Tag Archives: Pacific Ocean

local news

Pacific Ocean: still gorgeous!

CARMEL, Calif. — Toby the Puppy and I came in search of some western beauty. We found a whole lot of it in this resort community.

My sister and her husband brought us here for lunch and a little sightseeing. I no longer see the Pacific Ocean with the frequency I enjoyed when I lived in Oregon many years ago. Although I haven’t exactly been a stranger to it. My bride, Kathy Anne, and I were here just a few months ago. We came a couple of years before that. We traveled out west many times since moving to Texas in 1984.

This trip was different, for reasons you know by now.

Toby the Puppy and I came to this location. I told my sis I could listen forever to the sound of waves crashing ashore. It is soothing to my ears and my senses.

We didn’t stay terribly long. I am happy to declare that I accomplished one of the missions of this journey, which was to see the ocean yet again.

It’s still gorgeous!

***

Oh, and just so you know, I saw no sign of the city’s most famous resident, former mayor Clint Eastwood. Dang! I hope he’s all right.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Journey about to begin

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen. A strange, but I hope invigorating journey is about to commence for Toby the Puppy and me.

It’ll take about a month to complete. I want to get a couple of points out of the way.

First is the obvious aspect of the strangeness of this trek I am about to take. It will be the first such journey without my beloved bride, Kathy Anne. She’s been gone now for a little more than a month. I decided several weeks ago to take this trip just to get out of the house.

So, I will do so likely before the sun comes up in the morning. I will see plenty of friends and family along my journey westward. I am not looking forward to being greeted by those who will look at me, well … differently. Kathy Anne and I spent more than 51 years together and we did practically everything together. 

Virtually all of my friends have known me only as one half of a team. My much better half won’t be there when Toby and I show up. You get my drift, yes?

Now … that’s off my chest. I want to stipulate a more important point, which is the way I intend to chronicle this journey. I will not dwell on the intense sadness I continue to feel. Instead, I intend to convey the marvelous discoveries I will make along the way.

The Grand Canyon awaits; yes, I’ve been there already, but its splendor is beyond description. Same for the sequoia forests of California; I’ve never seen the monstrous trees, so I want to share my awe at nature’s towers. The Pacific Coast highway from San Francisco to the Oregon border (weather permitting) will get plenty of attention, too.

The return trip from the Northwest will include a brief leg along the Loneliest Highway in America and will take my puppy and me through Santa Fe and into West Texas.

This blog serves multiple purposes. It serves as a platform for me to vent on politics and policy It also gives me a voice to express personal feelings and the joy of living the dream. If a grand jury indicts a former POTUS, well, I’ll weigh in on that at the right time. Absent that and some other things I might notice on our trip, I am going to devote a lot of cyber space recording the joys of the sights I see, sounds I hear and the people I meet.

So, with that, let’s enjoy the ride together.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Adaptability: name of game

It looks as though I will get to show off my adaptability chops once I head west next on my journey to the Pacific Ocean.

I had planned to head north from the Grand Canyon, into Utah, and then across Nevada along what they call the “Loneliest Highway in America,” U.S. 50.

Plans change, you know?

Immense snowfall has closed many highways near Lake Tahoe and through the Sierra Nevada Range.  So …

I’m going to take a more southerly route on my way to the ocean.

This I can do.

Toby the Puppy and I are planning our trip to clear our heads and our hearts after the passing my beloved bride, Kathy Anne. It’s something I must do and Toby is all in. At least he’s indicated as much.

I’ll get to see plenty of family members and friends along my journey. My sisters and their husbands await, along with nieces, cousins and their spouses, and many of the friends I have made over the years. I might even reunite with some of my high school classmates.

Just so you know, my plans only extend as far as the trip in a westerly and northerly direction. I haven’t even thought about the return trip.

I am going to stay — shall I say it — adaptable.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com

local news

Getting ready for the road

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I made a command decision, which I can do because I don’t have to answer to anyone else these days.

My departure date for points west will arrive on March 15. I am heading to the Pacific Ocean. Then I’ll head north. I am going to continue writing this blog along the way.

Why continue? Because … I am on a 521-day consecutive blog posting streak. High Plains Blogger is now in the midst of the longest streak of consecutive days when your blogger — that’s me — is posting commentary on this and that.

I’ll do so from the road. Actually, I intend to do plenty of sight-seeing along the way.

For example, I am hoping to cross Nevada along what I am told is the “Loneliest Highway in America,” which is U.S. Highway 50. It is a scenic stretch of roadway. I look forward to seeing it. The lonely road will take me to Lake Tahoe and then to California, where I will see my cousin and his wife before I head to Santa Cruz and stick my feet in the frigid Pacific water.

I haven’t yet told Toby the Puppy of my plans. I’ll wait to spring it on him. He’ll be glad to hit the road with me.

johnkanelis_92@hotmail.com