“I’m sending you both for a timeout,” said our daughter, when Anthony and Natalie entered their home. ‘What do you mean?’ we demanded. They refer to themselves as Nat and Ant. It’s easier as they only have to use three letters between the two names although capitalization is a little problematical. They had returned from movies after the maternal grandparents took care of Ellie.
“Firstly, when we left she was an angel; now she’s gone wild. Secondly, I have no idea why you are teaching her to be a Las Vegas chorus girl.” We suppose they are fair points although we might mention, not to Natalie of course, that we were having great fun until Mom and Dad returned to put a dampener on things—we had no idea we raised such a spoilsport. What’s the point of having grandchildren if we cannot rebel against the in-between generation? By the way, Ellie, not yet three, is a true blessing. Okay, okay all grandchildren are.
With our heads down, we traipsed out the house but not before giving Ellie a wink signifying we’d be back. The only way to derive some consolation after the ‘showdown’, we thought, is to head to East County, home to Cuyamaca Peak.
After reaching the top, half the climb on a thick snow-covered track, we viewed some fine sights of mountain ranges in various shades of blue—actually, a lot more than fine. In addition, we watched the clouds and a mist come rolling in, remain for 5 minutes and then disappear. Add the constant falling of icicles from the trees and the scene was one that provided enormous pleasure. Our editor had to entice us down from a very beautiful spot. As we have mentioned a few times, one does not have to travel far to see world wonders. In fact, we were on a snow-covered mountain an hour from the beach or if Aubrey Meyerowitz is driving, perhaps only thirty-five minutes.
Statistics: Just over 7 miles, 1700 feet elevation gain to an altitude of 6,500 feet and most satisfying.
In a wonderful finish to the day’s adventure, we met Cheryl and Mark Ellis in the car park. What a pleasant surprise! They had hiked with their children to a neighboring peak. Our 'hats off' to them as they encourage their children to spend much time hiking. We missed Gavin and Robbie, especially after the treat with the younger son on Mt. Woodson last week.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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