It is What It Is - Rest In Peace Derrick Hodges 1962 - 2015

It's been a bit of a bleak week for the last seven days.  One week ago, a friend of mine was killed in a violent car crash on Highway 50 westbound near Bradshaw Road.  

Derrick wasn't a perfect man...none of us are perfect, obviously.  But Derrick was always striving to better himself and also to make the world a better place.  

I feel very blessed to have been a part of his life, but I'm not gonna lie - sometimes Derrick could really frustrate me.

I met Derrick in the halls at work when I first started working at the California State Controller.  He was soooo friendly...loud and ALWAYS smiling when he was walking the halls.  He always made it a point to say hi and stop and talk about anything that popped into his mind.  

He transferred to the Intake unit where I was the lead and I had the privilege and pain of training him and reviewing his work.  Derrick was NOT detail oriented.  Which, if you know me, you know that drives me crazy.  Especially with the type of work the Intake unit does.  Derrick knew he drove me crazy and when I would talk to him about his mistakes, he just would laugh it off and say "It is what it is" which would infuriate me even more.  

How I HATED that saying!  But he said it a lot and pretty soon, I found myself saying it too.  Thanks a lot Derrick.  :-) 

Derrick wasn't cut out for minutiae.  What he was cut out for, being a former used-car salesman, was TALKING!  He became a union steward because he felt he was mistreated in his first unit (not Intake) and he simply was not going to take it.  

He educated himself as to his rights and options and then found his calling sharing the information with others.  

He was so proud of his family. His now grown children are all complete success stories.  His oldest son is an officer in the military who flies planes.  His oldest daughter has obtained her masters and got married just weeks ago.  Derrick was so happy to be flying to Mississippi for the wedding.  His youngest daughter is now following in her sibling's footsteps and beginning her own collegiate journey.  

His children were so important to him.  He helped to pass a childcare bill through the California Senate by speaking at committee hearings and telling his own stories about being a single parent and how important have access to child care was to his own family.

He recently moved his mother out from his hometown of Chicago where he grew up in the mean streets.  She was getting older and her health was not so good and he wanted to take care of her.  Like anytime a parent moves in with an adult child, it was not an easy thing.  He struggled.  He admitted that he was not as patient and respectful with her as he should be.  He sought the guidance of his pastor to help him be a better son.  

It was too hard for them...she bought a train ticket back to Chicago for Saturday, June 13th.  He was killed on Monday, June 8th.

God works in mysterious ways.  Derrick had lived in California for about 5 years with very few visits to Chicago.  He loved California!  He told me his favorite thing was being able to wear shorts everyday.  And he did.  As much as possible.

If Derrick hadn't moved his mother out here for those few contentious months, they would not have have had that time together.  

Rest in Peace Derrick. 

You are loved.  You made this world a better place.  You will be missed.

xoxo

Montesano Madness! A Day With the Washington State Family 2/15

Upon arriving at Ford and Ida's house, I found that my adorable grand-niece and grand-nephew - Trinity and Logan - were waiting up to greet me.  You could not find two cuter, sweeter, and awesome kids than these two.

My niece Sabrina and her husband Lee are doing an amazing job at the parenting!

Waking up to a bright, beautiful Washington State morning, I had a restaurant-quality breakfast cooked by Tammy.  She has a gift.

We spent the morning just hanging out and getting reacquainted.  This is Trinity shooting targets on the back deck with my brother, Robert (her Grandpa Bob) and her dad Lee.

Then Trinity wanted to take us on a ride on her golf cart.  That's mom (my niece, Sabrina) and Logan on the back.

I hoped in the passenger seat and away we went.

But not for long.

We hit some very soft ground and there was a bit too much weight on my side of the cart (ahem).  Before we knew it,, the tire had popped off the wheel!  LOL!

You can't see it too well, but it's the rear tire. Trinity drove back but the rest of us had to walk.

Logan tried to keep up.  It was a valiant effort.

And yes, that is Ford and Ida's house.  Isn't it amazing?

So instead of the long ride we had planned, the kids and my niece, Angela, showed me the koi pond in the yard.

We were talking about nature and stuff and I said that I remembered seeing some bald eagles the last time I was up there.  I said I had saw one on the drive up, but couldn't pull over to get a photo.

It was pretty cool actually.  I love hawks; they are one of my spirit animals. So I always notice them and pay special attention to them.  I saw a gorgeous Cooper's Hawk fly out of some trees over a farmer's field.  He was hunting something.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere it seemed, a large bald eagle swooped down and landed where the hawk was heading.  The hawk pulled up and flew off and the eagle started eating triumphantly.

So Lee said that we should go to the beach if I wanted to see some eagles.  Sabrina agreed and said that she gets a lot of good photos there.  She's an awesome photographer...I'm jealous of her skills and she showed me a picture to die for.

