Goldilocks and the Four Bears

Okay, when my hair grows longer it's still brown -- though it does turn into ringlets -- and there are four bears on the loose instead of three, but hey. I'm going for dramatic effect. Currently in Truckee, outside of Lake Tahoe, on my last day of visiting Jordan. And what a trip it's been! Each day has spilled into the next effortlessly and lazily, with sleeping and waking taking their time -- or, more accurately, I'm taking my time with sleeping and waking rather than going in my rush-rush fashion I can become way too accustomed to. The above-mentioned Goldilocks reference pertains to a family of bears -- a mom and three cubs -- that has been growing bold and going into people yards, cars, and homes for food. Jordan and I were joking today: is this bear family some kind of urban legend? He's not sure he's buying it, Neighborhood Watch and how-to-protect-yourself pamphlet distribution be damned.

I couldn't ask for a much better vacation or for a chance to spend time with my brother one-on-one. And today was the perfect send-off. Katie, Adam, Jordan, and I woke up early to head to this cute-as-pie diner that looks like it got snatched up from the town of Twin Peaks in a tornado and plunked onto the shore of Donner Lake. (Yes, Donner Lake, as in Donner Pass, as in Donner Family that ate each other when trapped in that freezing winter all those years ago? Don't worry -- I didn't ask where my bacon came from.) After breakfast, we drove outside of Grass Valley to an area called Emerald Pools. I was picturing some short jaunt down a path to a circular, frothy hot spring type of place where we could slip into the water and swim around. But no. Even better actually, in the end -- we had to work for it. We hiked over some pretty rough terrain, cliff sides and plateaus and harsh desert landscapes, all the while following a river until the cliffs dropped down into a mixture of rapids and still pools for swimming. We found a rock "beach" and stripped down to our bathing suits and....well....I want to say I dived right in without a second thought, but I had to work up my courage. The water was freezing! But one by one we all jumped in -- imagine: direct icy line to the heart, a breath of almost too fresh air -- and after I swam around a bit (to say I did) I decided on time on the beach with my Alice Hoffman book and a nice smooth rock for reading. Jordan, Katie, and Adam opted to go exploring, and for a while I was left to think and meditate and listen to the sounds of nature. I even got risky/frisky for a moment and decided to dry off in the open air since no one was around, so I stripped and just walked around the rocks naked and soaked up the sun. Later in the day, we all hiked back, sunburned but happy. It was tough for me to hug Adam and Katie goodbye; it's their anniversary today and they're off for a romantic night outside of town.

This was just one example of the Buck Brothers' Adventures. On Monday, Jordan and I grabbed a drink in Downieville, which may be the cutest town on the earth, no hyperbole. I almost wanted to make evil-small-town-curse jokes or Deliverance jokes, but the Amish-like feel of Downieville -- a village where I'm sure pixies and faeries vacation -- couldn't be much more open, vibrant, and alive with goodness and strong energy. On Tuesday, Jordan, Katie, and I headed to Emerald Bay, which I've been wanting to check out since the mid 90s; Christopher Pike -- one of my fave novelists -- sets an important scene in the tea house on Emerald Bay, and I'd like to say it was just my excitement, but I could really feel why he chose that location. A mystic power hangs over the bay -- it's like these veils are lifted, leaving only a crisp oxygen where you get to breathe in possibility and strength. We ended up taking another longer and more challenging hike than expected, though it was worth it. There was a chunk of time where we were just breathing and grabbing hold of the rocks, and climbing and working in tune, and it felt like a song of feet and breath and hands.

Of course, no trip out this way would be complete without a stop in a casino. On Sunday night, after catching a showing of Eclipse, we headed to the Peppermill Casino. Me: a margarita on the rocks with salt. Jordan: a Long Island iced tea. Both of us: busting out our daredevil side and gambling, like, $20 bucks in the coin slots before making our way home. Slightly more daredevil is all this time in the sun! Can't say I'm complaining after our cloudy (and chilly) Portland spring and summer thus far. Yesterday we headed to Hidden Beach, and swam in Lake Tahoe and played beer pong (!), and chatted away the afternoon on beach blankets. We've taken Two Step and Brooklyn, Jordan's dogs, out on plenty of walks as well. Finally, I've had a couple nice moments out on the back porch, reading, sipping coffee, watching morning stretch and waken.

Jordan -- you have quite the comfortable home. I'm glad I got to meet Kaitlyn (she rocks!), get to know Katie and Adam better, and spend time with the dogs, Mew-Mew the cat, and Heddy the Hedgehog. That one night, when I slipped out the living room window late at night and sat on your roof and looked up at the sky? I'm still reeling. The stars were out, so many splashes of constellations I thought there were clouds. There were not. There was just clarity.