However, this first photo was taken on Wise Road near Auburn on a Bike Club Wednesday. The sky was gray, the Scotch broom stood out brilliantly.
The beginning of the Golden Poppy season:
Boysenberry pie a la mode
Remember Merrilyn’s Boyseberry Galette from February 26?
I’d hoped to make tiny galettes for the next RLEHS Throwdown, but my first attempt on Feb 28 was a big failure. I needed to try something else.
For the next batch on March 1, I used Merrilyn’s recipe and put the pastry rounds in a mini-muffin tin. The tiny flower cut-out and sparkling white sugar, also from Merrilyn, were the perfect topping.
I told Justin he could have as many as he wanted but had no idea he could eat SIX of them. (Then again, when he was about 10 years old, he ate 20 of Maria’s tacos in one sitting.)
Another practice batch on March 7. 
The RLEHS Throwdown is today and 48 little boysenberry pies are going into the trunk to be driven carefully to Rio Linda. I’ll serve them with a little scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. Big thanks to my consulting team: Merrilyn and Phyl; and the many people who taste-tested everything, including the office staff at WALKSacramento. (Noooo, I’m not competitive.)
Bike ride to Lake Minden Resort
Yesterday and today, I rode a whopping 4 miles from Justin’s house to Lake Minden Resort to visit Dave and Phyl. 4 pm = cocktail hour, right? Filet mignon dinner. Oh my!
Dave and I rode our bikes on the trails on the levee for a couple of hours – FUN!
The Feather River is really low, as are all rivers in California.
The new Hwy 99 bridge to Yuba City.
That was a blast, Phyl and Dave. I think you should go camping there again!
Seeing old friends
Darnit. I was in line at Winco with a cartful of groceries and realized I forgot to get an item located at the far corner of the store. There was one customer ahead of me and I asked if she’d pull my cart forward while I ran to get the missing item. She smiled warmly and said “Of course,” and I took off. I know her. But from where? when? (I’m always so grateful these days when my brain yields the information I need at the moment.)
Sue Cervantes, one of my all-time-favorite moms. I taught her son Nathan at Westside about 20 years ago. And we started talking and talking while we unloaded our groceries, paid for them, and then went to bag them. Lo and behold, her husband had not only bagged their groceries but mine also and had re-loaded them into my cart. Wow! Thank you!
CBET at Smythe Academy
Mike Wade invited me attend today because he had a great guest speaker. Like Elizabeth at Kohler, Mike’s students love him.
A true success story, Eduardo came to the United States from Mexico as the child of a migrant laborer with no English. He retired as a captain in the Sacramento Metro Fire Department and now has a successful business as a translator.
His story was fascinating to all of us. His message was work hard, learn English, keep striving to achieve.
From the mixer to a board meeting
As I drove from a Chamber of Commerce mixer at the 145 Club (although quite a few of us still call it Klein’s, the original name) to a RLEHS board meeting at Dry Creek Ranch House; taken at the curved bridge on Curved Bridge Road:
CBET at Kohler
Meet Elizabeth Arias who teaches at Grant High School but goes to Kohler School in North Highlands two afternoon/week to teach CBET. I was invited to their graduation and fiesta.
Elizabeth’s students love her and attendance was so good, her classes have been extended for another 32 hours.
I love the boy in the orange t-shirt who wanted so badly to stand by his mother (in the gray striped t-shirt) for the picture, but her left hand gestured “stay where you are.”
Trailblazing and a pre-ride
Odin was so excited to show me he didn’t need training wheels and could ride his bike really well. The grass in the backyard at the G St house is really tall (and needs to be mowed or plowed soon) – a challenge to ride through the first few times to make bike trails.
It was important to keep pedaling no matter what. Getting started again was difficult.
And then I went for a pre-ride of the route for an upcoming LGA Club Ride. Vallejo Street: narrow two-lane road with no bike lane or shoulder which means our group will take control of the lane during this stretch.
Destination #1:
Destination #2:
The next step is to create a ride plan to share with students, parents, and Megan, the staff advisor.
Tabling at Camellia Basic
What’s tabling? That was my first question anyway when offered this job.
Elle Steele and I set up a table at the entrance to the cafeteria where the pancake breakfast was taking place. We snagged whoever we could to give away safety information, brain erasers, reflective stickers, and hopefully get some parent names on a list for the upcoming Bike Rodeo. My compliments to Elle’s tabling skills, she’s an expert at pulling people in.
And we got two names on the list for the Bike Rodeo!
Rare event
If something only happens every 48 years, does it deserve a place in this blog? When I told Justin and he gave me a round of applause, I thought “Oh what the heck.”
On the way home from the bike club meeting, I got a speeding ticket. Darnit. I was 18 years old when I got my last moving violation.
arletelouise 