chief of which so far is Carlsbad Cavern. If you are ever in the area, it is worth the 7 miles off the main highway just to see this view.  The caves are an icing on the cake and are wheelchair friendly.  There is a good restaurant at the bottom.  Bring a sweater, it may be 103 on top but it is cool in the caves.  Because of this reef, the whole area of NM and Texas is rich in oil deposits.  They discovered a new cave, very near the Cavern and they say it stretches at least 90 miles.  It is in exploration and study mode right now. 


It had been known as the ‘misery pit” and as a source for bat guano  in 1814!  So. California’s large orange orchards of the past were fertilized with the guano from Cavern area.  But in 1986 or so, they went deeper and found a huge cave system.  Of course the ‘cavers’ are very careful not to disturb the interior of the caves and what you pack in you pack out (Similar to astronauts).  If you’d like to learn more read the mystery, “Blind Descent” by Nevada Barr which is set in the new cave system.  It may be a while till I blog again; my next offering will be from our new home in Greenhaven (Sacramento). 


So Long from Zella and I!

Zella is now a bit over 3 months.  Her eyes are going green and in the sun her hair is dark but has an auburn hue.  She is very pale and like her Mommie will have to wear hats and sun screen.  I love the little mittens they have now, so baby doesn’t scratch her face.  
See you down the road and from California.