Deerfield Beach

No trip to Florida would be complete with out a venture over to the beach. On both sides (the Gulf and the Atlantic) you have choices. On this day we decided to head to Deerfield beach, which brought back memories.

First we stopped at The Cove restaurant near the inter-coastal bridge. Although, it actually was renamed something I think we all considered it to be what it was called in the past. A long time ago, when I was still in Elementary school, my parents had separated. My father went and lived in a little cottage near Deerfield Beach, which was situated near this restaurant. I recall him taking us and having a great grilled cheese sandwich, while a solo steal-drum performer worked the crowd.

Everything you see again from your childhood appears smaller and less significant when your an adult. The affect was felt here, too.

A good old-fashioned cheeseburger was very scrumptious and filling. As we exited, to my surprise, I saw a cigarette-dispenser machine nearby. I recall as a kid playing with the knobs on these things and was amazed to see it was still operational.

The beach was a little breezy and the water really choppy, so there was no swimming involved in this trip. But fun was had in shell collecting and general horsing around on the shore.

When the sun came out the water turned a beautiful topaz shade of blue, which made you appreciate life.

Floridians have it made, living amongst such beauty. On our way out, there was a little street market going on with food and craft stalls.

I have been enjoying this slice of life in America, and at times really appreciative of how friendly people can be. Striking up general conversations with people in the store or outside, makes me miss living in America.

But so far my home is back in Korea, and I often think about my return. Maybe if I study more Korean I can make daily chit-chat with the folks out there. We'll see...for now I've got Florida.

A Dip in the Yuba

One of the great pleasures of visiting my father up in Nevada County is taking a dip in the Yuba River.

source

Maybe in many parts of small-town America there is a local river or lake that is famous for good summer time fun. The river was there for me when I was kid and exploring new places. It was a place I went to contemplate life and my future when I was in high school. Since moving to San Francisco and then across the world it is now a sanctuary. Even in the winter, although you can't swim in it, the river offers beautiful scenery.

I went to the river with my father and stepmother one day on my trip. We went to "Edward's Crossing", which is one of the swimming holes you can access. There are many swimming holes one could go to, some are easily accessible while others you have to drive down a steep dusty road and walk a while on a trail. 

Whichever one you choose you are usually greeted by an old or new bridge that crosses the river. Nearby the bridge are the trails.

The view from the bridge.

Going on the trail.

Nowadays I am not as fit as I use to be when I was a teenager. I recall running down the trail to catch up to my friends who were already at the river. 

It's always a hallelujah moment when you get to the end of the trail, because by that time you are hot and sweaty. I use to just run into the water and dive in, but the water felt cold and so I just kept on walking in deeper and deeper until I felt acclimated. 

Taking the first plunge into the water felt so refreshing and exhilarating.

On these hot Korean summer days I wish I had this river nearby to dip into. However, I know that there are rivers out here one could go and have a swim in. I keep trying to get JH to take me out to one. 

We went on a weekday and so I didn't expect too many people to show up. But as the morning turned into afternoon more families came around. Sure I don't mind sharing the space but it certainly feels different from when I was a kid. It seemed people enjoyed hooting and hollering at each other and making such a racket. I always felt the river was a place to chill out and feel some peace. Oh well, live and let live.

Some of my best memories growing up come from going to the river. Dad would pack us "Wonder Witch" sandwiches and ice cold Pink Lemonade. I would play in the water for hours diving and jumping off rocks. 

I hope no matter where I am living in the future that I always manage to come back to this place and have a good time.

The Last Tidbit of my Vacation

Ah quarantine contemplation times. Trust me I haven't stuck to staying in my house, just not walking past my school. Vacation was good and I hope I did enough out there in America Land. Now of course I miss the tree that was outside my window and the deep blue California sky.

But having a few days off before going back to work is nice as well. Kind of helping get back into the groove of Korean life.

So to finish off my posts about my vacation I will just share the last few pics I took before I came back.

Crossing the Bay Bridge

San Francisco on a clear day.

Asian Art Museum. They were holding a Samurai exhibit which was amazing!

There was a live exhibit of traditional Japanese archery.

Oops...the sun got caught in our eyes.

The night before we left we stayed at a hotel.

I have completely unpacked and tucked everything away where it should go. But I am starting to do some cleaning out in preparation for moving out in two months.

Job hunting is coming along. I have three recruiters working for me and I picked what I feel are the top ones out there. So far I have one job offer for an after school program in Bundang. But I asked if I can see the house and school before making my decision and the recruiter said they just prefer a phone interview. We will see if I can finesse them into letting me see the place first. I feel I have a lot of time to find the right matching job so I am in no hurry.

I am keeping a notebook of my job hunting and wrote down questions I intend to ask before finishing the interview. In a lot of ways I feel more prepared to be on the job hunt again than I was the last two times I went through this.

All right well Foreign/er Joy has the next few days off if anyone wants to meet her. ;)

The Nevada County Fair

One of the highlights I was expecting on my vacation was a trip over to the annual Nevada County Fair. It started last Wednesday and I went once by myself and then again in the evening with my Dad and Step mom. Everything was there had it been in the past and not much had changed except that I was older.

I had a great time looking around and taking part in this American tradition.

The entrance~

Ferris Wheel~

Snack stand.

Vendor section

Livestock. Although the livestock area is usually smelly I really enjoy seeing the animals.

A short video of the lambs being paraded around for judging.

My favorite animals were the fowl. They had a lot of varieties of birds.

One section of the fair is "Treat Street" where you can get typical fair food and find other tasty treasures.

For lunch I had a baked potato and Raspberry-lemon slush.

There was a barn with a mini-railroad display.

Around the area where the rides are also those prize games. Usually you pay a dollar and are given something to throw. Here you could win a goldfish if you throw a ball into a bowl.

I didn't take part in any rides but it was great to see some classics.

There were a lot of activities for kids, of course.

One barn had artworks from a contest.

Now we are back at the fair when I went with my family.

Handicrafts~

Inside the model train museum.

And so they turned on the fair rides lights and it was time to go back home.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we are going to San Francisco to spend the day in the city and sleep at a hotel so I can get to the airport in time. As if in a flash my whole vacation is practically over now. It has been great to relax and get away from Korea and be reminded of my roots. But I feel it is time to get back to Korea and pick up from where I left off. However, I know once America is faraway from my sight I will miss it all. ~