ANCHORED IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA

Odel was home from the east coast for 48 hours when it was my turn for a getaway. Though we have made many new friends since we left Sacramento five years ago, there is nothing like spending time with the girlfriends from "home". Our visits to Sacramento always include a trip with my two longtime friends, Becky and Pat.

Pat has a "cabin" (with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, "cabin" seems a woefully inadequte description to me) near Tahoe City, a small community on the north shore of Lake Tahoe - the side without the big casinos - within sight of the lake. Off we went on Thursday night for the long weekend, leaving Odel and Luna to enjoy some quality time alone, sharing KFC for dinner while lounging on the sofa watching ESPN.

The unseasonably cold weather in the northern California Sierra was a shocking change from the record-breaking heat wave earlier in the week. Our first morning, though, was beautiful - cool and sunny, perfect for a walk to the lake.

Those storm clouds hanging over the south side of the lake kept growing, and by the next morning, snow blanketed the mountain tops and high passes. We hibernated with (too much) great food, plenty of great wine, stacks of magazines and movies on DVD. I don't know any better way to spend time with good friends.

While I had contended with a record-breaking heat wave and the Jeep's malfunctioning air conditioning during Odel's absence, he had his own challenges while I was gone. The Memorial Day weekend coincides with the Sacramento County Fair, held at Cal Expo, the state fairgrounds. We stay at Cal Expo RV Park when we visit Sacramento... and so do the kids and families exhibiting their animals at the county fair.

Cal Expo RV Park is not among our favorites even when it sparsely populated, and it becomes a claustrophobic madhouse during the county fair. Every space is filled, the tow vehicles and towed vehicles jocky for parking anywhere a space can be claimed, and tents pop up on the few strips of grass available. At one point, before I left, a car parked so close to us that its hood extended UNDER our slide. EEEEEK! The minute it left, I tied a red bandana to my lounge chair and settled it as a safety barricade under the slide, but we constantly worried about the skills of drivers parking, backing, and turning just feet from our vulnerable home.

It's all over now. Beginning Monday morning, the county fair folks went back home, leaving the park a quarter full. Whew! We have two more weeks here and no more holidays or events... feels like home again.