End of summer--what summer?!?

The first year we were here it was a sweltering hot summer. Not all the time, but at times. Our poor little been-in-Monterey-too-long constitutions were no match for temps over 100. Then last summer was milder--still some spikes over 100, but only for a few days at a time and then back down to the merciful 80's. This summer was easy easy. Being in our new house, with its great insulation and big shade trees helped. But mainly it was the mild temps and occasional showers that made it not even feel like summer. And then suddenly it was September. We made it! No heat stroke! And every day I worked I rode my bike. I'm so danged proud.




Towards the end of August Aaron's friend Simon (from Eugene) came to spend the night.




That was a very good thing. Simon is a very cool kid--great to have around and good buddy for Aaron. They are a matched pair (of what, I don't know) and have lots of laughs together.




Aaron tends to spend alot of time in front of the computer, emailing his friends and playing games, and watching seasons of Friends or Seinfeld or Scrubs or Simpsons...you see why I was glad to have a live friend here for him.

Speaking of friends, Courtney and I went to the coast to see his ever-since-college friend Phil and his family, as we'd done the last two years. They are only in Oregon for the month of August, so we have to take advantage of the time when they're nearby.

Here we are on a hike with them, through a forest of old growth trees, and then out to the cliffs, with a view of forever. It was so so beautiful and a wonderfully comfortable day. Just perfect for a long walk and talk with friends.




Then back to their house, also with an amazing view, for a long leisurely meal out on the deck. Just enough sun and just enough breeze to be comfortable. Wonderful food, good stories, stimulating conversation.




Phil's father-in-law, Gunter, was visiting from Germany and he's a very charming man, intelligent with a great sense of humor, and a twinkle in his eyes. The conversation, sometimes needing translation and other times not, was especially lively because Sarah Palin had just arrived on the national scene as John McCain's running mate. There was no lack of speculation (and fear) as to what this nomination means. (Especially with the recent circulation of Sinclair Lewis' quote, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and wearing a cross.")

Gunter told us about Obama's trip to Germany this summer. Since I don't know the German landmarks he was referring to I couldn't quite imagine the magnitude, but he took great pains to explain just how enormous the crowd was (200,000 people) that turned out to see Obama speak. The crowd stretched from there to there and back to there, and the most astonishing note to it all was that there was little or no visible security. Just thousands of people cheering and waiving American flags.

On the other hand, Gunter told us, when George Bush visited Germany the security was so tight, there was so much secrecy, the police were out in full riot gear, concrete barriers were erected everywhere he was to go, and the German people were so angered by it all. I thought about trying to explain to him how some people here, especially on the Left, feel that there's no difference (or very little) between Obama and McCain, but abandoned that idea. Too much to translate and I didn't want to spoil his good story.

Meanwhile, I was reading a book that was scaring the beejesus out of me, The Fifth Sacred Thing, by Starhawk. It's the story of California in 2048, twenty years since San Francisco's Uprising, a rebellion sparked by women when the corrupt government, doing the bidding of corrupt corporations, canceled elections and declared martial law. It tells the parallel stories of the best and the worst possible futures as they are poised to clash. Needless to say, my sleep patterns were greatly disrupted while reading this book, and yet I'd still recommend it.

That was August, and there's more just around the corner. Thanks for reading and hope you're out there registering those young voters, as one activist here says, 'til you walk your sox off. This is not a time for complacency. Every day I feel more urgently that we all need to be doing all we can. If not for ourselves, then for our kids and their kids.

On that happy note, I'll say good night,

Valori

Post-wedding: the cousins re-unite

Several years ago, Courtney and his cousins (on his dad's side) realized they only saw each other at funerals and decided they wanted to get together in happier circumstances. They made the commitment to gather each year--changing locations so that nobody had to travel farther every time. This year Brother Steve offered his house in San Mateo since half of them were already coming for Jer's and Pamela's wedding.




I wish we'd gotten a photo of the view from Steve's deck--overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Quite breathtaking! It made for a grand setting for the Cousins' Reunion. And good food and wine helped too.

Before Jer's wedding, while four siblings were staying at the Faculty Club, Steve brought boxes and boxes of old photos and letters they'd inherited from their dad's house after his death. Some sorting had happened pre-wedding and the rest was done during the reunion. (Courtney and I have differing opinions of what's precious and should be saved--as opposed to recycled. I waited until he went back outside and then took this photo and that and this one and.....)




Above, Courtney's sister Nancy is oooohing and aaaahing over a young and handsome Steve.




Courtney's brother Tom's daughter Sara is quite the cutie. She gleefully put stickers on her own face and then on everyone else's (like Emi and Kevin).....




...and Matt and Melissa.




