Holly's Notes and Condition

My Sister Heidi Called Last Week While on Vacation

Heidi had called me early last week, as she and her husband Chris were returning from a vacation up to the Oregon Coast and then back down PCH through Big Sur and down into Cambria - she really enjoyed Cambria. As she and Chris went through Big Sur and then wound around on PCH there, she called to say she was amazed that Dave and I had ridden on that road on our Harley - she thought it was very scary in a car!

Heidi asked if I could drive up to Mama's to say 'hello', last Wednesday, after I finished my treatment. I had to tell her that won't work, as on Wednesdays, I don't finish treatments and get back home until 4:00 PM - its a full day starting with radiation therapy, then physical therapy, then my weekly infusion and blood draw at Dr Okun's ofc - its a real push and I'm tired - both physically and emotionally, by the end of the day.
I was glad to hear that Heidi and Chris were enjoying a good vacation. (The grocery employees' union and the grocery store owners agreed upon terms for renewing their 3 year labor contract, without having to go on strike - so Heidi and Chris felt some relief after 3 months of working without a contract and the very real threat of going on strike - so they really appreciated being away together on vacation.)

Funny, I was remembering that area and stretch of highway around Big Sur, when we rode it 4 years ago with our friends, Greg and Marcy V leading a group of 6 bikes, as quite breathtaking and amazing - I was actually taking video from the back of the bike at the time. Being on the bike that day, with that group of friends*, was some of the best and most memorable riding Dave and I have experienced thus far - I felt a very connected feeling, riding through there - in touch with something bigger than me - I really enjoyed it. Of course, the fact that Dave is an excellent rider, allowed me to feel that freedom on the back of the bike - it is a very narrow, twisting, turning stretch of road through there, dropping off with sheer cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, that requires really advanced riding/driving skills - oh yeah, and the day we rode it, it was foggy - so intimate and expansive feeling at the same time.

*2003 - Dave and I had just joined the Harley Chapter at Fullerton in May and returned from Milwaukee after celebrating the Harley 100th Anniversary back there with 850,000 other Harley riders at the end of August, when we were invited on that ride in September, by Steve and Vicki B (Steve is our Chapter Director this year). We rode with Steve and Vicki B, Ralph and Mary T, John and Dora D, Mel and Susan V and of course, Greg and Marcy V - great group and really wonderful ride. Did I mention how cool it is, to just tip your head back and look up through the Redwoods at the passing sky, and reach your hands out and feel the cool fog rush over your skin and savor the misty 'redwood' forest smells, as you're gliding through on the Harley - its a feast for the senses - its even better than going through the Redwoods and driving PCH, in a convertible Mustang, which we've also done. Great memories - I just gave myself a 'virtual' vacation, remembering that time.

posted by Holly @ 11:12 AM