PETALUMA

We walked around Petaluma - at least I did. The boys went shopping in the many, many antique stores. I walked around the historic area. There were some really interesting church buildings. Saint John Anglican Church was like a medieval castle, and the Methodist Church had touches of Bauhaus. The Open Door Church had no open door so I cannot say what it was like on the inside. I did find an impressive Catholic church that was built with donations from a Frenchman. There were some very impressive stained-glass windows of the apostles and various saints, including Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Blasius (Saint Blaise).

KUUMBA

Kuumba (Creativity)
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

NIA

Nia (Purpose)
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

WINTER WALK IN SONOMA

The winter sun was strong today but the light didn't compensate for the winter cold.
We took a ride through the countryside to the town of Sonoma, stopping for a walkabout in the mini-town of GlenEllen. I had my book (current read: Jules Vernes' "lost novel" of Paris in the 20th century) so I didn't pay much heed to the stoner chatter of Evan and Rich.
In Sonoma we parked on the plaza and walked back to the State park where Vallejo's house is located. For $2 we got to walk around his house and poke our heads through the bars to look at the off-limits rooms. Rich decided to pass on paying the $2 but he walked around the house anyway - another reason the State is experiencing a $42 gazillion budget deficit (Thank you Gov. Schwarzenegger for holding the line on fiscal responsibility - it's starting to pay off, NOT).
We walked back into town for a good root around the plaza. The boys went shopping and I went to visit the mission, another state park.

UJAMAA

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Balades d'hiver en saumurois

L'air était doux et j'ai voulu découvrir de nouveaux coins du Saumurois. Je me suis retrouvée à Montreuil-Bellay où mes pas m'ont menée sur 14 kilomètres à travers forêts, vignes et découvertes patrimoniales. Ci-dessous, l'Abbaye d'Asnières du XIIIème siècle.
Un autre jour, j'ai marché à partir du chateau de Saumur jusqu'à Dampierre où j'ai pu photographier cette jolie vue sur Saumur et la Loire.

UJIMA - SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS DAY

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems and to solve them together.

KUJICHAGULIA

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

UMOJA - LÁ 'LE STIOFÁIN

Umoja (Unity)
To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.




We are celebrating the beginning of Kwanzaa.
We drove out to Half Moon Bay in search of the wren. We didn't catch a wren but we did see a forlorn red-tailed hawk hanging out on some telephone wires.
We took a walk around the historic Johnson house, a typical New England saltbox that is very rare on the West Coast.
Then we drove to downtown Half Moon Bay. Things were very lively downtown. Most of the stores were open and there were lots of people hanging out. I took some pictures of the Methodist church but we couldn't get into it because it was closed. It seems like it is always closed when we visit HMB. I remember the last time Uncle Victor was out here we took him over there but even then the church was closed.

OICHE CHIUIN

Finally got to check out the service at the Anglican church on the corner, Trinity Episcopalian. They had a do-it-yourself carol singalong before the main Christmas Eve service. I had been to the Catholic service at Church of the Nativity before but I didn't like it much - too fake. I did enjoy the Anglican service and will probably make it a new tradition.
This morning we went to visit the dead relatives in their various graveyards. First, to Holy Cross in Menlo Park to visit Rich's grandma Julia and Uncle Sal. Then to Palo Alto's Alta Mesa Cemetery to visit his mom and dad, Anita and Ben, and his grandmother Maria and grandfather Vidal. We finished up by visiting his brother Ben. At each grave we left a poinsettia but I had to fashion stakes to keep them in place because of the wind. In fact, a tree blew over in Alta Mesa from the fierce wind.

OWL HABITAT

Evan couldn't get out of bed this morning, a victim of liquor poisening I suspect.
We left him at home and went for a walk around Bayfront Park to check out the burrowing owls. We didn't actually see any but it was sure nice to know that they were there, hunkered down in their burrows, waiting for the tourists to pass by before coming out to take some sun.
We did see a crane that followed us for about a half mile - every time we got close it flew up out of the marsh and came back down a hundred yards ahead of us.
After our tramp we rode over to Palo Alto for lunch. We decided to try Bistro Maxine, a French creperie and sandwich shop. The waiter was a little surly when we tried to practise our French on him but he came back later to apologize saying he was really busy and couldn't give us the time for a French lesson. He turned out to be a really nice person (literally nice - he was from Nice).

Sunset Magazine article about the Burrowing Owl Alliance

TEDDY BOY

Ted made it to the party long before his dad. Ted had to drive from Santa Monica and Evan was coming from San Francisco. But Evan had to have cocktails with JW in the City and arrived pretty loaded about an hour after Ted.
The other guests were Richard Maggi and his ex, Gwen; and Rick Pirman. I made the chicken tagine again - always a winner!

UFO OVER MP

The Blimp appeared in the skies over Menlo Park. How many $500-an-hour passengers were onboard?

I WANT THE GUITAR HERO BARBIE

PEACE OUT, SANTA CRUZ

We got to Santa Cruz early - way early. Stephan was afraid that things would be slow on Highway 17 so we left at 3 to give ourselves plenty of time to get to the rehearsal at 6. Things were not slow on Highway 17 so we had about two hours of hanging around downtown.
We walked up and down Pacific Avenue from the war memorial to the area past the Saturn Cafe. We stopped in at the octogon building to check out the museum store. Except it's not the museum store anymore - it is Lulu Carpenter's Cafe. We never did find out what happened to the museum store.
On the corner of Pacific and River Street we came across these women demonstrating for peace. I guess they hadn't heard the news that Obama won the election and the war is over. With any luck the boys will be home for Christmas.

VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE DAY

O CHRISTMAS TREE

ULY'S SPECIAL DAY

Uly had to have his special day with Uncle Richie, too.
Uncle Richie had a nice present for him - a skater skull hat.
We walked downtown Menlo Park for a bagel and hot chocolate lunch.
When I went to the gym they took a ride to San Jose to pick up a Sharks jersey. When I got back Uly had had enough - he wanted to go home. Rich took him home before we could make the traditional Uncle Máirtín pizza.

MORE PHOTOS

FAMILY THANKSGIVING

Uncle Richie with the family on Thanksgiving morning.
Mercedes is wearing her RED COAT from Auntie Helen.

MERCEDES' SPECIAL DAY

Mercedes came to visit for her Special Day with Uncle Richie.
She came over on the day before thanksgiving so we stayed in the house cooking.
We taught her how to make her grandmother's turkey stuffing so she will keep the tradition going. I worked with her on baking cookies.
Before she went home we made a couple of pizzas.

MORE PHOTOS

CELTICY COOKIES

Somebody in my choir made these shortbread cookies. They were delicious. I wish I had the recipe.

BAYFRONT PARK

I went for a walk by myself around Bayfront Park in Melo Park. Stephan told me that he had seen the borrowing owls the previous week. I was anxious to see them for myself.
I didn't see any of the owls but I saw many ground squirrels popping their heads up out of the owls' burrows. And I did see some beautiful Canada geese.

HALF MOON BAY

This cowboy and his horse are a good reminder of how much Half Moon Bay is still out in the country even though it is less than 20 miles from downtown San Francisco.



We missed the Pumpkin Festival but there was ample evidence that Half Moon Bay is The Pumpkin Capital of America.

CADEAUX

Looks like another "French" business is opening in downtown Menlo Park.
Cadeaux will join Yves Delorme, exclusive bed, bath and boudoir store (not so exclusive - there's one in Los Altos, Los Gatos and Burlingame); Marché, exclusive continental dining (in this case exclusive means expensive); Left Bank, a Lyons-style brasserie; and GC's Tasting Cafe with the French cheese master.
Do Le Cirque des Enfants, Bistro Vida, Peninou French Laundry, and Le Boulanger count as French?
I wonder why Menlo Park hasn't adopted French as the second official language.

FALL COLOR AT THE MARKET

I took a stroll to the farmer's market in Menlo Park this morning.
Rich is away in Santa Rosa with Evan. I took my camera along to record some of the colors of Fall
that are appearing in the market at this time.
I wonder what the market is like in Montsoreau right now?
Today there was a kid with his mom giving away persimmons from their backyard tree. I took two but they had hundreds to give away. They were asking for donations so I gave the kid a dollar for his college fund.

AMG's TGIF IN SFO

The view of downtown San Francisco from AnneMarie's deck.

AnneMarie and Tim hosted a get together of the Downtown High School staff to celebrate fridayness. Normally there is a fog bank hanging out in the valley behind their house but today it was spectacularly clear. Tim pointed out the peak of Angel Island, visible behind the tall buildings.

LEGION OF MARY

Today there was a strange demonstration at the corner of Ravenswood and El Camino. A group of about seven people had a banner proclaiming that they were reciting the Rosary to save America. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a photograph but I will try next week if they are there again.
There was another group demonstrating right on El Camino Real. I didn't see what they were promoting but I suspect that they were offering support to Ó Bama or perhaps demonstrating against Proposition Hate (8). Could that have been why the Rosacrucians were saying the Rosary? Obama may be Arab but I don't think he is in league with the devil.

SEBASTOPOL PHOTOS

Me and Mick Broderick of Slide.
This photo was taken by Stephan Westfold.

MORE OF STEPHAN'S PHOTOS

LAGUNA DE SANTA ROSA

Poster of bats at the entrance to the preserve.

I went for a walk on Sunday morning around the Santa Rosa Laguna Wetlands Preserve. I walked for about a mile through dense brush on a trail that was strewn with garbage. I didn't see any wildlife. When I reached the creek I was shocked to see how dirty and full of garbage it was. This is a new park for Sebastopol and it is located in an area that is very industrial. I hope that next time I come through here it will be a little cleaner and more inviting.

STELLA

The Star of the Eider Down

SLIDE

The five members of Slide performing on Sunday afternoon.


This tie-dye baby slept right through Slide's set.

IRISH DANCERS

The Healy Irish Dance School performed on Sunday morning. I had seen the Santa Rosa Scottish Dance group performing on Saturday so I was anxious to make a comparison.
My first impression of the Irish dancers was that they all looked like they were dressed in drag. The outfits were very stylized and something of a caricature. All the girls were wearing a curly-hair wig. I thought that a little bizarre - it was as if they were Tina Turner with Irish curls. Very strange.
They dancing itself was very impressive. I know nothing about step dancing but it seems that a lot of effort goes into the training and practise. What was especially nice was that there was a live band playing music rather than recorded music for the dancers.
I surprised myself by how much I actually enjoyed the performance. I do wish we could go back to a time when dancing for young people was a little more innocent and less Tina Turner.

MIK: MEN IN KILTS