Hi Everyone,

It’s Friday, May 17th and I’m at a spacious laundromat in Cambria somewhere.

Just had the most delicious huevos rancheros AND got to do my laundry. Those are two of the most wonderful pleasures I know – good food and clean clothes. : ) Yes, I know . . . I’ve got my priorities in order!

We walked 17.5-miles yesterday . . . it was tough at times. At the Elephant Seal stop, we were told, “Only 6-more miles.” Butch signed to me, “Only 2-more hours.”

Great. Got it. Only 2-more hours about.

Then, when we got to the Hearst Castle people’s little wine shop and café, we were once again told, “Only 6-more miles.” Again Butch signed, “Only 2-more hours.”

How the heck did I not know that we’d only gone 11.5 miles at that point, you ask?

Well, we’d be in a car several times. First we left Limekiln State Park (where we camped Wednesday night) and went to a place to start walking. We walked. Then we were picked up because it wasn’t safe (no shoulder). Then we went ahead to where the others (who only wanted to walk 10-miles) were. Then we were told to get back in the car. Where are we going? I wondered. Back to the place where we stopped and started walking again, I found out. This time, a support car stayed with us ALL the way. Sometimes people drove by and waved, but most of the time, they honked. Believe me, honking does nothing for deaf people. I was the only one to notice. Besides, where are they in such a hurry to get to? Anyway, I can happily say that there really weren’t that many of those hurry-up-get-out-of-my-way honks, and some I could tell were good honks. Way-to-go! honks. But again, they went unnoticed, except by me. Flashing lights. That would have sent the message.

By the time we got to the sign for San Simeon State Park, I was elated. This gal’s dawgs were tired! Fortunately, it wasn’t like at Sunset Beach State Park where the campsite was about another 10-miles in; last night’s camp site wasn’t THAT far inside. AND I’m able to spend the 2-nights we’re staying here in my own tent. It’s fun to share the HUGE tent with the ladies, but it’s also a treat to be able to stretch out my stuff in my private abode.

Today’s another rest day. (Yeah!!!) Tomorrow we head to Morro Bay State Park for a night.

Over the past 17-days, I’ve been accumulating signs like a kid collects bottle caps. So far the magic button hasn’t clicked where I can really understand long and involved statements or stories. It does happen now and then on super simple stuff, but it’s similar to when I was first learning German and French. I catch signs, but not how they all go together. Every day I tap new signs into my iPhone. I don’t ask my new friends for every sign I see that I don’t know; I don’t want to drive them crazy. : ) Besides, certain people are catching on to how I’m learning, and they take the time and opportunity (as it organically arises) to teach me new signs.

For those who are curious to see what those signs are, read below. It’s a LONG list.

p.s. If any of you know ASL and see errors, please let me know. Mahalo. I’m finding that there are many different ways to sign the same thing. People seem to hold on to “their” way as the best. So for now, I just collect, collect, collect until I reach the point where I can discern which is really the best version for me to learn.

For the rest of you, Aloha! Safe travels wherever you may be. : )

xoxoxo from Sj

New signs (unedited):

Day 1: 10-miles, Ft. Baker to the San Francisco Zoo

Interview

communicate

monologue

funny (2 fingers on chin) on NOSE!

Fun (same as above and the bring two fingers if right hand down on two fingers if the left)

Seal (palm side clap)

Curious (finger at throat, different from thirsty)

Joke (Both hands in a fist with index finger out and bent. Move right hand out away from body over the left hand with index finger bent)

Hard (1st two fingers if each hand bend, one on top if the other)

Fake (1finger on chin) off NOSE!

More

Idiot (an I on head like stupid)

High (an H goes high)

Low (an L goes low)

Middle (touch in middle of hand)

Ready (2 r’s, left one moves left, Right to the right)

Volunteer (pull shirt away from shoulder)

Fresh (a lot like new) right hand scoops up what’s on left hand

Right (R finger moved to the right)

Left (L finger moves to the left)

West, south, north, east, are similar (W to left, E to right, etc. )

Fix (2 F’s touch and twist at end of thumb and index)

Hurt (the 2 index fingers touch)

Poop (thumb if right hand comes Dow out of left fist)

Dirty old man more or less (Hold for fingers up in my right hand. Bump the index finger on my chin. Stick part of my tongue out. Then rub a C on the top of my left hand.)

But others said no on this one. But rather DIRTY which is the right hand top under the chin, palm down and wiggle the fingers)

Favorite (tip of Middle finger right hand touchrs the chin)

Which? (Each hand and assist with the thumb up. Alternate one up and one down.)

First (#1 hand palm out, turn it counter clockwise so fingers come toward the chest)

How many? (Top of hand out with fingers up And together. Open them once.)

