Dinner on the River

 

I love Kernville.  I guess you've figured that out by now.  That, and it's a 45 minute trip - probably 20 minutes if you were a bird.  The old road is really rugged - lots of hairpin turns.  When we get the wanderlust we usually head here or Tehachapi.  Kernville is hot in the summer, though, so we usually head up Hwy 58 to Tehachapi.   In fact, it's apple season there. Time for a jaunt!

The Kern River Inn is a B&B, and if you've got a good arm, you could stand on the porch and throw a stone in the river.  We took a look inside and the rooms are really nice, and you can even hear the river from the front bedroom.  Hubman's birthday is in October - maybe that would make a nice gift!  A night on the river and dinner at Ewing's, which is known for their marvelous steaks ...

Hmmmmm. Just wondering....

 Cujo Jr.

 I wonder what it means when you're about a third of the way through a book on Bi-Polar Disorder ("Hurry Down Sunshine...") and you realize you've already read it - and it was published in '08. That means you didn't have a whole lot of time to forget it.  Does it mean I was manic when I read it, or was I too depressed to remember it!

Just wondering.....

Whitewater Cruising

Here we are in Kernville again. They're really more photos of our last visit. I'm standing on a bridge that spans the river, watching the white water rafters return after a trip down river. It was a very warm (hot!) day and they looked so cool, literally and figuratively, coming in for a smooth landing.
 

(One of the women that worked for one of the rafting companies was a contestant on Survivor several seasons ago - can't remember her name.)

There are several rafting companies that operate out of  Kernville.  I'd really like to try this while I'm still able to get on and off a raft!  A lot of people (hubman included) go tubing on the lower river, closer to Bakersfield, but the currents can be deadly.    I'll stick with rafts with guides that know the river and know what they're doing...

No, I'm Not Dead...

...just resting.

Isn't that the coolest planter you ever saw?  I loved it the minute I laid my eyes on it.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a party at my daughter's house - combination birthdays for Corinne and her step-daughter, Amber.  They all wanted to play "Bocci Ball."  If you've ever seen a movie with elder Italian playing what appears to be lawn bowling, then you know what Bocci ball is.  The object is to throw heavy wooden balls at a smaller ball that's been tossed out towards the opposite goal.  Let me tell you, those balls are heavy!  There are teams of two, and I played with my son-in-law and we kicked some butt!  But even my trusty right arm couldn't save us.   We finished in 2nd place.  I couldn't move for two days. 

I've got a fuzzy little juvenile delinquent resting on my feet.  Homer is a little terrorist.  He's so adorable when he's sleeping, but when he's "zizzing" around the house, he's a handful!  We're not a bit sorry we got a puppy, though.  It's fun watching him learn the ropes from our Katie, our older dog.  He's already mastered "sit," "drop-it," "bring it," and we're working on "no-bite!"  He's little baby teeth are like Parana teeth! 

Fall is in the air here - although it is expected to be in the 90's again at the end of the week.  Fall means shorter days, which I hate, and cooler weather, which I love!!!  We only had to use the A/C about ten days this summer, opting instead to use the cooler we bought.  Man, I wish we'd done that two summers ago. Our highest electric bill was under $70!  Considering that just last summer it was well over $300 per month, we're thrilled!

Why is it that during the day I can think of so many things I want to talk about, but when I start typing and thinking it all evaporates?!?  I guess I need to start making notes.  But then I'd just forget where they are...
I'll put my thinking cap on and see what I can come up with.

Happy week, every one. 

"Death in the Chimney" Update

Well, it just got weirder and weirder.  It would appear that Dr. Kotarac was in a rocky relationship. She and her boyfriend were supposed to leave for Amsterdam last Friday, and I guess they had a brouhaha.  She tried to see him Wednesday evening, but he sneaked out the back.  She then tried to break the back door down with a shovel, and when that didn't do the job, she got a ladder and got on the roof, removed the chimney cap and went in feet first.   This happened Wednesday.  The boyfriend stayed elsewhere and didn't return until Thursday, spending the night and leaving for Amsterdam as planned, but by himself, on Friday. 

On Saturday, a neighbor, who was taking care of the boyfriend's fish tank, came in and noticed a rank odor (makes me ill to even imagine, especially given the heat), looked up the fireplace and then called the cops. 

The boyfriend had noticed Dr. K's purse, along with her cellphone and other personal "stuff," in the backyard Thursday.  He and Dr. K's office assistant then called the police, not knowing what had happened to her, and filed a missing persons report.  Sadly, she was there all the time.

Her brother said when they were kids they lived on an old property that had a huge fireplace.  You could see up through the chimney when the flue was open. He thinks, given her mental state (and yes, she had been drinking), she indeed thought she could get in the house.

I keep thinking about her and what a horrible death she must have had.  The official COD was asphyxiation due to chest compression - so it wasn't instant.  And they say truth is stranger than fiction....