Happy Birthday, Chad!

Chad was a charming infant, always engaged and put up with his new young mother, patient as he taught her the best way to baby a baby. We were at BYU at the time, hence the cap with the logo and the matching blue outfit (really, I chose it to match his blue, blue eyes). Given Chad's current proclivities for University of Utah and its school color of red, I think he'll like this picture much better. This one shows his curly blonde hair, and that engaging smile, which he still has. He sometimes calls himself "The Experimental Child," as he believes that the first child is where parents learn and make their mistakes, making them much better parents for those that follow. (I wonder if he believes his first son is experimental?) However, as a mother, I believe I was unbelievable lucky when I was gifted with such a kind, loving child. He always tried to keep the home running right, stepping in to take care of things when I was unable to. He's a good father now to his two sons, and a good husband to his lovely wife Kristen.

Happy Birthday, Chad, and we wish you many more!

 

*************** 

 

I had a great time down at Chad and Kristen's house today, playing Legos with the boys, enjoying a scruptious dinner with everyone, chatting with Chad (the birthday boy) and Kristen.

 

Candids from today: I was able to attend Relief Society in Chad and Kristen's ward, where she is the new second counselor. It was a great lesson as the teacher talked about the Book of Mormon as if we were in a Book Group (Let's see---everyone read the book? Familiar with the main characters and conflicts? Good.) I picked up the boys from their Primary classrooms, and they were happy to see me (perfect grandchildren, of course!). Andrew was carrying a picture of the first two people on the earth, and I said to him: Me: "Andrew, who are these two people?" Alex: "Oh that's easy. Adam and Eden." Chad grilled up some steak fajitas for us and they were delicious. We were serving up the food at the table and Chad said: Chad: "Andrew, do you want some steak?" Andrew: "Snake?" Chad: "Steak." Andrew: "I don't want any snake." Instead he ate guacamole, cheese, pita bread, and later, he had some snake--I mean, steak. This was quite the project: figuring out how to share the candles, deciding where they'd go, and in what order, and who should put in the most.

Candles lit!

A good day for everyone, hopefully the birthday boy too!

Visit to Arizona--April 2010

It's always good to set out on a trip, when the sky is blue, the hills are green and the clouds are drifting easily across the landscape. I headed out to Matthew's in Arizona the same weekend that Dave went north to Utah for a missionary reunion and to visit his family.

There's this section just outside Palm Springs of a length of burned bushes. I find it interesting, the nobby fingers of charred bark are their own kind of landscape.

We had planned to go out to the desert this year, but because of Dave's obligations we couldn't escape, but I enjoyed seeing all the different colors of wildflowers as I drove. Yes, this is one of those flying-at-top-speed photographs. I have to take a few just to get one decent one.

I arrived late Thursday afternoon, and it was good to see everyone. Kim's a little under the weather with morning sickness, so I didn't shoot too many photos of her, but tried to get some of the family. Here the girls donned their aprons and helped me bake Matthew's birthday cake on Friday.

 

Brooke likes her pacifier!

Brooke

Matthew has put in a garden on the side of his house.

Emilee and Megan set up a sliding game on their little ladder; they are good playmates and both are getting really tall.

Later on Friday, after Brooke had gone to bed, we celebrated with Matthew.

 

Matthew's missionary quilt 

The famous castle lemon cake--Happy Birthday!

I did some sewing for them while I was there. I mended Matthew's missionary quilt. I'd never gotten a good photo of it and now it was quite old. I remember laying out all the squares one night on my bedroom floor (the sewing machine and the computer were both in our bedroom at that time, as--can you believe it?--the children took up all the available other rooms. It was interesting that even at 1 a.m. in the morning (when I was sewing this all together) I managed to get a pattern going a little bit.

 

I also made pillow shams to match their bedroom quilt. 

I also made pillow shams to match their bedroom quilt. Here the lovely Anselmo girls model it for us.

Car wash, Saturday morning

Then, Saturday morning, I took off, hoping to avoid the Easter break traffic coming in off the desert. I gassed up and realized what most of Northern Arizona does on Saturday morning: get their cars washed.

An explanation of desert plants at the rest area.

I especially liked the ocotillo plant, with it's reddish flowers. 

Another lush specimen at the rest stop, the yellow flowers bursting out from waxy buds.

 It was a great, although quick trip, and I was glad to be able to see my little granddaughters, another kind of blooming flowers in the desert.

Visit to Northern California--March 2010

Dave and I took a trip up to Northern California last weekend. Originally it was only to see his grad student get married, but when we found out that Peter and Megan had Spring Break, that became the best reason to head up there.

We left Thursday morning, arriving just at closing time of Peter's business that he co-owns with Rashael. When she saw this photo, she said,"What? Looks like a couple of kids own this place!" Actually, you guys look pretty responsible and capable to me.

