THE RANCH AND THE TORNADO

    We have dear friends who have a wonderful ranch in Montana.  They raise buffalo to whom they give names of family members and friends.  The buffalo and the people are so proud to have the honor bestowed upon them.  Whenever I go to the ranch I get the feeling of calm and relief from stress that wide open spaces can bring about.
     One summer, our hostess, a friend and I (all city girls) drove the jeep into the small farm town to buy decorations and food for a neighbor's baby shower.  It was about a 45 minute drive, and we looked forward to the outing.  The moment we got there, we sensed there was something wrong.  There was a stillness in the air, and little pieces of paper were twirling around in a little circle.  Odd?  We thought so, too.  But it didn't stop us.  It was 3:00 PM on a Saturday, and some of the stores were closed.  Why? Did they know something we didn't know?
     We got some of the errands done, and when we exited the store we looked up and saw a pitch black sky.  It started to get windy.  We realized that it was a tornado, and we had a long drive ahead of us.  A tornado?  We don't have those in New York City or Los Angeles.  What do we do, hide from it? Drive right through it?  We were speeding down the road and the black funnel cloud was following us.  Then it started to hail.  Believe me when I tell you that the hail was as big as baseballs; and they made big dents in the car.  The only building we saw on the road was an abandoned gas station, and there was no place to take shelter, so we pressed on.
     We got back to the ranch in time to avoid being swallowed up by the storm, but there were others who were not so lucky.  The storm went on through the night.  We saw on TV that there were tornado warnings, but we couldn't see anything out the window but blackness and lightning.  We were glad to be on our way home the next day, but at the Billings Airport there were tornado warning sirens going off.  My thought?  Get me outta here!
     Of course, we returned to the ranch several more times, always with the anticipation of a wonderful few days with friends, living a much different life than we do at home.

ARLO

     Saturday night we went to our "annual" Arlo Guthrie Concert at UCLA.
     We love his folksy humor and wonderful songs.  Last year it wasn't so good; he didn't do his old music, but tried out new compositions.  That wasn't what the audience came for.  He did "Alice's Restaurant" and "City of New Orleans," but not much more that was recognizable.
     THIS YEAR he redeemed himself.  He did a lot of Woody's known and unknown songs as well as his own known selections.  What made it so much more fun was that it was was The Guthrie Family in all its glory. The picture is old, and doesn't have all the players, but there were lots of them.  He even had his granddaughters (ages 7 down to 2) on stage; and they can sing, play instruments, and hog the mikes.  His daughters, son, and other family members perfectly complemented Arlo, and were marvelous on their own.  It was really a triumph.  Imagine having so many talented family members all touring together.  It must be a madhouse on those tour busses.

ROAD TRIP!

COULD HAVE BEEN US IN THE 1970'S  

I found a website that really appeals to me (www.roadtripamerica.com).  It's full of information about wonderful back roads, destinations, articles, etc., that relate to car or RV travel throughout the USA.
   I don't know what the American version of the Anglophile is, but my husband and I fit into that category.  We have travelled throughout the world, and have seen many wonderful places that fill us with treasured memories.
   Sightseeing by car, with Howard driving in unfamiliar territory, has been a "trip" all its own, no matter what country we're in.  I think I may do some blogs about some of the predicaments in which we have found ourselves.  Car travel can be lots of fun; there are lots of things to discover when you are on your own.  If we were to rate our travel experiences, we would have to rate traversing America by car right on top. ( See "Teton Reflections")
   We have a Road Trip coming up.  We plan to explore the Gold Rush towns along Highway 49 in Northern California.  We went to the "Mother Lode Country" years ago, and don't expect it to be any different this time, at least we hope not.  The little towns in the Sierra Nevada foothills are charming and historic; we are very excited.
    As a finishing touch, we will spend 4 days in Sacramento at the "Dixieland Jazz Festival."  We haven't done that in quite a few years, and are really looking forward to visiting venues around the city and listening to that spirited and sometimes soulful music.

THE EARTH MOVES UNDER MY FEET!

 NORTHRIDGE QUAKE 1994

   Well, we just experienced an earthquake. The epicenter was near Mexicali, Mexico, about 120 miles south of where we live.  It was a huge one; 7.2 magnitude.  We felt it here near Santa Monica, but we in California are all too used to feeling earthquakes.  We speculate as to their magnitude, can describe the type of motion, and if it is a big one, like Northridge, experience damage to our homes.  I have been near the epicenters of Northridge, Landers, Whittier Narrows, and a few others.  Boy, it's exciting.  Water sloshes out of swimming pools, items fall off of shelves,  and chandeliers sway.  However, if it is a big one, its no joke! Houses slide off of their foundations, walls come tumbling down, power poles come down, precious items break, and human life is in danger.
   After the Northridge Quake I carried first aid, water, and sneakers in the trunk of my car for about a year.  Little by little I cleaned out the trunk, and the Quake Kit fell by the wayside. 
The big one today reminded me of how prepared we should be, because the earth will shake again.  (Now where did I put that first aid backpack?)