Cultural Contrasts

Ok, I know, I know, whenever I come back to the US, I always put up a blog about the differences I notice, but what can I say...I'm a born and bred American who has lived in Europe for the past 15 years.  I notice stuff!
This time around, there have been some obvious things that have left me a little gobsmacked.  I was in the grocery today and was overwhelmed in the produce section!  Now of course, it's California in the dead of winter so even coming from the midwest would certainly create a bit of culture shock. But the fresh produce was so beautiful. The many varieties of lettuce looked freshly picked from a local garden and a huge bunch of cilantro was a mere 59 cents!  The green serrano chili I bought for my guacamole was much hotter than the red ones I buy in Sweden.  California tomatoes remain the overall disappointment as they hot house all of them and bleed out all of the great flavor.  I'll stick with the tomatoes from Holland we get in Sweden!
I also do not have to buy avocados, grapefruit or lemons.  A friend of my dad's gave him a case of beautiful, huge avocados so I've been eating one a day and have started making guacamole!  We get freshly picked grapefruit from my dad's gorgeous tree and the lemons are free from the beautiful tree in our back yard.  Free citrus fruit!  So awesome.
Television remains annoying and great.  Great because there are a zillion things to watch on TV or online. Annoying because the commercials and repetitions are incessant.  I hate the tape delayed manner in which they cover the Olympics.  Some of the public interest stories are nice, but the overwhelming focus on the American athletes means we miss many other great stories.  Fortunately I can live stream throughout the day so caught the epic finish of the women's cross-country ski race between the Swede and the Norwegian.
One of the most staggering encounters has been with a Cadillac commercial.  View it here.  Basically, the commercial pokes fun at Europe's tradition of taking an entire month off during the summer and promotes consumerism in its most indulgent form.  It's a bad commercial in my mind. Perhaps it's because I'm in the midst of my month off (we take it in Feb. instead of most Swedes who take it in July) and wouldn't trade this privilege and joy for any possession in the world.  One of the reasons we continue to live in Europe is related to the work/life balance that Europe values.  I just don't want to work 50 weeks of the year anymore.  No amount of stuff could entice me to value making more money over less time off anymore.  This is likely the greatest difference between America and Europe.  I'm not trying to make a political statement about which is better or worse...but I think work as a means to an end is ultimately less satisfying than
long vacations that allow you to fully recharge so you are motivated and excited to be at work when you are working.
America and Sweden...the two countries where I hold citizenship.  I guess I just feel really, really lucky to be able to blend the best of both worlds, critique the worst and enjoy the benefits and privileges that these two worlds bring to me.

On The Way to Vegas is Kelso

From Palm Springs, CA, the drive to Las Vegas, Nevada is only about 3.5 hours.  You don't even get on the interstate but instead take back roads that wind through a beautiful desert landscape.  The day greeted us with this spectacular light reflecting off the hills behind my parents' house.  The drive itself takes you through wild hill and rock formations, Joshua Trees, salt flats and one historical town named Kelso.  Kelso came into existence in 1923 when it was discovered that trains needed an extra little shove up the Cima grade.  They built the city around a railway depot that housed these "helper engines."  All that's there now is the old train station that has been converted into a museum and classic diner café, the old town jail, and some nice restrooms for those needing a break on their backroad drive!
 The jail was mainly a holding pen for drunks who needed somewhere to sleep it off.

It was fun to stop and read the signs that explained the significance of this once bustling town. It made me think about how places develop to meet an immediate need and how they go bust once the need has been met.  Life ebbs and flows.  The roads we drove on used to be the only roads that people could travel on as they headed east out of California.  Now there are many huge highways you can take, but these backroad drives are hard to beat.

