Day 57: Ripon! (3/3/2022)

 The morning dawned fair and sweet, and by 9:00 a.m. we were all (except Gayle and Phil) packed into the SUV, headed for the San Joaquin Valley and our childhood hometown of Ripon. The drive takes about 1 hour, 45 minutes, and is as familiar to us as the back our hands. No GPS needed: the winding road of Hwy 17 over the Santa Cruz mountains, the 880 past the San Jose airport to Mission Springs, then over to 680, which brings us to the Livermore cutoff (Hwy 84), then connecting to 580 to muscle our way over the Altamont Pass, and from thence into California’s fertile Central Valley. Whiz through Tracy and Manteca, and—Bob’s your uncle—you’re home.

An added scenic bonus: a few almond blossoms still visible among the orchards, which have mostly gone to leaf. The main blossom time is mid to late February.

I dropped off Paul and the boys at Cora’s house, then made it to my cousin Joanne’s home with Ruth for an 11:00 coffee date. We spent a glorious hour and a half catching up, then I dropped Ruth off at Co’s and made it to a 1:00 coffee date with two of my high school friends. What a wonderful time of conversation we had! Thank you, Jane, for hosting, and Trix for your insights and encouragement. 

On the way to Jane’s I had discovered an almond orchard that was still almost in full bloom, so I picked everyone up and we raced out to Wagner and River Road to get a few photos. It was worth it, if only for the damp, sweet fragrance of the blossoms that brings back our childhood so succinctly. 




We drove then to the Ripon cemetery to see the family graves and wander around, finding grandparents, aunts and uncles, and old friends. Our tribe.


Later, Paul and the boys went to dinner with a friend from a former church, and Ruth and I walked with Cora and a dear neighbor, Mary, with their dogs around the school turf—another ritual I miss. Ruth and I got permission from the woman who bought Mom’s home to pick some oranges and lemons, which was a real treat. So different (and a bit weird) to see someone else living there, the house painted a different color, the gardens in the back going to seed. Another letting go….

A view of our former back yard from Mary’s.
The corner where I’d had my chickens was now taken over by three turkeys!

Ruth and the orange picker. We got a big bag full—yum.

After a perfect dinner of egg and toast at Co’s we all met up again and traveled back to the coast, glad for the time we could spend here, renewing friendships and rekindling memories.




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