California Fever

Tomales Bay

Because he's a good sport, Jeffrey agreed to ride to West Marin with me yesterday afternoon when he was done with work.  It's been hot.  We love the heat, but I was craving some cool coastal air.  But because we got a late start, by the time we neared the coast the fog was already rolling back in (all clumpy, like a smoke machine), so we stopped at Heart's Desire Beach on Tomales Bay where there was still sun and had our late afternoon picnic there.

The real truth (and J would tell you this) is that I've been a tad "mopey" (his word) the past couple of days over having to go back to work today.  He knew I needed a change of scenery on my last vacation day.  He typically drives when we ride somewhere together.  It's not that he doesn't think I'm a good driver, but he actually enjoys driving and I much prefer being a passenger.  But I drove yesterday and once we hopped off 101, I enjoyed it.  I grew up driving windy roads through redwood groves and river canyons, so driving some of the windy roads in West Marin County is a joy for me. 

Although he's spent time in Marin, he'd never been to the western part of the county.  Sitting at Tomales Bay, he was struck by how the view from Heart's Desire Beach seemed so similar to our old neighborhood beach on St. Thomas, Magens Bay.  I could sort of see it--Tomales Bay being sort of a breezy, Northern California version of that tropical beach.  But just now, when I looked at one of the photos, I realized what he meant.  You be the judge.

Here's Magens Bay taken from what was our typical weekend perch:

Here's Tomales Bay yesterday:

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In Twyla Tharp's book, The Creative Habit, she talks about the power of ritual.  She says, "It's vital to establish some rituals...at the beginning of the creative process, when you are most at peril of turning back, chickening out, giving up, or going the wrong way."  And:  "Turning something into a ritual eliminates the question, Why am I doing this?"

That said, as I mentioned in the previous post, I've decided my morning ritual this August will be to write a daily poem.  I make no promises that they'll be good or interesting or well-crafted.  (The latter because I wouldn't even know how to do that.  Literally.)   They may vary greatly in length.  I have no idea what they'll be like or about--I never do until I sit down to write one.  I'm going to partake of this ritual so that I don't "go the wrong way" this month when I return to my present job.  And because I don't really care to ask myself "Why am I doing this?" about writing poetry.  I just know I like to do it.  August poem #1 is here.

tea

Although Thursday was my last day on the job for awhile, today feels like my first real day of vacation.  I was late getting out of the office on Thursday and we ran errands that evening.  Up early on Friday morning to spend HOURS straightening up and cleaning the house in preparation for my mother's visit (I'd hardly been home on the weekends for weeks). Jeffrey left that morning for two days of gigs in Hermosa Beach in a rented cute yellow PT Cruiser.  My mother was here from Friday afternoon until yesterday afternoon, and although we kept our schedule light, it was glorious to wake this morning not feeling like I had to jump up to entertain.  I hit the thrift store yesterday in search of vacation reading and found they had trade paper books on sale for 50 cents.  I finished this novel yesterday and late last night, I started this one.

My mother turned 73 in early June, but her birthday gift was a delayed surprise.  On Saturday afternoon I took her to high tea at The Camellia Tea Room in Benicia, a small town where she'd lived for a couple of years in the early 70's and had hardly been back since.  I lived with her (and my then-stepfather) briefly when I first moved to the Bay Area.  Many native Californians don't know that in 1853 Benicia was briefly our state capital before it was moved to Sacramento the following year.  She LOVED the tea room, the high tea and the surprise of being taken back to Benicia.  We chose the lavender-rose tea and it was wonderful.  So wonderful that we bought some to bring home.  There was a large bridal shower group having a very good time in the center of the room.  It really is a lovely setting and I can see how it would be a popular venue for showers.  After tea, I drove us through the hills on the east side of town in search of the apartments where she (and briefly I) had lived.  With the help of a mail carrier, we eventually located them, only to discover that they look exactly as they did when we lived there...and no worse for wear!    That apartment had a couple of balconies and a wonderful view of the Carquinez Strait (which borders the town) and the Carquinez Bridge. 

Jeffrey arrived home mid-morning yesterday (having left right after his gig Saturday night and stopping only for an hour's sleep in a rest area).  He brought me a great shirt from a shop in Hermosa Beach--a sheer turquoise leopard print with a high collar and cool buttons.  One big advantage to a long-time relationship:  the gifts get better...because after all those years together, they finally figure out what you like!  ;)  We had a lazy rest of our Sunday.

