Jacqueline’s Jaunts

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Week 16 – Theme "Negatives" – 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – Conversation with My Aunt Ruby (Archer) Threet

My 95-year-old Aunt Ruby is in a rehab center after breaking her hip in the past few months. She then broke her femur not long after that. She also developed a hematoma after a nurse accidently knocked her side against a wheelchair.

On Friday, 22 April 2022 I saw a photo my cousin Lisa (Aunt Ruby’s youngest daughter) posted on Facebook. She was visiting Aunt Ruby in a rehab center. I saw the photo a few minutes after Lisa posted it and immediately texted her. I wanted to see if we could facetime so I could say hello to Aunt Ruby and ask a few questions about the photo.

The weird thing about this is I was struggling with what to write about this week. The theme, Negatives, was giving me a tough time. I couldn’t come up with anything I wanted to share. This conversation ended up solving my problem. In the genealogy world we call this serendipity. The following reflects the conversation I had with Aunt Ruby.

She was in great spirits and instead of dwelling on the negatives that happened to her we ended up talking about family history and I obtained a horde of new Threet family information. We turned what could have been a negative conversation into a positive one. She was so happy to hear and see me. She said she has been thinking about me a lot lately and this made me rather teary eyed.

Photo from my cousin, Lisa (Threet) Clark

The above photo is what started this conversation. Lisa’s posting stated the woman on the left is her mom, Ruby (Archer) Threet, and on the right is her Aunt Sue. Ruby is my aunt by marriage as she married my dad’s older brother James. Sue is my dad’s older sister and therefore my aunt.

She is 95 and still has all her wits about her. She is still as beautiful as I always remember her. The following reflects the conversation we had.

In Honey Grove Texas everyone used to go to the town square on Saturday night. The post office was in the middle of the square. My dad’s entire family would go. She became friends with Aunt Sue and the photo above was taken in a photo booth in the town square. Aunt Ruby was about 16 at the time.

She came to know most of the family at that time. When Uncle Roger (one of my dad’s younger brothers) was born, they would carry him around the square.

Farming had become difficult in Honey Grove, cotton and corn crops were not performing well. Uncle Floyd Threet (one of dad’s older brothers) was the first to move out to California with his family, Aunt Bonnie, Doug, Don and Doyle. Uncle Floyd bought a house on Julian Street, but she is not sure when.

Uncle James and Aunt Ruby married in (Year). Uncle James went to California to work. He made boxes at one of the fruit packing sheds. While Uncle James was in California working, Aunt Ruby stayed with her family. He returned to Texas after packing season. The following year, 1952, he and Aunt Ruby went back to California and stayed. They bought their house in 1955 in Turlock on Columbia Street.

Uncle Willie Threet was also one of the brothers that moved before the rest of the family. He was married to Johnnie.

Bruce Travis Threet (my dad’s father) never drove and depended on his boys to drive him around. After Aunt Ruby and Uncle James married, she would also drive him around.

Aunt Kate RAYNOR Strickland (Clara Marie RAYNOR Threet’s sister and Clara was married to Bruce Travis Threet) lived in Blythe, California. At some point she came to live with Clara. Kate broke her hip and became ill and died in Turlock, California. She is buried in Blythe by her husband. Kate and Clara also had another sister, Viola, who lived in Kansas.

I was so happy she gave me all of the above. I will need to go visit her soon.

Saturday, April 9, 2022

03-21-22 Cloverdale/Healdsburg to Home

03-21-22 Monday

Cloverdale/Healdsburg KOA to Castro Valley, California

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 2

Drive Time: 2.25

Miles: 111.1

Arrived: ~ 2:00 pm

Last travel day for our Oregon trip. Of course, the weather on our last day would be beautiful. We didn’t have much to get ready and we were on our way around 11:00 am. We headed up the hill toward the office to use the air compressor for that darn tire. Barry thinks it’s the tire pressure sensor he installed. He installed one on all the tires. He will check when we get home.

Ride was fine down 101 through Santa Rosa. We didn’t hit that much traffic going across the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge, but we did hit rough road all the way home. We say this every time we get into the Bay Area back from a trip, the roads are horrible. Potholes, patches, ridges, uneven pavement, and whatever else. Just don’t know why our roads can’t be fixed.

