Oakland A's

Over the Bay Bridge into Oakland... It was time to enjoy one of our favorite pastimes...
Baseball!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day. We caught a few rays and enjoyed the game between the Oakland A's and the Los Angeles Angels. The bonus was that all of their souvenier items were half off, so Phil and I both got new ball caps and we picked up a toy for Shelby.

Chinatown

A cable car ride and a short walk away from Fisherman's Wharf and we arrived in Chinatown.

We made it

We finally arrived in San Francisco. It was a little chilly but it sure felt good. 1st stop of course was Fisherman's Wharf. Since it was dinner time we had to stop and get a wonderful steaming clam chowder bread bowl from Boudin's Sourdough bakery. Phil had the chili. Mmmm yummy!
I just love all the interesting houses along the streets of San Francisco. Their is a beauty in the fact that they are all unique and not cookie cutter.

Sea Lion Social Choir

Brought to you by the incredible choir from Pier 39. Enjoy!

Driving up the Coast

This leg of the trip was a little more exhausting for Phil. There were quite a few hair-pin turns and narrow passes. Unfortunately he wasnt able to see as much of the beauty as I did, so of course I took pictures (I can see all my friends eyes roll to the back of their heads...)

We stopped every now and then so he could see what he was missing.

California Sea Lions, taking a break.

Beautiful Coast line.

I reached for my napkin at lunch and was stung by a bee! (It was the BIG pink finger) This made for an unpleasant dining experience since I was in intense pain. Ice, swelling, Benedryl, more ice...it took three days for the pain to finally go away.

Hearst Castle

High on the hill, Hearst Castle.
The clouds rolled through as we looked at this magnificent pool that was filled with natural spring water. I think even Phil would swim in this one since there were no chemicals used to keep this pool looking this amazing. I was in awe of the mosaic patterns used in the tiles in the pool as well as the sculptures that were in and around the pool.
The front of the home.
This is part of one of the living room areas where parties were held. I loved the tapestries and the intricately carved wood panels from Europe.

All the years I lived in California and this was my first visit to Hearst Castle. I marveled at the artistry that was collected there yet saddened by the opulence. I can think of many things all this money could be used for, yet William Randolph Hearst could do nothing with any of these things once he died. He did appreciate fine art, and it was a creative pleasure to see all of these things in one place.

This indoor swimming pool was under the tennis courts. This whole room was done in mosaic tiles with morano glass and real gold leaf. It was stunning.

Cambria

I found this place through Google. We wanted to watch a sunset and have a nice meal. Yes, vacations mean food, we eat...a lot!


This was a gorgeous way to end our day. God in His majesty, through His voice on the waves to the setting of the sun. Our God, is an awesome God.
With a funny P.S. This was a one legged seagull that when he made noise sounded just like a cat in pain. It was hilarious.

Santa Barbara

This was a great place for lunch. "Moby Dick's, and yes we had fish for lunch. Out on the pier with a nice ocean view, plus a few cute shops on the way back.

I couldn't resist this opportunity.

Malibu

And then there was rest

Phil: I dont think we are going to make it to Hawaii for Christmas but I think we need a vacation soon. What do you think, should we do San Diego?
Janice: Let's try some place different, how about San Francisco? I haven't been since I was in High School.
Phil: Sounds great! I got an idea, let's fly into LA and drive up highway 1 and enjoy the view.
Janice: Love it. How about we rent a convertable?
Phil: Sounds good. What should we do while we are there?
Janice: We always have more fun when we only plan a couple of things and let the rest just happen. We can do Alcatraz.
Phil: I heard they have an evening tour.
Janice: OK, done. Darn the Giants arent in town.
Phil: What about the A's?
Janice: Yep, done.
Janice: My sister Joyce suggested a few "must do's". (She is the family San Fran pro).
Phil: Sounds like a plan.

And this is how we plan our vacations...together, 22 years of experience in working on a plan. We spend time together, we pray together, we walk together, we talk together, we praise God for our love.

Heading Out

Phil and I are heading out on vacation tomorrow. We really look forward to these brief pauses in our daily routine. We have finally learned that to make a vacation relaxing, is to only plan a couple of things and let the rest of it be guided by where we are at the moment. This sure seems to slow down the pace some, since we are not running from one thing to another. We are ready.

We also look forward to sharing every breakfast together, sharing the Word, praying together as a way to start the day. Normally with Phil leaving for work at 4:00am every day, this is a special treat. We also spend a lot of time discussing our relationship and our goals as a couple as well as individually.

We are flying to LA first thing in the morning and spending the day. On Monday we will start driving up Highway 1 (the scenic drive) slowly, stopping in Cambria then continue North, arriving in San Francisco on Tuesday. We wanted to be sure to leave time to hop off the freeway and explore whenever we feel like it. Please say a prayer for safety and for much needed relaxation.

Rosie and Shelby

I left at the crack of dawn (that's 5:00am for me) so I could get to Jenn's house to watch Shelby. I thought it would be nice to give her a break and to let Shelby sleep in. One thing I learned is that there are no lights out at 120th Ave and Happy Valley Road, IT WAS DARK!