I slept in this morning and read for awhile in bed.  He's already been home for lunch.  Golf course maintenance workers have early schedules...on the job by 4:30...lunch at 10:30...home by 1:00.  So it's nice--I get to have him in the afternoons.  Not sure what we're doing for the 4th--may just stay home (J may work half a day) or might join my brother's family at their place for a BBQ.  Mom flies out Friday afternoon...we pick up our rental car Friday night...and we're embarking on our nine-day vacation on Saturday morning.  In the meantime, I plan to unwind and just let myself BE.  I feel like my life has been filled with so much busy-ness the past couple of months that my internal life has fallen by the wayside.  One thing's for sure though--I truly value the 'life' I have here.  I value the relationships I've established through the connections I've made through blogging.  I miss all of you when I fall behind in reading about your lives.  I'm going to spend some time this month getting caught up.  I just need to do it in bits and drabs so it doesn't feel like obligation when I open my Bloglines.  So please bear with me--I will be by eventually...as I transition from feeling like I'm constantly doing to allowing myself to stay more in a state of just being.

Wine Country

The perfect recipe for a Wine Country weekend?

Mix equal parts FRIENDSHIP...

...GOOD WINE (make sure you have a designated driver, of course!)...some BOCCE BALL...

...and some fabulous CUISINE.

Season with swimming and soaking...lots of sex talk...and some sisterly love.

Bake at 80 degrees for 26 hours.

For several years now, my stepmother and stepsisters have planned a weekend getaway to the Napa Valley wine country over Father's Day weekend while my Dad and brother take their annual fishing trip to British Columbia.  This year they invited my sister-in-law, my step-niece and me along.  We met in Calistoga at noon on Saturday.  We spent Saturday afternoon at my stepsister Susie's friends' place high on a hill in Angwin, where our hostess served us a fabulous al fresco lunch and where the others (I don't drink, so I was driving) enjoyed our hosts' homegrown Sauvignon Blanc and finished the meal with the last sips of our hostess's homemade limoncello.  After a leisurely lunch, we moved to poolside chairs where we caught a few rays while watching their two large dogs frolic in the pool.  We stopped briefly back at our motel and then we were off to Rutherford for a private BBQ on the picnic grounds at Rutherford Grove Winery (the owner is a friend of Susie's) where our afternoon hosts joined us for the evening.  While tri-tip was being grilled on a BBQ so large that it took a forklift to maneuver the grate, we partook of the Valley's favorite pastime--Bocce.  (Apparently it's quite popular in the Valley and both of our Saturday hosts had bocce courts on their grounds.)  It was a wonderful dinner in a lovely setting, sitting next to century-old eucalyptus trees and being hosted by a third generation Napa Valley resident.

Yesterday morning, I found what looked to be a good bakery listed in the Yellow Pages and my sister-in-law called the others' rooms for coffee orders.  Then she and I drove down the street to downtown Calistoga for our first experience at Calistoga Creamery & Bakery.  (I was hoping that no one would notice that I was dressed in my pajamas, lime green flip-flops and a straw cowboy hat.)   We ordered the espresso drinks, grabbed an assortment of their fabulous European pastries, and just for kicks threw in a couple of their plate-sized cookies.  Then she went off to get a massage at the little spa at the motel and the rest of us threw on our suits and hit the pool.  My sister-in-law has always wanted to dine at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, so went to their Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant for lunch.  We had no idea if we'd even be able to get in without a reservation on Father's Day, but we asked if we might dine on the patio with its gorgeous view and within minutes we were seated.  I can't even begin to describe how delicious the meal was.  I had French Onion Soup as my first course, which elicited a lot of ooh's and aaah's when it was brought out.  And yes, it tasted as good as it looked.  And for my main course I had the best pork loin I've ever had in my life.  The dessert menu looked very tempting, but by the time we saw it, we were at our limits.  :)   We parted ways after lunch and as we headed south, my sister-in-law and I stopped at Rutherford Grove Winery to pick up some of their Chocolate Hazelnut Merlot Fudge sauce which we'd spied the night before...I grabbed a great-looking cap for J (he collects them)...and on impulse we both bought bars of Napa Soap Company's Ocean Potion.  We took the Silverado Trail on the way back home...stopped at Target in Vacaville so she could pick up a hammock for my brother for Father's Day (he and Dad arrive home this evening)...and hit Jamba Juice when we got to Davis.  The rest of my Sunday was spent taking a quick nap...helping Ciara on the phone with some computer stuff...moving the sprinkler around on the lawn...eating some sweet corn on the cob and salad for dinner (I was still stuffed from lunch...J went and did our grocery shopping)...and watching a movie while curled up on the couch with my sweetie.  For dessert we had scoops of vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with the chocolate hazelnut merlot fudge sauce and...man, is it good! 