At the end of the day, the cousins gathered out front for a photo shoot. We'd been hounding them like the paparazzi. Here's one side of them....




...and another...




...with spouses, partners and Tom's family.




We all said our goodbyes, make claims and promises about next time, and loaded up to go. Below are Tom and Fon (with kids in the back) taking off for more travels along the West Coast before returning to Thailand.




Recognizing how hard it is to get families together in these busy and modern times, I really admire that Courtney and his cousins succeed in making it happen. They've all lost their parents now and ascended to that position of oldest generation in their family. They're setting a great example for their kids, and seem to be having a wonderful time doing it. I was honored to be part of it all.

Valori

The magic of a wedding

What can I say--it was a perfect day. Warm , but not too warm. Cool, but not too cool. And what an incredible setting. Here's the wedding crowd gathering in the Faculty Glade, with the Faculty Club in the background.




Below is Jer's mom Sally and her friend Maryanne and Sally's brother Don. Behind Maryanne is Pamela's Aunt Hat who I bonded with by ironing the wedding gown with her. A little stressful, but a good bonding experience.




And here's Steve with his girlfriend Vicky. Aren't they a cute pair!?





Ruby was doing her part by sleeping through the whole ceremony in her Grandma Doris' arms.





Pamela's niece, Emeline (Emmie), was a stunning flower girl...




...and here's the bride! Talk about stunning! It was one of those magical moments--to turn around and see how beautiful Pamela looked. There's something so sweet about a bride and her father as they're heading towards the alter. In this case the "alter" was the ancient spreading oak tree they stood under.



Presiding over the ceremony was a friend of theirs from the Acme Bar (their Berkeley version of a neighborhood "Cheers"-type bar), who also happens to be an Episcopal priest...




...and who helped Jer cheat a little and read the vows he couldn't remember...





...and who had a great sense of humor. Very important when marrying these two. Neither of them is the serious and somber type. The entire wedding was a beautiful blend of so touching and sweet mixed with so fun and lively. I think it bodes well for their future together.





They seem pretty darned happy so far.




Don't they look like the royal family--king, queen and baby princess?!



And who the heck is this handsome guy momentarily in charge of the bride's bouquet?!




Below is Pamela's family. Her sister and brother-in-law and their two children live in Switzerland and her parents live in Michigan, as do her aunt and uncle and cousins. Jer's family all pretty much live in California except for us and Courtney's brother Tom and his family who came from Thailand.




The reception included sit-down dinner in the Grand Hall. The food was yummy, the wine was flowing, and the highlight (in my opinion) was Courtney's toast. He of course was nervous about it ahead of time, but it turned out great. He really spoke from his heart, and lots of us had moist eyes afterwards. Go, Courtney!




Gorgeous wedding cake, but not wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free so I can't personally attest to its yummy-ness, but everyone seemed quite pleased with it. I think, like everything else that night, it was a winner.





And the royal family looked bright and beautiful to the very end. They too were staying the night in the Faculty Club so only had to stumble upstairs and into bed.





A very good time was had by all, and it was such a blessing to be there and be part of it all. Congratulations to the bride and groom. They're so lucky to have each other, and we're so lucky to have them, and their precious baby, in our lives.

Valori

Build-up to the big event

Jer may appear calm and composed but....





here's the real Jer!!




It was fun because he came to our room to get ready for the wedding. A precious father and son time and I'm glad to have caught a bit of it with Courtney's camera.

All the family was staying at the Faculty Club on the Berkeley campus. Great old building (about 120 years old, I think) by Julia Morgan. Reminded me of being at Asilomar or Yosemite. The guest rooms were upstairs and downstairs there were sitting areas like this one below...




and big beautiful dining rooms like this one where we had the reception.





There were two weddings at the Faculty Club that day, but we had the "Grand Hall" for our reception and they had a smaller hall with outdoor patio attached for theirs. So Courtney and I immediately named theirs the "Lesser Wedding". Snobs?!? Who, us!?!



Just outside these windows pictured above is the Faculty Glade, where the wedding took place. Sooooo lovely. Lush green grassy lawn with big old spreading trees. Beautiful, simple, natural and elegant.

I guess this is as much drum roll as I can get away with. Next comes the pics of the wedding,

Valori

Getting to know each other

Usually the rehearsal dinner is a smallish affair, just the stars and supporting cast of the wedding. Or at least that's how I always thought of it. But Jer and Pamela are very social beings (which bodes well for Ruby's social skills) and they wanted more than a skeleton crew at their rehearsal dinner. It was held in the upstairs of the Pyramid Brewery--quite the happening spot, with good food and of course great beer. Very conducive for people to meet and talk.