Desert Beauty

I love Palm Springs.  Oh yeah, you already know that.  But I am rarely there in August so I was surprised by how much is in bloom at this time of year. One of my favorite plants was the Mexican Bird of Paradise.  The vibrant orange and red flowers that stand up tall from the bush is a sight to behold.  These photos do not do it justice.  I was really taken by it while in PS earlier this month.  I couldn't figure out why it was such a surprising and tantalizing sight...and then I realized that usually we are in PS in February and the Mexican Bird of Paradise is not in bloom and then it just looks like a green shrub.  What a treat to experience such unexpected beauty.

The desert is so amazing...a little water and it grows like mad.  Contrary to what people might imagine, the desert is not a dead landscape.  Beauty abounds in flowers, bushes and those towering palms.  Oh, did I mention how much I love Palm Springs?

Beautiful Big Bear

My parents have some very dear friends who have a home in Palm Springs but they head for the cooler climate of the surrounding mountains during the hot summer months that the desert definitely serves up. 

Bert and Jim's lovely mountain home

Big Bear Lake is a near ideal place to spend the summer.  Towering pines, a gorgeous lake, blue skies forever, no humidity: hmmm, sounds a bit like Sweden! The cabins are not red however! The days are shorter and the temperatures higher but I could definitely see myself spending summers in Big Bear! In this house! Seeing the ski slopes descending along the mountainside was a cool sight in the middle of the summer. I loved being out on the lake, taking in the beautiful properties that line the shores.  In the evening the temperature dropped and the cool air provided a wonderful environment in which to rest.  Blue skies, green pine, beautiful Blue Jays...what a wonderfully artistic color palette God decided to use in this area.We had a great time together.  We ate our meals outside, played a lot of cards, poked fun at politics (both sides took a beating!) and made each other laugh a lot.  We ended our time together with breakfast at the Grizzly Cafe, a classic American style breakfast joint.  No frills, just great food.  I ordered the biggest pancake I've ever seen! It tasted great but I could not finish it!
I am very thankful that my parents have such dear, wonderful friends.  Thanks Jim and Bert for a great mountain getaway!

You Can Take Jodi Out of California, But...

You can't take California out of Jodi!  Funny that this jingle was from a cigarette television ad way back in the late 60's.  Anyone remember it?  You can take Salem out of the country, but you can't take the country out of Salem.  As if a cigarette really transported you to the countryside.  But I digress.
Here I am, two more days in California and it's been awesome as usual.  There are just some things about California that I love and long for and it is only by being here that those longings get sated.  So here are a few of my favorite things about the place I grew up.
I love the weather.  Duh.  It's hot and sunny day after day and even if the weather is a little bad, a day later it's great again.

 Trader Joe's.  Seriously, there is just no better store than Trader Joe's.  I harbor a secret desire to work there when I'm retired.  It's just such a fun place to browse and shop and they have great food and drink.  I bought this giant basil plant for $3.00 and have used its bounty almost every day since!
The desert landscape.  You got your mile high palm trees, your amazing mountains, the beautiful flowers, the weird and wonderful cacti, the piercing blue sky, the stunning sunrise and sunsets that turn the landscape lavender.
Listening to country music in the car.  What's there not to love about a music genre that sings about patriotism, women, beer, and lost loves?  It's such a funny slice of American life.  Just this afternoon, I heard a song about living in a trailer park.  No where on earth, I'm telling ya!
Shopping: Great outlets, TJMaxx, WalMart, SteinMart. DSW Shoe store.  Great prices, amazing selection. 
Swimming and tanning.  It's shallow and unhealthy, but I still love getting a good tan!  I love laying in the sun, lounging in the pool on a raft, snoozing and reading.  There's really just nothing more relaxing for me.
Jacuzzi.  I love the outdoor hot tub with the jets of water that sooth my muscles and provide restoration.  Sitting out there at night under a star lit sky is pretty special.  Haven't done that on this trip.  More fun with Doug than alone!
Grilled steak.  My dad grills the best ribeye around and we usually indulge in this tasty dinner at least a few times.  Love it every time.  My favorite food.
Del Taco.  One of my most favorite fast food places, the tacos and burritos are hard to beat.  It's cheap and good and we wish there was one near our house in Stockholm.
Of course, anywhere you go on holiday is special, but for me, being in California is wonderful.  I have come to love the desert and the Palm Springs community and my dream is to retire out here eventually.  There's just something about being here that calms my spirit and brings me joy.  I am so thankful that my parents live in this beautiful place.  It's always great to see them, but it's a special bonus that they live in the place I call heaven on earth.

week 6: I Love California!

