5 Things Friday #15 - Day trip & brother is moving

The Victorian ranch house where John Muir and his family lived for 24 years. His FIL built it and ran a 2600 acre fruit ranch and medical practice from there.

 

Got this at the visitor center. I didn't know he walked from Indianapolis to the Gulf of Mexico starting in 1867. One of my ancestors walked & took small boats to go from Illinois to Mexico to fight in the 1846-1848 Mexican American War which has always astonished me but also made me realize it wasn't unheard of.

A sign in the Slow Hand BBQ restaurant where we had lunch. Love it!

1. We took a little drive on Thursday to see the John Muir House in Martinez, CA and to have lunch at a BBQ place nearby. We also went to the waterfront park, salt marsh and marina for a walk. Loved watching the flock of little marsh wrens skittering about.

I mostly knew of John Muir in relation to Yosemite and the Sierra Club but learned he managed his in-laws ranch and grew so wealthy doing that after his FIL's death that he retired and devoted himself to environmental issues. Strong educated interesting women in his family too - MIL, wife and 2 daughters. We liked the town of Martinez so much that we are going to find reasons to take more little trips there.

Here's a link to the overview video shown at the visitor center - A Glorious Journey

2. My brother has a full Spring and Summer and it sounds as if it is stressing him a lot. He turns 80 this summer and they are moving to an apartment in a continuing care retirement community. That means downsizing to a home 1/3 the size of their current one. They have a full attic on top of New England things like maple sugaring equipment, etc. We had a nice long phone chat about that plus some memories of our parents and updates on our kids and grandkids. I both do and don't wish I was nearby so I could help! 

3. I'm trying to keep my spirits up by rationing my exposure to the dreadful news and instead focusing on what I can do locally. So we now have a yard sign supporting the financing initiative for a new city library to replace the tiny, seismically unsafe one build in 1949.  I am considering volunteering to help at an info table on Earth Day and to pass out fliers.

4. I've done what I can to reduce our auto insurance bill for now. We dropped rental coverage, increased our deductible for comprehensive coverage, and I completed AARP's Safe Driving Course for a small insurance discount. It's not a lot of money off each 6 month bill, but is worth it over the 3 years of the accident penalty. I'll pay the bill at the beginning of April and then decide if it is worth the effort to comparison shop AAA insurance, etc.

5. The Smitten Kitchen recipe for pumpkin bread is so good! More a dessert than bread but delicious. We've also been extra good about using up leftovers and fresh produce (for example; tomato sausage risotto from dinner at son's, tofu with broccoli & red peppers). No problem using up the pumpkin bread lol.