Wednesday, March 3. I find it amusing as I approach retirement age that people in the Santa Cruz area refer to San Jose as "over the hill" without seeming to be aware of the phrase's other connotation of being old and past your prime. In pretirement, it seems to me that you can still be at the summit of some of your abilities and at the same time begin to develop perspective on areas in your life where you are losing speed. Going downhill implies a certain amount of momentum that can carry you through some tough patches like minor health issues or lack of training in technological advances. With a positive frame of mind, the downhill stretch can be exhilarating not scary.
In the midst of light to heavy rain, the trip up and down the hill on Highway 17 was exhilarating to say the least, but not scary with Phil at the wheel. We talked about many things, including the difficulties of working with younger people. We noted a certain superiority many Gen Xers project and wondered if they just feel those of us born before the great technological revolution just don't get it or if their aloofness is just a good bluff. We didn't come to any major conclusions, but it felt good to air a few frustrations in the privacy of our own car. We had a little trouble finding the right exit around the interchange between Highway 17 and Interstate 280. San Jose is a working city, full of busy streets, commercial plazas, and people in a hurry to get somewhere else, not exactly suited for a leisurely pretirement pace.
Phil let me off at the Winchester Mystery House, a tourist attraction I've been interested in for years. It is a bizarre conglomeration of 160 rooms, 47 stairways, 2,000 doors and 10,000 windows put together by Sarah Winchester, the fabulously wealthy widow of the heir to the Winchester rifle fortune. She began the project in her 50s (and mentally the worse for wear after the deaths of her one child and husband) and directed the non-stop construction project based on messages she received from the spirit world for almost 40 years. The $28 entrance fee for the mansion tour is pretty steep, but the tour lasted over an hour on a mile long trek led by an informative and cheerful tour guide. There were people from Japan, Canada and Michigan on my tour so if does have a worldwide reputation. The rain let up during the tour, so I got a few good shots out in the garden.
While the narrative emphasizes the weird quirks of construction, I enjoyed seeing the meticulous craftsmanship like parquee and pressed wall coverings in many of the rooms. The original furniture was all auctioned off, but period antiques are displayed in many rooms to give a feel for what they must have looked like in Sarah Winchester's time. Not a lot is known about the woman or why she had such a mania for building, hence the "mystery" in its title, but I came away from the experience feeling I'd learned a little about California history and abnormal psychology. The prices at the cafe scream, "Tourist trap!" ($6 for a soft drink), but items in the gift shop seemed reasonably priced.
While I was doing the tourist thing, Phil visited some people at eBay Motors. Their "campus" was similar to Edmunds although the cubicles allowed for a little more privacy and the staff was more far-flung with offices in Kansas and the Northeast and even some outposts overseas. The people he talked to were enthusiastic about learning more about Edmunds, so he felt the visit was a success.
We picked up some coffee on the way home and talked to Phil's mother on his cell. She seems stronger but still a little disoriented after her heart attack last week. She talked to me about a women's club gathering she is planning for March, and it made me feel good to hear that she is looking forward to future events. Phil's father is recovering from his knee surgery too and agreed to set up a Skype call during the weekend so that Phil's mother and aunt could see each other as they talked. I got a call from the Census people and committed to a training program at the end of April. Phil built a fire and we both got out our laptops and click-clacked away.
We decided to walk down to the Club House for a drink and the rain started to fall as we walked there. Luckily, it's only about 3 blocks and Phil had an umbrella. It was cozy to be inside warmed by the fireplace and five or six monitors of various sizes broadcasting sports, sports, and more sports. The bartender was very upbeat and courteous, ready to listen, give advice or join in on a joke, depending on the needs of the group he was serving. We had a delicious Sierra Nevada on tap and some munchies and walked down the first hole on our way home.
It was great to come back into a warm (yes warm!) house after our wet, chilly walk. We kept the glow going with lentil soup, cornbread, a salad with lots of trimmings and a little more beer. Phil surveyed Steve's video collection and came up with an interesting 1977 movie called The Duellists. Based on a Joseph Conrad story, it had masterful art direction and costumes, an unusual plot, and serviceable if not quite convincing performances by Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine. We gave each other backrubs as we watched, and then braved the ice cold downstairs to go to bed.
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