California with Dad

Katie D.

October 22, 2009 - 3:34 PM

Last weekend I took off for a quick trip down to California. My dad met up with me, and we spent the weekend with my uncle and aunt in their house outside of El Dorado. We went wine tasting, hiked at Lake Tahoe, put in a brief appearance at an apple festival, met the neighbors and neighborhood animals, and spent time in their gorgeous house, talking and enjoying each other's company.

It's been a long time since I've had a real adventure with just my dad. We used to go on ski trips together, and we do family hikes almost every time I'm home. But strict "daddy/daughter" time has been in short supply over the past couple of years. It was time for an adventure together.

It was a fabulous weekend. The hills in outskirts of Sacramento are so beautiful, and I'd never seen my aunt and uncle's house before. These relatives exist in the "hilariously funny" category of people in my life. My uncle Pat has a nickname for everyone and an acronym for everything. Aunt Linda is sweet and opinionated, with an incredible talent for pulling people together and creating community. Their house is fabulous, and they were amazing hosts. Not only did I have my own little mini-apartment to myself, but it included a basket of toiletries and some goodies in the kitchen. That's travel like I've never experienced before!

We toured the hills, sampling wine and hearing about the neighborhood personalities and gossip. We ate fabulous food (including apple doughnuts) and drank fabulous wine. We spent time sitting outside overlooking a beautiful vista of hills and trees, and saw fabulous sunsets.

My cousin Christopher is twenty-seven years old and has severe developmental disabilities. He lives with Uncle Pat and Aunt Linda and attends a school for people with disabilities during the day. In the evenings and on weekends he was around the house with us, and I got to see him again for the sweet person he is, and see how much love Pat and Linda have poured into their relationship with him. He loves music, and Dad sang to him several times.

On Saturday, Dad and I took off in Linda's sports car and drove off to Lake Tahoe. It was a gorgeous day and a perfect chance to spend some time by ourselves. We hiked and talked, discussing music and plans and all kinds of things. It was just what we had needed: time to be off by ourselves in a beautiful place. The hike was great and the weather couldn't possibly have been better. Driving around with the top down and the autumn day all around made me so happy. What a beautiful day to share with Dad.

Sunday was our last day in California. Dad and Pat took Christopher for a short walk, while Aunt Linda and I did a whole loop around their neighborhood. She knows the names of all the neighbors, and stories about all the houses and families. Even more impressive, when Pat and Linda go on walks they carry carrots and alfalfa pellets with them. Aunt Linda can't whistle, so I had the job of whistling "Peter and the Wolf" and watching horses, donkies, sheep, goats, and llamas come running. Most of the neighbors keep animals of some kind, both because the properties are large enough and because a small herd of goats is a much more convenient grounds maintenance technique than a lawn mower. The animals know that "Peter and the Wolf" means food, and Linda had names for almost all the animals: either their proper names or ones that had developed over years of walking and feeding. My favorite animals were "Osama Bin Llama" (did I mention that my uncle is a bit irreverent?) and the goat, HIF. HIF is a special character, who apparently was so convinced that "the grass is always greener" that he would get his head stuck in the fence on a daily basis. Hence the name "Head In Fence." Now he had a piece of PVC pipe wired to his horns so he can't fit his head through the wires.

It was a wonderful weekend. I so appreciated the chance to spend time with my dad, and with my other relatives. As I've gotten older I've become more and more sure that family is extremely important, and that spending time and creating memories together is essential. Living so far away from my family hasn't made me less connected to them; rather it has made me appreciate more how important it is that I have a place to go home to.

Plus the weekend was a great source of stories. Goats named HIF don't eat out of your hand just every day, after all.

Toast the sunset, pour more wine. To family!