Weaverville, Redding, and Chico, CA

I was going to do a video blog but it came out lame and I just wasn't up to it :( sorry about the delay. I feel like some of the events have been so long ago there isn't much to report but we will see how this turns out...


Weaverville..... oh Weaverville, it reminds of a certain post on facebook that makes me chuckle. I have been to Weaverville one time before for work and was only briefly there. And it turns out I never really went into the historic part of Weaverville. Well, we stayed at an RV park and in the morning we ambled on over to the historic part to try and find some goods and to get to know the city. We past some great breakfast joints and couldn't resist so we headed on in to a place and Anna got a nice breakfast sandwich and I got this bagel sandwich that had smoked salmon. When they delivered it it looked like the man's meal was Anna's and the girly meal was mine. But hey I don't care I chowed down on it and enjoyed plentifully. After visiting the museum there we basically were done (not much in Weaverville honestly). We headed to Redding.

Once we got to Redding we did some shopping at Target then headed to the mall to check it out then figure out where we were going from there. Turns out there really isn't that much to do in Redding even though it has a population of 90k. Anna's old time friends who live there weren't able to hang the first night so we were left to our own devices. We got bored at the mall and were noticing things about the populace. Such as, girls there love these strappy sandal things that look like old Greek type sandals. We wanted to sneak a couple of pics of girls wearing them but decided against. We then drove to the Sundial Bridge which is like the most known landmark in Redding. It's this pedestrian walkway and is crazy looking. When we went it was dark but we planned on returning in the morning. Finally, we headed to Walmart and spent the night after exploring it, it was huge.

Sundial Bridge at night

Next day we went on back to Sundial and busted out the bikes. We went on a pretty strenuous bike ride along the Sacramento River all the way up to the Keswick Dam. It was actually quite enjoyable and we had a grand 'ol time taking pictures along the way.

Bike ride view

Wondering what is taking Anna so long

The Lookout Tree

Sundial Bridge

making sure we weren't running late

very photogenic

the view was amazing

We met up with Anna's friends, who are mine now too :), at their office. They are brothers, Tim and Dennis. We learned about their company and what they do. Tim is = to Michael Scott!!! Dennis is like Jim Halpert!! Very exciting and we just caught up and Tim and I talked about VWs because he actually owns a sweet looking bus that is the same year as mine. We agreed to get dinner and see some live music after they got off, unfortunately, Tim had prior obligations though.

We got some sushi with Dennis, his wife Angela, and their friend Anna. Food was good the Asahi was delicious like always. During dinner Dennis and I talked about some amazing things. He and I have never really had a heart to heart conversation and I have always heard he is a really cool guy. Turns out he really is a cool guy and the things he has thought about and the way he sees the world is amazing. We discussed just breaking away from old habits and not following in our parents' footsteps that are negative. We talked about taking good risks and developing your true self and your, "Couple Identity" For the most part I agreed with everything he was saying and many of the things he said were very encouraging to me. Reflecting on this conversation and the meeting with Shelley I almost feel like Anna and I are traveling around the country discovering its beauty then periodically having these interactions with these wise teachers. I hope that I bump into people along this journey who help me better see the world and fill me with a new vigor for life. I feel like some Buddhist pilgrim going from one mountain top that has some wise old monk atop it to the next.

Dennis, Angela and Us

Didn't like how the cat was saying hello

After dinner we headed to the music. It was called Love Lounge and I believe it was put on by Dennis' church. It was part talent show part concert. People came up played a song or two and then next performance. They had a ventriloquist too whether you like that kind of thing or not. It was a very enjoyable night that ended with us resting our weary heads in the Walmart parking.

Next day we went for a long walk along the river then chilled out with some coffee. We then headed to Chico and unfortunately it started raining. We rolled into Chico in the afternoon and visited The Naked Lounge coffee joint. Not owned by the same people in Sacramento. It wasn't quite as nice but it did the trick and we stayed there for awhile while we surfed the Internet. One of my facebook friends suggested going to Madison Bear Garden so we went. It was nice had a drink and just joked around for awhile. We debated seeing a late night showing of Harry Potter but decided against it. We chilled out in Maander and watched some TV.

From our walk

Peet's. Before all the drenching we went to a Chico Alumni game where my sister's friend Leah played. It was fun and we talked to her parents and husband who we haven't seen in a long time. We wanted to walk the Bidwell Park but the rain is just too nasty. Next stop Auburn most likely or we may head home early we will see PEACE!!

Mean Muggin'

Drenched after walking in the rain

Reflections on Walden (only read if interested :)

So it has been awhile since I spoke about Walden. I have still been reading it is just when I write a blog and I get to the point where I would talk about it the blog is soooo long I just have to end it. It has been a couple days since I have read so it definitely isn't fresh in my mind but I will do my best. I remember feeling like all these people living on the north coast, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties in particular, are trying to exemplify what Thoreau is getting at. Thoreau spoke about clothing and how readily people dispose of it when it gets a hole in it when one could repair it so easily. He pointed out how someone can do way more things in an old pair of pants than in a new one. What he was getting at was that we try and preserve these nice things for so long and they end up just being wasted or never being used. He discussed building his own home and how for a year's worth of rent of a college student they could build their own home and have independence.

One of the most poignant things he discussed was the way housing worked for, "The Civilized World" as opposed to the, "Savages"

He noted that the homes the Native Americans made were probably just as good as the New Englander's homes yet the community comes together and builds every family a house with the natives. The civilized man hopes to buy his house one day and then spend half his life trying to pay it off. The natives have their homes paid for and are not burdened by their debts. Thoreau did a great job of pointing out the set backs our society can have sometimes.