Now it's back to work for me for the next two weeks.  And I've got plans for the next two weekends, too.  I apologize if I haven't been by your blogs in awhile--life has just been very busy.  I'm hoping to get all caught up once I get a chunk of time off in July.  Wishing you a wonderful week filled with special early summer moments.

the weekend

I had a lovely and busy weekend.  Friday night my brother, sister-in-law and I drove up to Oroville to catch a casino show by Curtis.  He sounded good, the band sounded good and it was the first time I'd seen him since his miraculous liver transplant last September.  (Long-time readers will recall that he was diagnosed with liver cancer in the Spring of '06 and not given long to live.  Thank you again to all of you who sent prayers and positive thoughts in his direction.)  We had a good time and danced several times.  Dancing (something I love) has become a rare occurrence for me.  At one point during the show I made my way to the ladies room and an older gentleman sitting by the entrance smiled and clapped when I walked by, "I like the way you dance."  Guess I have enough little moves left to impress the Early Bird Special crowd...  We visited with Curtis after the show and then spent a little time in the casino.  My brother went off to play Texas Hold 'Em, giving Chelle and I each a $100 bill to play slot machines.  I wish I could say I parlayed that into some hefty winnings, but alas, I walked out with about $82, but we had a good time.  Chelle and I hit the bathroom once more before hitting the road and when we met Marty by the entrance, he was standing next to a lone slot machine with an attractive blonde woman who was maybe in her late 30's.  Her machine was open and an employee was standing there with a calculator in hand.  She'd won a good-sized jackpot and he was calculating her winnings.  Marty told her he thought she'd won some real money.  "Really?  I was playing $5 at a time...do you think maybe I won, like, $700 or something?"  "Noooo...I think you won a LOT more than that.  I think you might have won $10,000 or $11,000."  "WHAT?!"  Sure enough, the employee punched a few numbers in the calculator and her winnings were a little over $11,000.  She put a $20 bill into a slot machine, played it for 5 minutes...and won 11 grand.  She was there alone and was obviously overjoyed:  "I'm gonna pay off all my bills!"  We all high-fived her and walked out into the night wearing big smiles on her behalf. 

By the time I dropped them and drove home, it was 2 am.  But I was up early and when I walked outside to water the lawn, I discovered that sometime in the wee hours of the morning, someone had ditched a stolen bike on our curb.  I reported it to the Police Department and the dispatcher said she'd report it Vehicle Abatement, but that that enforcement officer only works part-time.  She said if it was still there by Monday morning, he'd pick it up.  It was gone by yesterday morning, so someone else grabbed it.  It had been ditched with the seat missing, which is why I figured it was stolen. 

I watered the lawn and then drove to Dixon to watch Ciara's swim meet.  She swam well, but the club they were competing against was really tough.  But we had a nice time just hanging out.  A new shop in downtown Dixon that's a combo ice cream shop and deli set up right next to us to take lunch orders, so we had a nice deli lunch delivered right to us which was a treat.

I took a drive through the country on the way home.  It was a gorgeous, very warm day and I zoomed through fields with the windows down and blues blasting on the radio.  I stopped at the thrift store when I got back to town and picked up a few things.  The thrift store has become like yard sales used to be for me in Portland.  I love stopping in there to see what new stuff they have.  It's a small, but good one and it benefits the SPCA.  I've scored several great finds the past few weeks.  When I got home, I putzed around a bit and then laid down on the couch to watch the end of Glory and dozed for a bit until J called.  They were in New Mexico on their way home; he was hoping to be home by 2:00 Sunday afternoon.  I couldn't remember the last time I'd had junk food, so Saturday evening I splurged and drove through In-and-Out and ate it while watching Stranger Than Fiction (which I loved and knew J would like, too).

Yesterday I was up early, excited at the prospect of Jeffrey's return.  He called me about 7.  They'd dropped the road manager in L.A. and were heading up I-5.  They'd been driving non-stop since they'd left Colorado on Saturday morning.  He would be back earlier than expected, but there'd been a change in the route back and I'd need to drive down to Fairfield to meet him.  He suggested since I'd already have driven down I-80 a bit that we just keep going and head into the City to do something fun.  I said, "Well, gee, we should just go to the game."  He didn't know which game I was referring to.  It was the Bay Series--the cross-bay baseball rivalry between the S.F. Giants and the Oakland A's.  It was the final game of the series and Oakland was looking to sweep.  They were playing in S.F.  He loved that idea, but I warned him that the game was probably sold out.  But, miraculously, within minutes I had purchased tickets online.  So that's what we did.  I met them at a gas station in Fairfield...he switched all of his gear and luggage from the van to our car...and we drove to the City.  But, good lord, the traffic!  We got hung up in horrible traffic on the approach to the Bay Bridge and again trying to park at the stadium.  But it was our first time at AT&T Park and we were just happy to be there...and mostly just really happy to see each other.  We hit the snack bar before grabbing our seats, so after the horrible traffic ordeal and walking to the stadium and grabbing food, it was the beginning of the 3rd inning by the time we sat down.  The Bay Series is fun because whether they play in S.F. or Oakland, the visiting team always has nearly as many fans in attendance as the home team.  It's all in good fun.  Our section was an equal mix of Giants and A's fans.  The game was scoreless until the 8th inning when Marco Scutaro hit a one-run homer for the A's.  They scored another run in the top of the 9th, and in storybook fashion, Barry Bonds came up to the plate in the bottom of the 9th with a runner on 1st, looking to tie the game with a homer.  Everyone stood up for that, but he flied out and the next hitter was quickly out and the game was over.  AT&T is a beautiful park in a beautiful setting.  But jeez louise!  How can people afford to go to ballgames?!  J wanted to do something fun to celebrate his return home, so the ballgame was a big splurge for us.  But look what it cost us:  2 tickets purchased online (Bay Series games are considered 'premium' games so the tickets were an extra $14/each plus all of the assorted processing fees) - $119...parking - $30 (THIRTY DOLLARS!)...2 hot dogs, 1 large nachos (to share) and two sodas - $26.50.  Add $10 for gas and $8.00 for bridge tolls (down and back) and our grand total to enjoy 7 innings of that ballgame was $193.50.  But you know what?  It was worth every penny, 'cause it was fun and we were just really, really happy to be together and doing something fun.  ;)

