Sold the Cat

After 5 years, I have sold my Buick Wildcat (1970) to the man who sold it to me. Full story will follow. I guess this means I have to change the title of my blog?

My Cousin Reymundo

On September 21st, my cousin Reymundo suffered a stroke and died September 25th. He was 54 years old. He was my cousin by marraige to my prima hermana Martha. He was a father and a grandfather and was just a lovely man. He certainly had his wild days in the seventies as evidenced photographs of the, then popular plaid leisure suits and big hair. He was also an entertainer at heart. He was in many bands back then and loved music. Like all of us, he was not perfect and certainly had his share of disappointments. He also raised two wonderful children, Melina and Fabian who reflect the best of him.

I will always remember Reymundo later on in life as a quieter, more observant man. Holding court in his daughter's kitchen, whipping up some amazing salsa made with the hottest, most evilest habaneros. He would laugh and ask you to try it, touching that part of you that is competitive (especially if you are Mexican). Prove yourself, can you take the heat?! If not, get out the kitchen! I remember that Reymundo was one of the least judgemental people in our extremely large family. Don't get the wrong idea, I love my family but we have an opinion on everyone and everything! Reymundo always made you feel like it was fine to be yourself and that he would not judge you.

This week, my comadre Melina (his daughter), my cousin Fabian (his son), Ariana and Reyli (his granddaughters) and my cousin Martha, our extended family of course his own family branch mourn the loss of this fine man.

En Paz Descanses Reymundo
Rest In Peace Reymundo

Camping Rules!

You know what's good? Camping! We camped in Sanborn Park (Santa Clara County) over the weekend and it was great. The impetus came from our good friend Shinya and his GF visiting from Tokyo. They wanted to go camping and we said "What the heck!". Off we went for a good ol' fashioned American camping trip, s'mores and everything. I have been camping in the desert, in the woods, by the beach and in backyards (haha!) and this trip was up in the top ten. Be forewarned, this park/campsite does not have the option of driving right up to your campsite like many sites do.

This is not a yelp review so I am not going to give a play by play about how clean and well-stocked the bathrooms are (they were both, however no soap, which is fine) or how cheap it is ($15 a night). What I will say is that I spent a great time laughing with my friends, hiked through beautiful scenery and saw plenty of wildlife. We got up early and saw a family of deer, two mothers and three babies. We also saw other "friends" such raccoons and a little mouse and of course a few cottontails.

There is something about being outdoors and experiencing true silence. We live downtown and I forget how noisy it can be. Planes, freeway traffic, sirens, roosters (hehe!) and all our electronic devices drown out even our own thoughts. It was good to re-charge in a redwood grove and get ready for another week in the rat race.

I'm looking forward to our trip to New Mexico, however, I am already thinking about the next campsite.

Carol Channing

My first blog should be about cars BUT I am reading Carol Channing's memoirs and that's at the top of my list for the mo. We'll get to cars and specifically my car (Buick Wildcat, '70) later. Did you know that Carol Channing is AMAZING? I kind of knew that but not really. She was so focused and knew exactly what she wanted to do from a very young age - be a great performer. She is totally committed to the art form. I'm reading her book, "Just Lucky I Guess" and if you have a flight pick it up and get ready to be inspired. She worked like a dog, she faced a lot of rejection and best of all, she is tall like an amazon, like me. Us tall girls got to stick together, I tell ya.