All Smiles

It is time to say hello again, from Oakley.

Did you know that there are lavender hedges here in the city? Yes, hedges. Quite charming. They remind me of Italy, although the lavender in Italy was wild and free and all over the place. Here, the lavender is trimmed into precise square hedges, but I think it is quite lovely even still. If I ever catch the city trimming lavender on my road, I shall have a word with them. Just a polite word, for lavender, should be wild and free. Now, while still on the topic of Italy, let me give a word for the lemons. Italy had the biggest and most delicious lemons I have ever had. Well, California is not far behind. The lemons are huge and hanging on the trees in abundance. It is not their season, but there is usually some variety of citrus available year-round here, I am told. I have not figured out for sure what kind of lemons I am seeing on the trees this time of year, but I am already getting carried away with the fresh-squeezed lemonade. I have also been watching the grapes ripen as we drive by the countless vineyards. Just when I thought surely all these grapes were going to waste, we happened upon harvest in full swing in a vineyard we passed the other day. These particular grapes are wine grapes. They are small, delicate grapes that are hanging in delightful dark purple clusters. Other vineyards are growing table grapes, and they are picked by hand. I’d quite like to help with grape harvest myself. There are innumerable varieties of grapes grown here. The grocery store has so many different varieties, that I have not decided for sure which are best.

The restaurants here are a little overwhelming. We end up eating out more than we would like because we are just out and about a lot. I often pack a lunch if we are going to be gone over lunch and supper, but it has been great fun trying new restaurants. There is a vast variety of cuisines. The most dominant are Mexican, Asian, Italian, Indian, and Mediterranean. There have been a couple of hole-in-the-wall places we have politely ducked out of because they looked a little too interesting. Taco trucks are a favorite. But have you ever tried a potsticker? Or a slimy Asian dumpling that is stuffed with (we hope) pork? Or an El Salvadoran pupusa? We stopped on our way home from a tract route today and picked up some fresh, hot, Naan. The Italian gelato shops scream my name as we sail by in a newly tinted Silvia. Our favorite Mexican restaurant in Oakley is named 7 Mares Grill and there are nearly seven Mexican ladies who are delighted to see us every time we enter. They have the very best bean dip and taquitos but sadly, their Diet Coke is $4.50 and that is hardly acceptable for missionaries to partake of. And should I even start on the coffee shops? We have not been to many, but I have been eyeing plenty. There is a Dutch Bros just five minutes from our house and it takes an admirable amount of self-denial to steer Silvia on down the road. (Have you tried their sugar-free lemonades?)

We have not only been eating, but we have also been busy putting tract routes into place. It has been going so much better than we expected. I think we were both prepared to be turned down a lot or something…? So far, the reception has been pretty positive. That being said, Brent has already learned to be somewhat selective with which places he goes to. You learn pretty quickly which places are most likely to take tracts and which places probably won’t. I often stay in the van with the boys, as the stops are quick. I have been taking on the job of keeping track of all the names of the places and where they are at. Brent takes the tract racks in and asks if we can leave them on a counter or something somewhere. The only way I know whether or not he was accepted, is if his hands are empty when he returns. Whether he was turned down or not, he comes out all smiles. It does take some courage to walk into these random places and ask if we can put tracts on their counter or in a waiting room etc. The Asians seem to be quite religious, and several have told us they do not want any literature sitting around that is not Christian literature. One Korean lady just had to make sure we were not Jehovah’s Witnesses because she just could not bear a Jehovah's Witness. The Latin Americans usually act excited about the tract racks, but we shall see when we return in a month or two if the racks are still there. Some people say no right off, but when you turn leave, they change their mind and quickly start clearing a spot for you to put the tracts on their counter. Brent has gotten into some interesting conversations with people, and he may have to share some of his stories here with you all. We are feeling hopeful and encouraged with the tract work here. It is not nearly as overwhelming once we just get started, although there is an endless number of places where tracts could be distributed. So far, we have six routes started and roughly ten thousand tracts distributed. A lot of our routes we plan to add onto later on. I think Brent is hoping to add a stop or two to every route each time we service the routes. 

Did you know that the Ballico congregation has around five tract routes? I find this so admirable. I think every congregation could have at least five routes. I will just throw that out there. No judgment.😅

A couple of Sundays ago, we had our first set of Sunday company. What fun. Bryce and Savannah Giesbrecht from Glenn and Josiah and Kelly Reagers from Winton. Both couples just so happen to be dear friends of ours. We had the loveliest day. They got here around 10:30, so we got to have Sunday school once again. (I do miss my most special Sunday school class at Macon.) We sang a few songs and then had lunch together. Later afternoon was spent walking the pier and visiting Sherman Island. It is quite enjoyable watching the many kite-boarders on Sherman Island. 

I think soon we will be setting up a rotation with several of the surrounding congregations where a few couples will come once a month to spend Sunday with us. Very excited about that. Then we will visit a congregation one Sunday a month as well or whenever we get an invite or something.

