Thursday, September 03, 2009
More action!
sarah and a friend took siena for a lengthy walk today and my friend louise and i enjoyed a lovely lunch at oliveto's. we declared that place was worthy of a lunch time visit each time i come to california. works for me! it was great to have a chance to visit with louise. we also did some shopping at whole foods for her daughter, and as louise was otherwise occupied at the time, i signed for the charge. i hope jail is not in my future!
these little videos happened at various times today. the two on the bed were in the morning, and the other one was this afternoon. she entertained herself for about 30 minutes. she is very advanced. :)
these little videos happened at various times today. the two on the bed were in the morning, and the other one was this afternoon. she entertained herself for about 30 minutes. she is very advanced. :)
Labels: louise and michael, olivetos, shopping, siena
Friday, July 03, 2009
Waiting
we have been in california since june 27th living in a little second floor berkeley apartment on college avenue. it's about 8 blocks from sarah and david and we can walk over there which we have done a couple of times. we have usually driven as we have a project at their house. we have been painting a bookshelf for siena's room. the housing is done and in place and looks pretty cute. the project today is to complete the shelves which means putting a coat of paint on all sides of each shelf and allowing a couple of hours drying time before we flip sides. the room is shaping up to be just right. the little kid will like it!
sarah and david have fed us numerous meals in their backyard. it's a lovely shaded area with comfy chairs around a sizeable table. david is doing great with grilling the meats and stir fried greens fresh from the garden often make an appearance. we have had a couple of salads with part of those greens coming from the garden! cali living is ok. i marvel at the things that grow outside with ease here.
one evening, friends michael and louise invited us for dinner, so the four of us joined them and had a lovely meal and a great visit. amazing that they live so very close. they next day we saw louise walking by with a couple of grocery bags in hand. amazing.
we have had lots of visits about babies and moms and the whole shebang. it's been a lovely bonding time. i love that we are welcome and they make us feel useful, well for painting of course, but for support and love too. very nice as we await.
sarah and david have fed us numerous meals in their backyard. it's a lovely shaded area with comfy chairs around a sizeable table. david is doing great with grilling the meats and stir fried greens fresh from the garden often make an appearance. we have had a couple of salads with part of those greens coming from the garden! cali living is ok. i marvel at the things that grow outside with ease here.
one evening, friends michael and louise invited us for dinner, so the four of us joined them and had a lovely meal and a great visit. amazing that they live so very close. they next day we saw louise walking by with a couple of grocery bags in hand. amazing.
we have had lots of visits about babies and moms and the whole shebang. it's been a lovely bonding time. i love that we are welcome and they make us feel useful, well for painting of course, but for support and love too. very nice as we await.
Labels: california, great fresh food, louise and michael, sarah and david
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sunny? california
there are days when i worry about myself. last weekend is a case in point. a week ago today i flew to oakland to stay with friends louise and michael and attend sarah's baby shower. i wanted to take a lot of photos so i packed the battery charger for my digital camera and then......packed my field glasses. i didn't do it on purpose, and giving myself a break the cases are similar, well they both are black. good grief. so, no photos from california.....again.
aside from my goofiness with black cases, it was a lovely weekend! i had a great time with louise and michael.....the latter was able to show off his cooking skills with laudable success! louise and i had opportunities to visit and catch up; always a lot of the latter to accomplish when we are together.
sarah drove us into san francisco to willow's house for the shower. amy was staying with s and d, so i finally got to meet her. we were able to discover some omaha connections which was fun. willow's place is lovely and we were able to meet both her husband and their adorable little boy. willow had organized a perfectly lovely shower and celebration for sarah. it was so nice to meet some of her friends and to see sandy, nancy and kara again. i haven't seen the latter two since the wedding. sarah received some lovely gifts, but it was just so nice to see the regard her friends have for her and to feel the support and love of the whole gathering.
the new home for s and d is just lovely.....it is spacious and looks like it was designed with their possessions in mind. everything fits perfectly and the rooms are enhanced. the inside is great and the outside is as great or even greater because the size and delightful garden is so unexpectedly wonderful. their gardner seems to have found joy in s and d's wishes for vegetables and has cooperated to an amazing degree. there are 13 varieties of tomatoes and then the herbs, the greens, and whatever else. truly mouthwatering. these plants are scattered among the landscape of trees and shrubs and are virtually hidden unless you go looking.