People (P/K hand with Fingers up. Move them in mini circles)

Bright (Both hands open like jazz hands)

Butter (the index and third finger if right hand stroke palm of left hand)

Delicious (thumb and third finger touch snap after touching the lips going out and up)

Smell (right hand moves towards nose like you’re smelling something. Kind of like when waving over a cooking pot to smell it)

Day 2, 7-miles from the San Francisco to Oceana High school.

Remember

Souvenir

Virgin

Wheelchair (hands down like moving wheels and two fingers on two fingers of other, she did it “flat” rather bent like in sitting)

Check

Line (as in walking in a line

Language (link two fingers of each hand and the. Pull them away from each other)

Did I write down yesterday the numbers twent, thirty, forty, etc. ?

Far

Tomorrow

Yesterday

Story

Favorite (middle finger on chin)

Lucky, fortunate (middle finger on chin and then twist hand away palm out)

Lie (tell a falsehood – draw hand along fin from left to right)

College (draw palm of right hand over palm of left, like when signing school BUT then raise the right hand a little)

Perfect (thin and index finger of each hand touch , left is further in front of the right, move them forward s little)

Day 3, 13-miles, Pacifica, Oceana High School to Half Moon Bay

Energy (Showing bicep. Flat hand goes from shoulder to elbow like showing muscle)

Shoe

Cute (index and third finger on chin)

Traffic (flat hands, palms towards one another, move back and forth)

Not safe (Not is thumb under chin. Safe is both hands in S fist and come down a little.)

Contact (as in meet — middle finger of each hand touches)

Different is the same as but (index fingers cross and the separate going out)

Day 4, 15.8-miles, Half Moon Bay to Butano State Park

Bitch (b at middle of chin)

Long (draw index finger up arm starting at hand)

Refuse (not accept, thumb points back over shoulder)

Accept (both hands with fingers together touch chest with arms bent)

Sometimes (Index finger brushes over palm a couple of times)

When signing the sign for sign, the index fingers are up.

Busy (b hand Moves in a little circle with the arm bent. A round same height as chin but not touching the face)

Brown (b hand Next to face. Draw it down kind of like for girl.)

Romantic (Hands In a fist with the thumb up. Touching so that the top of each hand is facing out. Place on chest. Wiggle thumbs.)

Day 5, rest day at Butano State Park

Important

Hold (as in need to poop)

Post (a blog)

Mail

Germany (eagle hands)

German (shake a g)

If (an I off eye and down)

Guilty (a g on left chest)

Deaf (point to mouth and ear)

The point (index finger of right hand moves TJ and touches index finger if land hand)

Speaking (2 fingers on chin move out in a couple of bumps)

Days is week: palm is always out.

M for Monday

T for Tuesday

W for Wednesday

TH (fast) for Thursday

F for Friday

S for Saturday (but be careful to not make a sign that means jerk off : )

Sunday is both hands out in front of chest, palm out. Move each a little towards outside body

Wonderful is similar, but the hands areole open, and you punch them out once.

Review (like writing on palm but with an R)

Wrong (Y on chin)

Day 6, 7-miles, Butano State Park to a KOA still in Pescadero Beach area

Time-out (same as for hearing, left hand flat and parallel and right hand flat and vertical under the left hand)

Day 7, 13.7-miles, Pescadero Beach to Davenport Roadhouse

Highway (left hand palm down with index and third finger out to show lane, right hand-palm toward chest, index and third out and bend to show lane on right hand side of road. Forth finger and pinkie are tucked in. )

CORRECTion: lunch is with thumb of L on chin.

Day 8, 17-miles, Davenport Roadhouse to Santa Cruz for two nights (New Brighton State Beach)

Early (left hand Horizontal, The middle finger right hand touches it comes up fast)

Peaceful (have a relaxed look on your face. Wipe one hand over the other so that the Palms touch and turn so that the hand that was on top is now on the bottom. Slow PEACEFUL.

You can make a sign, like peaceful, but if your facial expression doesn’t match, they don’t understand. Or rather, you haven’t really signed peaceful. ;-)

Point as in 4.7 (C hand bring thumb and index finger together.)

The sign for cell phone is different than how I understood it. Confirm with Bob.

1/2 or one half (One finger up, it comes straight down and changes to a two.)

Patient (A Straight down the mouth and chin with the thumb towards your face)

Ahh (Heidi’s my teacher today : ). (A H and carry the H out and show relief : )

Day. 9 Rest day at New Brighton Beach near Capitola (and Santa Cruz)

Directions lesson from Pauline:

Straight ahead (hands flat and parallel and vertical)

Tillt to either left or right

T for intersection.