That's Bonds swinging below, but he grounded out on that one.  Barry didn't have a good day--he let two balls drop into center field, but he did redeem himself with one good catch at the wall.  Those old 42-year-old legs aren't moving too fast these days.

June

I think I'm nesting. I think that's what this is.  Because I've found myself many times over the past few weeks picking up little things for the house and going through stuff and organizing and getting things the way I want them.  And what a joy it is to be able to to do that.  For five years, we lived in three (but mostly one) fully furnished places in the islands.  And although they were nice places, they never felt home-like to me because they were furnished with other people's stuff that wasn't at all reflective of who we are.  So if I haven't been around much, it's because between just enjoying being outside in the warm weather and indulging my love of fiction, I've been nesting.

I had a full weekend.  My sister-in-law called just as I was getting out of the shower on Saturday morning to tell me that Ciara was at her first swim meet.  So instead of going into work (which is what I planned for Saturday morning...and surely THAT was a bad idea), I went instead to C's meet.  She swam three times:  an IM medley, backstroke (her best event) and breaststroke.  She did so-so in the medley, but it was her first race of the season, she got 3rd place in her age group (9-10, she's 9) in backstroke and won her breaststroke heat.  But I don't know yet how she placed overall in that event, because we left right after her race.  Because the next order of business was...her gymnastics club was having a car wash fundraiser, so it was off to the car wash.  Ironically, when I'd walked out to the car on Saturday morning I'd thought about washing it later that day.  So I was perfectly happy to fork over $5 to have it done by someone else.  Although it was mostly the adults doing all of the work--the girls seemed to be more interested in standing on the downtown corners advertising the event.  The rest of the weekend was spent running errands and shopping and reading and watching a DVD of To Kill a Mockingbird (because I'd never seen it, if you can believe that--I only just read the book about a month ago!)  I've been on the lookout for a new desk chair to replace the broken-down free one J rescued from our neighbor's curb and yesterday's newspaper contained a Staples circular advertising office chairs for half-price.  Score!  I replaced the tattered sisal area rug in our living room with a carpet one I found on sale for $20 at Wal-Mart.  Of course, I hadn't really thought the process through when I bought it, and moving the couch to remove the old rug and lay the new one was a bit of a challenge to do by myself.  But I'm nothing if not determined when I set my mind to do something like that.  I also bought a new kitchen rug to replace the old braided one we had.  Then I hauled the sisal rug, the old kitchen rug and the old office chair out to the garage and put them in place to make J's shop more homey and office-like.  He'll like that.  My mother sent home with her Davis friends a few weeks ago a nice space heater she doesn't use anymore so he can have heat out there during the winter.  It's becoming quite a nice workspace for his golfsmith business. 

June is a busy month--I'm going to need July off just to recover from June!  :)  It will be hectic at work as we finish up the year and then I spend two weeks getting ready for the new school year before taking my summer break.  This is already shaping up to be a busy week.  I leave work early today for a meeting at the district office this afternoon.  Then tonight I'm going to our indie theater nearby to see a documentary about KPFA, a remarkable station in Berkeley that I used to listen to back in the day.  Tomorrow Patricia Parker from Kids for Kids will be speaking at my school during the last period of the day and I'm coordinating that.  Then I'm going straight from work to Dixon to pick up Ciara--I'd promised her a sleepover while J is gone and this is the first chance we've had to do it.  (Her school year ended last Thursday.)  Friday night I'm planning to drive up to Oroville to go hear Curtis--it will be the first time I've had a chance to see him since his liver transplant.  (I'm trying to entice my brother and sister-in-law to go with me.  My brother hasn't heard Curtis sing in years.)  And I'm toying with doing something fun on Saturday...more on that later.  Jeffrey will be home on Sunday--YAY!!!  They played in Tennessee last night and they're off today and tomorrow.  They plan to spend their days off in St. Louis again.  He said he might go to another Cardinals game tomorrow night.  They play Kansas City on Wednesday night, Canon City, CO on Friday night and then head home.

