Baby Boy

Not such a baby anymore~ today, he is 19 years old & still my heart's joy. Clever, funny, & kind, he's a good friend, a protective son, & a man of integrity~ his motto: "Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life." Any wonder I am such a proud parent? Happy Birthday, Sam.

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The votes are in~ two for Vegas, one for the Grand Canyon, one for the Northwest, & several "Gee, I have no ideas" ~ so we are heading to... Washington DC! Yes, we were there two years ago, but were only able to see a fraction of what we wanted, so we figured it's the right time to go back. The plan is to fly into DC, spend three days in the museums, & then take the train south to Richmond, VA to spend the remaining four days sightseeing & fly home from there. The travel folder has been started, with the Nation Museum of American History, Monticello, & Williamsburg on the "must-do" list; oh, and in case you were wondering, I have already reserved our tour of the Washington Monument~ no repeat drama this trip

What do you do...

...when you have a week of vacation coming up, sans any children for the first time in, oh, about forever (9 years, actually, but close enough), and no idea where you should go?
Ask your blog friends!
Yep, here's your chance to tell Meg where to go...on vacation that is :-)
We've had a little tax-time windfall and I've got the itch to travel after nearly 2 years of staycations, but haven't been able to decide where to go in mid-April that doesn't require a passport (Chris doesn't have his yet & I'm not about to go thru the deadline drama like my trip to Canada!)
Any ideas?

Thankful Thursday

I've mentioned before that I've been following the Simple Abundance path for the past couple of years, and with this new year, I've been feeling convicted about sliding past the very first principle, Gratitude. I know I lead a blessed and contented life, full of gifts, grace, and the simple pleasures that make me happy; yet too often, I fail to express my gratefulness, not only with God, but also with my family and friends. I’m guilty of letting the speed of life and the myriad of commitments to keep me in blinder, focused on the next task, the next goal, instead of savoring the here-and-now moments of joy and blessing.

One of the ladies I visit on my blog rounds is Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses; she has been posting "Thankful Thursday" for quite some time and I always enjoy dropping by to see what cheers the heart of each person. This time, I’m joining in with a few things I am thankful for and mentally committing myself to being more aware all the good that surrounds me:

A roof over my head each night;

sharing my home those who love me;

having a job, however uncertain;

being able to treat snow as a novelty;

dental insurance;

modern plumbing;

having a car paid off!

A fresh new page

Welcome to the new year, 365 days of promise & mystery; all I will ask for is my daily portion of grace to face whatever comes my way, and that I will find contentment in where I find myself at the end of each day.

Yesterday, after a late morning start, we wound our way east towards the mountains, stopping in the little town of Murphys for lunch (a great burger with fresh sweet potato fries) and then up to Calaveras Big Trees State Park, elevation 4000 ft

We bundled up and went out for an hour stroll thru the giant sequoias~ not particularly strenuous, but somewhat hazardous given the six to ten inches of hard-pack snow and ice on the trails.

For the life of me, I could not get any traction in my hikers, and had to hold on to Chris' arm the whole way to avoid another fall~ now that my arm is finally bordering on the functional, I am not about to go thru all that nonsense again!

We continued up Highway 4 until we reached the road closure at Bear Valley Resort, right around 7000 ft; it was approaching sunset, so we took a little stroll to the Hell's Kitchen overlook to watch for the full moon rising thru the clouds (only glimpses and no decent photos), before heading back to our valley home.

After an impromptu gathering at our friends home for games, snacks, and noise makers at midnight, we were home and in bed by 12:30~ gone are the party days and good riddance, I must say! Today is a perfect snuggle-down-at-home day; it is chilly and wet outside, so I think I'll make soup from turkey leftovers and devote my time to my book, knitting, and some football games~ I wonder who is playing?

Hello again...

Hope you each had a wonderful holiday season; once again, mine was calm, quiet, & understated (almost minimalist~ only a wreath on the door & the pre-lit tree with trimmed with a few bows & the Christmas cards we received). The gifts were practical~ gift cards all around, gas grill parts, a passenger side mirror housing, & Sam’s pocket-watch~ and the day relaxed; the guys picked up Jessica, then we went to the movies (Sherlock Holmes) & then out for Thai food. That’s right~ I did not cook. Just haven’t been in the mood.

This is vacation week for us & we decided to stay home again this year. We’ve been alternating between lazy days around the house, & some little day trips; Monday, we went to the newly opened Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, then did some exploring around the Presidio park, stopping at the National Cemetery, a couple of the former weapon batteries, & finishing at Inspiration Point before heading home for warm showers & hot soup (‘twas a tad chilly!)

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow, we’re going up as high in the mountains as we can get without snow chains (the PT Cruiser doesn’t have a set) to do some hiking & get our annual fill of snow; Saturday, we’re reuniting Jessica & her cat in San Jose, then possibly heading for the coast~ depends on what mood strikes.

Life toddles on along here much as always, but there are changes on the horizon which I am doing my best not to stress over. Actually, it has been fairly simple~ there is nothing I can do about any of it, so I have mentally put in a basket & handed over to the Father. He’s taken care of us from the beginning & I trust Him to continue to do so, but you know that every so often, I take one of those problems out, look at it from every side from least damage to worst case, until God brings me again to the realization that whatever the outcome, we will be all right & I can drop it back into the basket.

