Back in Calabasas

I’m back home again after my 10-day road trip to northern California, featuring book readings, good times with friends, several bags of persimmons, and my 75th birthday.  It was a great trip.  

Here are the Highlights:

• Because my first stop was Sunnyvale, my map app took me 350 miles up Highway 5 from Calabasas. I’d forgotten how bad the Harris Cattle Ranch feedlot smells!
• My first book talk was over brunch at a two-chapter meeting of Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG). Back to the Land in Silicon Valley was well received by this group of teachers and retired teachers. I felt welcome and appreciated.
• That afternoon I spoke to a group at the new Morgan Hill Library, A stroll down memory lane, as Back to the Land was set in Morgan Hill, where my children grew up and I served two terms as Library Commissioner.
• Sunday, I joined the Calvary Episcopal Church Book Club in Santa Cruz to talk about how living off the grid influenced my spiritual journey. Who knew?
• That afternoon a group of my friends from Shut Up and Write joined me at Tortilla Flats Mexican Restaurant to talk about what happens AFTER you finish writing your book.  Good food, good friends, good conversation, and a gluten-free birthday cake!
• The next few days in Santa Cruz were filled with hikes, conversation, and meals with friends.
• Plus a very special afternoon with my oldest granddaughter.
• On Thursday I drove back over the Santa Cruz Mountains to talk with local history buffs at the Morgan Hill Museum. The diorama below was created by Kathy Devine. Isn’t it cute?
• After the reception, I drove down Highway 1 to Monterey, where I stayed with one of my friends from SUAW. It was a dark drive, and I realized my eyes are no longer happy with night-time driving.  That may be the subject of a future post.
• Finally, after a lovely visit, I drove down Highway 1 to Paso Robles where I stopped for lunch, then completed my journey on 101 to Calabasas. It was a gorgeous day and a pleasant drive. 
• My last stop was Barks N Rec. Kismet was glad to see me, and I was happy to be home!

As I flitted from one event to the other, I was given a variety of letters, snacks, gift cards, and bags of persimmons, it being that time of year. One bag contained a recipe for persimmon pudding, which I will share here. If you try it, I hope you’ll leave a comment that tells us how it turned out. My granddaughter and I will be making this for Thanksgiving.

And Here is the Recipe!

I am so grateful to have this community of readers and writers who read my words and sometimes share their own. Happy Thanksgiving!

Marlene Anne Bumgarner writes primarily about food, family, and traditions. Her 2020 memoir, Back to the Land in Silicon Valley, is about raising children, animals, and vegetables on a rural plot of land in the 1970s.   Organic Cooking for (not-so-organic ) Families will be out soon. Her next project is a book about Grandparenting, and in her spare time, she is plotting a cozy mystery.