Father's Day weekend, I'm headed off to the wine country with my stepmother and sisters--that would be my two stepsisters and sister-in-law plus my stepniece (who's 27, gorgeous, smart and a delight) who will be coming down from Reno for the girls' weekend.  The following weekend (June 22-24), I'm taking a vacation day on Friday so I can join Jeffrey for a gig in Monterey and then we'll spend the night and head to the City where he plays Saturday night.  My mother arrives for a two-week visit (spent mostly at my brother's since they have more space) on Monday, June 25th.  Ciara has a dance recital on Friday, June 29th, my last day on the job, so that'll be something fun to do that night.  I'll host my mother the weekend of the 29th and 30th while J's in L.A. for gigs.  On Saturday, the 30th, I'm taking my mother to a tea house in Benicia for her birthday (which was yesterday).  I tried to find something fun and different and she'll get a kick out of it.  We lived together in Benicia briefly 34 years ago(!)--it will be fun to go back and see how the little town has changed.  And she loves high tea and we haven't done that together since we went to Vancouver, B.C. in the early 80's.  Then we're all (brother's family, mother and us) going camping at Tahoe for the 4th.  Mom flies home to Vegas on the 6th.  See what I mean about needing a break in July?! 

Happy Monday!

Look UP!

I'm back.  I had a mostly restful few days, although I did 'force' myself yesterday to do some clean-up at home.  Not actual cleaning, mind you (that'll have to wait for another day), but cleanup.  (Although I've kept the place fairly tidy while J's been gone.)  I spent a good four hours yesterday sorting through paperwork--getting stuff ready to mail, filing, making files, organizing bills, tossing junk mail, etc.  I also did a bit of (inexpensive) shopping this weekend and picked up a few things for the house, including some plants that I repotted.  I love our kitchen--it's a 60's-style kitchen and I love it.  And after all the clean-up and adding the new purchases and plants, the kitchen's looking quite homey, if I do say so.  It's my favorite place to sit in the summertime. Eastern exposure, facing the street, huge tree at the curb, lots of windows and light.  I can sit in one of our big wicker chairs by the window as the breeze wafts in and have coffee and read or listen to the radio. Other than my clean-up session yesterday, I had a thoroughly relaxing three days off.  Napped, read, biked, lounged, went for a couple of country drives.  Yesterday I rode my bike through the greenbelt on the north side of town and then headed south to the Arboretum to my favorite spot in all of Davis:  the redwood grove. (They're coastal redwoods and they remind me of home.) By the time I arrived, the grove was nearly empty.  It was very warm yesterday (90).  I parked my bike and laid down on one of the picnic table benches and looked up.  And I laid that way for awhile--I could have easily fallen asleep.  And I wondered how on earth I could go so many years without lying on my back looking up through redwoods, because surely that's one of the best things in the whole world to do.  I love all trees, but, for me, there's something especially sacred and magical about redwoods.  Because they don't make sense--how do they not topple over?  Their roots are shallow and their skinny trunks are so very tall.  And I laid there looking up at the blue sky and the canopy formed by the tree branches and watched the top of one tree in particular move in the breeze.  And it made me think of the Golden Gate Bridge, because it, too, moves with the weather, but most people don't notice the movement.  Walking through those redwoods most people would have no idea that the tops of the trees are swaying--not just the branches moving in the breeze, but the entire tree swaying.  I grew up around redwoods (and my parents have some on their property), so I know they move, but maybe that's my lesson for today:  don't forget to look UP...because there might be something happening that I'd otherwise miss.

J has our camera on the road with him, so no photos from my weekend.  But here's a shot of the Arboretum grove.  Not a very good picture, but it gives you an idea of what it looks like.

P.S.  I'm reading Gilead right now. Ohmygosh, now I understand what all the fuss was about.  It's just so...beautiful.

P.P.S.  And speaking of the Golden Gate Bridge, it celebrated its 70th birthday over the weekend.  Click here for a live webcam.

