Almost spring again! Renewal

We lost our beloved Rebecca to lymphoma in October of 2010. She was still with us at Pumpkin Festival time, but by Hallowe'en she was a spirit. We miss her so very much, but in our hearts she'll always be galloping up the beach toward us...

... or lying in the sun by a Sierra lake...

Sweet sweet thing, was Rebecca the Duchess of Mountain and Sea. Almost to the last she was prancing beside us along forest trails and by the sea, and we're thankful for that.

And we were so glad that she was here to move with us in August to our new little snug harbor south of Half Moon Bay. We can see and smell and hear the ocean, and we can walk to the beach in five minutes--a walk Rebecca loved immediately.  

The house name we've carried around for almost 25 years is at home on our garden gate: Strega del Mare... Sea Witch. 

Sea Witch

Years ago I carved the name into a piece of driftwood and hung it on our cottage in Miramar, and we've carted that sign around with us ever since. Strega del Mare, at home by the sea. 

Sun setting into the sea, looking past the bottlebrush tree

The world turns and turns, and around Thanksgiving Rebecca's spirit nudged a new love toward us... Kayak, a white german shepherd who needed rescuing. His family in the Sierra had fallen on hard times and he needed to find his "forever home" (as the rescue sob-sisters call it... sappy, but apropos).

There he was, there we were, it was love at first sight, and he joined us at Strega del Mare for his first sight of the ocean.

Kayak gazes toward Hilo



A fine young pup, and angelic... most of the time.





Rebecca goes camping

Today I borrow from Wm's web site, where he says:

We just got back from a camping trip, and we are pleased to report that Rebecca is back to being Rebecca. I have to admit that I never thought we would all be hiking and camping together after last month's prognosis; we were thinking in terms of days.

Rebecca has gained all of her weight back and was chasing the raccoons and critters away from our campsite like she always has. We still take it one day at a time but this last camping trip was really special with her; Ellen and I have had dogs all of our lives but we have never seen a dog with so much spirit and true grit. She made us totally forget about the situation and it was a well-needed emotional rest and a slip back into normalcy.

Somehow, it reminds me of getting a second chance like in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life...even if the outcome suddenly changes we will always remember this little miracle and be grateful for the extra quality time we are getting with Rebecca.

 A few photos, of course:


Our campsite over looking Sunset Beach between Santa Cruz and Monterey

Rebecca guarding the food


Yo!...let's go hiking!


Check out the surfer dudes (Rebecca always finds the action)




Rebecca loves the sunset...means dinner, critter chasing, and a campfire.


After the campfire wears down, it is time for the warm innards of Goldie, our home away from home. You can see the snow clouds forming behind...it snowed the following day in the Santa Cruz Mountains.


Goldie is our all-original 1971 Dodge factory-conversion van which sleeps two adults and two small children (or two adults and one large dog), dining area, wet bar, kitchen sink, fridge, and stove, along with lots of drawers and closet space. We just hit 70K original miles on this last trip.



"Hey Dad...stop your yapping...my burger is ready..."

Rebecca's back!

Rebecca, Duchess of Mountain and Sea, does indeed have the heart of a champion. I'm so happy to say that she's begun a course of treatment for her lymphoma and is beginning to spring back. Her prance is back in her step, and she often laughs.

Here's Rebecca on the trail, either laughing or yawning.

During the week or so when she just wasn't eating we coaxed her with chicken breast and barley or rice, mooshed about with homemade chicken broth. We were afraid we'd created a gourmet monster, but as her appetite returns she's turning to her regular food with some enthusiasm. Still, of course, she gives us the stare-down for her treat that contains her medication.

Rebecca's treatment will continue for some months, with the vet gauging her progress and adjusting as we go along. Although we hope for remission, the treatment will at least give her her quality of life back. Thankfully she doesn't seem to be in any pain.

As life returns to normal, our trips to the Half Moon Bay farmer's market have resumed. The Pomegranate Man sings his wares, and the greens, persimmons, and squashes make a happy presentation.

And on days when the weather is fine, we'll once again feel like setting out for a drive in the Chili Pepper, the red-hot Miata... as on this pre-diagnosis Sunday drive.

Chili's bug-eyes look down a eucalyptus lane near Pescadero.

On Highway 1, the misty clifs wind northward.

Blessing Rebecca

Our beautiful Rebecca, Duchess of Mountain and Sea, has been diagnosed with lymphoma and our hearts are so heavy. We don't yet have the full diagnosis and prognosis; the lab work went to the cytologyist on Friday, and we'll know on Tuesday.

Rebecca came to us 9 years ago. We had recently lost our dear pal Kelsey and were strolling in Placerville, a town in California's Sierra Nevada foothills. There, on the sidewalk next to an SPCA table filled with brochures and doggy treats, sat a beautiful creature wearing a blue jacket that said "I'm adoptable!" on it.

We stopped and looked into those golden eyes and she looked back. She wagged. We wagged. She put her foot on Wm's foot, looked up at him, and said Take me home! And we did.

On the drive back up to the cabin she gazed interestedly around from the Outback's way-back. When we arrived she leapt out, ran up the stairs, and sat at the door waiting for us. Once inside, she headed straight for Kelsey's regular spot, turned around three times, and plopped down. She was home.

Here's Rebecca, smiling on the bank of the American River.

Rebecca was already three years old when she came to us, and we had no idea what we were getting.

What we were getting was the gentlest, most intelligent dog either of us has ever met. She barks when there's a reason to, and otherwise keeps her council. She speaks Italian, Spanish, French, and Russian in addition to English. At least, she understands the words for walk, eat, go, she, her, beach, Madame, and Duchess in those languages...and who knows what else that she doesn't let us know about? All attempts at talking around her have failed, because she learns the words quickly and knows just what's up.

Here's Rebecca galloping on Miramar beach.

The vet says Rebecca has the heart of a champion, and we hope that her lymphoma is treatable. We have to wait until Tuesday to find out, but in the meanwhile we decided that the thing to do was get her blessed at the local church's Blessing of the Pets ceremony yesterday, in honor of St. Francis. She donned her yellow lei and off we went in the thin November sunlight.

Here's Pastor Larry, who married Wm and me, blessing Rebecca:

Blessed Rebecca.