the remaking of a kitchen

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!!

Labels: baby shower, california, louise and michael, love, oakland, san francisco, sarah and david

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG! it's been three years today since i started telling the story of our kitchen redo. the blog has sort of wandered off the subject, but i'm ok with that. it's supposed to be about what's happening and all that, and it is!
last weekend i was in california, staying with david and sarah. david picked me up and that was just the start of the good stuff! it was a great visit and happiness reigned! sarah and i went to the palace of the legion of honor and saw the faberge, tiffany and lalique show there. it was absolutely fabulously marvelous. i liked it a lot....i think sarah did too. there were so many pieces, jewelry, the lovely eggs, glass, glass and more glass. it was just a lovely way to start the weekend.
we did so many things i can hardly remember them all. of course i left my camera lying ready to be packed at home, so i have no visuals to add. drat. i walked up to noe valley on my own (!) and spent an enjoyable time there just wandering. had a delicious salad for lunch and then wandered back and read away the rest of the afternoon.
we went to see the new place from the outside and that was fun. it's a great neighborhood with nearby shops and restaurants. we visited one for brunch, and that worked well....everything was delicious. then we went on a tour by car to check out some further points, and i think they will love living there. yay!
we ate at slow club one evening and sarah and david cooked a couple of times. they are so good at that! yummy greens david picked at the usf garden and then served us that evening. that is local!! :)
s and i drove to santa cruz on monday after yoga for moms to be and spent some time visiting with sandy. some girl time! we went to eat at the crows nest and the food was great....we saw the waves rolling in before the sun set. we sat visiting again.....way longer than we planned. i think it was nearly 1 when we hurried off to bed. the next morning sandy fixed us a grand breakfast to send us off back to the city. it was all quite lovely!! i even showed my cd of my collars to a gallery there....they can't use them but loved them anyway, and i really did it. i showed them to someone. i hope that gets me going.
sarah took me to the airport later in the afternoon and i had an uneventful flight home, thinking of all the good stuff i enjoyed in sf.

Labels: blog birthday, food, gallery, palace of the legion of honor, san francisco, sarah and david

i'm back from a lovely 4 days in my favorite city. i do love that place, and having david and sarah show me their places is a delight. sarah was waiting for me as i left the secure area at the airport even tho we were 35 minutes early. lovely. we walked around their neighborhood and when david came home we walked to a neighborhood restaurant. as we were enjoying our wine i handed sarah the little silk bag i'd brought from home. they tried them on and the rings fit perfectly, plus they like them! good news for sure. designing long distance, showing photos as i went along was not the surest way to please, but all is well. they were amazed that i'd thrown my procrastinating ways to the winds and did the deed in hurry-up fashion. what the heck, I AM AMAZED AT MYSELF!!
we did lots of walking, shopping and just having a good time. sarah and i met louise in oakland at the bart station, got to see the new things they have done to their house, saw mr outstanding himself and then proceeded to lunch. yummy food in berkeley on 4th street. then we shopped for THE dress.....looked at several swank designer places without success, and finally found the dress of sarah's dreams. it is a beauty and looks like a sarah dress, so all is well. we then visited a fabric shop and found some wonderful silk to make a wrap. a very successful day!
the next day sarah and i breakfasted in a sweet french cafe and then went to britex, dress and silk in hand. they helped us to make decisions on the wrap and sarah found some trim and ribbon to make it perfect. now i just have to sew the thing together by hand and do it so that the stitches don't show to the naked eye. help.

