Saturday, June 29, 2013

out at the deYoung

Coffee by Richard Diebenkorn
I love this exhibit of 120 paintings and drawings by the artist who was raised
in our own Ingleside Terraces SF neighborhood and then lived in Berkeley
from 1953 to 1966, when these particular works were created. I love the
(what I call) pensive women room, but Diebenkorn captures the Bay Area
landscape in truly impressive ways too. Now through the end of September.

Friday, June 28, 2013

saved by the text!

The Great Plot and Duck invited us out of the garage for a real meal
last night. Deeeeeelicious salmon, mango salad, cucumber salad,
grilled asparagus, toasted Acme bread, coffee and Mitchell's ice cream.
Very nice, thank you so much, we needed that and some catch-up
conversation too.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

it all started here

San Francisco City Hall celebrates the Scotus decision
Nine years ago the first same sex marriages in the United States occurred
here under the bold leadership of Mayor Gavin Newsom.  Yesterday the
Supreme Court said "Yes!" to equality and justice for all. It was a great
day indeed and much celebration all over the world.

I also want to give a "YOU GO GIRL!" to the filibustering Sen. Wendy Davis
who stood and talked on the legislature floor for 11 solid hours in (of all
places) Texas to keep that draconian anti-woman bill from passing last
Tuesday night. There will be more fights ahead, but Wendy and her
supporters are certainly prepared.

Today I am filled with hope and yes, pride. Sometimes progress seems so
slow, then we go backward, then onward. I guess it's always been that way...

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

muddling through

Breakfast prep on the washing machine here in the garage, right next
to my office. The painters are doing a great job ~  you look forward to before
and after photos in about a week. THEN you'll know the color, I said then
and not before. Now I must turn on the TV to see if Scotus did the right
thing re marriage equality for everyone. Fingers, toes crossed...

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

blinded by pink

hmmmmm, I thought I fixed this, but it was a luscious cake!

guests gather

Chris surprises Lucy

guest of honor and many gifts

beautiful baby blanket

Ruby remembers her shower
It was such a successful baby shower yesterday ~ lots of food, people, fun,
laughter and gifts for the mother-to-be. We couldn't use the backyard of
the hostess because of the rain, but that didn't really dampen anyone's
spirits. I used the GPS to find the house in Oakland and what a fabulous
invention that is. I'm good within the confines of our SF, but am directionally
challenged outside of my little world. Lucybelle is loved by so many people
at the museums and we were all able to shower her with some of our
warm feelings yesterday. New girl child will be born in a month...

Monday, June 24, 2013

temp kitchen in garage

This morning at 8:30 the painters will arrive to spend a few days with us
and of course there is some upheaval, but Husbando and I are staying calm
and when he saw the above he said, "oh, like a picnic!" I'm missing the dogs
and cats this morning because there is a baby shower for Lucybelle over
in Oakland at noon, so fur will fly around here anyway. Onward!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

the Bluths before sleep

Every night we watch one or two episodes on Arrested Development
streamed on Netlix® via Roku®. We never watched it before and
now understand why so many people were hooked on it for so long.
Half hour episodes, surprise guest stars, very Southern California,
funny and totally crazy family, irreverence, political incorrectness and
there are 68 episodes. We are on number 20 now ~ these fools are quite
wonderful after a harrowing drama or bad baseball game.


Saturday, June 22, 2013

sunshine and flowers

I had a delightful day puttering in the garden and taking care of some
chores in the house. Cleaned up (well, re-stacked) some papers in
my office and just relaxed and appreciated my life. Got my exercise
in up at 24 LITE and walked that neighborhood before coming home
to a bubble bath and three more episodes of Arrested Development
on Roku. How did we live before that invention? I work today and
tomorrow, so I needed my mostly people-free day off.

Friday, June 21, 2013

hoarders unite!


No, no ~ we are actually prepping for a painting project that begins next
Monday and will probably last for a week or so. Kitchen, back room,
back porch, pantry and cupboards. This has been a perfect time to wash
everything thoroughly and to toss things we haven't needed in 10 years or
more. So far the marriage is holding up okay, but those of you who have
gone through this know that it can be a strain on those ties that bind.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

a day @ the Jewel

new coffee spot!

an almost-fight ~ Padres fault, of course
That was a GREAT game yesterday, in the sunshine, of course. Need I mention
that we won? But then I bussed home to hear the very, very sad news about
James Gandolfini. Oh, how we looked forward to those Sunday night Soprano
events, really our work and home lives revolved around Carm, Tony, Dr.
Malfi, Meadow, Big Pussy, AJ, Paulie, etc.  One of the BEST TV series in
the history of television. R.I.P. James/Tony.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

guess again

London? Paris? Amsterdam?

