Take electric scooter to marina to avoid driving car? CHECK!
This was one of my ideas for a clean energy trip back and forth to the Glen Cove Marina. I had to use a little foot power to help myself on the inclines since the scooter slowed down to almost nothing, but I didn’t need to drive my SUV to go to the marina. Plus I got to store the scooter safely on the dock while we went out on the rowboat!
It was a pretty cold morning, but we’ve had worse! Had to catch this mega-ship behind us as we rowed.
Shando and I had a wonderful xmas gathering yesterday at my sister’s house in Granite Bay. My nephew is only 16 and towers over all of us. My brother, sister and I are there with their kids, Brooke and Nicholas, and my brother-in-law, Ken. It looks like everyone got the memo to wear grey, but my niece is actually wearing maroon (you just can’t see it in this photo).
We brought the foldable electric scooter which Shando finally agreed to try on the flat street in my sister’s neighborhood. I think he was afraid to say how much he loved it, but he is always worried about breaking a bone, since he’s proud that he has never had to wear a cast in his life.
We brought two of our senior dogs, Polar and Capulet. My sister’s brown-spotted dog Ricki was reticent about the company, but she and Polar fell in love and played a ton, which was nice to see. My brother brought Mocha, the little chihuahua mix, who was more aloof. I listened carefully to the video to make sure we protected those we were gossiping about. They are not identifiable from this video. 🙂
This one gave me some side-eye, but I moved very slowly hoping she knew I was no threat.
For my maiden voyage with my own kayak I ventured into the Carquinez Strait, which I’m very familiar with since I’ve been whaleboat rowing there for a good two years. Shando helped me get the kayak onto our car and into the water. Right away I saw a “rock” in the distance, but I suspected it was one of the seals I saw a few days ago. Soon enough I saw the second bopping around. The one that is suspended here is lying on a mostly submerged rock. When I saw them from the trail with my scooter, the tide was lower a few days ago. I kept floating into the rock area without trying, but the seal barely paid me any mind. This is amazing footage and I felt closer to them physically than it appears on camera.
Video from Shando’s perspective:
Here’s what the car looks like with the kayak mounted:
This morning my colleague at Glen Cove Community Association, Nancy, and I gave out prizes to the top three Christmas Light contest winners in our neighborhood of Vallejo. I was not one of the judges, but had the honor of handing out the prizes as President of GCCA. It turns out Shando and I knew Andy and Carlton who won the first prize, nominated by their development representative Dina (who joined us for the photo). Only at the 11th hour did Shando and I even realize we knew the first prize winners. Such a small world. They moved into their home a few weeks before we did in 2020. All the prize winners were wonderful and warm. We thank them for their spirit and spending a few minutes with us on Christmas Eve.
For our fourth xmas in Vallejo, Shando really got into the spirit this year. He baked and manually decorated what he calls “ugly sweater cookies” (original and cute), paired with coffee mugs, and chocolate. We put the items in our sleigh, I mean a wagon, adorned Santa hats, and walked around our block handing them out to people who watch out for our house, letting them know what great neighbors they are. We’re so lucky to live here and to have been welcomed by such great folks both on our block and throughout Vallejo.
Here in Glen Cove, Vallejo, we have lots of very cool nooks and crannies that I’m starting to get to know from different perspectives that I would never see with a car, and might not necessarily reach on foot!
The scooter is a fun way to get around for some things, but this has inspired me to buy an electric, foldable, fat-tire bicycle soon. The scooter will maintain its appeal and will still be super convenient for many uses.
Today I took my second major scooter ride. This time I got the new GoPro cam to work. I saw TWO seals on a rock right offshore from Glen Cove Waterfront Park, so I took a special close-up video and pictures after I stopped for a bit and took a separate video with my phone. The strange thing is that I rarely see a seal or sea lion when I row with the whaleboat team in the mornings, and even when we do, they’re usually swimming by, sometimes in pairs. Shando thinks that’s because they lay out more in the middle of the day when there’s more sun and they’re looking for food in the mornings.
The scooter ride video is highly edited to take out the slower, more boring, and repetitive parts. I love my neighborhood and our proximity to the water, the Glen Cove Waterfront Park, and all the cool things you can see between the Carquinez Strait, bridges, nature, and the gorgeous hills.
