Thanksgiving in Four Acts

Thursday
The fun thing about Thanksgiving is that there's no warm up for it. There's not the pre-holiday build up in the aisles of your local grocery store like there is for Halloween or Christmas. There is no Thanksgiving Eve. One day your working and the next your enjoying mountains of food and a day full of football.

Since Ting, Zoe, and I really haven't met many people out here, we decided to splurge on the big feast by going to a local casino buffet. Now I've been out here since late July and I've resisted the temptation of the gambling halls the entire time. Not once have I set foot into a casino since I've moved to Reno (this also includes avoiding the slot machines that are commonplace in grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, etc. etc.). The thought of an all you can eat buffet which not only included traditional Thanksgiving fare but also Asian and Mexican cuisine had my mouth watering. We took Zoe to the playground that morning and by noon I was already dropping hints about avoiding the long lines and parking issues. It also helped my case that it was raining that morning. By 12:30pm we had started to fill our plates.

The Peppermill Casino has an Island Buffet that is definitely worth the visit. To keep with the tropical theme a "storm" rumbles through the dining room every 15 minutes complete with flashing lights, shaking trees and simulated rain along the walls. Imagine, if you will, the Rainforest Cafe on a budget with slot machines ringing in the background. Four retirees who had made the trip from Quincy, CA sat down next to us as we started to dig into our food. They were immediately taken with Zoe who took several salad bar olives on each finger and pretended they were small, dark talking heads. As the meal went on and the plates stacked up we got to hear Korean/Nam War stories from our new friend Ray and learn the various health issues his wife and friends were currently dealing with. It was an interesting situation trying to grab more food, fain interest in jungle warfare and keep Zoe occupied. All and all we enjoyed it...

Friday
Friday Ting had to work and I got a welcome chance to play. We dropped Zoe off for a 1/2 day at La Petite and then I took Ting to work. Behind Patagonia is a beautiful network of trails that slowly ramble up from the Truckee River to the Sierras. With a good days hike you can actually make it up to the snow line. That was my goal, except that I wanted to do it before noon. Unfortunately the rain from Thanksgiving Day had left the trails a mucky, clay covered mess. With each step I gained in elevation and I added a new layer of clay to my boots. Often I could give a sharp kick and fling off a pound or so of Sierra Nevada mud into the grass. Well I never made it up to the tree line but I did start to explore a Shangri La type canyon far back from the Reno hubbub. Pict below.



There is sure some beautiful country out here...

Saturday
Saturday a blizzard hit Reno. Depending on the part of town the Sierras dumped 8" to 12" of fresh snow. The entire world was clad in a white crust. Zoe naturally went nuts and wanted to go outside the minute she saw the snow. The funny thing with Zoe is that she seems to equate eating snow with eating ice cream. She couldn't stop taking big handfuls of the fluffy stuff and sucking it down. I finally had to put an end to it when we got indoors and Zoe started eating the packed snow off the bottom of her boot... BAD ZOE! NO!



Sunday
After the snow on Saturday it was time to bunker in and deal with winter. We went to church in the morning. Sunday afternoon I picked up some Chinese carry out and surprised Ting with a jigsaw puzzle (Damn! We must be getting old). At the Asian Wok I encountered a truly monolithic snowman. Standing a good six feet high with sliced cucumber ears, a carrot nose, and mushroom teeth the snowman was like none I had ever experienced. He was not of the traditional Three ball construction but looked more like a scaled down version of the Washington Monument. I guess everything is a little different on the west coast.

Barbershop

Gotta' find a good barber shop in Reno.

In a world taken over by SuperCuts, Hair Cutterys, and BoRics a good barbershop is hard to find these days. This time of year I am reminded of the best barbershop I ever went to which was Jerry's on Irving Park.

Jerry was born in Mississippi and moved to Chicago start his barbering business. He took the remains of an old southside shop and moved it piece by piece up to his small northside location on Irving Park. All of the fixtures were original turn of the century include the spring back barber chairs with aqua colored enamel bases, the cabinets with white porcelain knobs and even a Barbasol machine that dispensed hot foam to shave one's neck and beard. The shop was the ideal space as it had room for two barber chairs and seating for 4 to 5 guys willing to wait for a haircut.