Labels: dress, rings, san francisco, shopping

i'm not sure why i've taken a blogation.....a respite from blogging. it just happened without my realizing it. now that the offspring are busily recording thoughts it's time for me to get with it again.
the foxes kept us interested and amused for quite a spell. we know that one of the babies died of unknown causes. after that we were not seeing the whole group at one time, but maybe that is just part of growing up in the den. mom fox has been spotted occasionally, but i guess the kits have just gone their separate ways, and maybe we will see them again next spring. it was really fun watching them. now the neighbors across the street are dealing with the angst of a digging pest. mom and one of the young wood chucks are getting into the fence protected vegetable garden. they have been sighted going over the fence and there has been evidence of them burrowing under the fence from both sides. they have totally destroyed some squash plants, eaten all the green beans, and possibly knocked over some tomato plants. brian is moving the haveaheart trap to a more optimum spot on a daily basis depending on indications from the previous attack. so far no luck. there has been a report of a death by pellet in another nearby yard.
my flowers seem to be growing daily, not quite thriving as yet, but approaching that condition. most of them are in pots, but i have a couple of areas where they are in the ground.....a combination of perennials and annuals. there are also a couple of cucumber plants that gary purchased for me to plant away from the wood chucks and there are a few minute cukes set on. i was unable to find any juliet tomato plants, so i have a cherry tom that has a couple of bitty green tomatoes and lots of blossoms promising more to come.
the other beds are doing ok.....the hosta glen under the big trees has suffered somewhat due to the dryness. the trees suck up so much moisture and our increased watering restrictions have not helped. we are now allowed to water on odd days, but not between 11 am and 5 pm. don feels this favors those with sprinkler systems and he is right. we don't seem to get up early enough to do most of the watering before 11. retirement rocks. :) i have planted some perennials on the terraces to the left of the shed and they are slowly taking hold. it was so dry in that area, that it was like moving dust when i was planting!
other than that, it's been a busy spring. i painted the bathroom with some help from don on the dreaded woodwork and the ceiling. i like how it looks. we have had visitors....kyla, david and matt were here for a short visit on the way up north for a family reunion with his dad's group. it was so good to have them here. now they have to come again and bring haley too. she had a band trip to florida that competed this time.
we have been to omaha twice.....once to a wedding luncheon celebrating david and lesley. we also had dinner with them and the rest of their family at dick and judy's. sarah and david were there that weekend too altho we didn't see them very much. sarah wanted david to meet auntie lee and they did that and thrilled lee. she is still talking about it and adding to the story each time. i was able to visit my friend izen, and felt so fortunate to have had a bit of time with her as she died early the next week. we returned to omaha again for her funeral and we visited auntie lee again....and she was amazed that we made it two weekends in a row. we made some big decisions and relieved her mind on several issues. she is doing quite well with hospice care and seems stable for now.
the next week we had a visit from a dear friend who has been undergoing testing at mayo. it was good to have her with us again.....it's been a while between visits.
last week we spent a long weekend in san francisco with sarah and david. we stayed very close to them in a condo owned by the cousin of my friend jan. it was a lovely place and we felt so welcomed and pampered by their evident hospitality. it was fun to see sarah and david's apt, not theirs for much longer, but they have talked so much about it, i felt i HAD to see it. they are looking at places to move and we are keeping our fingers crossed for them!!
sarah and david were excellent tour guides.....we saw THEIR san fran which was different from the one we'd seen on combined business/pleasure trips. it was delightful.....we ate wonderful food and approve of their favorite restaurants whole heartedly! pizzeria delfina gets multiple stars! zazzie is fabulous! the burmese place was delicious. sausalito is still lovely, and and and.
on sunday we drove to santa cruz and enjoyed the fabulous brunch prepared by sandy, david's mom. the first picture is the amazing souffle.....it was gorgeous as well as delicious. it was great to finally meet sandy.....we were able to share some little private chats as the day progressed. i enjoyed her as much as i thought i might after the few emails we'd exchanged. we shopped and wandered downtown s c, and then had a great italian dinner. the second photo of sandy with david shows sandy's stealth. that would be her holding the tab in her left hand clear over to the right and out of anyone else's grasp! sneaky woman, but very generous!
on monday david took us on a tour of usf, both campuses. well, they are really just a block apart. i think. it is a glorious piece of real estate and the grounds are lovely. beautiful landscaping and gardens. the view is spectacular, and even more important, david loves being part of it!
we are grateful to both sarah and david for making it such a special trip. sarah took time off for the entire time and drove us every where. she really knows the city and is an terrific guide.

Labels: san francisco, sandy, santa cruz, sarah and david