just toss the shells

...on the elegant newspaper table "cloth". Before dinner Husbando
was checking crab and pasta recipes, worried about what we would
do with all the leftovers. We bought too much crab for six people,
but a miracle occurred ~ all gone! Every last piece. I prefer the crab
roasted with garlic, lemon and butter (don't ask how much) rather
than served cold, so Husbando cooked up a feast for 6 of us. The
Duck baked and brought a scrumptious sour cream/lemon pie,
which was perfect after our simple meal of salad, bread and crab.

Our old friend Bill Watkins was here from Las Vegas, visiting his
friend (and ours) Ginger. The Plotniks are always welcome at
our table and it was a great evening. Memorable, actually.

And how about this? The Plotniks took the newspaper and all
those shells home with them for their garbage pick-up, since
ours was Monday morning. Now, talk about friendship!

is that a garage?

No, this is where we bought our crabs for dinner tonight. It's
the Alioto-Lazio Fish Co. at 440 Jefferson Street in (of all places)
Fisherman's Wharf. We are having a little dinner party tonight
and we needed fresh crab, right out of the ocean. This is the
real deal and it's run by women, so you know it's excellent.

So nice to actually see and walk down around Fisherman's
Wharf. It's so touristy, but without the tourists this morning.
Beautiful sunny and clear weather. Free parking, too.

We are both looking forward to a v. nice evening with friends ~
bread, crab, garlic, lemon, too much butter and lots of laughter.
People help each other heal, but you already knew that...

kevin kline ages well

This is a strange little NYC movie, but since it was written by
Jonathan Ames (of Bored to Death fame), we decided to watch
it last night. I can't really recommend The Extra Man, but
that's Katie Holmes over there on the left, FYI. Kevin teaches
his young roommate how to scam New York society by
being a charming, single and available escort.

In other news, the long time friends of our Seahorse are
working on a virtual memorial for him and I will contribute
a few paragraphs. Interesting, trying to condense down a
friendship and get the essence of what a special person has
meant to me.

back to books

I tried reading The Shadow of the Wind a couple of years ago
and just couldn't get into it. It's one of those books that all
sorts of people are always recommending, so I gave it another
try when we went up to Sea Ranch. As so often happens with
me and a certain book, this time it grabbed me and I'm lost
in a fantasy mystery world in Barcelona, with a side trip or
two to Paris. The main character is a bookseller ~ how could
I not have appreciated it before?

small table, big thanks

I had to deal with Madame Grief throughout the day, but it felt
good to chop, clean and cook. It's always nice to be with friends
and this year we enjoyed Jennie, a new friend of mine from the
Legion of Honor. All the food was delicious and I was actually
able to laugh from time to time. Tonight is back to work at the
deYoung. I've been doing some Writing as Therapy instead of
holding it all in the way I have done in the past when Grief Girl
comes to slap me around.

My darling step daughter, Nancy, sent the floral centerpiece.
I have much to be grateful for, even this year.

forever in our hearts

It's over. Rest in peace, dear Michael, very special person.
Seahorse, friend and confidante.
I'm so glad we could say goodbye last Sunday.
Michael V. Selhorst
Born 01/05/55 ~ died 11/24/10.
Waaaaaaay too soon.

go, enjoy!

The Magic Theatre should be commended heartily for producing
OR, a funny and articulate play about Charles II, Nell Gwynne and
Aphra Behn, the first professional woman playwright. It's written
by Liz Duffy Adams and has lots of wonderfully sharp feminist
points to tickle our funny bones. It's only here through Dec. 5,
so reserve now ~ online or (415) 441-8001. I mean it!

After the play there was a surprise marriage proposal from Maggie
Mason's love that brought tears to our eyes. Maggie is the ultra
talented woman with arms raised and her boyfriend was dressed
in an Olde English costume. He isn't an actor, so he kept saying
"Line!" and a friend of theirs in the 3rd row would help him out.
Great fun and exactly what we needed last night. (And yes,
she accepted.)

happy, happy birthday!

To the sweetest and best 7 year old girl in the world. I so clearly
remember the day you were born, dear RR, and you brought
much joy to so many people. Have a delightful birthday and
you will party all week long, that much I know.

Thanks for sharing your mama with me these past 3 days ~
she is a wonderful friend.

heading home

Saying goodbye to Michael was not nearly as horrible as it sounds.
We spent a lot of time holding hands and talking quietly and I
was able to thank him in person for 13 years of friendship.
He slept a lot and his friends were there talking and reminiscing
and I could see him smile every once in awhile.