I started going to Jerrys shortly after moving to Chicago in early 1994. The first visit to the barbershop can be a little intimidating since all the clientele were on a first name basis with Jerry. Jerry was a big jazz fan and played everything from old Nat King Cole to modern jazz from Obert Davis and others. He would open about 6:30am in the morning and close around 2:00pm in the afternoon to make it down to the OTB to play the horses. Those who arrived at 6:30am were reward with no wait; while those who slept in knew that there would be a line of men waiting their turn for a trim. I saw elderly men and teenage kids, guys from the neighborhood and even a few from the suburbs all pass time in Jerry’s shop. Everyone was equal and Jerry called the shots.

Jerry, like all good barbers, worked differently then what you find in most chain shops. He rarely used electric clippers, instead preferring steady hands and sharp scissors. When you sat in the chair usually the first step was to firmly grasp your head and tilt it forward or back until your chin paralleled the tile floor. Jerry would go to work pacing himself with the mellow jazz rhythms; Making conversation if the room called for it, or keeping quiet if everyone was self absorbed (as often happens when getting a haircut). At the end of the cut, Jerry slathered on hot lather from the Barbasol machine and used a straight razor to whisk away the fuzz from your neck. For those who were waiting Jerry got a great selection of magazines. Military History, National Geographic, and The Economist made the shop feel a step above the commonplace. Pure, male bliss...

Several years ago I went to visit Jerry on a winter day in the week between Christmas and New Years. The Northside was empty and I had the day off from work thus it was a perfect time to walk down the block to get a haircut. Jerry immediately recognized me and took my my scarf and jacket to hang up on on his coat rack. Next he offered me a little holiday cheer from a fifth of Bushmills that someone had dropped off at the shop as a gift. I declined but the offer brought a smile to my face that I had a barber who appreciated the finer things in life. Shortly thereafter, a small note appeared in the windows of a closed shop.

"Wife of 42 years has passed. Shop is closed, Thanks, Jerry"

Jerry’s shop stayed closed well into the spring, when one morning I noticed the lights on and Jerry puttering around. I stopped into say hello and express my condolences. A few weeks before Ting had gotten a sympathy card which we had slid through the brass mail slot on the door. It felt a little strange getting a card for my barber who I only knew on a first name basis. It looks like Jerry had gotten quite a few other cards over the winter and had a pile of them on a chair in the corner. I asked him if he was planning to open up again. Jerry explained that he was moving up to Minnesota to keep an eye on his aging father. I then knew well enough that he was moving to escape the sorrow and memories of the shop he had owned for so long. Shortly thereafter a realty sign appeared in the window and Jerry's shop was absorbed by the day care center next door. An era had ended.

I'm not sure why I typed this up. Maybe it is just holding on to memories of Chicago, or the solemn mourning of a dying profession. I DO know that I'm very appreciative of a good haircut these days and believe that the world could use a few more businesses like Jerry's. God bless...

Zoe goes climbing

Last night I couldn't get to sleep. The problem with having a blog is that I've always got some ideas to write about but have a tough time finding the time to actually type them up. Last night was no exception. I have 3 or 4 good stories in my head just rolling around like spare change in the gravity well at the supermarket. Like the coins dropping through the hole eventually I'll forget them if I don't start typing.

We took Zoe on a little hike this past weekend. About a mile from our apartment is the Keystone Canyon Trailhead at the base of Peavine Peak. Peavine is gradually becoming my favorite mountain around Reno. Peavine isn't the highest mountain around here. It only tops out at 8300 ft. BUT it seems like it is the most massive. The base of Peavine would cover a good portion of Evanston. It is mountain flanked by mountains, backed up by rolling hills, surrounded by foothills, and on and on. Over the summer I tried to summit Peavine but after a 4 hour hike ran out of water and food and still thought the top looked miles away!