So we piled in the cars and headed out.  It was a clam dig weekend and I've never been clam digging, so I was excited.

In Washington you can drive on the beach, which is kind of awesome.

We piled out of the truck and Trinity couldn't wait to get started!

We were there a bit too early for the clams.  Apparently, they are on a schedule.  Who knew?

But Trin did end up digging one.  Yay!

Logan and I walked around looking at shells and rocks.  He loves rocks.  Me too! I found this broken sand dollar; Sabrina found a whole one for me that now sits on top of my entertainment center.

Along with this shell that I found sliding through the sand as a wave receded.

Lee

Unfortunately I didn't see any eagles, but I did see windmills.

Love this girl.

We piled back into the truck for a VERY eventful trip home. 

First, we were pulled over by a ranger (?) because Sabrina, Angela, and I were sitting in camp chairs in the back of the truck.  We were told it was too dangerous so we obediently sat down in the bed.  OUCH!  Much less comfortable.  I'm sure I had a few bruises.  haha

Then, after we separated with me and Angela back in her car, we headed back towards Monte, planning to stop at a crab shack on the way home to get some crab for dinner.  To make a very long story short, the traffic was CRAZY heavy with everyone who lived within 50 miles heading to the beach for the crab dig. 

We were at the head of a line waiting to turn left when a horrible head-on accident occurred practically right beside us.  It was crazy and looked really, really bad.  Luckily no one was seriously hurt.  After I spent the next 30 minutes helping to direct the very busy traffic and Angela gave her statement to the trooper, we headed on back home for dinner.  

Ummmm...okay... lol

We had a wonderful dinner.  BBQ steak, crabs, salad.  Delicious.  And the view!  Love Ida's backyard.

This is my brother.  I love, love, love him. 

After dinner, Angela, Sabrina, Lee, Trinity, Logan and myself went for a stroll down to the train trestle.  I got some great shots...I really love these.

Logan led the way.

And we were treated to a lovely site down under the bridge.  NSFW!  haha!

The easily offended should definitely look away!  Now!  

Or at least scroll by REALLY fast!

LOL!

Anyway, back to the trestle photos...

I know I should use a hood, but I actually love lens flare.  It's pretty.  

We started the walk home... Lee had his ducks in a row...

Over the bridge

And under.

I saw some interesting branches with spiderwebs and BOKEH!  #Boke

For the probably 1000th time...I'm weird.  =D

Angela and Trinity waiting with Tammy's dog.

I simply adore this photo of the neighbor's tree at sunset.  Je t'aime. 

I also love this picture of Trinity and Toto on the road to the house.  I don't think that's the dog's name. 

And this one of my awesome brother in the arch of the awesome house. 

Trinity and I continued walking around after the others went in.  We went down to see the neighbor's cows.  

And the Canadian geese in the other neighbor's yard.

Afterwards, we played dominoes and I took photos of Angela. 

 On Facebook, she pointed out that her hand looks weird...scaly or something.  It does.  I don't have any idea why.  

And this is the awesome lady who opened her home to me.  She has done so for my family for years and I so appreciate her.  I enjoyed talking about my brother Josh (Joe Jr.) who passed away many years ago.  

After a very stupid trip to the basement and attic with Sabrina, Angela, Logan and Trinity, it was time for bed.  But not for sleep.  

After all the talk of ghosts and stories... And then someone turning the light off on us when we were in the attic... And the creepy photo of the sweet boy from the 1800s who kept watching me as I walked to my room.

I didn't sleep a wink.  

haha!  Good times.

xoxo

My Melanie Moment

I'm sitting here talking to my beloved friend Melanie.  

She never remembers our conversations.  We're trying a little experiment and she asked me to document this conversation and ask her in a month or so if she remembers.

Literally, she just asked me if I saw the Justin Bieber roast. 

People! 

I was watching it when she called me.  I TOLD her to put it on because she loves Kevin Hart.  
We had to go over what the comedy channel is.  lol

Just now?  A week or so later...

She asked me if I had seen the roast.

Haha!!  She never listens. 

Or does she?  We'll never know. 

San Francisco Travelogue--- Early Summer 2014

"San Francisco is one of my favourite cities in the world...It's small but photogenic and has layers...You never have problems finding great angles that people have never done." ~~Ang Lee

I must concur with Mr. Lee.  I just love road trips to San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.  There is always a new sight to see, place to visit, or person to meet.  I can't even begin to recount the amazing times I've had in that gorgeous gray city. 

Last summer, before Adrienne left again for USC, we took a roadie to San Francisco to spend the day with my sister Rose. 

It was a lovely day and the drive was punctuated by green fields, blue skies, fluffy clouds, and probably One Direction coming out of the speakers.  I couldn't resist taking pics of the sky and clouds.  Even from the moving vehicle, they turned out pretty. 

Love this box in the clouds!  It's like God was saying, "Do you like my artwork?  Check yes or no."