People were in and out of the room and he was never alone and
won't be. I don't think any of us can ask for more than that when
we are dying. That and a good strong Peet's latte, maybe.

The doctor was very frank about this probably being his last
week. It was interesting to listen to him sort of wait for the
patient to see if he should back off or be blunt. Michael opted
for one more quick chemo dose, but I don't think anyone is
expecting miracles at this point.

The Blogmaid and I returned to the Hyatt in Valencia last
night and I slept more and better than I have in a long time.
She is still snoozing as I type here in the Lobby and try
to process this whole Circle of Life business.

I couldn't have done this without the Blogmaid who will
read this soon before we pack up and drive North on The 5.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

ever been to Valencia, CA?

The Blogmaid drove beautifully (and quickly) from SF here to
Valencia where they have some sort of mountain filled with
magic. We have a perfect little $119 room at the Hyatt and I
am down in the lobby drinking coffee and watching the
guests roll their luggage out. I spot a hangover or two, but
none on these two women road warriors. Our dinner was
at Johnny Rocket's and Ms. Blogmaid cut me off of coffee
because of sleep issues. Chocolate milk shakes help, always.

Michael is at the City of Hope and his friend Kris sent us
the usual SoCal instructions. "You are nearby, but take these
47 different freeways East, West, etc. OK." The Blogmaid
is sleeping and we will get going in about 2 hours. She
wants to stop by the home where I grew up and that will
be a diversion. Pasadena, I'm back ~ lock up your right
wingers because I'm not in the mood for politics.

We had some nice clear weather on the drive down and
it only rained on the icky Grapevine. Wouldn't you know?
It was special spending time together, very special.

road warriors

The Blogmaid and I are heading to Whittier to see our friend
Michael who is not doing too well. I thank her deeply and
graciously for her kindness and friendship.

I will report in from somewhere South of here tomorrow.
Thank you for your good and generous thoughts

oysters, crab, fries (chips)

Nick's Cove in Marshall

Nick's very own pier

Just for the Blogmaid

We packed up the Glass House (named for the owner, not the
architecture) and were on the road by 10am yesterday. A long,
windy road as you all know, through Bodega Bay, etc. Lots of
pull-off-here! because of the big men in their big pickup trucks
and SUVs. Pushing faster and faster...

Nick's Cove is owned by our own Mr. Kuleto and it is worth
the drive from SF. Fresh seafood and beautiful views of the
quiet bay. Friendly service too. Go!

Always nice to be hone, especially after such a lovely time.
Work tonight. Can I do it?

food, stars and the sea

Mexican Restaurant in Gualala ~ outside dining!

Ginger's salad

Careful prep...

OK, we haven't talked much about food. Because we are foodies,
living in foodie heaven here in SF, it's difficult not to be snobs
when we travel to small towns. The best place in Gualala, as far
as we could tell, was Trinks pictured right above this graph. Fine
coffee, pastry and gelato. We would have fruit and yogurt every
morning and go out for lunch everyday. The Mexican place
wasn't nearly as good as our favorites here, but it was heavenly
to sit outside in the sun.

After a leisurely and somewhat sarcastic lunch we shopped at
Surf Super or the Gualala Market ~ nothing fancy, no fuss.
Icky beef stew one night (Ginger wondered if it were rabbit and
Husbando said, "no it would be better if it were rabbit,") and
some chicken and potato salad the night before. So on our
final night Ginger fixed the colorful salad that rated a feature
in commano. Very, very tasty.

We'd take a long walk in the morning and one in the afternoon
and inevitably have to rush home before it was pitch black.
Easy to get lost out there in Sea Ranch, but we'd follow the
ocean as we watched the sun set dramatically into the sea.
Last night we got wise and took a flashlight and map, but
forgot our glasses so we couldn't read the damn map.

I woke Ginger up at 4:15 am to watch the meteor shower.
Hmmmmm, not too successful and at first I thought it was
a fishing boat with 4 lights. Saw the Big Dipper, but no
shower. It was cold out on the back deck so we watched
from Ginger's upstairs bedroom, talking quietly and
enjoying the quiet house. Then back to bed for some
good sleep which was and is much needed.