Anyways back to Zoe... At a little under 3 feet she notices everything that us adults take for granted. "Ohh… Big Poopie!" she commented noticing a pile of dog excrement off to the side of the trail. Someone must have an Irish Wolfhound around here or some other large beast. We hiked back about 300 yards before Zoe noticed a monster boulder on the side of the trail. The large rock was partially embedded in the canyon sidewall with about 8 feet of vertical rock next to the trail. Naturally I grabbed a hold of the rock face and scrambled up to the top to look down on Ting and Zoe. If Daddy can do it then Zoe can do it and that is immediately what she proceeded to do!

With a few pushes from mom, a boost from Dad and some worried glances between all of us, Zoe managed to crab walk all the way up the steep boulder. She even got a few scrapes on her new boots to prove she was a true climber!

With Zoe on top of the rock I hopped down to make room for Ting. I followed a small trail around the backside of the rock suspecting that climbers might use this for bouldering. Sure enough I could see chalk marks all over the various cracks and striations on the rock face. The back side of the boulder is much taller then the front; Maybe 30 feet at its tallest point. I continued to circumnavigate the rock. Hmmm… Maybe I could climb it?!

On the North side the boulder face was at a 60 to 70 degree angle. That provided enough for me to cling to the rock and get some purchase with my hiking boots on several small 1/2" ledges. I reached up and grabbed a small crack and began to pull myself up. I was climbing! After a few more grunts and grasps I had probably gotten 10 feet off the ground. Not only was I climbing but I was free climbing! Of course now I had gotten high enough that real commitment to the sport was necessary. That and some experience which I didn't have. Hmmm... How to get down without falling and cracking my head open?

I started to inch down the rock and found that the small ledges and cracks were not as big as I thought. By this time Ting and Zoe where already done with their climbing escapades and were yelling my name to continue the hike. When I did not respond (as I was "one with the granite" Ting started following my little path to the other side of the boulder.

When Ting found me I was spread eagle about 4 feet off the ground. Feeling like a fool I half-slide and half-climbed down the rest of the face of the rock, dusted myself off and rejoined my family. For a brief second there I was Dean Potter or Tommy Caldwell. I was a climber...

Update on the Fam!

Long time no type...

Actually I've been away from the blog for the past couple of weeks adapting to life with Ting and Zoe in our little apartment. Life has been good with both of them around and we are slowly integrating with our new surroundings. A couple of notes of interest:

First off, Ting got a job her second week out here. She will be working in customer service for Patagonia over the holidays. For those who don't know Patagonia is a high end outdoors clothing manufacturer with a pretty staunch commitment towards the environment. Ting's office has solar cells on the outside of the building used to power the facility. The warehouse uses special light diffusers to provide outside light for its workers. Fabric scraps are recycled for use as gift bags and children's clothing.

Outside of the company Patagonia has provided grants to farms to raise organic cotton (used in Patagonia T's and casual wear). They donate money to various environmental groups on a consistent basis and have even started a trust to protect wild areas in Argentina for future development as national parks.

Even though Ting's only been there two weeks she's pretty stoked about working for a business that actually has a conscious and cares for its employees, suppliers, and the world around us.

As for Zoe, she has started venturing out into the world as well. With Ting and I working, Zoe is now a student at La Petite Day Care. To paraphrase the Grateful Dead "The first days are the hardest days". It took Zoe a week plus a fever and a runny nose before she fully got situated at La Petite. While we are still a little reluctant to go the daycare route with our daughter, however, she seems be doing okay. As an added bonus, with all the stimulation of a day of play she's sleeping 10 to 12 hours a night (which means more together time for Mom and Dad).

Finally, I thought I would write up a long blog on my thoughts and experiences with the presidential election and voting in the battleground state of Nevada. As of right now though, it is all still too depressing... I can tell you that there is great division in our country now and it concerns me. There are a lot of disenfranchised people out there and I don’t see a leader that will pull this nation together. The next four years should be interesting...