Thanksgiving with my Family as a Child. In Los Gatos and Sacramento.

We went to Sacramento on Thanksgiving to Uncle Marc and Aunt Peg's home. They had two daughters, Robin and Jill. Uncle Marc was a criminal defense attorney in Sacramento and Aunt Peg was a Social Worker. Jill became a lawyer and moved to Seattle and Robin went to work at Uncle Marc's Law office. One time a client of Aunt Peg's did a Bank Robbery and was holding hostages. The police called her and said that the only person he felt comfortable talking to was his social worker... She negotiate the release of the hostages. 

We alternated Locations Every Year. One Year we would all go out to dinner in Los Gatos at a Fancy Restaurant (Villa Felice Or La Hacienda) and the Other Year we had a home cooked meal in Sacramento. After Dinner we always took a "Forced March" down the Street to Land Park... I Never Liked That but... It WAS FORCED so I Participated. I Also Remember Debating with Uncle Marc About Important Subjects. He always won  the Debates. I Guess since he TALKED FOR A LIVING he Had Become Skilled at That. I Also believe he simply took the opposite viewpoint just to exercise my brain... Get me Thinking... No Matter What the Subject was he took the Opposite... 

Once I Asked Uncle Marc about Defending Guilty People. He Said: "We Don't Know if They are Guilty. That's for Judges and Jurors to Decide. AND... Every person deserves a Defense Attorney... Not Only a Defense Attorney but a MAD DOG Defense Attorney that will Fight for Him... 

As a child my family climbed the Cinder Cone at Mount Lassen. It's a pile of volcanic ash. It was difficult to climb as we slid down while walking up. "Two steps forward one step back." The whole family went. Uncle Marc and Aunt Peg, Cousins Robin and Jill.

We camped at the Lake and went to a campfire talk by Park Rangers. They told the story of the Indians of Lassen and the History of the Volcano exploding. Lava flowed as far away as Chico. The volcano once was a giant mountain in prehistoric times... They showed illustrations of how big it was in comparison to the seemingly tiny mountain that remains...

The highlight of any trip to Lassen was the Bubbling Mudpots of Bumpass Hell. It's a valley of hot springs that is bright orange and yellow. Extremely hot sulfur vents out of the volcano making lakes of hot bubbling mud. It was named for an early explorer, Kendall Bumpass, who fell into a mudpot and died from the heat. There are sulfur springs right on the road but the best ones are an easy one and a half mile hike away from the parking lot. The rangers built wooden boardwalks for tourists to go out over the mudpots safely.

Read more of My Autobiography at:

https://gvan42.blogspot.com/2018/03/growing-up-in-los-gatos-california-in.html

Vanderlaan Family at Thanksgiving:

Left to Right Standing: Robin's Husband, Robin's Son, My Brother Martin, My Dad Justin.

Seated: Cousin Robin, Patti's Mom Bonita, Patti-Martin's Wife, Child, Uncle Marcus, Aunt Peg and Mom-Marguerite

Marcus Vanderlaan - My Uncle