A Day at the Races

Let me see if I can recap our weekend...  Left for the gig in Mill Valley (post below) right after I got home from work on Friday...got home at 3 am...three hours of sleep...then off to Wal-Mart in Dixon to pick up some last-minute items for J's road trip and also some yard supplies...back to Davis...lunch in a huge Mexican restaurant downtown where we were the only customers (strange)...then to Ace Hardware for the remaining yard stuff...spent a couple of hours doing our annual May clean-up in the yard...then to DQ for sundaes to reward ourselves...back home...J took to the couch to watch some golf (and get some much-needed rest since he'd done all of the driving to and from the night before)...and I went back to Ace to grab a few more pots to finish repotting some plants...repotted the plants...then retired to bed for a nap...we both slept a little longer than expected and he woke me at 9 so we could have some dinner...stayed up late reading blogs...up early on Sunday...went around blogosphere leaving Mother's Day messages...on the road by 8:30, headed to Oakland Airport...made Mother's Day calls from car...met up with some of the band guys to take care of some business stuff...then to Carrows with manager and road manager for breakfast...back to Joe's house to hang for a bit, met up with another band member...found out road manager plans to have them leave tonight rather than tomorrow morning (yikes!)...dropped manager at BART for his trip to SFO to fly back to Kansas City...then off to Golden Gate Fields, where I took J for his first real horse racing experience (more on that below)...left after the 7th race for the 45-minute drive home, driving through In-and-Out back home for some take-out...wolfed down burgers...began gathering up and sorting laundry...off to the laundromat...back home to start packing his bag and simultaneously tidying up a bit...all the while watering the yard in preparation for lawn re-seeding he plans to do today...back to the laundromat to dry and fold...back home to drop laundry and move sprinkler...off to Rite-Aid, didn't have what he needed...back to Wal-Mart in Dixon...back home to finalize packing...make to-do list for today...make bed with fresh linens...climb in with a novel...fall asleep (thank god).

As long as I've known Jeffrey, I've wanted to take him to the races.  It's sort of a tradition in our family, but I'd been away from California for at least a decade (before we moved to Davis), so hadn't been to Golden Gate Fields in years.  We arrived just in time for the 3rd race--a turf one (in the upper left photo).  All of the other races were on the track, but I didn't snap photos because I was too busy watching and yelling for our horses.  We have a family friend who's a (quite successful) trainer there.  He had a horse running in the 7th race--his (the horse's) first-ever race.  I bet it to win (of course), but it didn't place.  That's it in the upper right corner.  Jeffrey enjoyed the experience, but thought it was 'a lot of work!' :) When I'm with family we usually hang out in the turf club, but I wanted it to feel up-close-and-personal for him, so I'd drag him to the paddock before each race to get a good look at the horses (he loved that part), we'd make our picks, place our bets and then go to the rail on the track to watch.  And I suppose it does seem like 'work' when you're trying to decipher the Racing Form and thinking about all of the variables that go into picking a horse (or horses).  I tried to advance his betting a little along the standard bet, but 'boxing the exacta' made his head spin, so we kept it simple.  We never bet more than $2 on any horse and bet very safe (betting on favorites several times).  We watched 5 races, got a bit of our money back, and ended up losing only $8.  Plus Sundays are Dollar Day, so parking, entrance, programs, soda, hot dogs are all $1.  Can't beat that.  :)

plunge

can i go deeper?
will my heart feel invaded?
i blindly submerge

********************************

This week's prompt at Poetry Thursday has me quite excited.  Of course, excitement doesn't always translate into action.  ;) 

Although I fell behind while on my trip, I've been trying to get back onto the 37 Days Challenge shadow portrait bandwagon.  My shadows Flickr set is here.  The 37 Days Shadows Portraits pool is here.

I've also done a couple more Wreck This Journal pages since I returned.  That set is here.  The WTJ pool is here.  There's some amazing stuff there. 

Today is "Picnic Day" at UC Davis.  It's a HUGE deal.  It's the largest student-run event in the country, and it draws about 50,000-60,000 visitors to campus. (I just checked the website and they're implementing the 'rain plan.'  Bummer.  Yesterday was gorgeous, but we knew rain was in the forecast for today.) It all kicks off with a parade this morning at 10:00, which goes by half a block from our house.  Last year J was out of town and I walked to the corner with our neighbors (who've since moved) to watch the parade.  This year I think I might not go any farther than the wicker love seat on our teensy front porch.  I'll simply roll up the bamboo screen and watch from there.  Because at 11:00 I'm scheduled to meet up (on campus) with a group of Obama campaign volunteers to work the crowd.  The Sacramento for Obama group (which already has over 300 members--not MySpace friends, but members) coordinated this for us.  Those of us in the Yolo County for Obama group (we're just getting started) are going to join forces with them.  It will be my first gathering, even though at my.barackobama.com I'm the group administrator for the both the Davis and Yolo County groups.  I missed the March 31 meeting here in Davis (since I was working that afternoon in preparation for my bereavement leave).  Our next Yolo County meeting is April 24th.  Today I'll have a chance to meet the co-chairs of the Sacramento group.  That group is already doing fabulous things and planning a large gathering for all of the Northern California groups on June 9th.  I'm thrilled that Sacramento is going gangbusters.  Our poor ol' capitol city often gets overlooked by the glitzier L.A./Hollywood, San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley glamour.  But Sacramento's where we're making laws, baby!  I saw "Ba-ROCK's" on the Phoenix 4 Obama group's site a few weeks ago and thought it was a clever idea.  I biked all over town yesterday (while J was at a rehearsal in Sacramento) looking for rocks.  Didn't find any, but I finally found some bags of "accent gems" (clear flat-shaped 'rocks' in different shades) for $1/bag at the Dollar Store.  So I'll be spending my morning, Sharpie in hand, writing the Yolo County MySpace info on those suckers, as well as "Obama '08!" and *H*O*P*E*.  And let me tell you, that's a lot of info to write on such a small space.  ;) 