NYC? Boston?
Nope, this beautiful area is in downtown Oakland, 9th and Broadway to
be exact. It's called "Old Oakland" ~ of course it's all rather new and
impressive. Quite a few restaurants around here too, I'm sure the condos
are pricey, but not as bad as SF. I came upon this yesterday after my
visit to Right Wing Wong, dentist extraordinaire. Alas, a lot of downtown
Oakland still needs work...all those empty store fronts.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

not an illusion

Somehow these air bubbles look almost magical, don't they? Here we
have RR floating around at the San Mateo Fair and looking increasingly
like her sister Claire these days. And her mama is one damn good photographer!

Monday, June 17, 2013

Black Watch ~ amazing theater

Ten men in the elite Black Watch Regiment from Scotland ~ two hours
of bagpipes, explosions, boredom, sorrow, history, politics, dancing and
drama. This might be the best anti-war play that I've ever seen. It's
universal, yet personal. I got my Kleenex® out about two minutes into
the production and didn't put them away until the two standing ovations
for these hard-working actors. ACT staged this at the (1914) Mission
Armory, a fortress with a history at 14th and Mission. Alas, this was the
final performance here in SF and it was phenomenal. (Again, check out
the SF Theater Blog over there on the right for a GREAT review.)

A friend of ours who saw the play too, said that he'd foolishly go to war
again for the whole "I'd die for my mates and country," theme. He
served in Vietnam and HATES war and all it stands for, so you can
see how powerful this production was on so many, many levels.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

cleansing the palate

My friend with The Fevered Brain recommended Louise Penny and
her mysteries that take place around and about Quebec. I'm certainly
enjoying this first one on my post-LindaKindle®. Some books are
just made for e-reader joy...

Saturday, June 15, 2013

remember masked mama?

My anonymous source sent this photo from last night.

Friday, June 14, 2013

coffee before work

That bright blue strip is the ocean. I needed a little solitude after all the
visitors, so I went to the Legion of Honor about an hour before my work
shift and just sat to watch the (few) golfers and appreciate the cool,
clear air and my strong, black coffee from home. It's all been a great
whirlwind and I can't tell you how much I have benefitted from marrying
into a large and perfectly functional (ahem) family. Nancy is everything
a step mother could wish for ~ strong, warm, loving, fun, etc. And,
thankfully, her daughters (though very different from each other) are
so much like her in so many ways that the eternal beat goes on, as it should...

Thursday, June 13, 2013

there are burgers, and there are...

Boulevard burger and fries

Caramel bar w/ popcorn, ice cream, grape tapioca (?)
OK, I really need to fast for about a week after Nancy leaves this morning.
Yesterday we had our fancy family lunch at Boulevard. What recession?
Honestly, that was the BEST burger ever, after the baby romaine cesar salad
and before the unusual and glorious dessert. It was fun and special and
we won't forget that meal for a long, long time.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

introductory visit






Chiliquiles at Mijita (Ferry Building Plaza)
The Exploratorium is in its brand new home down at Pier 15 and we four had
a fine time wandering around for a few hours until we got too hungry and
had to have yet another filling meal. You can see in the photos that it was
a typical June fog-morning, but the sun was out by lunch time and we could
eat outside. (I always think of The Fevered Brain when I admire a brightly
colored oil cloth under my meal). But back to the Explo...

Our favorite part (so far) was the Bay Observatory Gallery ~ in and out of
doors. We poured over old and new maps of SF and marveled at all the
experiments that the researchers are working on. The Central Corrideor
had many, many hands-on experiments and the place was packed with
children of all ages having the time of their lives. It appears that all the
displays and experiments are child proof and we highly recommend this
to everyone, especially to families.

We hear that the Seaglass Restaurant inside the Explo.  is excellent.
We just popped in to see the bar because they have bits of dry ice
floating about under one's drink and that is a fun extra touch. So take
your summer visitors here and spend a most creative day.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

fresh fish in frisco

whole Dorado (?) fish in red sauce
I had emailed Nancy photos of our previous dinner at Pesce on busy Polk
(Vallejo Street) and since they don't offer a lot of oysters, crab, etc. in either
Elgin, Illinois or Colorado Springs, the "girls" really craved this seafood
bonanza last night. I was so busy eating that I didn't get a photo until the
end of the meal, and by now we were all full and didn't tear into the fish
as quickly as we all had with the many previous fabulous dishes. This
restaurant does the small plate concept beautifully and the choices are
wide and colorful. Don't miss the oysters, scallops, ciopinno, crab tower.
I'm still full this morning!