Made it home and the unpacking process began. Checked all my indoor plants and everyone seemed fine. My orchids and African violets all looked beautiful. I noticed two orchids now have flower shoots. I guess they like being ignored.

Rowan brought down our mail and packages. Barry had to check out his new compressor and put it to use ASAP.

In a few weeks we will be travelling to Salida for my 87-year-old uncle’s wedding, hosting Easter, and on May 5th we leave for four days at Coastanoa with the Reynolds. Looking forward to that trip.

We appreciate everyone following us!!! Thank you! Happy Jaunts.

Friday, April 8, 2022

03-20-22 Sunday Cloverdale/Healdsburg Francis Ford Coppola Winery

03-20-22 Sunday

Cloverdale/Healdsburg KOA, Cloverdale, California

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 2

Drive Time: 0

Miles: 0

Arrived: 0

This morning was cold and breezy in the mid 40’s. Both up and showered. Breakfast and planning our day. We decided to start our day at Francis Ford Coppola’s Winery and see what direction we ended up after that. We didn’t make reservations and since there were only two of us, we decided to take our chances.

We were able to get into the restaurant and thank goodness because I was STARVING and about to get hangry! Lil’ Debbie’s and tea for breakfast was not cutting it. George was our waiter and he never wrote anything down. Wine was fabulous and he brought us a small bag that contained two bread donuts, deep fried and sprinkled with salt. We did our best not to order more, so yummy.

I ordered the ½ chicken brick baked with veggies and Barry ordered meatballs + penne in tomato sauce. Both meals were excellent and of course the wine was excellent. I couldn’t eat all my chicken so took a leftover box. Ambiance was excellent. The middle of the restaurant had corks hanging from the ceiling. I love it. Trying to figure out how to do this at home.

We walked the movie exhibits after lunch, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Apocalypse Now, Tucker, Marie Antoinette, and the Godfather movies. Costumes, props, and the Tucker car on a rotating floor that turns in a circle. Fun to see.

“Well, want to taste some wine?" They were booked solid...but wait...literally a moment before Barry asked, there was a cancellation and we could be seated. Three minutes later we were seated at a great table on the patio with the bitchin’ people!!! Our lucky day. We ordered two flights and the afternoon began. Five wines each, 4 bottles bought + fee waived for one guest (me). Keep in mind our tasting were $35 for one type of flight and $30 for another type of flight.

Our hostess was from the Italy wine country and very knowledgeable of the Coppola wines. I loved her accent. We had a blast blowing off the afternoon and talking about life. Again, we solved the problems of the world. As we walked to the car we decided to go check out downtown Cloverdale. It was about a 15-minute drive back in the direction of the KOA park. In the blink of an eye, we discovered Cloverdale at 3 pm on a Sunday. As Barry said, “Something out of a Hitchcock movie, dead and deserted." But...wait...I see a brewery AND it’s open. Wolf House Brewing Company so of course we have to stop.

Inside was great. Nothing fancy but right up our alley. Great logo and bar. I decided to order dessert, grasshopper pie and Barry ordered pretzels with cheese and a Therapy Session IPA. The pie was excellent. Barry said the pretzels were great. I ordered a taste of a local seltzer but didn’t like it so I stuck to water.

We headed back to the KOA but decided to take a few detours to explore the area and housing. So much to see in these hills. When we arrived back at our campsite the kid next door couldn’t wait to tell Barry he caught “Walter” the big bass in the pond. He showed Barry a photo of Walter and he won some sort of prize when he told the KOA office about it. Such a happy camper.

We decided to go for a walk around the campground as the sun was setting. Our last night on the road and again it seemed a little sad. Barry made one last s’more, but I couldn’t fit anymore in my stomach.

Tomorrow we are on our way home and this trip will be a memory. A great twenty-one days on the road. I’m finding I love being on the road and not excited about driving home.

