Early March Visitor

In early March, Cathy Dippo came to visit for a week. We explored the north bay wineries making daily treks from home: Napa, Sonoma, Bodega Bay, Santa Rosa, and a spa in Calistoga. Below are some pics.

Before Cathy came I had taken Arlo to Safari West with my friend Bev and her grandson Sawyer. It was north on the way to Calistoga.

Cabo San Lucas

In January, Sim and I travelled to the base of California Baja South, Mexico. We went with Sim’s nephew and his wife, Avi and Gilla. We stayed at a resort on the beach and had a wonderful time. Below are some pics.

New Years Hike

I took a 3.5 mile hike around Bon Tempe Lake on New Years Day with ML, Robert, and the boys. It’s a dammed lake near the top of Mt. Tamalpais  in Fairfax. The boys did a great job walking around the trail. There were lots of other hikers and runners to wish “Happy New Year”.  The day began with buckwheat cakes and sausage with homemade applesauce. Can’t really ask for more than that to begin a new year. On the eve before the family came over for dinner with an early ball drop.

SMA

In early December, Sim came out to visit then we went to San Miguel de Allende for a week. I celebrated my bday on the roof terrace for sunset eating mid eastern mezes then a holiday concert by Lady Zen. The next day I had lunch with Emily CD, ML’s college roommate who is living there now. The next night we went to see Lee’s 2-women play called “The Roommate”. She was wonderful.

I’m slipping in here some pics of folks back East who came to visit me in October and early November. It was in the midst of bathroom remodeling and my surgery on October 30.  Susan Schappert and her husband visited mid- October. We hiked around Point Reyes. Rob Weinzimer and his daughter visited right after the surgery, and Sue Goodwin came out for a week to start my recuperation since my actions were limited. Here are some pics.

Rob and me

Point Reyes

Blue Heron at Point Reyes

Susan at Point Reyes

Point Reyes

Sue and me on the ferry to San Francisco

Poke lunch at the Chart House at end of Pier 29

View from our lunch on Pier 29

We are going back to Mexico in mid January but to an all inclusive resort at the southern tip of Baja along with Sim’s nephew and his wife. Should be fun. Below are pics from the December SMA trip.

Sim on Aldama

Sim, Lee, Richard and Cathy at sunset rooftop dinner

Holidays 2019

Decorations

My first Christmas in my CA condo was very nice. On Sunday Dec 22 I had 8 folks over for a groaning board. On Christmas Eve, The Bilek-Burt’s came over for pot roast and carol singing.  On Xmas morning I scurried over at 7am to be with the family and had a lovely dinner. On Boxing Day I went up to Yountville with friends to a lovely French restaurant. Robert and ML cleared out and organized my garage this weekend while I took a short hike to our local waterfall.

Groaning board charcuterie and country ham biscuits

Latkes and shrimp on the groaning board

Goaning board

 

Groaning board salmon

Waterfall at end of Fairway Dr.

Xmas Eve crudities

Xmas Eve dessert

Xmas morning

Sunapee pictures

Sunapee

I spent a lovely month in New Hampshire visiting Patti and Jeff. I was fortunate to get to see John and Ned as well as Molly, my friend, Mary, and my FV friends, Steve and Gail. Patti had a week’s visit from her great nieces, Hailey and Abbey. I’m not sure I recount all our activities but I will try.

I flew out to Boston July 17 on the red eye from SFO then caught the Dartmouth Coach to New London NH. Molly, Catie, and Bird came up that weekend. Jeff, Patti and I went to see Grease at the New London Playhouse later that week but first we attended a great concert at the Fells by the Opera North singers.  One day Patti and I drove to the sale at King Arthur Four and checked out some shops in West Leb.

Patti and I met Ned in Claremont and he drove me to Mt. Snow on July 30. Royal, Ned and I then had a day at Saratoga the next day. The track in the afternoon and Philadelphia Orchestra in the evening with 1812 Overture and fireworks.  We drove back to Vermont that evening then next day met Patti again in Claremont.

Hailey and Abbie came on an airplane from Charleston on August 1.  We had a great time taking the dinner cruise in Lake Sunapee and attending Verdi’s  Macbeth at Opera North.  We also went out to eat several evenings and went to the Lake in the day.  The Craft Fair at Mt. Sunapee started up so Molly, Matt and Catie came up. Matt’s parents dropped by as well. My friend, Mary drove down from Burlington with her daughter, Susie. We went to the fair and had lunch then they drove back. I was very good and only bought a replacement soup bowl for one that broke in the move.

Patti and I went to another musical at the Barn, Catch Me If You Can. It was very good.  I stayed with  Opal for a few days while Patti went to Newton to babysit Catie. John and Carol visited for a few days on their way to Maine. Jeff returned and we had a great meal and Mexican Trains with Jim and Ellen. The day before I left, Jeff, Patti, and I met Steve and Gail at Lou’s for lunch. They were up from FV visiting their sun in Burlington for a week.

There were some firsts this trip: I had no car, did jigsaw puzzles, visited a Turkish spice shop in White River Junction, completed a crossword puzzle every day as well as a Turkish language lesson every day, etc. Coming home was a breeze with every conveyance arriving and departing on time.