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

ROUGH NIGHT

Musgaña on stage.

I made it to Sebastopol around 6:30 in the evening. The freeway through Oakland and Berkeley was really slow. Then it started to pour down rain in Point Richmond. But when I saw the high walls of San Quentin I knew I was on my way.
I checked into the Village RV Park as soon as I got to Sebastopol. Then I went downtown in search of grub.
After my vegan meal (lots of sprouts and dal lentils) I headed out to the community center for the opening of the festival. My email printout of my connection to Slide was not as convincing as I had hoped. They gave me a pass for Friday night but told me I would have to sort things out on Saturday. No matter, I did get in to see a great Spanish band called Musgaña and the Tannahill Weavers from Scotland.
At midnight I headed back to the campgrounds. I had my airbed and sleeping bag already set up in the back of the Element. During the night there was some shifting with the result that my airbed deflated - hard times come again no more!!!

FELIZ DIA DE LA INDEPENDENCIA MEXICANA

On the steps of this church Miguel Hidalgo launched the Mexican War of Independence with his Grito de Dolores.

¡Que vive México!
¡Que vive Hidalgo!
¡Muerte a los gachupines!


Mexicano flaquito en Dolores, Guanajuato en 2005.

SKYPETEXT

I had a SkypeText conversation with Christelle today. She was getting ready for bed and I was at work with the students (9 hours time difference between France and California). She sent me pictures of the little barbeque party they had at our house in Montsoreau this past weekend. I hope she posts some pictures but if she doesn't get around to it I will. The party was just herself and Christophe with her sister and her boyfriend. They used our barbeque to make spareribs and had a great time in our backyard. It was lovely seeing how much our climbing fig has grown. I didn't have a chance to ask her how the fish are doing.

WILD WEEKEND

Rich is laid up again with a bad leg. This time it is his left knee that gave out on Saturday as he was walking with the kids in downtown Menlo Park. I was up in San Francisco at Book Club when he called me to have me pick him up because he couldn't walk. I took him home but later in the afternoon I thought it would be a good idea to take him to urgent care in Palo Alto. I had to drop him off and leave him so that I could get back to the kids. They x-rayed the knee which was visibly swollen but they couldn't see anything definite. They told him to rest it in an elevated position and wait until the swelling goes down before coming back for an MRI. Right now he is at home resting the leg. Mr. Maggi and Gwen came down from the city this morning to cheer him up. They took him out to breakfast when I went to Santa Cruz for my choir practise.

COIR AINGLI

The choir met in Santa Cruz today for the beginning of our third season. There are a lot of new people (all woman - sopranos and altos) and most of the previous members are also back.
This year we are going to perform in Santa Cruz at the Holy Cross Catholic Church and we are going to perform in Oakland with a women's choir. Very exciting. There is also the possibility of a performance in Pacific Grove.
Unfortunately, we will not be performing at the Calvary Episcopal Church where we have performed in the past. We are rehearsing there but the church is not available on the dates we need for the actual performance.
Something else that is exciting this year: TG4, the Irish-language TV station will be in the Bay Area for the elections and may come record us for a Christmas special.

PESCADERO

SAN MATEO COAST

We started off today at the new wine bar in downtown Menlo Park. The store has just opened. They have a good selection of French and California wines. They also have a selecton of more than 50 cheeses. Gerard, the cheese buyer is from Lyons. We found the Epoisses that we had in Bourgogne. He told us that it would not taste the same because cheese sold in the US must be pasteurized which changes the taste. We bought a bunch of wine to put in the cellar.

We headed out for Half Moon Bay. We drove through the mountains to avoid the traffic on HWY 35. We stopped at the Red Barn to take a picture. I think I have taken more than 100 photos of that barn. We continued on through San Gregorio, stopping briefly to check out the General Store. Then we turned off the main road to drive over the Stage Road to Pescadero.



Out in Pescadero we stopped at the cemetery then continued into town. We thought about having lunch at Duarte's but it was too crowded. Pescadero is becoming quite the hip place with galleries (a gallery, Made in Pescadero) and antique stores.


Outside of Pescadero we turned south on HWY 1 towards Santa Cruz. Rich wanted to find a restaurant where he had dinner with Evan. We drove along the coast admiring the clear blue sky and the blue Pacific. The sun was shining without a hint of fog. At the Pillar Point Lighthouse we stopped again. There is a new State park around the lighthouse with trails and walkways overlooking the ocean. While we were there we saw a whale, probably a grey whale feeding in the water. This was only the second time in my life that I have seen a whale.


We continued south until we found the Costanoa Resort where the restaurant was. It was pretty late in the afternoon for lunch but since we were practically the only ones there they were happy to take our order. The waiter told us that he had just returned from living in New Zealand to take care of his aging mother. His wife is still there taking care of her parents. After lunch we walked around before getting back in the car to drive north to Half Moon Bay.

LABOR DAY

We took the kids over to Stanford for our last day together. I cycled over on my bike and they went with Rich in the car. Rich's leg is still bothering him but at least he can walk without the crutches.
We planned to visit the Cantor Arts Center but of course it was closed. Why do museums and libraries close on days that people can spend time together with their families? Instead we walked around the Rodin sculpture garden then wandered around the campus.


Cantor Arts Center.


Hoover Tower which houses the Hoover Institute on War, Revolution and Peace.
I would put the peace part first in that title.


Memorial Church

I walked around the church with Mercedes. The church was closed. In fact I have never been to Stanford when the church was open, except when there was a wedding, and then it is closed to the public. We walked around the outside talking about the stained glass windows. When we got to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist Mercedes wanted to know what baptism means. Then she wanted to know why she had never been baptised. I explained that baptism is a symbolic washing of all the stuff from a person's birth. She seemed satisfied with that answer but I wasn't. What is baptism?


Me and Adam.


The Three Shades with an extra one.

SAWYER CAMP SUNDAY

Menlo Park Farmers Market - just like in Montsoreau.

We took the kids downtown for the Sunday market. It was already hot and looking to be hotter. All the stone fruits were in great abundance. There were lots of tomatoes too. After the market we walked over to Draegers for breakfast - an excercise in excess and waste. (If you have kids it is easy to see how Americans use 25 times more of the Earth's resources than anyone else on the planet.)


Mercedes.


Uly at the entrance to Sawyers Camp in San Mateo.

After breakfast we thought it would be a good idea to take a ride out to Half Moon Bay. Unfortunately, everybody else in the Bay Area had the same idea. As soon as we turned off 280 onto Hwy 35 we saw that it was backed up all the way to
Half Moon Bay. We decided to take a walk along the Sawyers Camp Trail instead.


We walked along the trail for about a mile and a half. Mercedes walked the whole way with me but the boys turned back before reaching the goal. They missed out on seeing deer and hawks and butterflies. We even saw Ms. Washburn, one of the teachers from Mercedes school, cycling along the path with her family.
As we were walking along I got a call from Ed Cavanaugh on my cell. He wanted to know how to make the crust for the plum pie I made last weekend at the barbeque. I explained the ingredients and the procedure. He seemed very impressed by my culinary skills. I hope no one tells him that I got the recipe from the Barefoot Contessa!


The whole family together in the dining room.

We finished the day with a proper sit-down dinner in the dining room. I made a big pot of pasta and bolognese sauce and a great arugala and goat cheese salad. Mercedes helped me set the table. Vladimir suggested we hold hands and each person say something about themselves, a sort of New Age blessing.