Santa Cruz is really beautiful. Brent took me there on my birthday to see the tide pools and we also encountered a beautiful natural bridge at none other than Natural Bridge State Beach. After becoming rather sun-kissed and tired, we found supper at a very quaint Italian place. We wandered down some stone steps and found ourselves below ground in a sort of tunnel. Just follow the delightful aromas, and you’re there. It was very small and very authentic. I tried to mind my own business and not drop in on other’s conversations as the tables were in very close proximity. But Ezra, my little friendly boy, was quite determined that he should make friends with the people on all sides. We managed to get away from four or five conversations with different groups of people and head home. Ezra seemed quite pleased with his accomplishments. The tiramisu came home with us for later.

Brent says I need to tell y’all about the traffic here. He is still adjusting to driving in traffic and still trying to figure out where everyone is going. Everyone is out on the roads driving at all times. Or so it seems. But there are, quite frankly, just a lot of people here. In fact, there are about the same amount of people here in the Bay Area as there are in Alabama and Mississippi combined. You have to decide that you do not have anything on the agenda for the day. Nothing other than sitting in traffic. Now, the traffic is not always bad if you can time things just right, but we have caught it at a bad time quite a few times now. It is just so incomprehensible to me that there are people whose lives consist of driving to work every day and sitting in that traffic every day. It is legal here for motorcyclists to split lanes and there are a lot of them. So that keeps a person on edge as well. You must watch those guys because they will be right beside you when you go to change lanes. The other day coming through San Francisco at rush hour we got cut off and nobody would let us over into the right lane, so we were stuck in the bus/taxi only lane. A furious bus driver blared his horn at us for an outrageous amount of time and finally, we were able to get into another lane and get out of his way. He drove up beside us and proceeded to yell at us, telling us to enjoy the three-hundred-dollar ticket we would be getting in the mail. I calmly continued eating my cheese stick as he sat by my window and yelled.

I am wondering what else I should tell y’all. Have I said much about the parks? There are so many parks here. A lot of them have a soccer/baseball field, skate park, tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, disc golf, and splash pads. Then of course they have all the swings, slides, jungle gyms, etc. There is one park that is known for its lively pickleball tournaments and every time we have been there it is quite a riot. Most subdivisions have their own private parks as well, but those parks are usually a little lower key. We have a couple of parks we can walk to from our house. It is neat to sit and relax there in the evening. You see people from your subdivision and can almost always watch a soccer game. Plus, Elliot can interact with other kids. One of my favorite parks here in Oakley even has little garden plots you can rent. The gardens are fenced in by a rustic little picket fence that barely manages to contain the garden’s flowers and wandering melon vines. And this favorite park also has bocce ball courts.

The Marsh Creek Trail is a paved biking/walking trail that follows Marsh Creek. We can get on the trail about three blocks from our house. We have walked miles and miles of the trail. It starts somewhere south of Brentwood and winds all over through Brentwood and Oakley. There are numerous places where you can park and hop on the trail. Some parts of the trail wander through orchards and vineyards, other parts run right behind people’s houses. You cross little bridges, and busy roadways, and walk through tunnels. You stop and smell the flowers, weeds, and trees if you are Elliot. You see palm tree-studded sunsets and dark purple mountain silhouettes. Birds sing in the trees and ducks float on the creek. Little boys are fishing, and bikers are zooming past us. The city noise almost fades away. Elliot loves riding his bike. He also really enjoys greeting every person we meet with a cheerful hello and a vigorous wave that threatens to send him flying off the trail on his bike. 

We spent a terribly depressing week being sick. But I should not complain, because sickness rarely darkens our doors, and I suppose we must take our turn now and again. Elliot was not sure what to think about throwing up but did so over and over. I was so concerned and feeling so badly for him, but he looked at me reassuringly and said, “Mom, I otay!” So, we made it through. Very thankful Brent and I did not have it at once, for I am not sure who would have taken care of the boys.

We spent Labor Day weekend in Glenn with Shawn and Eddie Giesbrecht. A most delightful time was had there. I wish I could paint you a little picture of their place, but I would probably fail to do it justice. It is such a darling cottage home with so much character and charm. I just love wandering around the yard. It is full of palms, fruit trees, wandering flower beds, perfectly mown grass, blooming hydrangeas, and lots of shade. Take some winding steps down, past a little stream trickling over rocks and you are at a little patio/picnic area and fire ring. A little further and there is the lovely pool sparkling beneath waving palms. We went boating, we swam, we spent time together with friends, we went to church, and we drank coffee. It kinda feels like home there already. Almond harvest was in full swing, so we got to experience that. A funny-looking shaker comes along and shakes the almonds from the trees, then they leave the almonds on the ground to dry for a few days. Next, a sweeper comes and sweeps the almonds into a nice row. Lastly, the harvester comes and picks them up. Nothing quite like eating fresh almonds straight from the orchard. 

The wild sunflowers are nodding sunshiny hellos from the dusty ditches everywhere and I admire them so for enduring the drought and intense sunshine.

Currently sitting in traffic. Good day to all. 👋🏻