I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Today is my day to relax at home, after spending the last two days on the road.

On Friday, I got a chance to visit with some cousins I had not seen for a very long time. These are all folks on my Dad's side. There is my cousin Al, who was the only son of my Dad's older sister Agnes. Then there was Jan, who was the daughter of my Dad's other sister. So Jan and her husband were on their way to Arizona for their southern migration, whereas Al and his wife were on their way to Arizona for good (moving). They had all been living in northern Oregon. I guess folks can only take so much snow!

So anyway, the two families were convoying down interstate 5, and my sister Jan arranged for us all to meet in Manteca at a Chili's restaurant for a late lunch. It was fun! I hadn't seen either cousin since the 70s, though I have been in touch with them both via Facebook. So it was a great visit!

Then yesterday Mary and I drove to the unfortunately named Nevada City, which is actually in California. (Nevada is simply Spanish for "snow-capped") It was about a two hour drive from our house. We went for the "Wild & Scenic Film Festival," in which the "Tricky Bidness" movie I did graphics for was screening. This was the first time I had seen the film in a theater and with an audience. That was interesting, and the discussions after the screening were very interesting. This is the film that centers on the impact that the legalization of medical marijuana has had on the communities around Humboldt County in California. I think the film provides a very even-handed look at the good things and bad things that have happened there, so it was very interesting to see how the film played to a crowd that was largely pro-legalization.

After the movie, we had a great lunch with the filmmaker, then took a stroll around the town of Nevada City. I had not set foot there since I was in college, and Mary had never been there. It is an old gold rush town, and I used to stop there when I would be driving from Chico to Tahoe to go skiing. I used to know of a B&B there that served Cornish pasties (Nevada City is the sister city of Cornwall, England because so many of the miners that came to work in the mines were coal miners from Cornwall). I got the recipe for those pasties at the time, and I have cherished it over the years. I'm going to make some next week, because they are just so good.

Now Nevada City is a bedroom community for Sacramento, but also a bit of an artist enclave. There are a lot of galleries downtown, and they do a lot of film festivals and other artistic endeavors. The town reminds me of Crested Butte, Colorado. As we were walking around, a building known as the "Tinnery" caught our eye. It is one of those old buildings that are built way out of square because of the angles of the road. It was built in 1870, and it looks as though the first floor might have been a livery stable at some point. Most recently the building was used for a clothing store and vegetarian deli. Interesting building, and interesting town.

But today we are home and watching some football. Go Packers!!

I also see a nap in my near future. Not sure which will happen first—the end of the game or the loss of my consciousness. Time will tell.

So have a great week, y'all—and we'll talk later!

Cheers, VacaDude

p.s. Oh, and speaking of football, I have been reminded that the first Sunday of February is Super Bowl Sunday, so the next chat will be on February 8th.