A sideways K hand points … forget now how exactly

Buildings (fingers together brush one hand over the other, show how many for where something is)

May 10, 12-miles, New Brighton State Beach to Sunset State Beach

Promise (index finger at mouth, it comes down as an open palm and covers left hand which is on an O shape. Covers the “hole ”

Day 11, 15-miles, Sunset State Beach to North County Recreation Center in Castorville

Story (hands. Staying loose, Thumb and middle finger coming towards each other and move out to right. And to the left with the left hand

Garbage (Index finger of the right hand points from left mid arm to elbow, from under. Not above. Sometimes u see the left arm bent.)

Soon (F touchs either nose, Ryan does, or chin, Carol does. Touching with thumb and index finger.)

Day 12, 15-miles, Castorville to Monterey Fairgrounds.

Soon (F off nose with a twist OR off chin)

Continue (2 fists with thumbs out, right thumb pushes left on to c o n t I n u e ;-)

Get worse (2 Ks cross over in front of chest.)

First (It seems there’s several ways to sign first. Sharon has left hand and assist with the thumb up, And hit the left them with her right index finger. Butch does that too. Then some also have the 1 finger turn out or in; I forget right now

Number (Fingers and thumb both hands come together and touch at the tips.)

May 13, around 5-miles, Monterey Fairgrounds to Carmel, Beth Israel

Also (hands like for same but bump and move them.)

Every as in Every day (Right fist on side of face touching again and again)

Every as in every Saturday (two fists with the thumbs-up, one in front of the other hand, slide the right one down and then circle back up again. Do several times.)

Not yet (Sign not, thumb under chin and then bring hand down with hand vertical and palm towards the body.)

Sushi (Index finger and third finger of Right hand lay on palm of left hand. They Turn over a couple of times.)

Off (5 hands with thumbs at armpits)

Free (2 F’s touch at tip of thumb And index finger. Check )

Beef (Touch palm of left hand with, I think, thumb and index finger of the right hand.)

Nancy went through numbers with me.

10 (Thumb up)

11 (1 hand with palm towards chest, bend the index finger.)

12 (2 or index and third fingers, palms toward chest, bend fingers.)

13 (Same thing. Bend a couple of times three fingers for 3, Thumb, indexe zA finger, and third finger.)

14 (Same thing. Hold up four fingers, palm toward chest, then bend the four fingers a couple of times.)

15 (hand up for 5, palm toward chest, bend fingers.)

16 (Thumb on pinkie, palm toward chest, twist hand out.)

No matter or anyway (Hands so that thumb side is up, finger tips brush through each other back and forth.)

Express (Two Es moving in little circles.)

Better than (Than is right hand touching top of level, palm down left hand and brushing down.)

May 14, rest day in Carmel

Few (Fist with hand like in an A (palm up), move hand to the right, change it to a B, palm up and hand horizontal)

Bless (Left hand horizontal palm down, Index finger right hand to mouth, it comes down and touches the top of the left hand.)

Flowers (Right hand fingers and thumb together, Touch right cheek and then over the nose to left cheek. This is in reference to flowers smelling good and they make you smile.

Rich people (left Palm up, right hand and fist with thumb up, on left palm, raise right hand and make into wide five fingers. Then make the sign for people.)

Fence (B Hand, but with the fingers spread. Finger tips touch and then move out and separate. Hands are vertical with the thumb at the top.)

No problem (sign no then bend the index and Third fingers of both hands. Then they butt heads and turn. The thumb is holding the other digits down.)

May 15 – rest day, Carmel to Limekiln State Park

Almost (left hand open with thumb up, right hand the same but slightly behind the left. Right hand moves toward the chest, hitting the tops of fingers of the left hand and closing so tha the fingers of the right hand are closed and the thumb is up.)

Clear as in clear water (Fingers together on both hands, open them and move them out, spreading the fingers wide. Then sign water.)

Free (F fingers, tips touch, and then they spread out.)

Day 16, 17.5-miles, Limekiln State Park to San Simeon State Park (car riding too)

Temperature (index finger of left ed somehand up, fist, palm out. Index finger of foisted right hand strokes down Lefty’s index finger. Perpendicular to one another. Tip of right index strokes downward.)

Gum (Bent index and third finger at side of face)

Straight as in to GO straight somewhere (Flat vertical right hand comes off the mouth and moves straight out away from the body.)

From Carol-index and third fingers bent

–at the ear for hearing people

–at the mouth for deaf or non-hearing people

Carol showed me these signs after I told her that I heard from Tony. I use the one sign to communicate that. She uses the other.

. . . and that’s it for at the approximate half-way mark of the walk for ASL

: )