Dispatch From the Redwoods and I Turned 58
A short travelogue with photos
I’m writing from a cottage in Arcata. It’s a small city on the Northern California Coast.
Redwoods, empty beaches, fishing boats, and a never-ending stream of wildlife. It also has a curious mix of hippie-esque culture of hemp everything, tie-dye, art, healers, and rural-esque hunters, ranchers, and “get away from me and my land”-ers.
People are weird… present company not excluded.
For me, it is as idyllic a location as one can find.
I’m visiting my youngest, who attends college here, while working and taking photo excursions with Deb.
On our first day, we landed at the local airport, grabbed a rental car, and immediately headed for coffee. The Avelo Airlines flight from Burbank leaves early and the single cup of coffee we each had on our short drive to the airport was not going to do.
Pulling up to Northtown Coffee, a nicely appointed coffeeshop with coffee, tea, jewelry, stickers, art, sandwiches, and bakery items, we noted a sign announcing their weekly open mic.
And the evening activity was established.
We got settled into the cottage and did some quick shopping. We did not pack our guitars for the trip, so I picked up my daughter’s guitar and put new strings on it.
I did a little work and Deb determined which songs I would perform that night. We settled on: Escape, Clear the Air, and Lonely Mile Man.
As I performed from the stage, while a woman in the back gave massages to the patrons and some of the other performers, I quipped, “This is about as Humboldt as it gets!”
I haven’t played music on a stage in months. It felt good and my performance was fine… good even.
Birthdays
I’m not really one to celebrate my birthday. Mostly, it is just another day. The things I want to do on my birthday are the same things I want to do any other day.
But Deb and Sara want me so I try to make an effort of allowing them to pamper me a little bit. A simple dinner, some cake (with a make-shift hemp candle - Humboldt), and then games.
I have been reflecting on age and mortality a bit more the past few years. This is, in part, because both my parents have passed away. Also, in the past couple years we’ve lost my oldest brother, one of my best friends, and a few other family members and friends on Deb’s side.
A few weeks ago I told my sister that it felt strange that the people who raised us are gone. It made me feel adrift - just a little. I would have thought I’d feel more like an adult (whatever that means) and that I would have had things figured out better.
At a recent funeral for a friend of my mother’s, I commented to Deb, “We attend more funerals than weddings these days.” I think funerals are more interesting events anyway.
Basic math and probability tells me that, if everything goes right, I have 20, 25, maybe 30 years left to do the silly things we do to feign significance before we are converted back into energy for the next round.
I’ve let my kids and Deb know that my desire is to be made into tree mulch after I die. Perhaps a few molecules make it into Redwood and I get to hang around for a few hundred, maybe even a thousand years or more. Or maybe I become part of the mycelium network and pop up as a colorful mushroom.
It is unlikely I’ll be able to report back on this but it is a solid aspiration.
I’m not complaining about or bemoaning the inevitability of the progression. But the cliche, “Don’t blink! It goes fast!” is only a cliche because it’s true.
Try to do something that makes you happy every day. That’s all… don’t complicate it. Just something.. strum a guitar, kiss your partner, be kind to people, and, as Warren Zevon noted, “Enjoy Every Sandwich!”… or, in my case, cup of coffee.
About those belated birthday wishes
You are too late. Catch me next year. Unless, of course, you have a pile of cash you cannot figure out what to do with. In that case, reach out. I wouldn’t want to deny you the joy of giving!
Music
I had a big idea that I would do some recording while I was up here. I’ve made so much progress in my engineering knowledge the past several weeks, I didn’t want to slow things down.
However, I won’t be. I have work and I’m not really set up to do much of that here. Plus, we have some neighborhoods to see and a few more photo excursions planned. I’ll post some of Deb’s work soon.
I am practicing guitar though. I have a couple recordings in the works and need to release Love Has Flown when I get back.
I have misgivings about posting an entry that doesn’t have some lesson or perceived value. I suspect that is just my ego talking; as though a simple travelogue isn’t enough.
But when I think about what I consume, while I love learning and “high-value” articles, I find I enjoy dalliances just as much… or even more so.
In that vein, I hoped you enjoyed this portal into our life this week.
Talk to you soon and thank you, again, for joining me on this journey.
Matthew Moran
December 12, 2023
Thanks for sharing. You always inspire me. I would love to check out Artica, it seems like my kind of place.
Happy birthday! Sounds like a great trip, and yes, you deserve to be pampered a bit. Enjoy the rest of your trip!
J