Thursday, April 7, 2022

03-19-22 Saturday Benbow to Cloverdale/Healdsburg KOA

03-19-22 Saturday

Cloverdale/Healdsburg KOA, Cloverdale, California

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 2

Drive Time: 2.5 hours

Miles: 122.2 miles

Arrived: 3:30 pm

Raining this morning so getting ready to leave was a bit messy for Barry...poor guy. Fred and Helaine came over and we exchanged contact information. They also wanted to see our RV and check out the ceiling lights we replaced. They are thinking of doing the same thing.

Barry was still concerned about the front left tire but said he would just keep an eye on it. He thinks the tire sensor may be failing.

We stopped in a little town past Willets called Hopland for gas. He was able to get into the station but getting out may be another story. If you are not aware, when towing a vehicle we can’t back up.

This station you have to enter on an upward slope and turning right onto the road is going to be challenging. As it turns out Barry couldn’t turn right, so I get out with my walkie talkie and guided him past the pumps and the concrete posts on the right. We’ve had one too many encounters with a concrete post, like an $8,000 encounter. He ended up turning left, leaving me there, going down the road, making a right turn then a left turn through a parking lot and back onto the highway. Pulled up to the side of the road where I was waiting and picked me up.....LOL! You do what you have to do! Must of looked funny for people passing me by.

We made it to Cloverdale in two and a half hours. Before we came to Cloverdale, I checked out how far the KOA was off the highway. It’s five miles off the highway! I asked Barry if he knew that, and he did not. When he made the reservations, he didn’t check that out. Oh well. We got off the highway and went east per Google. We followed Google’s directions, the road narrowed and at times was somewhat concerning. We finally made a left and proceeded up a windy, steep, one lane, hilly road. At one turn we passed a sign that said, “Don’t worry. You are almost there.” I bloody hope so.

We made it to the top and the KOA office. It’s surrounded by grape vines and an incredible view. Rain stopped while we checked in. Barry walked down to our campground spot to see which way he felt comfortable parking. I thought about going with him after the gas incident earlier!!
We drove down a hill, winding to the right then to the left and parked in our spot. It started pouring!! We decided to sit in the RV and wait out the downpour. Ten minutes later it stopped, and the sun came out. Barry leveled the coach, hooked up power, water, and sewer.

Our spot was right across from the pond. Active with a family of white American Pekin ducks, two geese, and a few mallard ducks. The red-winged blackbirds serenaded us while swaying on the pussy willows. We took a walk around the pond. One of the signs posted stated the pond is catch and release only. There are a few cabins close to the pond but looked like they were empty. We also walked by the laundry room and restrooms. There is a building next to the laundry room. During the summer it’s filled with games and activities for families, and a snack shack.

The neighbors next to us pulled in after we were settled, and their oldest son headed to the pond with his fishing pole. They stay at this KOA 4 or 5 times a year. It’s close to their home and their kids love fishing here. Their dad had on the exact Lagunitas shirt Barry did and naturally the two struck up a conversation. The dog’s name is Nova, dad is Brandon and can’t remember any other names. Barry and Brandon chatted up a storm while watching the kids fish.

For dinner I made a Caesar salad and Barry cooked shrimp and that was our dinner, yummy. After all the dishes were done we made s'mores. It was cold outside but our firepit kept us warm. Turned out to be a great investment. Now we want to rid ourselves of our fire chimney at home and replace with a firepit. We will see how long it takes us to get to that project. We each ate two s'mores, solved the world problems and turned in for the night. Seemed like a long day. Only one more day on the road. I don’t think I’m ready to go home yet.

03-18-22 Garberville/Benbow California (Day in Camp)

03-18-22 Friday

Benbow /Garberville KOA, Garberville, California

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 4

Drive Time: 0

Miles: 0

Arrived: 0

I had a call at 8:30 am so we were up at 7:30 am. The meeting was with the directors of the Oakland Family Search Library. Just an informational meeting and the things they have planned for the library. They have been here since November 2021.

As mentioned in yesterday’s blog the site is nice. We decided to stay in camp today and just enjoy the day. Bacon, eggs, hash browns and biscuits for breakfast....so scrumptious. I spent the day cleaning up my laptop. Cell phone signal was iffy so I couldn’t use my hotspot to update my blog. Barry did chores, cleaning the BBQ, adding water to the coach, clean under storage bins and I’m sure a few other things.