It was a brilliant move on their part, because the two families, along with close friends from each side, actually had two opportunities to get to know each other--not just at the wedding reception.

For example, below is Courtney's niece Laurie and most of her crew (one daughter missing), who I've met before but didn't really know at all. Between the rehearsal dinner and the wedding reception we had several chances to really talk. It was great to find out about her life in the small mountain town of Quincy and tell her about mine.




Courtney's brother Steve is an understandably proud grandfather to Kentaro. (They have three generations living in their house: Steve, his son Matt and Matt's girlfriend Melissa living upstairs and downstairs is his other son Kevin, his wife Emi and their precious boy Kentaro. So Steve is not an occasional grandfather.)




Here's handsome Uncle Matt taking his turn with Ken.




Courtney's other brother Tom lives in Thailand with his family pictured below. His wife Fon, her son Ou, and their daughter Sara, with the ubiquitous Kentaro.




Here they are, two good-looking Hawaiian brothers, though this photo does not do either of them justice. But they're still cute, even in a mediocre picture.



Kentaro was entertaining the crowd with his new skills of hand clapping...




...and walking!!




That's it for now. Next stop: the wedding!

Valori

Cutest girl baby on planet

Next stop on our tour de California: Berkeley! We arrived the day before the wedding. A whirlwind of activity and excitement, but we found Jer and Ruby cool and calm as ever.




Yes, go ahead and say it. She is incredibly cute. Looks you right in the eye. Doesn't miss a thing. Totally in charge of her world.




We brought a bag of gifts for her and she (undaunted by the fact that she's only 5 & 1/2 months old) wanted to open it herself and haul those gifts out.




Luckily she approved of the panda bear design on the outfit we got her. She's quite the fashionable girl as you'll see in the wedding photos.



More Ruby story and pics coming right up,

Valori

A Trip to the Farm

First stop on our trip to California: Bloomfield! Where, you ask?!? Half way between Sebastopol and Tomales, in Sonoma County, is a sweet little community of 500 and that's where our friends live on their 3-acre farm.

When Maya was eleven we moved to Bloomfield, shortly after my dearest buddy Valorie and her husband Eric (also a dear buddy) bought their farm. That was before they had their twins Forrest and Mirandi (also known as Bubbie and Roro), their three dogs (Natalie, Fireball and Georgie), a chicken coop full of chickens, etc, etc, etc.

Maya and I lived there for her 5th grade school year, in our yellow school bus, which we painted sky blue on the top and pine green on the sides in hopes of blending in with our surroundings. We shared a kitchen and meals with Valorie and Eric, planted and re-planted bearded irises around the property, and for the most part (not always, but almost always) had a good life together on their little farm. And so I have very fond memories of Bloomfield and consider it a home away from home.

Below are Valorie and Mirandi out on the deck, where we spent alot of our time, soaking up the California sun and just generally relaxing.




We stayed over two nights and on the last morning I took Courtney's camera around and found so many beautiful touches, not all of which I'll share with you because of space, but here's a few.




Valorie and Eric have the amazing talent of creating beauty together. Everywhere I looked around the farm there were signs of their creativity and hard work. Below is the chicken coop...




...and beside it is the pond, a sandy beach area, flower and herb gardens, an orchard.




Their farm is on a hillside, overlooking Bloomfield, with black and white cows as their neighbors on two sides. It's quite and peaceful and private. What better way to start our trip.




And if all that wasn't enough, our also dear buddy, Kerry, came up from Pacific Grove to be with us. And on top of that she cooked for us!




Here's just one of her masterpieces.




Also Mirandi, an up and coming great cook, made a vegie saute from the vegetables in their garden and shows off her culinary success below, with her proud dad beside her.




Their home was originally a barn and after they moved to the farm a good long time was spent finishing out the interior--alot of which they did themselves. (Smart cookies that they are.) Below is a shot, taken from the upstairs landing, of Forrest and Mirandi playing cards.




Valorie has an amazing eye for color, as you see in the kids' room below.




And in her new paint job in the upstairs bathroom.




I've always loved taking showers in this bathroom. It's got an open shower, with glass bricks on one side, plants and shells at the end, and skylights with a view of the pine tree tops.




Now, enough about humans and decor. Here's the real stars: Natalie...


...Fireball...



...and Georgie. They live the good life too.




Below is a shot from the deck, looking down on another great spot to lounge--among the raspberry vines, though I couldn't stop picking long enough to sit down.




So that was our mini-vacation in Sonoma County in mid-August. We relished every peaceful, relaxing and regenerating moment of it, knowing that we'd be heading into Berkeley next. Jer and Pamela's wedding was sure to be fabulous, but peaceful and relaxing...probably not.



More soon,

Valori