Page 9 Foothills Sentry JUNE 2025 Inspect. Inspect your trees, Coast Live Oak, Canyon Live Oak and California Black Oak. Look for D-shaped holes 2-4 mm wide in the bark. Identify. The larvae are in the bark. They are 2 cm long, white and legless. Adults are 1 cm in length, bullet shaped with gold spots. Treat. Spray infected oaks. Protect other oaks with special treatments. ACT NOW The larvae are emerging. STOP THE SPREAD OF THE GOLD SPOTTED OAK BORER NOW. By Jim Sill I had a clear objective in mind. I wanted to combine my two favorite things to do: surfing and adventure travel. My 80th birthday was coming up and I decided, after doing some due diligence, that I wanted to surf Senegal on my 80th birthday. Why Senegal? It’s the home to the western-most geography in Africa, jutting out into the Atlantic farther than any other African country. There are lots of waves. It’s in the Voodoo region of Africa, where juju and animism merge with Islam, spirituality that manifests in unique ways unfamiliar to most folks in the West. If you like African art—I do—Dakar is a treasure trove of old and new art from all over West Africa. Senegal is relatively stable. Most Dakar neighborhoods are safe to walk the streets. But as always with any unfamiliar place, you have your situational awareness dialed up. Most importantly, I found the Senegalese to be sweet people who personify teraanga, the Senegalese cultural trait of welcoming hospitality. Preparing for our adventure I have never been a fan of prearranged tours. Adventure travel requires more effort. You have to learn about the customs and caveats unique to each locale. You do your homework, then make local arrangements after you arrive. Senegal is a former French colony. The lingua francas are French and Wolof. I used Duo for four months to learn basic French. My travels in other parts of French-speaking West Africa taught me that the ability to communicate makes for a smoother and more enjoyable experience. I needed to know about surfing conditions. My birthday is in March. I learned that ambient daytime temperatures were low to mid 70s°F, with night time temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. Water temperatures were 6870°F, so I knew to take a 3-2 wetsuit with me. I also learned, just before leaving, that the President had cancelled U.S. aid specifically designed to help Senegal. The Senegal I had hoped for My stepdaughter Emma and I flew out of LAX via Air France and arrived in Dakar after about 20 hours. I had booked two rooms at the small boutique hotel La Residence, a gated compound located a block from the ocean in the Almadies area of Dakar. I chose it because of its 24-hour English speaking reception and quiet location. The accommodations were clean and cavernous, had a large, private balcony, and a comfortable king-sized bed with good mosquito netting. I met Emma for breakfast in the morning. La Résidence provides a breakfast buffet on the patio overlooking the pool. Afterwards, we walked around the neighborhood and changed money. Local currency is the Central African franc trading at 590 CFAs to 1USD. Many of the smaller shops also accepted U.S. cash. After our walk, we contacted a local guide named Almamy Badiane and arranged for a half-day tour of Dakar the next morning. Unlike tours I’ve taken that focused on monuments and museums, Almamy focused on the Senegalese people: what they do, where they shop and how they live. He included a visit to his own home. He helped me bargain for African artifacts. When we said we were hungry, he took us to a Senegalese barbecue where we dined with locals on skewered lamb and chicken served on sheets of paper smeared with condiments and spices. It was a full day. He sent me this email the next morning. “For yesterday thank you so much for being patient, flexible, understanding, friendly and for everything! Wishing you and your family a wonderful time in my beautiful country!” I booked two more tours with him. My birthday finally arrived. I had officially entered dotage. That was a scary thought, but on the other hand, I was in Senegal. Special moments require special circumstances. I had found a surf spot—I saw many—called Secret Spot, a short walk from La Résidence. There was also a surfboard rental place/ restaurant right in front, run by a local surfer named Mayoro who had a longboard similar to the custom board I regularly ride at Trestles. My Trestles surf homies had donated surf stuff to take with me: a wetsuit, fins, leashes, board shorts. I gave it to Mayoro before I paddled out. He was pretty stoked. There was beaucoup stoke that day. I surfed Senegal on my 80th birthday! Not a bad wave either. Joyeux anniversaire à moi. Emma helped me celebrate into the evening at nearby oceanfront restaurants. Our final outing with Almamy took us to his sister’s house in another part of Dakar. She was to teach us how to cook maafe, a quintessential Senegalese dish featuring a savory and spicy peanut-tomato sauce with lamb or chicken served over rice. Although I had made the arrangements—I like to cook—Almamy’s sister Awa viewed cooking as a woman’s job, and immediately put Emma to work. It was a “when in Rome” moment. Women cook. Men watch. When the maafe was ready, Awa arranged short stools around a communal platter. She handed each of us a spoon as we sat down with her family. She piled rice in the center of the platter, spread it out so all of us had rice in our part of the platter, then she poured a generous amount of Maafe over the rice. We felt like part of her family. There’s something about sharing food with other people that confirms our humanity. That’s how our adventure ended. There are 54 countries in Africa, give or take. Senegal was my sixth visit. Africa never disappoints. Tired of touristy destinations? Try Senegal Jim Sill and granddaughter Emma enjoy maafe with hostess Awa and her family. Jim Sill surfs at Secret Spot in Senegal on his 80th birthday. From left, Emma Williams, guide Almamy Badiane and Jim Sill Take our Survey: Take our survey by June 30, 2025, for a chance to win one of four $50 gift cards! bit.ly/M2ReviewSurvey Measure (M2) is a voter-approved sales tax that funds transportation improvements across Orange County. OCTA is conducting a Ten-Year Review to ensure M2 meets community needs and we want to hear from you! Tell Us What You Think of Transportation in Orange County! Spanish and Vietnamese interpretation will be provided during the webinar. For additional accommodations, email M2Review@octa.net at least 72 hours in advance. Visit octa.net/M2Review for updates and more information. 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