During the day Barry met a former Harlem Globetrotter player who’s retired and a retired firefighter who had a 7’ tall smoker he welded. He smoked bacon, a pork roast, and a tri-tip and you could smell it all over the campground. The firefighter also had a 100-psi air compressor. He let Barry borrow it. We were still losing air in our front left tire although very, very slowly. Barry loved how the compressor is lightweight. Once he returned it to the firefighter, he immediately ordered one for himself.

Barry cooked dinner on the BBQ. Dinner was crab cakes and broccoli...very yummy.

After dinner we visited outside with Fred and Helaine again. She showed me her silicone collapsible water kettle and egg cooker. I loved both and ordered them when we returned to our coach. We wrapped up our conversation and headed back to our coach at 10pm. We put away a few things before we slipped into our bed. We are leaving tomorrow for Cloverdale/Healdsburg KOA for our last 2 nights before heading home.

Photo from KOA.com as of 04-07-22

Monday, March 21, 2022

03-17-22 Crescent City to Garberville/Benbow California (Travel Day)

03-17-22 Thursday

Benbow KOA, Garberville, California

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 3

Drive Time: 3+ hours

Miles: 122.2 miles

Arrived: 4:00 pm

03-17-22 HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

We pulled out of the KOA at 11:05 am and headed south on 101. About seven or eight miles out of Crescent City we hit numerous construction sites and one lane traffic controls. The highway runs along the mountain side and has beautiful views. You can see by this map how close the road is to the coastline.

We took the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway off 101. The drive was a scenic route and much prettier than the highway. Dabbles of light coming through the trees made the ferns and ends of the redwoods look silver. An incredible effect throughout the drive.

We stopped at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center so I could get another stamp. There was a ranger that answered a lot of our questions. He seemed very knowledgeable. I spoke to him at length about the Marbled Murrelet. He informed me that they are on the edge of extinction. Not much was known about these birds until the 1970’s. In that area they nest at the top of redwood trees and feed at night, so they are not seen often. Although there are power lines outside this visitor center and the birds use to fly into these at night because they didn’t see them. In the morning the rangers would find a few on the ground. They had to do something so the birds could see the lines at night. Now you see these reflectors hanging from the power lines. Very ingenious. They have not found any dead birds since the reflectors were installed.

On the way back to our RV we observed Elk across the street, only about five. Unfortunately, these were not bulls. A bull (male) can weigh up to 1,100 pounds and the cow (female) up to 640 pounds. These are animals you don’t want to mess with. If you have the opportunity to stop at this visitor center do so. Great information about the area.

The drive took longer than expected due to all the construction delays and our detour to the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, but we made it. Nice place with flat asphalt sites. We also had a cement pad with a table and chairs set, along with a firepit. This KOA is next to a golf course up against a hillside.

We met Fred and Helaine who just purchased their RV, and this was their first outing. They had an RV but it was over 30 years ago. They are a few years older than us. Fred had his own Architect company and Helaine was an RN. They are both retired now. Barry answered a bunch of questions they had, and they were so thankful. We ended up eating together and continued our conversation.

After dinner we did our dishes and walked the park. Both of us were tired and hit the bed early. Tomorrow is a free day and I think we are just going to relax in camp.

Construction Delay

Detour Information

More Detour Information

I liked this poster in the visitor center because ithas the
name of the clover we saw during our
hike the the 'Grove of Titans.'

This was fascinating. An bull elk died after lodging
his head in the crock of this tree. Over many years the tree grew
around the skull and antlers. You can see the skull around the back.
I couldn't get a shot of the back to show the skull.

This is the night reflector that helps save
the Marbled Murrelet

Sunday, March 20, 2022

03-16-22 Crescent City, California (Day Trip - Grove of the Titans)

03-16-22 Wednesday

Crescent City, California

Crescent City

Jeeps in Parking Lot: 2

Drive Time: 0

Miles: 0

Arrived: 0

Woke up to a beautiful morning. Simple breakfast of cereal and a banana. Cleaned up a bit and ready to explore the Redwoods. We stopped by the KOA office to let them know our cable signal was very snowy and the cable line had water in it. Also asked about the channels. The channels listed on the paper with the map of the park is wrong. The woman behind the counter says they change cable providers often so it’s never right....uuummmm. No comment from me. We bought a couple of nice lightweight jackets and off to the National Park Visitor Center in Crescent City.