We spent the final night of our road trip in Pasadena at my cousin's house. This is one of the views from his terrace.He and his wife Susan are wonderful people and we love to see them when we can. They have a lovely home with a beautiful terrace and an adorable dog named Sam with whom we both managed a few cuddles. We are missing Tanner these days and the canine love we received from Sam was a welcome bonus! I am feeling sad that I didn't take a picture of the dog!The view of downtown L.A. from their terrace.

We found our way back to Palm Springs for our last days in paradise. The weather was up and down...a bit stormy, a bit windy (really blew on the day we played golf), mixed in with gorgeous sunshine and beautiful evenings. We ate steak, we took walks, we went swimming, we played cards with my parents, we watched the Olympics, we ate other things, we slept by the pool, we got tan. Bliss.
A few days before we were scheduled to leave I could feel the coming "funk" in my belly. I told Doug that I was struggling with my usual "hate to leave California funk" and he simply replied by saying, "I know." I said, "Is it that obvious?" To which he lovingly said, "Jodi, I've watched this happen every year for many years now. It's OK. It's hard for me to leave too."Usually when we leave California we are finished with our vacation and thus beginning the long journey into night that takes us back across the Atlantic to Stockholm. As our departure from California neared, I realized that we weren't actually leaving the States yet, but instead we still had a brief stopover in Chicago to look forward to as well as a wonderful stay with Doug's parents in Pensacola, Florida. The thought of lingering by the sugary white sands of Pensacola Beach for a few days perked up my mood. Even so, it's always hard to say good-bye to my folks, especially when health concerns continue to be present.
Sadly, our last week in California we also got news that one of Doug's sister's is quite ill as well. I am not wanting to discuss this in specific detail on the blog at this time, but your prayers for all involved are appreciated. It is hard news to receive and definitely reminded us again of how fragile life really is. My mom continues to feel good but tests are indicating that something is going on that may not be positive. The great news is that she is not symptomatic and so we celebrate how she feels not what numbers say. I am so thankful that she is so much more herself than in the years when she was so sick and that so much joy and thanksgiving has been ours to share with both her and my dad. My dad also has some lingering health concerns that he needs to deal with and so we are kind of in a wait and see mode. Doug's sister is awaiting deeper diagnosis and protocol for treatment. We become acutely aware of our position of living in Sweden during these times of uncertainty. But we thank God for the fruitfulness of this wonderful sabbatical and the time of joy and thanksgiving we've been given.
Our final day in Palm Springs was absolutely gorgeous...the kind of day that reminds me of why in the world I long to live there someday. We sat by the pool until 4.00, ran a couple of last errands and then finally won 3 games of cribbage in a row against my parents after enduring getting beat 8 times in a row! We didn't even the score but redeemed what otherwise would've been the ultimate humiliation. In the grand scheme of life, card game outcomes don't matter very much, but what I treasure about these games is how we laugh, rag, celebrate, gloat, prod, and enjoy one another's company whilst playing!
On the day of our departure, we went out for breakfast and I had delicious cinnamon french toast that took me through the day! It was mild and sunny at the airport. Check-in was a snap and a lovely glass of Pinot Grigio helped to ease the tug at my heart strings. I barely even shed tears this time around.

I love my life in Sweden and I love California. How in the world I came to know and love climates and places that are so out of whack from one another is a great mystery but I feel the richer for having experienced both. Until next time...I love you mom and dad...I love you California. I'll miss you both.