there is a patio in the back corner of the yard that contains a gas grill and an outdoor fireplace as well as a long metal table and comfy chairs. we shared a wonderful dinner out there on monday evening, cheeses to start and then.....grilled flank steak, skewers of potatoes, tomatoes and peppers in various marinades that were delicious. of course all were washed down with tasty wines. for a dessert, david made ice cream with fresh strawberries - outstanding!
it's so nice to see the two of them and watch how they treat eachother with such respect and love as they await their little girl.
it won't be long till we return and get to meet her! yay!
louise and i had a treat of a day on monday. we had been hoping for good weather so we could hike up some sf hills, but that was not what happened. it was coolish when we boarded the ferry in oakland and then got off at the ferry building in san francisco. we wandered around, had lunch at a japanese deli and loved the food there. i purchased some cheese to take to dinner later that night and we left planning to do our "hike." we changed our minds when we walked into a really brisk chilly breeze that made walking less than pleasant.
we decided to just roam the city streets and stay in more protected areas. we had both forgotten that it was a holiday and it was great to wander and not encounter large crowds of people. we went up market and then scooted over a few blocks and just window shopped....we had little choice! then we came to union square and sat in the sun with warm drinks. people watching there is always of interest! after we left that oasis we caught the bart back to oakland and rescued louise's prius from the parking lot and drove back to her home.
it was just a lovely time in cali! even if i have no pictures to prove it! even if i had to change planes both ways and wait 2 hours in airports on the way! even if. it was just lovely!!
aside from my goofiness with black cases, it was a lovely weekend! i had a great time with louise and michael.....the latter was able to show off his cooking skills with laudable success! louise and i had opportunities to visit and catch up; always a lot of the latter to accomplish when we are together.
sarah drove us into san francisco to willow's house for the shower. amy was staying with s and d, so i finally got to meet her. we were able to discover some omaha connections which was fun. willow's place is lovely and we were able to meet both her husband and their adorable little boy. willow had organized a perfectly lovely shower and celebration for sarah. it was so nice to meet some of her friends and to see sandy, nancy and kara again. i haven't seen the latter two since the wedding. sarah received some lovely gifts, but it was just so nice to see the regard her friends have for her and to feel the support and love of the whole gathering.
the new home for s and d is just lovely.....it is spacious and looks like it was designed with their possessions in mind. everything fits perfectly and the rooms are enhanced. the inside is great and the outside is as great or even greater because the size and delightful garden is so unexpectedly wonderful. their gardner seems to have found joy in s and d's wishes for vegetables and has cooperated to an amazing degree. there are 13 varieties of tomatoes and then the herbs, the greens, and whatever else. truly mouthwatering. these plants are scattered among the landscape of trees and shrubs and are virtually hidden unless you go looking.
there is a patio in the back corner of the yard that contains a gas grill and an outdoor fireplace as well as a long metal table and comfy chairs. we shared a wonderful dinner out there on monday evening, cheeses to start and then.....grilled flank steak, skewers of potatoes, tomatoes and peppers in various marinades that were delicious. of course all were washed down with tasty wines. for a dessert, david made ice cream with fresh strawberries - outstanding!
it's so nice to see the two of them and watch how they treat eachother with such respect and love as they await their little girl.
it won't be long till we return and get to meet her! yay!
louise and i had a treat of a day on monday. we had been hoping for good weather so we could hike up some sf hills, but that was not what happened. it was coolish when we boarded the ferry in oakland and then got off at the ferry building in san francisco. we wandered around, had lunch at a japanese deli and loved the food there. i purchased some cheese to take to dinner later that night and we left planning to do our "hike." we changed our minds when we walked into a really brisk chilly breeze that made walking less than pleasant.
we decided to just roam the city streets and stay in more protected areas. we had both forgotten that it was a holiday and it was great to wander and not encounter large crowds of people. we went up market and then scooted over a few blocks and just window shopped....we had little choice! then we came to union square and sat in the sun with warm drinks. people watching there is always of interest! after we left that oasis we caught the bart back to oakland and rescued louise's prius from the parking lot and drove back to her home.
it was just a lovely time in cali! even if i have no pictures to prove it! even if i had to change planes both ways and wait 2 hours in airports on the way! even if. it was just lovely!!
Labels: baby shower, california, louise and michael, love, oakland, san francisco, sarah and david
