An Epic Thanksgiving Journey

Enjoying two nights at home before taking off again, my parents and I set off on a Thanksgiving Epic Journey that encompassed Yosemite, Universal Studios, and Disneyland. The first night in Yosemite, we went over to the camp of my Spencer relatives--Grandma, Grandpa, Mark and Shirley--to enjoy a roaring fire. Mark and Shirley gave me some wonderful dishes, as they are replacing them with new china in celebration of their 25th anniversary, and I am very grateful to them. We gave my grandparents the customary recyclable cans and bottles they use to fund their travels, which they took gladly as well. We laughed, talked, and played a game of Hand and Foot before returning to Curry Village.

In the morning, I walked over to their camp again, where they gave me breakfast. Mark and Shirley took me out with them for the day, talking as we walked, stopping here and there for Mark to climb a boulder or two. Apparently, "bouldering" is a new climbing fashion in Yosemite that he's trying out, but not really liking. We marched through a meadow with an excellent view of Half Dome to the cover of trees with blazing yellow leaves. Emerging from this grove, we arrived at a smooth section of river where we could see Half Dome reflected picturesquely in the water. All the while, we had a wonderful conversation, which turned to caving. So, Shirley took me into one near Yosemite Falls. She had done it so many times, she knew it by heart, and it was a decent little cave. We stopped fo hot chocolate in Yosemite village, then returned to camp for Thanksgiving dinner.

With some preparation, the dinner was ready, and we ate it outside next to the fire. There were all kinds of wonderful foods--my Grandma is a wonderful cook, to be able to create such masterpieces from a trailer kitchen--rounded off with some of Shirley's wonderful pie. We agreed to meet each other at the Ahwahnee the next morning for breakfast, which we did. The eggs Benedict and hot chocolate were superb, and the dining room was already festively decorated for Bracebridge, a medieval dinner held there once a year. The conversation was pleasant, and we celebrated Grandma's birthday there.

We took a family photo in front of the Christmas tree, said goodbye to everyone, then took off for Modesto, were we picked up Grandma and Grandpa O'Neill. It was a long trip to Anaheim, but at last we got there. Lisa, Jeremy, Sean and Sam were already waiting for us there, and were kind enough to let me stay in their hotel room. It was exciting to see them again, and to share the fun of the next few days.

When we arrived at Universal Studios, the music in the background alone made me smile. Sean and Sam had never been to Universal Studios, and I enjoyed seeing their reactions as we did the Studio Tour (Grandma got really excited to see Wisteria Lane), the Terminator show, then stopped for lunch at the Jurassic Park Cafe before riding the ride. Drenched and shivering from this water ride, we enjoyed the effects demonstrations where my Dad got to voice over some film, very amusing. We warmed up a bit in the Backdraft soundstage; all the pyrotechnic effects scared me when I was little, but now they just make me happy. We nearly killed ourselves running up the three tall flights of stairs to get to a show on time, which drenched us even more. After enjoying a few more attractions before the park closed, we decided to have dinner at a nice, warm restaurant, Miceli's. The food was excellent, but all the better as it was enhanced by the flickering candlelight and singing waiters, whose melodious voiced enchanted me. Definitely one of the coolest restaurants I've ever enjoyed.

On Thanksgiving Day, we went to Disneyland. We enjoyed many wonderful rides and shows, the sort that only Disney can offer, and had Mexican food for Thanksgiving dinner. In the evening, I waited with Mom and Grandpa for the Holiday Parade to begin. This one, I loved--even the promo for the new film Enchanted, which featured the most gorgeous horse my eyes have ever seen, large as a Clydesdale, white with silver flecks. The castle was lit with brilliant silver icicles, so breathtakingly beautiful I almost cried. Afterwards, we we on the train to New Orleans square when for some security reason, it was stopped at Main Street. Because Grandpa was in a wheelchair, we couldn't get out at this station, for it had no ramps. So, we got to sit in the train for a half hour or so until they let just us ride to New Orleans square--very cool. From there, we were able to fully enjoy the fireworks, and my parents and I finished off the evening shooting aliens in the Buzz Lightyear ride.

It was hard for all of us to wake up the next morning, and we had to say goodbye to Lisa, Jeremy, Sean and Sam. My parents, Grandma and I returned to the parks and spent most of the day in California Adventure. There, we ran into some old friends of ours, the Andersons, and it was very nice to see them. I dragged my family into the Art of Animation building, where there was a special exhibit on Snow White--they had original artwork, reproductions of the cels, and all kinds of fascinating stuff that was very hard for my parents to rip me away from; I could have spent all day there. In the afternoon, Grandma took me shopping on Main Street while my parents rode the train. She bought me a lovely shirt and treated me to ice cream as the parade was going on outside.

Then, it was time to pick up Grandpa from the hotel and take him to see The Glory of Christmas at the Crystal Cathedral. The moon shone full through the glass ceiling as the singers, dancers, and creatures on stage and in the aisles told the story of Christ's birth. Grandpa loved the camel that sat next to us while waiting to go onstage, and I breathed in the scent of incense with pleasure. The airborne angels were as awesome as ever on their 30 mph flying rigs, and the music, especially "Let Us Adore Him!" sent shivers down my spine. The reading of "One Solitary Life" always gets me, and it was as powerful as ever.