Now we are home. It was a fabulous escape and I'll
tell you about a great (honest) restaurant in Marshall
tomorrow.

sunrise, sunset...

From our front deck this morning (above)

Last night's sunset ~ it happened too quickly, much like life. Ginger
and I almost got lost in the dark without phones or flashlight.

And finally this mule deer came to study us and we can see that he
was listening intently. Now that we have finally discovered where
all the light switches, stove buttons, pot holders and dish soap are
hidden away, it's almost time to go home. It has been a memorable
weekend and I've been recording my thoughts for the Round Robins.

photos! photos!

From our morning walk

Our much-used fireplace

Inside the Sea Ranch Chapel

We love this little non-denominational chapel

Lazy days here at the Glass House in Sea Ranch. Lots of sunshine,
coffee, walking and reading. Oh yes, and a nap or two at odd times.
Lunch today at the Cove in Gualala and then we brought home
easy take out meals so no one really has to cook. The house is big,
Ginger gets her own upstairs space. Comfortable beds too, such
a treat. And so far, we brought everything we need, including the
camera adaptor cable. Smart, no?

prepare for too many photos!

Ginger, Husbando and I are off to Sea Ranch this morning. I
need to pack, but of course MsBook and camera and 45 cords
of different sizes and colors go with us. Then just jeans and
sweats and a couple of books. I am taking a little cribbage
board to see if we remember how to play this game. (I
printed out rules from the internet just in case our memories
are hazy. Hahahahahah. That's a joke.)

I will write tomorrow morning from in front of the fireplace,
after our first walk. Coffee mug in hand. Deer at the window.

cold and dreary

Probably not the best movie to watch after a difficult retail
day. Winter's Bone tells the sad and harsh story of a 17 year
old girl in the Ozarks who is searching for her drug-dealing
dad to save the family. I love John Hawkes who is her uncle
and Jennifer Lawrence is superb as the brave daughter, but
even though this won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance,
it's not exactly fun and games. Pass the Kleenex®!

today's feel good photo

Beauty treatments for RR and one of her horses. We are getting
ready for our girl's 7th b.day (can you believe that?) and it means
lots of parties and gala preparations. Stay tuned...

day off filled with joy

And lots of food, of course. Delicious lunch at Zazie, a lovely French
restaurant in Cole Valley. Plottie and Duck treated us to burgers,
a croque madame, mussels, gingerbread dessert and excellent
conversation. Waaaaay too much wonderful food, as usual. Thanks!
There were 4 birthdays in our Tiapos writing group to celebrate last
night. We almost set Mistress Jane's kitchen on fire with all the
candles. I didn't get home until after 10pm because everyone had
something to read and I'll especially remember Will walking and
talking to Norman Mailer in Provincetown. Priceless.

I'll just do a sneak preview...

I turned on my LindaKindle last night to play a word game
and read the daily book blog (excellent) and poke around a
bit. I have real books here, but what the hey, I can read a bit
of the new Grisham. We all know he's not a great writer, and
yet. And yet...

Take it from me, a writer who struggles with plot ~ this guy
gets it down. I was hooked/hooked/hooked on The Confession
by the time the 3rd chapter sample expired. Amazon does so
many things right, making it cheap and easy to order an e-book
is just one small example.

corn fritters, spare ribs, more...

Faithful readers will remember that the dear Dancing Jen introduced
me to this fine restaurant down on Sutter Street. Yesterday I met
Husbando at E&O Trading Company for lunch and we celebrated
life with way too much delicious food. They saved a comfy booth
for us and we sat side-by-side (so European) and got caught up
with each other. I've been working too hard and too much and I
tend to forget what's really important. We've all been there...

Then he took off for the Moma, but I had enough of museums
for this week and continued to poke around downtown.
I love SF.

baseball in Sweden?

