WINTER LIFE
Note: Expanded diary entries will appear soon...
After returning from our successful workshop at Butchmann's/Palm Springs,
in November we pretty much hunkered down for the winter
- which here in the woods translates to RAIN - well over 50 inches!
That's what makes it into a rain forrest. We are situated On Higher Ground
well above the flood levels - and yes, it did flood! We're 15 miles from
the ocean; but only 35 feet above sea level. It's hard to tell because of
all the mountains around us which is what causes the perfec weather for
growing grapes. This is the biggest grape growing agra-business area in
the world perhaps.
And so that's what we did some: Go wine tasting - at Korbel which is here
in town. And all over the next valley to the East, NAPA County, with friends
who came to visit from around the country. We've had visitors from
Palm Springs and Pittsburg; boi rodtney's parents from Sacramento, and from
our new neighbors locally. We stay'd dry and cozy but with plenty of
intrusion by a new foe: Mold. We fought the problem off with hair dryers
running almost 24/7. The trailer leaked not a drop!
We drove on every road in the county. The beauty is absolutely stunning.
We took hundreds of pictures with our new Sony Mavica digital camera and put
them into electronic photo alblums which will be up here for you to see just
as soon as we can get to it. Our 'trips' have been to San Francisco - about
every 5 - 7 days. The Van is perfect for day trips. We've attended every
meeting of M.A.s.T. and continued our attendance at East Bay Church in
Oakland although not every week. We'd love to go more.
The holidays were spirited and amplified by great ritual: Thanksgiving,
Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanze; New Years, my birthday next to Valentine's Day,
and the fall and spring solstices. Life is good. All the time: 24-7/3-6-5!
It's funny. I didn't cook for years. Now it's great fun. Roasts, pies,
and pizza. Yep, we both put on weight. So now we're riding the bicycles
and planning regular canoe rides on the Russian River. This place is full
of wild blackberry bushes so we'll have plenty more pies all summer when
we return from the midwest.
In March when the rain stopped for a few days and the sun came out, we took
off to Clear Lake, some 60 miles to the north. It is fantastic there, the
largest natural lake in California. It's at 1,100 feet elevation with snow
capped mountains all 'round. The lake was flooding like everywhere else.
This is one of the reasons we went at this time - to find out where NOT to
park the RV 'cause we want to live right on the shoreline. And there it was:
An island with the perfect spot in a mobile home park. It was necessary to
drive right through the lake to get out there. Now imagine this: Here's
this cute little 30' trailer coach - all painted up red and white. A private
dock space. Cost: $2,000 for the trailer and $265. a month rent! We were
ready to do it then and there. Be it hasn't happened' yet. Maybe a little
too far out of the City - we'd probably only get to San Francisco about once
a month. So we'll wait awhile. Maybewe'll find a resort of our own to buy.
Gonna check out some more spots and hopefully move next fall. It's all gonna
happen in it's own time!
Durng the Winter, I became involved in a major brouhaha over Diversity in
our community when I inadvertantly discoveredthe cancellation of the
"Minorities in SM" panel at the forthcoming LeatherFest X in San Diego.
After 250 e-mails and over 40,000 words everything turned out for the better
when the forum was reinstated. It became an internet consciousness raising
session that moved clear across North America and back again. I took some
of the energy generated and wrote an essay on Diversity which has been
published an available here at LeatherWeb for you to check out. In fact,
we now have been asked to host not one, but two receptions during the weekend
; one on People of Color and one on Diversity. This is a good thing and we
sincerely hope they will be well attended.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
SPRING SCHEDULE
Please use yourbutton to return from any of these links. Thanks.
We're DRIVING another 10,000 miles!
March 19 M.A.s.T./S.F. @ The Loading Dock
25 Our WEDDING w 'Da Mayor' - San Francisco
27-28 Tahoe B'n B 'Honeymoon
April 02 Los Angeles, CA
03-05 San Diego, CA; LeatherFest X
[ Watch LeatherFest X for on-line reports ]
06 Palm Springs BUTCHMANN'S
07-08 Los Angeles, CA AGAPE
09 San Francisco, CA
16 M.A.s.T./S.F. - Pot-Luck
Three Week road trip - 6,500 miles est.
May 06 San Francisco; Leatherman's Discission Group 7:30PM
"How to get them; How to keep them."
. 18 Reno, NV
. 19 Cheynne, WY
. 20 Omaha, NB
. 21-25 Memorial Day Wk'nd. Chicago; IML-20
. 26 Elkhart, IN - Kalamazoo, MI
. 27-30 Detroit MI - Ortonville, MI
. 31 Petoski, MI - Mackinaw, MI
June 01 Duluth, MN
. 02 Fargo, ND
. 03 Billings, MT
. 04 Yellowstone, WY
. 05 Boise, ID
. 06 Lake Shasta, CA
. 07 Eureka, CA - Guerneville, CA
Russian River
NOTE: Alternate Route
June 02 Billings, MT
. 03 Yellowstone, WY
. 04 Salt Lake, City
. 05 Lake Tahoe, CA
. 06 Russian River, CA
July 22 Clear Lake, CA
July 26 San Francisco, CA
Aug 05 Lake Tahoe, CA
Aug Eagle Lake, CA
Sept 23 San Francisco - M.A.s.T. "Protocol"
. 25 Sacramento Delta - Sacramento
. 26 Oakland Gay Pride
. 27 FOLSOM STREET FAIR
Nov. 04 San Francisco-Bondage Demo-Lone Star 7:30
. 08-11 Los Angeles, CA
. 11 L.A. West Side AGAPE
. 12 Palm Springs, CA (Big Bear Lake)
. 13 Phoenix, AZ APEX
. 17 Las Vegas
. 18 Reno
. 19 Lk. Almanor
. 20 Sacramento
.
1999
March 01 San Francisco: Plan for LLC ea. Monday
. 03 Sacramento Delta
. 05-07 Sacramento
. 01-07 Southern California for Easter
Vinatage RV Rally - AGAPE "
April 16-18 San Francisco - Leather Leadership
. Conference III (LLCIII)
May 19-28 Portland & N.W. - KinkFest '99 present.
June 01 Moving to the High Sierra's for sumnmer.
. 05-07 San Francisco - tentative
. 26-28 Gay Pride S.F.- tentative (one of these)
July 03-06 San Francisco - tentative
July 16-19 Las Vegas, NV IMsL (Workshops)
. 24-27 Dore Alley Street Fair - San Francisco
August 13-16 Hot August Nights (autos) Reno, NV
September29 Folsom Street Fair
October 01 Base Camp to Southern California-Winter
January01-00 The New Millineum Celebration - L.A.
. "From the mountains to the sea"
. 2000 Or maybe we'll go to MAUI, Hawaii.
March 21- April 14 or June 21st. EUROPE - Paris Paris, Geneva, Kronos
. Lithuania, Scandanivia, Amsterdam, S.F.
. Three weeks to three months depending..
June 01 Moving to the Lake for the summer.
NOTE: This is the time we'll decide
where we'll settle in for awhile.
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