Zoom in for details

At the visitor center I got my passport stamp and purchased a few stickers for my passport book. The Ranger behind the counter pulled out a map and showed us how to get to Howland Road and some ideas for hikes in the area. One he told us about was a hike to the ‘Grove of Titans.’ This hike has not been open long and park is still working on some of it. He also told us to be sure to take the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway off 101. It was worth the detour off 101. We headed out with a plan to drive Howland Road and take the hike to the 'Grove of Titans.'

It was an easy drive to Howland Road from the NP Visitor Center. Howland Road turns into gravel after you pass through a gate and is 13 miles long. The road is a single lane road with turnouts. Our jeep did a great job navigating the road. It’s hard to explain the wonder and awe you feel while driving through this area. Mother Nature has once again left us speechless. The rivers, moss hanging from the trees, the quiet you hear when turning off the jeep motor, light filtering through the trees. Such untouched beauty as Barry stated during our drive.

As we slowly made the drive, we looked for landmarks on the map the ranger gave us so we could stop and take pictures. We didn’t talk much but enjoyed the drive and the huge trees. We finally came to the trail marker for the ‘Grove of Titans.’ We parked, threw on our day packs, and started our hike.

The hike was about one and a half miles on a wet and windy trail with a gradual climb to the top along with a few switchbacks. Moss laden trees, fungi growing on trees, ferns and what looked like clover covered the grounds all mixed with stunning scenery and fresh crisp clean air. It was nothing short of amazing.

At a certain point we went from hiking on the ground to raised steel platforms. We made it to the grove and ran into a ranger. She explained to us the park decided to install these to protect the forest floor and the area around the ‘Grove of Titans.’ She was drilling in these small yellow plates on the platforms to help with depth perception. They had people complaining about it. She was standing next to one of the Titans and it was absolutely amazing how huge this tree is. An astonishing site. We hiked a little further up to see the other Titans. As I write this, I find it hard to explain how I felt at the moment standing next to these giants. I never imagined how large these trees truly are.

There are two small plaques on the top of the railings of a platform by the Titans. One plaque has a brass image of a banana slug, and the other was of a marmot. The plaques briefly explained how important these animals are to the forest. I was impressed by this, and the brass has not started turning green yet. What a beautiful idea. I have never seen anything like this in other National Parks.

There was a small side path that led to a platform overlooking the river. On the rail was a plaque with a small brass statue of a Coho Salmon. From this view you could see upriver. The water was so clear you could see the bottom. All we could hear was the water flowing.

This slug was about 4 inches long

We started back down the hill and saw a few banana slugs. What a great hike and one we will always remember. Hiking through this forest is humbling and again Mother Nature is quite the proprietor of our planet.

Another five miles on the road and we were back on pavement. We drove out of the park and a few miles to Hiouchi Visitor Center, and I was able to get another passport stamp. It was 4:30 and we were hungry so we searched for a place to eat. We found a brewery in Crescent City, Port ‘O’ Pints but what a dive bar so we left. Drove to SeaQuake over by the water. Great place and the food was excellent. Beer, cider. calamari and a pizza. Bought a 4 pack of cider and headed out. We drove to the pier and walked to the end. We could see SeaQuake from here.

Back at the RV Barry lit the firepit and made us smores. I was writing so he brought it to me. Have I said before how much I this guy? Night all.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF THE DAY

SeaQuake is the blue and gray building

This was one of my favorite areas. This tree had fallen and the path had to be diverted around it. It broke in half and this portion was about 75 feet in length. It was between 12 to 15 feet high.

Burned from the inside

Same tree as above

This photo is a great example of how an old fallen tree is
the base for new growth. We saw this all throughout the woods.
Even ferns sprouted on the fallen trees.