"Little Fires Everywhere" is not just a title of a bestseller and a TV show. It is the reality of living in California in the summer, the only difference is that most fires nowadays are no longer little. For two weeks before the trip came up, I have been checking CalFire closely to see if my trip was going to be affected significantly. Indeed, while the firefighters continued to contain multiple fires, the air quality was far from ideal.
The first day was supposed to be a driving day. Halfway in the middle I stopped in Fresno to meet with my former colleague for lunch, and headed further north right after. Already in Fresno, the air quality was not good. Smoke started to be visible as I progressed north.
I finally got to the rural town of Oregon House where the host met me at the door with a freshly picked bowl of tomatoes from her garden. They were so ripe, as soon as I bit into them, they would burst with delicious tomato juice. This stuff can rarely be found in a grocery store in such ripeness!
The cottage was supposed to be the highlight of my stay. Private, quiet and secluded, it had everything I wanted from a solo getaway.
The outdoor area was incredible, and the hammock left me wanting to get one myself. Inside, the cottage was tastefully decorated, clean and full of unique items of Asian culture. Interestingly enough, neither of the hosts were Asian...
I was exhilarated about this place until I saw carpenter ants crawling on the walls past the sunset. Not sure if they were attracted by the light, but they were coming as if the attack was carefully planned in advance, in groups of three or four. I contacted the host, and she brought me the spray assuring that I am just imagining ants. Surely, they weren't as bad as I thought! Even as she was eagerly spraying a few on the wall, I felt she was trying to convince herself that the cottage did not have a problem. I knew it did, and with my "love" for ants crawling indoors (outdoors is fair game, it's not my territory) I sprayed windows and any cracks I could find. They persisted, but in a smaller quantity. I was okay with that. For the time being...
Until... I found a dead spider right by my pillow in the morning, and the following night one crawling by my ear as I fiercely was hitting myself on the right side of my cheek hoping to kill something. If not the spider, then maybe myself. The second spider was dead as well, and the second night was spent in a head net that I use for little gnats on the hikes. At least they would not get into my orifices!
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