Akashe wrote:
WOW Donald, your mother actually built your home? You come from some amazing stock! No wonder! I'd say that's an impressive mother
My imagination is congering up a picture, please tell us more.
I know. She was impressive. An artist -- I grew up painting murals with her on our living room walls. And on my own bedroom walls.
We had pianos, huge Chinese drums, giant quilting frames, a clothing design studio, all kinds of interesting things in our home. And she was, for most of the time, a single mom to me.
She was also a ship welder (WW II) a commercial photographer, and a great administrator. You don't think she really "built" that house without help, do you? She was good with saw and hammer but also good at directing others.
She did fashion shows (I remember packing trunksfulls of her designs) in Mexico City - the temporary fashion center of the world while Paris was occupied by the Nazis. Sold everything she took there.
Used to make me suits tailored like Saville Row. Such a proper little gentleman I looked, despite my own true wild little self.
And her friends ... whoeee. I remember being taken flying in an open cockpit plane, and on fast boatrides in highspeed boats, and going for a long trip in a gold ... really gold plated, with real gold that is ... open topped Cadillac.
It was only later as an adult that mom told me that the driver was Elmo Lincoln. The silent movie start and the first "Tarzan." Her boyfriend of the moment, it seems.
Mom was, to say the least, Bohemian. Our home was often full of people from all over the world. I was, when really little, often "parked" with our Chinese family while mom was off on her adventures and industries.
I spoke better Cantonese than English until I was three and we moved to Calistoga. Then I spent time hanging out with two men that had a cabin up the road, one french, a chef in San Francisco, and one Central American who I think was the son of a deposed dictator. They spoiled me rotten.
Even when they were gone for the week I could hang out on their patio under the grape vines and play Caruso 78's on their wind up standup Victrola. And listen to the classics such as Albert Ketelbey's "In a Persian Market."
I still love being alone with music, nature, animals, though I'm highly sociable with people. It's just that I learned to enjoy my own company so much back then. And never felt deprived.
I certainly ran wild around our cabin, into the woods, swinging from vines over the creek, and collecting Salamanders (Water Dogs we called them), out of the pools in the creek bed.
Akashe wrote:
Your rattlesnake story reminds me of collecting spiders in my grandmothers barn with my cousins. We had two jars full of the black creatures when we took them inside to show our moms. They didn't scream but they were a bit scary when they saw the red hour glass on the bellies of the critters.
Akashe wrote:
It still amazes me that here in this vast land of the internet where I can make friends from across the globe, that I can also find friends right in my back yard!! Really, the same state amazes me. When I first started reading your posts I was happy you were on the west coast!
Calistoga is a very 'hot' tourist destination filled with private limos, with tinted windows, and the elite on the weekends. There are spas on every corner.
Not in my mind. In my mind it's still wild country were the Bohemian crowd went to swim naked in the creeks, and have all night parties around campfires.
I've a round burn about two inches across on the inside of my forearm where a creek bed rock used to encircle the fire blew up and a hunk went up my coat sleeve and got stuck there.
I was crying a little, and my mom told me that I was okay (she didn't know) and I could stop crying now (she thought I was just frightened), and I promptly stopped. Mom's know what's right, right?
So I just shook the piece of hot rock out and enjoyed the rest of the evening watching the crazy growups. Mom found the burn the next morning. She was mortified.
Akashe wrote:
Kelseyville is still a tiny spot, not even a real grocery store yet! The lake is still beautiful and full of deer and wildlife. I could see it if I cut or trimmed up a couple trees. It's an incredible spot and I feel so lucky to be here. The prices are still low for California, though. Maybe you'd want to look at that property again!
I can smell the heat and the dry grass, and the oak trees. Thanks for the invite. But ...
'Fraid not. I'm very much in love with both the rain forest (there go my neighbors just now up the road in front of my place I can see from my second floor office window, with their goats, to get their mail) and the high open country too just an hour or so drive away.
Akashe wrote:
I too have always loved this area of California and the Redwoods. I just planted a few because that's been my dream as well, to live in the Redwoods. The land is still so raw and feels free. We have a fair amount of land that's available for trails too.
I'm hoping to be able to trail ride with Linus. He has that Friesian trait of standing when scared. He's not the bolting kind, unlike Shelby who lives on her tiptoes! I haven't been able to explore all the country side yet. Does anyone camp out? Trail ride? I just thought how difficult this method could be for off the property activities.
Also been too busy building the arena and now the barn is going up. I'm sooo glad I'm not trying to do that all myself. This wasn't a horse property when I bought it so I've had and still have lots to do. I can't imagine trying to build a house myself! (sheesh, or a barn for that matter!) At 50 years old I'll leave that to our contractor. I will do the chicken coop though.
The hard part is that all the work leaves less time for the horses. I haven't been able to play with my kids for a few days now. One thing is Linus is much more respectful in the paddock while I'm cleaning, after our play that day. I expected he would be more in my face to go play! Amazing...
Sorry to ramble on so...
Pam
No no, if it's too much OT for some they simply don't have to read it.
I'm sorry you have gotten too old to build houses and barns.
I confess I've had to cut back to barns-only myself, given that on my last birthday I turned 73. Boy, this slowing down with age is sure tough.
You'll need a guest password to look. It's 'haumea' if you want a peek at the barn I'm building currently. Three stalls wide, 32 ft long, 12 feet wide, and built to hold up our heavy snows (5 ft deep last winter), with large posts and beams ... 4x6in for the posts, 4x8s for the beams.
Don't forget the password: haumea
The Altea Palacio
Built the forms, mixed and poured the concrete, and now finally have hired help to put up those beams and the rafters and roof. Kate says she won't let me climb around up there. Darn it.
I came here not long after a cancer surgery, so weak that I could only split one chunk of firewood or two then lean on the woodshed and rest for ten minutes. But we warmed all winter with what I managed to split.
Trust me, if you push yourself, you'll get stronger by the day.
Thanks for the memories your post brought up. Things I hadn't really thought about so intensely for many years.
And I was just told (admonished really) don't spend all your time with work. Stop for play with your horses.
And if you insist on being a drudge, well, okay, then you MUST stop and play with your horses, or you will be guilty of neglect. It's your DUTY!
There, have I covered all the bases?
See, now you must go play with your horses.
Donald R.
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for the support. I will at some point figure out how to get a quote to work! 
The fact is I'm happy in my life and would stay all day with the horses or working on the land doing what ever, if I could. It's my dream to be here so at least I know it's not all in my head. I have faith that what ever it is will one day be faught back into a dark hole never to return again. Until then I just have to be careful with this body. That feeling of being able to chop a hunk of wood into a size you can put in the fireplace is so satisfying! So I do a very little bit of that too. Okay that's out of the way! 