The same bright moon shone over Disneyland and my parents and I returned to the park for one last time. Sipping mint juleps and eating fritters, Dad and I watched Fantasmic! It moved me almost as deeply as Glory of Christmas had, oddly enough. Looking beyond the Disney masks, it really is an awesome tale of the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness. Just before the park closed, we rode the new Finding Nemo submarines. They were incredible, and it was very soothing to be underwater.

We made our way home on Sabbath, stopping at the San Fernando Mission along the way. The place fascinated me, with all of its artwork and historically furnished rooms. They had everything from plain chant in early musical notation to papal vestments, which were very cool. One room was devoted entirely to sculptures and artwork of the Madonna. This room fascinated me, for it showed sculpture and all over the world, portraying Mary and the Christ Child in many different ways. Then, of course, was the beauty of the buildings themselves. What I felt was a little overkill, though, was the Bob Hope memorial garden; such an ornate tomb, probably cost millions to build. But still lovely.

Arriving back at Modesto, Grandpa was in a generous mood and gave me some wonderful knives and pieces of jewelry that I look forward to using and wearing. He also gave us some persimmons, which my room mate fell in love with and forbade me to share with my Honors class--obviously, it must be a testament to his good gardening. Returning to PUC, things have been busy, but fun. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well; I am thankful for you and wish you the best.

Caves and Campfires

After the rush of things to do before I could leave on Thursday, it was a relief when I was finally able to sit down in Jenni Rae Rubio's car and enjoy her company on the way to Fairfield. There, I had the pleasure of meeting the Ressegers' pets before the Ressegers arrived and we were on our way to Lava Beds National Monument. We talked pleasantly on the road until we stopped at a Panda Express for supper. I slept soundly the rest of the way--I must've been really tired. All the camp was asleep as well when we arrived, so I did not attempt to find the girls' tent. Instead, I spent the night in the warmth and comfort of the Ressegers' trailer, getting sleep that fortified me for the weekend.

In the morning, the Pleasant Hill Pathfinders were very happy to see me. We made quick work of breakfast, so that we could get to the caving as soon as possible. Suiting up in ragged overalls and bright orange duct tape, I conducted the customary "lights out" tour of Valentine Cave. As usual, it was a spectacular demonstration of both teamwork and teens who take advantage of the darkness to flirt shamelessly with each other, to my amusement. Then, we did Indian Well before attempting the infamous Buddha's Crack, discovered by the Pleasant Hill Pathfinders on my first caving trip. To my profound irritation, I wound up ripping a gaping hole in my tie-dye shirt in a rather immodest area, but at least I got out to the other side.

One of our girls, however, had worse difficulties. Lodged tightly in the rock, the group behind her had left and it was only me and two teens on our side of the passage, trying to figure out how to free her. Eventually, I had the smaller of the two teens go down to the trapped girl to reassure her while I went to get help. It was an exhausting effort, as it meant doing another difficult passage, the sidewinder, three times in the space of an hour, but eventually we got the trapped girl out and we were very glad to get some lunch.

Patching up my poor shirt with orange duct tape, we went out again to many other wonderful caves--portions of the Labyrinth, Hercules' Leg, Golden Dome, and Jupiter's Thunderbolt. By the time we got out of Sentinel Dome, we were exhausted, and headed back to camp for the evening for a good, hearty supper after changing out of our gear. As for me, I was glad to put aside my Greek flash cards, which I had been flipping through in between caves, for the Sabbath. Don Smith, coordinator of the LIT program, put me in charge of pulling the skits for church together. As the LITs gathered, I enjoyed doing this, then relaxed by the roaring fire.

The church service in Valentine Cave went very well--the actors obeyed my instructions and gave spectacular performances. Pastor Eddie Heinrich's message afterwards was really inspiring as well. A visit to the Visitor's Center, to Mushpot Cave, and the hike back to camp filled the time before Sabbath lunch, a sumptuous meal of pasta and garlic bread. Afterward, we went to Captain Jack's Stronghold, reliving history as we walked through the trenches of that battle between the Modocs and the US Cavalry that happened long ago.

Then, we visited Fleener's Chimneys, the volcanic birthplace of the park. I climbed to the highest of the jagged edifices where I could see the scenery for miles around and the depths of the chimney below. Surrounded by this breathtaking view, my mind wandered off to all the people I wished were there to share it with me. A visit to Skull Cave rounded off our Sabbath adventures, then we dined before suiting up for the Catacombs.

Descending into the depths of the Catacombs, the longest cave in the park, this year we were plagued by fewer navigational problems than ever before--I think we've finally gotten the route through the complicated twists and turns cemented, despite the cryptic maps we use. In the challenging Crossover we met Pastor Heinrich and a few other clubs going in the opposite direction, which was fun.

