More of the California Lost Coast…
Tuesday, June 12th, 2007When away as these past couple of days, on a beach as the present, many thoughts find their way to develop and linger with a growth I have to admit, fulfilling to the mind. The Ocean in front of us is like an open avenue, incessant with the images bouncing on each other, sometimes as harshly as the waves crashing on the beach. I cannot help thinking as to where I am going sometimes… If doing any good besides to myself and Spirit, if making any difference about anything in this world? We are all such little creatures compared to the vastness of our environment, but still, I like to make a difference… feel fulfilled that someone, somehow… out there, is benefiting from my Journey.
That is just me! I have always needed a purpose regarding Life itself. For a long time cooking was the path taken, we all have a certain ego toward our doings and self… don’t we? It was always a “feel good” culminating point… adrenaline rushing as the highlights were being passed around and served… followed by the mind and body totally crashing as suddenly all was done and over with!
And I honestly miss those “chapters”… The present times however have also been fulfilling. Many are following this Journey through the writing and pictures, discovering maybe their own next destination, choosing perhaps which time of the year the next trip will be. Many, maybe, have found out that Pit Bulls are not such bad dogs after all!… as we should all know that the blame on some of those troubled dogs emanate from their owners! The greatness of Pits are indeed their downfall… loyalty and pleasing their owners (for lack of better word as I do not believe one “owns” their dog…) is their purpose in their lives… as so they can be trained to accomplish anything one desires of them.
Many, also maybe, have learned a bit about preparing a meal that presents well, either at a campground or at home… I know… I have been slacking off that chapter, won’t be too long till I restart presenting you with at least one new recipe a week!… sorry! And as many have wished being in my shoes… as I looked into their own lives… I have always insisted that there are two sides of a coin! Everything has and always will be a compromise… everyone’s day will come, if they wish upon it, to be living on the road as we are… Enjoy the “now’ however, as most of you have a wonderful family, home, source of income, filling the other side of the coin which lacks in my life!
I have met many new friends on the road… and sadly enough at times, I feel, like the expression says “two trains passing each other in the night”! Their presence is too short lived, we part with yet so much to say and share, never a long good bye… deep down we know that the next visit will really not be that far away in time… as… what is time but our own invention of these units so many basing their lives upon.
But I know that true friendship does not “require”… “need”… a constant communication. The minds are always together regardless if phone calls or e mails are not as frequent as maybe we would like it to be. I understand that fact… and I hope that my friends do to… you all are always on my mind, even as far as going back to the beginnings of this Journey, rest assured that nothing is ever forgotten.
I have been thinking about filling the void I talked about initially. The “cooking” part. 40 years!… 40 years in kitchens… what a shame it would be to stop now at the height of my passion and profession… This is not something one can leave behind easily when they enjoy it so much! Specially when spending half of that time as a Personal Chef without having to put up with the behind the scenes of the profession, which honestly are not that much fun! The number crunching, personnel management, the abstract side of it all…
And so, realizing that I would have to adhere to a stricter route on this Journey, be somewhere when I need to be (!!!) I decided, through my readers, to make myself available for… delighting your palates! A special occasion or no occasion… I promise that it will be memorable… I always thought about my cooking as it… leaving a memory of the experience… that is what I have been told over the years anyhow… One of the more simple pleasure of life!… So let me know… when I am getting near you… lets plan on it… it will make of interesting reading on the Blog!!!
A patch of counter… an oven and a stove… a menu… and your friends or family! No other needs… Everything else is with me, not one being in need of 24 different knives and dozens of odd shaped pans! Maybe even a Class? I would love to pass on some of the knowledge… You can be responsible for your own dinner!… I’ll guide you!!! The cost you may ask… face value for the ingredients… my fee? I will let you figure it out… keep it simple!… all with a smile…
All this I think will be a well received addition to this Journey… you will even be able to follow it on the Blog! I know we will have many stories to exchange and talk about! It might have been a missing link throughout these months…But in the meantime, yesterday, we rode the complete loop around here. I actually needed to go back to Eureka to pick up a prescription that had run out, that was an extra stop out of the way… funny thing… I had a chance to stop at the Victorian restrooms in Ferndale! Not an everyday happening…
We took the southern exit route, riding through the giant trees which we will go back to tomorrow! Expect a “lot” of tree pictures!!! The skies had cleared up, the wind was blowing from the north as it always seems to do here, and the roads were slow going… After talking to a local resident that has lived in Petrolia for the past 35 years (!!!) I found out that the road from Ferndale to this site was originally dirt for many years, then graded and filled with gravel for the cars to smooth it out. Seems like no one used it, the road as it is today caved in many places with a slope downhill toward the cliff side, finally deciding to pave it… and leave the slopes!
It surprised me to see logging truck with a trailer also filled with logs going at warp speeds on those roads! There I was paying attention as never before… no guard rails with steep drops! There they were flying away… seeming wider than reality.
And of course sunset again came upon us… this time better dressed as it is “cold” with a fierce non stop wind, we parked ourselves on the beach for a while last night. Spirit has learned well to pose for the camera… I might have trained him to do it without realizing it! He just sits there… rarely moves… even had this Greek style pose for a while looking up to the skies! I might and probably will stop taking sunset pictures… I am loaded with hundreds of them I think! As the story goes… I will, if I have not already, run out of vermillion soon! But… I do think that each “sunset” is the day’s fingerprint!
Just hanging out today… catching up on my snail mail that I just received from Florida… thank you for the letters received and help to cover this Blog’s costs. I know that in the end it will all work out… and your help is always appreciated.Till then… same place… different time… you be well. Ara & Spirit
A “DONATION”?… I have been asking if reading this BLOG is worth a dollar a month to you?… in the form of a yearly donation. Some think so and I thank them for helping the increasing publishing costs… For those not using PayPal, here is my snail mail… Ara Gureghian 853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd #245 Naples Fl 34108
June 13th, 2007 at 12:01 am
I very much like the idea of the mobile personal chef. How does Spirit feel about being your sous-chef?
June 13th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Hello Ara and best bud Spirit,
You have found a treasure on the west coast, Mattole, too bad you need to get to Seattle so fast, you have already passed some wicked nice camp spots on your mega travel day up 101 on the 9th. What happened to the truck?
Michael
June 14th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Wow! These pictures are sooo pretty, and they make me miss my mom so much! She lives in Eureka, and I visit her when I can and we always make a trip to ferndale, have used that restroom myself on occasion. What a wonderful trip this must have been for you, and thank you for posting this for us to peek at. You can find my on eBay as donnab19520 hope you get to enjoy many more trips!
June 15th, 2007 at 6:07 am
Nice to have met you,(was also a guest @ motel6) keep truckin and happy trails to you. will keep checkin out where you land. be safe out there. to bad we didnt have time for you to show off your cooking.
Kelly
June 15th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
I have visited your very nice website
I did like it a lot, I would like to Thank you and Spirit for sharing your travels and pictures with us.
Thank You
Javier Jarquin
Oaxaca, Mexico.