You all have a safe & blessed New Year’s celebration; I look forward to the adventures in store for us all in 2010.

 

Holiday Wishes

Blessings from our home

to your family

May you find Joy in all things

Love from Meg's Garden

Came across a great holiday game & giveaway; drop by & check it out, especially if you are a quilter or love someone who does!

Off to a cookie/gift exchange & knitting party~ promise I will be back by to post again soon.

Giving Thanks...

For the Bounty Before Us

The Beauty Around Us

The Love that Surrounds us

Happy Thanksgiving from Meg's Garden

Weekday Escape

As I mentioned earlier, Chris & I have taken a few excursions with the advent of Autumn, arguably the best season weather-wise in our part of the country. A couple weeks back, he had Friday as one of his days off, so I took a personal holiday so we could visit a new/old attraction in San Francisco.

The California Academy of Science, along with the De Young Museum, have been the center pieces of Golden Gate Park for a number of decades, hosting scores of exhibits & innumerable schoolchildren on fieldtrips~ Chris & I both have memories of visits throughout grade school. Both building were severely damaged by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake & limped along with patched up repairs for years, until it was determined that they needed to be rebuilt from scratch. In all honesty, I really dislike the design of the new De Young (which reopened in 2005 after 5 years); but the new C.A.S. is a wonder & we’ve been itching to see it since it reopened last year.

The most noticeable feature has to be the Living Roof~ 2 ½ acres of native plants growing over the undulating surface of the roof;

it was rather warm the day we were there & the wild flowers were past their prime, but the gentle breeze from the bay & the buzzing of insects made for a hypnotic visit.

We started in the Rainforest exhibit~ we walked up through four stories of plants, birds, & butterflies;

 

 

looking down into the water of the pond, you could see strange animals sitting on the bottom.

An elevator ride took us down to the new Steinhart Aquarium;

 

Chris & Ranger Ruth had some close encounters with really big fish!

Back on the main level, we entered the African Hall, which housed the classic dioramas from our childhood

 

& then on to the Morrison Planetarium~ where we both managed to doze off during the “Fragile Planet” presentation.

 

After lunch in the Atrium (yummy Spring Rolls & killer cheesecake) & a visit to the gift shop, we took the long way back to the car, hiking through a stand of coastal redwoods that reside in the park

 “It’s this direction~ I’m certain!”

The Park is one of my favorite places in California~ I’m drawn back again & again, finding both new & old sites in this wonderful urban escape; too bad it’s such a pain to drive in the City, otherwise I’d might make the trip more often.

No,I haven't fallen off the planet...

Greetings for the great Wind Bowl of California; I’d wave, but I’d best hold on to this tree so I don’t blow away! Thanks to the remnants of a Philippine typhoon, we’ve had an early taste of winter this past week~ a drop in temperatures, driving rain, & of course, gale-force winds taking down trees all over. No major damage around the garden~ fences & furniture is intact, though the remains of the cucumbers & green peppers were flattened.

I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel work-wise; I’ve been working weekends for a couple months, but quarter-end & escheat reporting should be wrapped up in the next week, and my CEO told me that they are finally ready to hire a new accounting manager. YIPPEE!!! I doubt they will find and train someone by my next vacation (the week after Christmas), but it’s a relief to know I’ll have some help & backup in the future.

Good news on the Jessica front as well; instead of being homeless, she is now living & working back in San Jose. She was able to get on with Safe*way, at a brand new store near where she is living; the money is modest, but better than unemployment & it’s a union job with full benefits after her probation period. She seems to have lucked into a good roommate for a change, an “older” woman with a daughter away at college, so she’s being mothered & looked after~ or at least as much as she will allow (goodness knows where that independent streak came from!) We are fostering Violet the Cat again, but the transition has been a bit quieter this time; it only took a month for her to start joining us in the living room in the evenings, perched on tip-toe in my lap.

Chris is still working most weekends, but not the crazy-excessive hours of summer, so we’ve managed to slip away for a couple adventures over the past month (which I’ll be sharing shortly). This past Monday was a holiday for me & he had the day off, having worked the weekend; we lucked out big-time, scoring half-priced tickets for the King Tut exhibit at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. We had the first entry at 9:00 am, & actually had the gallery all to ourselves for about 15 minutes~ we had quiet & room to enjoy the gorgeous artifacts without bumping elbows or fussing children. We were done in just over an hour, since the rest of the museum is closed on Mondays, & took a leisurely hour stroll around the Botanical Gardens & Arboretum pausing for a picnic snack, & to watch one of the many tai chi groups practicing in the park. Since the rain was threatening to start, we headed back towards home before noon, stopping off for lunch at Mimi’s Café; a restful day was capped off by a quiet nap with the cats & grilled cheese sandwiches for supper.

Time to sign off & pay attention to my novel, before it has to go back to the library on Tuesday; this is how I know I’ve been working too much~ I’ve only read 8 books since June!