Returning to camp, we stripped off our gear, sat by the fire a bit, then slept very well as a group. In the morning, we packed up and left, my beloved directors kindly giving me more food than I can eat in this week before Thanksgiving Vacation. I studied for most of the very long car ride back, until all the subjects felt like they were scrambled together. At that point, I called it quits and just rested until we got back to Pleasant Hill. There, I left a headlamp and glow stick on Justin's bench, as a tribute to the one who taught me everything I know about the caves.

Anyway, I wish you all the best, and a happy Thanksgiving to everyone, in case I don't get a chance to say it before then. There's definitely plenty to be grateful for, and one of the best blessings in my life is each of you, my friends, family, and loved ones who make my journeys worthwhile. Thank you.

Do You Hear the People Sing?

Drained from an exhausting week, it was with great glee that five of us PUC students carpooled down the hill for an exhausting weekend to round it off. Dropped off at Pleasant Hill, my parents and I almost immediately set forth to Sacramento for a men's chorus festival rehearsal. Along the way, we enjoyed catching up a bit and they filled me in on the particulars of the Music Dinner on Sunday, which I would help them execute. Arriving at the Carmichael church, rehearsal was already an hour in progress, but fortunately, Dad's pieces hadn't come up yet.

At the end of it, it was sheer heaven to flop into the cozy bed of the same hotel we had frequented for Convocation and get the best night's sleep I'd had in a week. . . just to get up the next morning and go to another concert, of course. This one was at a Slavic church--it was quite an experience. The entire congregation spoke Russian, and the service had to be translated for us. They received us warmly, and afterwards, a church member, Natella, had all of Christian Edition over at her house for lunch. O, the food! It was like Thanksgiving with the Ukrainian side of the family, but less American-ized. There was holopchi (cabbage rolls), peteheh (a pasta stuffed with potato and cabbage), borscht (a beet soup), and many other wonderful Slavic dishes I can't even begin to name. Out of gratitude, Christian Edition sang for the woman who, in preparing the meal, had missed the concert.

During the final practice for the men's chorus festival, some of my relatives arrived and Mom and I enjoyed catching up with them. There were even a few there we hadn't expected, which was a very pleasant surprise. When the festival began, I was enthralled by the incredible sound of 99 mens' voices going at full strength; there are few words to describe it. Five men's choruses were represented there, and each had its own special sound, its own wonderful message. In this concert, many heard CE's new piece, "Jerusalem" for the first time--the excitement in the room was tangible, mingling with the energy of the song. It finished to a standing ovation as the choruses combined once more for the last few songs. The finale of the concert, "No More Night," was incredible; I have heard it sung many times before, but never so strongly or with such passion.

After this remarkable experience, it was time to go back to Pleasant Hill for preparations for the next day's showing of Les Miserables. There was an eager group of students there to greet us when we got there, so they were actually able to get some good rehearsal in then. To my irritation, my father decided to cut in half the oboe solo I had spent a month preparing; oh well, maybe I'll use it again some other time. We got home around 1:00 AM, the only time I was home all weekend. Just long enough to sleep, hug two of the three cats, pack, and take off again.

At Pleasant Hill, we were struck by all the usual bits of insanity that the morning of the Dinner brings--it was really nice to be able to help my parents with that without the distraction of being a cast member. I even had time, while the band was playing, to do some studying in my little corner of the gym devoted to the power point I was running. The food was another excellent creation--stroganoff, mm. The band was in fine form, bringing back fond memories of when I had studied those pieces as a student at Pleasant Hill and introducing new ones like "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Cheerily I bought a few bottles of the drinks for sale for my dorm room before the performance began.

First show was good. I was so proud of my smoke machine minions who actually set the thing up without me having to remind them. Clunky mistakes were at a minimum, and people responded positively to the power point--it helped them understand what was actually going on in the show. Between shows, I congratulated everyone on their good work, and had the joy of speaking with some friends I hadn't seen in a long time.

Second show was better, well nigh incredible. Sterling as Valjean was excellent, nearly making me cry in the soulful soliloquy, "Bring Him Home." Lucas as Javert was one of the most charismatic Javerts we've had. Shiva gave me a run for her money as Madame Thenardier, and Steve, as Monsieur Thenardier, was hilarious. My beloved friend Lauren really impressed me with her portrayal of Cosette; I've never seen the role done so assertively, with Cosette actually leaving the bench instead of waiting for Marius there--it was a welcome change from the passive pictures of her I've seen before. In the grand tradition of the Hardt family, Alex made for an excellent Marius, heartbreaking as always. As for the revolutionary students--few casts have ever been so enthusiastic as this one, and their rendition of "One Day More" during second show was, hands down, better than my year--thrilling.

So many students I was so proud of, more than I can begin to mention--it almost made me miss performing in it myself, and other alumni have expressed the same feelings. Returning to PUC at around midnight, even though I was faced with two tests and a gob of reading when I got here, I was really glad I had gone. That show touches my heart in a way few other things can, and although I've seen many casts perform it, it never fails to yield more surprises, more moments of wonder. The hope it expresses in the Finale is one that will always ring true--"Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise." This is the same hope that so moved the audience at the Men's Chorus Festival, and will forever be remembered as long as there are people to sing of it.

Do you hear the people sing?