Peter hard at work. He posted the cartoon on his Facebook page, to explain what he does all day.

When I asked him about his hair, his answer reminded me of a sailing metaphor: He tacks long, then he tacks short, and somewhere in the middle is the right length. Currently he's tacking long.

Then it was follow him home to see Megan--home from her graduate work and studies at UCDavis.

Peter, Megan and Dave with their huge lemon tree. It received a haircut after we left.

Dave and their dog, Allie.

 

Allie doing tricks with Megan. They are waving.

Playing dead. This is my favorite trick.

After touring their home, seeing their kitchen renovations and backyard (with the garden), we headed off to eat sushi, wander around Borders Books and the tiny little garden to its side. The next morning Peter, Dave and I walked to the bagel place, and brought home some bagels for breakfast, then it was time to say good-bye and let these two go at their day.

So, we headed down into the Delta--something new for us.

We traveled atop one of the levees we've heard so much about, winding our way through farmland--the farms on the left, sunken below the road and the Sacramento River/Delta on our right, kept back by the levees. It was an interesting lesson about this area.

Notice the direct freeway route to Berkeley. However, the turquoise line is the path we took. 

We sort of knew where we were headed--trying to keep the Delta on our right as we headed down. Then we got to a curve in the road, where there was this sign and a ferry crossing, but "knew" we shouldn't cross it because we're keeping the river on our right. Right?

 

We should have taken the ferry, which we realized after we came upon the sign again. Yep. 

Ferry Ride across the Delta.

2116 Randolph Court All of a sudden I remembered the address of the home where Matthew came to as a baby. We detoured. It looks same, but really different. I could swear that mailbox is in the same place as when I left to move to New York.

Taken March 1977, when it was brand brand brand new.

This is taken April 1979. Chad's on the left, looking up at something, I'm holding Matthew, pregnant with Barbara.

 

Dave had read about the Cheese Coop in Berkeley and the Cheeseboard Pizza Collective. We meandered to Berkeley with our usual hysteria of Elizabeth at the wheel and Dave as Navigator (Note: it works much better the other way and that's all I'll say about that), and found it. Dave has Parking Karma, so I just let him find the place to park. We ate at next door at the Cheeseboard Pizza Collective (in Berkeley of course, where everyone is just so. . . earnest). It's one flavor of pizza a day--and you either have a slice, or two or whatever. We had really good salads to go with that as well. Then next door, I picked up a chocolate cookie and a gingerbread cookie.

Then off to the Berkeley Rose Garden, where Dave saw the Golden Gate bridge. 


Across the street is the park where I used to play the summer we lived there (on Euclid street, I believe) while Dad did something or other important. This is where I learned to play Mancala, using holes dug in the sand and eucalyptus nuts as the tokens. I made Dave go back for more cookies. The chocolate ones were sold out (already??) so I picked up two gingerbread cookies for the road. Then we decided to play Friday afternoon traffic in the Bay Area. (P.S. It's still not as bad as Los Angeles.) We arrived at our hotel (bless our little GPS feature on our iPhones!) and were pleasantly surprised, although it did feature the usual Revenge of the C+ Student-type desk clerk. We decided on a fish taco place, then home to crash.

The next morning, We went on a walk along the Los Gatos creek, across a walking bridge and down the other side and back to the hotel for pre-fab (read: ick) breakfast. Then Dave wanted to go and hike the redwoods, or drive somewhere. I revolted, and we went to the San Jose Museum of Art, where they had a Wayne Theibaud retrospective. Loved it. Loved Thiebaud.

   

Coastal Farms 2008 I loved this one--the colors, etc.

Lunch at the museum cafe--fabulous.

Avocado-Tangerine Soup at the Museum

At the museum, I had the chicken breast with roasted peppers on focaccia along with avocado-tangerine soup. Oh my. That was HEAVEN. A chilled soup, it was creamy, light tasting with some tomato garnish. I asked the waiter if the chef gave out the recipe. He looked at me blankly. Then I realized that the server didn't speak any English so I asked him in Spanish, then I didn't understand HIS answer.

This little cottage is on site at Nestledown.

Back to the hotel to change in our wedding clothes and drive to Nestldown in the Santa Cruz mountains where Lisa and Drew's wedding was held.  The wedding was down in a small little glen near a lake, and it was lovely. There's nothing like a wedding to make you want to hold hands and lean against each other. Smiles.

Lisa and Andrew.

Coming up the hill from the wedding location, I walked past the caterer's tent, and admired the paella that was cooking.

Snacks and hors d'ouvres 

It was a lovely evening, a lovely trip.

We were back on the road in the morning by 8 a.m. and home in the early afternoon.  We enjoyed seeing all the wildflowers along the sides of the road--everything in spring bloom.