Do you think the Giants logo will ever reach this status? We
watched The Girl Who Played with Fire the other night and
although it's not as well done as the Dragon Tattoo, it is
still fun to watch Noomi Rapace dispose of the many,
many bad guys. Long live Lisbeth!

ah yes, very sweet

The play is entitled Marcus or The Secret of Sweet and it's the final of
the Brother/Sister Plays trilogy by the talented playwright Tarell Alvin
McCraney. This is a coming-of-age story, but even more so because
Marcus is a gay (sweet) black man trying to find his identity. It's
filled with humor, tragedy and beauty. I wish I hadn't been so tired
last night (five days of heavy customer work stuff), but Husbando
loved it as did the entire audience. See it at ACT.

ah, friendship

You can't help but be happy when you see RR and her friend
who lost the exact same tooth this week. Thanks, Blogmaid!

a mini review

We aren't huge Jonah Hill fans, but Russell Brand plays an unruly
rock star in this movie and he is excellent. Jonah works as a record
company intern whose job it is to get Russell from London to the
Greek Theater in L.A. Get Him to the Greek is a comedy and was
a nice little diversion for us in between those tension-filled
baseball games. But no, it's not a great movie in any respect,
in my most humble opinion.

pout over

Alrighty, time to cover a few other important topics. I'd heard
about this novel The Help for about a year, only good things.
It takes place during the Civil Rights movement in the heart
of it all, Jackson, Mississippi. The plot is fabulous and moves
along quickly, with some interesting details about the Deep
South going through some huge changes. This is a good time
for me to remember that when there are advances, the push
back can be vicious.

missing the Giant parade

(from my Round Robin daily write)

Why didn't I call out sick yesterday? Others did. Thousands and
thousands did. I could have called my boss after the World Series
Win on Monday night and told him I'd like to take an unpaid day
off. My boss took a day off yesterday to go to the parade.
What's wrong with me?

It's that damn work ethic. Burned into me at an early age by my
Republican parents. Work before pleasure. Be a good girl. Work hard.
The fact that my parents never worked (due to inherited money)
never seems to enter the picture of why I push so hard.

I loved the parade from a far yesterday. The saving grace was that Bill
got to go and he could describe it in detail last night. How he took the
Muni with our neighbor across the street and his daughter, all the
marijuana smoke, how he had to look through the upraised hands of
fans taking photos, seeing all the players, waving at Willie Mays and
Bruce Bochy in the long convertible cars from the Fifties.

Then we watched it all last night on TV. Bill was at 6th and Market,
so he hadn't been at City Hall. Bless Mayor Newsom for not wanting to
talk about being elected Lt. Governor of California on Tuesday. It
was all about the Giants yesterday.

I don't have many regrets in my life. None that I can think of, truly.
Missing this celebration might be the only one. Now, when and
where can I get a DVD?

back to Halloween

I'm ready to cover a few things that have gathered on my computer
and my messy desk. Some non-baseball items. Imagine. Above you'll
see a woman I work with, Rita, out at the deYoung. Many of us wore
costumes for Halloween and her Van Gogh was the very best. Lots
of customers begged her for a photo and she was gracious. It helps
that she is a natural red head, and an artist.

the orange afterglow

The Sporting Green is ORANGE today. Our city is bathed in orange and
the parade is tomorrow. Can it be true? After all these years the Giants
have won the World Series. How very, very sweet this is. Incredible and
unbelievable. Last night, after the Win, we turned the lights on our back
deck, screamed a few times and listened to the horns honking and
the hundreds of fans carrying on all over the city.

We discovered baseball in the early 90's. Most everyone knows the story
of how we were heading for bankruptcy, working 24/7 to save our dying
business. We had free tickets to Candlestick and we went to one game.
They needed us and we needed them. In those days there were freebies
and specials all the time because the ballpark was huge and half empty
most of the time. They especially wanted us out there at night when the
fog and wind blew plastic bags all over the place on the field and in the
stands. We earned free pins, tee shirts and even two comfy-warm Giants
jackets that we wear to this day. But no World Series win.

We found hope at Candlestick. Hope and humor and the chance to
sit for a few hours and talk about baseball. We had an unspoken
agreement not to talk about business or the bleak future. Instead,
we knew the name of the ushers who would encourage us to move
down from cheap to better seats. We'd go early and sit in the 3rd
row down front to eat our garlic fries and drink the free Cokes in
the sometimes sunshine. We'd watch batting practice and simply not
worry about anything except how come our bull pen broke down last
night and why is Matty limping today? We became baseball experts
and the Giants kept us sane for a decade or so.

The heartbreaking Giants' losses finally ended last night in the
5th game of the World Series. Oh, what a win!

bumgarner ~ all of 21 yo

Eight innings of shutout pitching. Such an impressive game and so
wonderful to see this young guy win a pivotal game. We are now
3 games to 1 and if we win tonight we are the World Series champs.
Real (old) Giants fans still can't believe it. I have a whole week of
other things to tell you about, but they pale beside this phenomenal news.