Mill Valley stroll

Jeffrey played at Sweetwater last night with Joe Louis Walker.  I realized driving to Mill Valley that it had been exactly 10 years ago this month since he'd played there...also with Joe. In fact, the Sweetwater gig had been his first show as a member of Joe's band. (I remember that he started his stint in Joe's band in March because he missed Marty and Chelle's wedding because he was on the road.)  He toured with Joe throughout most of '97.  They didn't play together again until Joe came to St. Thomas in late 2000.  And we didn't see him again until last March, when we took Marty and Chelle to watch Joe perform at The Palms in Winters for Marty's birthday.  Joe had been living in Paris for awhile.  He and Jeffrey picked up after that Winters show right where they left off...and have been playing together off and on for the last year.  Funny how things come full circle.

I adore Mill Valley and took a walk around downtown about 7:00 last night as Jeffrey was setting up for sound check.  I wanted to get a shot of Coffee Roasters which now occupies the ground floor of the building where I worked at an upscale men's and women's boutique in '81. But it's one of the busiest intersections and I got tired of standing on the corner waiting for cars to pass.  A guy in a white SUV sat at the stop sign for a minute and then rolled down his window and yelled good-naturedly, "Come on, take my picture!"  I passed. I lived in Mill Valley in 1981--with an old choreographer friend and another roommate who was heavily into Scientology.  "Auditing?  What's 'auditing?'"  :)

If you like blues guitar, Joe's one of the best in the world.  Sweetwater was standing room only last night and the guys put on a great show.  There's no dance floor there, so dancers like to bust their moves in a narrow space around the stage...which is where I usually sit...against a wall that runs along the side of the stage with a narrow shelf for drinks.  It's also en route to the men's bathroom.  I must have pulled my legs in a hundred times for guys to pass between me and the dancers.  I'm typically not someone who likes crowds, but if I'm at a live music show (often surrounded by some who are heavily drinking) I've learned with age to just get myself in a relaxed zone where shit just doesn't bother me.  The woman to my left was beyond tipsy and I don't know what her issue was with the couple to my right.  But you gotta wonder when a total stranger walks up to where you're standing, reaches behind you and pulls out a couple of stools, and barks, "Sit!"  She finally got so lost in her own aggravated world that midway through the second set she told her husband she wanted to leave...because things were getting out of control.  No, sweetheart, you're getting out of control.  :)

A Liar's Party

Betcha can't guess what I did last night...

Yes!  It was finally time to host "A Liar's Party" for Patry Francis!  We had it at the lovely home of my pal, Toni.  (Our place is way too small.)  The photo was courtesy of Bob, Toni's wonderful husband who went upstairs and left us to do our chatty thing.  Patry's husband, Ted, had dropped her at the party and then headed back to their hotel.

I was the only other blogger in attendance--the others are friends from my workplace (junior high).  The bloggers I would have invited all live some distance away, and I know it's hard for people on a weeknight.  I invited 12--seven of us were able to make it. 

From left to right:  me, Kathy (head of our English dept.), Patry, Toni (school nurse), Gina (teaches English and Drama--she recently won a grant for some training at the Globe Theatre in London this summer...our Drama students are currently in rehearsal for "Pirates of Penzance"), Esther (our much-loved former German teacher--she retired at the end of last year), Carolyn (head counselor...Taylor's grandma...Patry's granddaughters sent a gift for Taylor...so sweet!) and Debbie (our inclusion--special ed--teacher).

Toni and Debbie have lived across the street from each other for many years, and have been in a neighborhood book club for nearly as long.  So when I asked, Toni said she'd be happy to host us since her book club has previously hosted other authors.

And just to keep things really cozy...Toni's daughter, Lindsay, will be marrying Carolyn's son, Dan, this August.

