#10--San Francisco--September 17, 2008

San Francisco, California
A Day with Karlyn and John Horton
September 17, 2008

Today we tell a story of connections past. The tale started almost a century ago in 1911—a tale of two cities—Cincinnati, Ohio, and Tehachapi, California. The brother of Judy’s grandfather had gone West to settle in California. Brother Joe kept urging Judy’s grandfather, Tom Riley, and his bride, Aline, to join him and try to succeed farming ten acres of land in Tehachapi.

When the decision was made to leave Cincinnati, the young couple took their possessions aboard a train and headed West to begin a new way of life. As we take our own train journey, we wonder what it must have been like for Judy’s grandparents as they traversed the country early in 1912. In January of the following year, Judy’s mother was born in their small cabin, with the assistance of her grandmother’s good friend, Mrs. Marx, who was a nurse. This kind woman had two young sons who eventually became playmates of little Ella Louise, Judy’s mother.

Trying to make a living in Tehachapi didn’t work out for Judy’s grandparents, and they headed back to Cincinnati when Ella Louise was five years old. Grandma Riley stayed in touch with Mrs. Marx, who soon had a baby girl, Karlyn. Over the years, communication continued, and , eventually, Judy’s mother and Karlyn kept in touch. After Judy’s mother died in 2005, Judy wrote to Karlyn to inform her, and the two of them have continued frequent correspondence since then.

When our trip plans were to include San Francisco, Karlyn and her husband, John, invited us to spend a day with them traveling through the areas outside of San Francisco. We welcomed this connection with the past and were anxious to strengthen it.

Now you know why this was such a highly anticipated day! Karlyn and John arrived at our downtown hotel after driving in from San Rafael to begin our full day’s adventure.

We headed away from town across the Golden Gate Bridge and driving on the many scenic roads throughout Marin County. We are sure that we saw places few other tourists are able to experience.

After half a day of splendid sightseeing and photographing, we were treated to lunch at one of their favorite Italian restaurants. The first thing we noticed was a framed photo of Karlyn and John on the wall of the restaurant, which let us know right away what special customers our friends really are.

Next was a visit to the Redwood Grove, an impressive sanctuary for these amazing giants. We never stopped being in awe as we stood in their midst.

The next surprise in store was being taken to their beautiful home in San Rafael. Their home hugs a hillside with spectacular views of the entire area. Everywhere both inside and outside their home are colorful plants and flowers, including bonsai. John admits to being a plant addict, whereby he can’t help himself when the urge to plant cuttings or to buy new plants overwhelms him.

When the men and women paired off for a while, John and Dick discussed the stock market (John is a semi-retired broker), and Karlyn and Judy delved into their families’ backgrounds and how intertwined they had become. Karlyn shared more stories about her mother and Tehachapi.

As they drove us back to our hotel on Nob Hill, we couldn’t help but think of what a special day we had all had. Now we can feel much closer to Karlyn and John when we call them or email them or send something by “snailmail.” We know that Judy’s grandmother and Karlyn’s mother would be extremely pleased to know that we were able to spend quality time together nearly 100 years after they had become friends.