It was really amazing how many different kinds of clouds there were in the same sky.

You wouldn't know there was a drought going on from these pictures.  Weird.  

And of course, I have to post pictures of the cars that I love.  Little yellow Corvette. 

Almost there!  A plethora of sailboats, kite surfers, and flowers. 

First time driving across the newly completed eastern span of the Bay Bridge.  The approach from the toll plaza is quite cool.

The old with the new.  New on the left, old on the right. 

Detail of the tower.

If you look closely at the old bridge, you can see that the dismantling process had begun.  Very strange looking to drive by. 

After passing through Yerba Buena Island, you emerge into the old familiar towers.

A tower within a tower

We took the 5th street exit and cruised by the weird looking Defenestration Building (more formally known as the old Hugo Hotel) at 6th and Howard.  I guess this building was supposed to be torn down in 2009 but it hasn't happened yet.  

de·fen·es·tra·tion

dēˌfenəˈstrāSHən/

noun

1. 1.

   formalhumorous

   the action of throwing someone or something out of a window.

   "death by defenestration has a venerable history"

First on the agenda was a picnic at the Presidio.  These happen on the regular and are part of Off The Grid San Francisco - Making street food happen.  

We went to Rose's house and then all carpooled over to the Presidio.

Lots of food to choose from and not too many people there yet.  Luckily we got there early. 

Birds! near our blankets!

I minded the blankets while Rose and Adrienne had a look around.  Of course I couldn't resist sneaking a photo. ;-p

These two planes circled overhead a few times. Checking out the scene I guess.

Our FIRST COURSE!  Ya know, if I did these posts in a timely manner, I could tell you what this is and what food truck it was from.  Alas, I didn't and I can't.  But it was good.

Now I CAN tell you what this is.  It looks pretty disgusting, but but it was actually really delicious!  BBQ in a Jar!  Barbecue something or other in a jar layered with coleslaw and beans.  Yum.  

Now for something that DIDN'T work.  This sounds like a good idea...

but it's not.

Bacon and nori wrapped mochi served hot.  Uggghhh.  Not to our taste. 

But their pork belly and spicy fried rice was SO SO good!

Next on the menu was some delicious grits and greens from Sugarfoot Grits (I only remember the name because they're in one of the photos. lol). 

If you've never had grits, you're missing out. 

The greens don't look the most appetizing, I admit.  But looks can be deceiving (see bacon wrapped mochi above) and these were very good. 

I think we must have had some dessert and we definitely had a few drinks, but I don't remember the specifics and I didn't take any photos.  lol

After all this lovely food and sun, we decided to go for a little walk.  We chose to walk the path towards the National Cemetery. Because I love cemeteries. 

But first, there was a police horse.  I think the dude in orange was a bit afraid. 

And another bird.  This one in flowers. Walking, walking, walking. I love his little foot.

And another shot of the horse.  Because I love horses. Swishy tail.  And I love the tree in the background.

On the trail there were flowers and other foliage. 

The views of the cemetery were breathtaking.

Here's another one with more of the Golden Gate Bridge visible.

In one section of the path are walls inscribed with a solemn poem by Archibald MacLeish, an American poet who lived from 1892 to 1982.  

The young soldiers do not speak.

Nevertheless, they are heard in still houses; 

Who has not heard them?

They have a silence that speaks for them at night,

And when the clock counts.

They say:  We were young. We have died.

REMEMBER US

They say: We have done what we could,

But until it is finished, it is not done.

They say: We have given our lives,

But until it is finished, no one knows what our lives gave.

They say:  Our deaths are not ours, they are yours,

They will mean what you make them.

They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for,

Peace and a new hope, we cannot say,

It is you who must say this.

We leave you our deaths.

Give them their meaning.

We were young, they say.  We have died.

REMEMBER US.

~~Archibald MacLeish

Another view from the overlook with Angel Island shrouded in fog.

Profusion of flowers with spinning effect.

 I believe this gorgeous boy is a Stellar's Jay.  You can just see the crest on his head.

 Loved this path with curvy stairs.  

Walking back, I took one final picture of the cemetery. 

Love the effect of the hill and the bay visible in the background. 

On our drive out, we stopped at Inspiration Point for a final picture.  This overlooks le Palais des Beaux-Arts (Palace of Fine Arts) and Alcatraz.

On that note, Adrienne and I took our leave of Rose and headed home. 

I was almost killed for this picture.  And I don't blame her really.  haha #SJSharks 

We decided to take the Golden Gate and the back road home.  Approaching the Golden Gate in the Blue Hour.

We traveled through the Rainbow Tunnel (otherwise known as the Waldo Tunnel) and left the beautiful Bay Area to return to normal life.

San Francisco is truly a magnificent city.  The things to do and see are endless and incomparable.  If you are ever planning a trip to the West Coast, be sure to spend a few days (at least) in the Bay Area.

xoxo