This is a warm and wonderful group of women, and I hope that Patry enjoyed her evening with them.  I know that she has a game she somtimes likes to play with these book party groups, but we were so busy peppering her with questions that we never got around to it.  We learned that she likes to write in the mornings.  That she once read in a "Writer's Digest" publication to simply write 3 pages every day, even if one doesn't feel like it--so that's what she does.  About her earlier novels which were not published.  About suggestions her editor made for The Liar's Diary.   About some, um, interesting ways a few readers have responded to the book.  And how her oldest son waited 20 years to collect on a childhood promise.  See, you have to host a party so you can get all the juicy details, too!  ;)

Patry is just as smart and witty and sweet and delightful and wonderful as I'm sure you all imagine her to be.  She and I shared with the group the joys of blogging.  I started to say the highs and lows, but I can't think of a single negative that we mentioned, since we both love it so much.  (I guess the only downside would be that it can be a tad addictive.)  ;)

Patry shipped a box of books to my home late last week and since we all planned to buy books from her, after Jeffrey accidentally opened the box (not reading the label--thinking it was one of his usual Amazon shipments), I grabbed a copy and between Sunday and after work yesterday, devoured it.  (Well, the story, not the actual book.)  It's a page-turner!

And in a sweet twist for me, Patry and Ted spent Monday night in my hometown of Crescent City.  When I spoke to her after work on Monday, they were making their way down the gorgeous Oregon coast.  I had told them that Crescent City would be about halfway between Portland and Davis via the route they had mapped out.  (Laini hosted a party for her on Sunday night.)   So on Monday night Patry and Ted stayed at Hampton Inn & Suites, where old Seaside Hospital used to be located.  That was where my brother and I were both born and where we both had tonsillectomies--me at age 3, him at 12.  So imagine my delight when I phoned her from work yesterday morning and heard her say, "Oh, we're just leaving Good Harvest..."  She said last night that when the cafe staff had asked how they'd heard about Good Harvest, she nonchalantly replied, "I have a friend from Crescent City..."  Good Harvest is where we have breakfast when we're there--good food and great handmade willow furniture.  Patry and Ted had both been very excited to see redwoods for the first time--I told her she'd hit a big bunch of them just south of town, since 101 would take them through Redwood National Park.

The only disappointment about this entire experience was that Patry and I didn't have more time to hang out together. We had a few minutes as I drove her back to her hotel.  This morning she and Ted are off to Corte Madera to visit Book Passage, one of the country's best indie bookstores.  (I saw Natalie Goldberg speak there several years ago).  Her book tour continues in the Bay Area before they fly to Chicago later this week. 

It was a wonderful evening with a wonderful person.

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In Unity Week news...  Unity Week is kicking my butt!  :)  There are three of us on staff who have organized these activities.  We each took the lead on one big project.  My big project was working with the kids on our Darfur committee.  Yesterday was their day to present, which they did during both lunch periods.  They set up a slide show to run onstage in our Indoor Commons, which is also our cafeteria.  But that was just a tease to entice kids to check out their exhibit in our (unused this year) Home Ec room.  I can't post photos here, because that would break my 'no student photos' policy, but their presentation was a huge hit.  They wanted it to feel like night, so they put dark paper over the huge windows and strung a bunch of white lights.  They had a slide show running and built an example of a simple structure a Darfur refugee might have in one of the refugee camps.  They had an information table, where they provided handouts and answered questions.  They also encouraged visitors to their exhibit to write postcards to President Bush to encourage him to take action to protect innocent civilians in Darfur.  They made green ribbons that students and staff could be seen wearing the remainder of the day in solidarity.  And they created a green ribbon paper 'wall' where students could write their sentiments about Darfur on large green paper ribbons which we now have displayed in the school lobby. 

Our school district's school climate coordinator was on-site yesterday and I encouraged him to check out their presentation.  Afterwards, he told me that he'd told the kids he was so impressed that he wants them to take their show on the road--to do their presentation at our sister junior highs.  They were quite excited by that news, and I couldn't be prouder of them.

Today at lunchtime (all three grades have lunch together on Wednesdays) we're staging a cultural fashion show.  We had a dress rehearsal at the end of the schoolday on Monday.  The fashion show committee has pulled together some wonderful outfits for the show--from Pakistan and Ghana and Vietnam and Japan and China and India and Tonga, etc.  And the show is going to open with a special performance by our high school's award-winning Madrigals.  Yours truly will be the commentator, and this morning I'll be helping our decorations committee set the stage for the show.

Monday morning I helped our language tree committee hang their piece in the Indoor Commons.  The kids came up with this concept to show all of the different languages spoken by our students--as based on a language survey they gave to all students last week.

There's also a world map in the Indoor Commons.  Last Friday, every student was given an opportunity (during their P.E. classes) to put a dot on the map indicating the country or state or city they most identify with.

And yesterday during lunch the two girls heading up a hands mural project got students to write on paper hands the nationalities or races they most identify with along with one thought about unity.

Tomorrow is a minimum day so our teachers can join their fellow teachers at their sister schools in articulation meetings.  I'm looking forward to having a nice, quiet afternoon in the office just so I can catch up a little!  :) On Friday, our assembly committee will be doing two shows of their Unity Week assembly.

This weekend?  I plan to sleep.  ;)