Monday, June 10, 2013

family dinner and chatter

Back to blue and white

Ceci and Nancy

Uncle John and his niece

Fancy dessert
Everything worked smoothly yesterday ~ it's good that Nancy used to live
here and knows her way around the house and city. Today "the girls" are
going up to Napa and tonight we'll gather for dinner again, but this time at
Pesce for some fresh fish and more family (errrrrrrr) news.(No, don't
call it opinionated gossip, we are f-a-m-i-l-y.)

Sunday, June 09, 2013

dust begone!

Husbando and I have been busy getting the house ready for daughter
Nancy and g.dot, Ceci, who arrive today. The former flies in from
Chicago, the latter from Denver. They will stay for four days and
every room has been cleaned thoroughly from top to bottom. Well,
this office is a mess, but they won't spend much time in here. Son
John and his wife Kathy will join us soon for an early casual dinner
and now best I get a photo of the table for you for tomorrow's post.

Saturday, June 08, 2013

fate or l-o-v-e?

Fort Mason, last Sunday
Sometimes I just like to sit and ponder how come I'm so lucky. To live here
for most of my after-college life. We did spend a bit of time in Kansas City
(please, god, no more) and San Diego (how right is/was the right wing?)
and when Husbando was offered a GREAT job in Ohio (or was it Iowa?)
and I said (meaning it), "you'll have to go alone, I know I must live in SF."
I wasn't brave then, I had just lost my heart to this city and I could not be
happy anyplace else. And yes, it's changing and difficult and filled with
too young, too rich techies, but still, on a busy Sunday afternoon to be
able to sit on an old wooden bench right on the edge of the bay, to breathe
in the clean air and bask a bit in the sunshine before heading in to see an
outstanding play ("Terminus") ~ man, we are living the best life possible
and I do not ever want to take that for granted. Talkin' gratitude here...

Friday, June 07, 2013

oh, mama...

A friend sent me this photo of their back deck dinner guest. Soon
we'll see the little ones, I'm quite sure.

Thursday, June 06, 2013

lunch in the nabe (with friends)

start

finish

constant
One of the great pleasures for us is walking to/fro for lunch or dinner in this
strange and sometimes beguiling city. Yesterday we met Mr. and Ms. Plottie
at Noeteca on 28th and Dolores. You remember that I went here with Neti
a few months ago? Well, we had all walked or driven by this tiny restaurant
many, many times (it's mid-way between our two homes) and yet it took
someone from Twin Peaks to show us how terrific it is. I ate waaaaaay too
much and later in the day hit 24 LITE for a light workout. Lovely day,
despite our June fog which has indeed arrived.

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

are you going to Abigail's Party?

Mike Leigh (who was the screenwriter for my fave Vera Drake film)
wrote this play back in 1978, when the London middle class was
becoming as status conscious as we Americans already were. The
details are amazing. Bill English (Artistic Director) told us that he
designed and printed the wallpaper on the set because he couldn't
find anything authentic enough.

The five actors are terrific, but the best Bev ever invented is Susi
Damilano, the co-founder and Producing Director of SF Playhouse.
Drinking, smoking, flirting ~ wanting more/more/more. We all
knew women like her and maybe, just maybe, we were more like
the ever-restless Bev than we like to admit.

The play is directed by Amy Glazer, another exceedingly talented
director. Through July 6th and highly recommended by both of us.

(Again, for a GREAT review, click over there on SF Theater Blog.)

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Guapo in the sun


Hmmmmmm, if you've ever had a full-time lap cat, this won't really be
a selling point. As predicted, the beautiful Applesauce was adopted and
I know he is happy/happy. Everything was smooth yesterday, some
animals, a light workout, coffee with a friend and yikes, the day is over!
I did get some walking in too and that always helps.

Monday, June 03, 2013

three kinds of hell

Terminus is not an easy play, but it was more than worthwhile, that's
for sure. For a great review, check out the SF Theater Blog over there
on our right. We saw it yesterday down at the Magic (free parking!)
because we'd heard and read so many outstanding things about this
play by Mark O'Rowe. Plus we know Stacy Ross and Carl Lumbly from
past performances and they can do no wrong. What an experience, I
guess it's called prose poetry, but if you love words this is the best ever
kind of a play. No intermission and almost no breathing. The three
people above live intertwining lives, all painful with just a dash of
hope from time-to-time. Honestly, it's exhilarating theater. Go!