Family time

July was book-ended with terrific family time, first in Michigan and later in California. Trish and I flew to Detroit to visit with her family on the East side and mine on the West. Both families welcomed us in with open arms, making the first family meetings not only painless, but lots of fun.


The highlight of the week had to be the actualizations of my dad’s crazy Christmas gift: certificates for three generations of Guikemas to go gliding. Two gliders took turns taking each of us into the sky, pulled by a small airplane to several thousand feet, and then released to quietly soar back to Earth. Grandma Harriet, at 87, was certainly the most adventurous of the bunch. At Christmas, when the gift was given, she exclaimed, “This is right up my ally.” When asked by the pilot if she was interested in taking some exhilarating turns, she let him know, “The wilder the better.”


July closed with a visit from my brother Tom and his wife Janel. Brother Josh came down from Arcata for a week as well. The trip opened with a Manu Chao concert in Berkeley. (Incredible show!) Then we were off for a camping weekend in the Anderson Valley. We stayed at the small (10-site) Indian Creek County campground, our tents just specks below the towering redwoods. We visited Esterlina Vineyard for a wine tasting to beat all wine tasting. (Where do I start… there is the incredible view, the kindness of the Sterling family, the delicious wine, and the very generous pours.) This was followed by a hike along the Navarro River in the Hendy Woods State Park.


The pictures tell the story better than my words. Here are the links to the glider photos and a link to the California family visit.