Shelby had a great time playing with their new puppy Rosie all day. They wore Nana out.

Labor Day-Play Ball!

Labor Day at our house usually means that we labor around the house doing chores and such. This year Phil was lucky to receive some free tickets to the afternoon Diamondbacks game. We invited Jim and Kelli to relax with us. At first we weren't real sure about the game since the St Louis Cardinals were ahead early on. D-backs pulled it off with some really great hitting; Stephen Drew hit a full cycle, the first D-back to do it at Chase Field but the third D-back to have that honor.

Later on, we went home and grilled some burgers. It was nice to have a totally relaxing day for a change.

The Aftermath of the storm

The storm brought a little more than a light show. It brought uprooted trees and major power outages. I should have recorded the storm an hour later than I did in the clip below. We had hail pelt the house and at one point Daniel was very concerned about his car. Fortunately the oleanders seemed to protect his car from the brunt of the whirling debris and hail.

The next day we could see the damage. 40th street, which is two blocks away, had all of the power poles broken and shattered in the street. The damage was incredible. I stopped by Mimi's house to see if she was OK, since she lives on 40th. She had no power but Donald Sr. dropped by to start up the generator. Shelby and I left her and her dogs with an invitation to join us anytime. 40th Street was closed for one week while APS relaced all the poles with metal one. They did such a great job and so quickly too.

Later on Saturday, Phil and I drove around and took some more pictures. We were lucky we didnt lose a tree this time and that we didnt receive any damage to the house.

Gabriel is welding tonight

I cannot remember the last time a thunderstorm had so much flashing and drama!
We watched it from a distance when there was no sound or rain...then suddenly it was over and all around us. The pattering of rain now falling, and increasing, and sudden clashes of cymbals, such magnificence! It seemed as though the angel Gabriel himself was welding and sparks were all around. I wonder what incredible sculpture Gabriel could make. I am so grateful of this glimpse of God's power and majesty. This was our ringside seat from our back patio, enjoy!

A busy weekend

Saturday was spent getting canvases ready for Sunday. There is more detail about that painting event on my art blog. What you won't see there though, was the yellow paint disaster in my trunk! Yep, a gallon of yellow paint spilled in the trunk of the car as I was on my way home. The smell was horrible! I got home while Phil was fixing dinner (Steak, okra and potatoes-Yummy) so he said "Boys, go help your mom". Fortunately both Shane and Daniel cheerfully helped get all of the other cans out and managed to get the carpet thrown away. Thanks guys. The best part of the day was sitting down and having dinner with our handsome young men.

Sunday morning was spent at church, painting in all three services. Jenn, Donald and Shelby joined us for lunch and they brought a guest, their new puppy Rosie. What a cutie-pie. Jenn baked cookies for me while I rested a bit and played with Shelby. After lunch Jenn begged, yes indeed begged to have her hair cut. She wanted it much shorter. Phil was trying to take a nap but Shelby was sprawled in his lap and she was snorting while Donald and Rosie were crashed and Donald was snoring. All in all it was quite loud as I cut about a 1 1/2 feet of hair off of Jenn. Later after she woke up I gave Shelby her first trim. We did just the bangs. Both girls are a bit lighter.

Later Phil and I went to Tammy's house to join others from our Vocal Arts Ministry for a time of food and fellowship. The kids went swimming (I am counting Jim, Ted and Larry in that category) while the rest of us talked. Tammy fixed turkey which she bravely asked David to cut.

We had a great time, thanks Tammy. I was exausted so we went home and watched a little of the closing ceremony for the Olympics, then finally some shut eye.

A Weekend alone

Daniel went to Florida to spend the weekend with a friend. We had the house to ourselves!
Saturday we made waffles together and Phil had a surprise set up for us in the afternoon - massages! What a nice treat!

On Sunday morning we decided we would go to church later in the afternoon and Phil suggested that we go to an early movie. We saw The Mummy, which was fun, but not quite the same without Rachel Weiz as Evie.

Phil did his usual workout while I finally started my painting of Matthew Fleming. I had no idea how hard it would be to work on a portrait of someone who is no longer with us. Prayers were lifted and memories flood every stroke. If you want to see the progress of the painting it will be on my art blog.

While I was praying for Michelle and Mark and their family for their loss, otheres were brought to mind as well to lift up to our great and Awesome God. Al-Health, Barb-Health, Tanya-Job, Gerry-Health, Lena-Loss of her brother, Maryann-Health, Amy-Finances, Cheryl-Home, Nancy-Family, Eric-Recovery, Greg-Health, Phil-Work, Janice-Work. As the great hymn of old says, "What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer".

A Full Moon

A Visit to Jenn's House

Friday was my normal "Day with Shelby" but Jenn had the day off and invited me to their house. The drive wasn't that bad and we had a good time cleaning and organizing a few things in their new home. Lists were started, Shelby napped and Jenn and I had a good Mother-Daughter time together. Later when Shelby woke up we went to lunch at Chile's. Jenn enjoyed dessert and Shelby enjoyed having a, kick back with her feet up meal, while lounging on Nana.

Later we went to Target to get a few items; table cloth, decorative center, candles.

My dear friend Sharon Stoops and our "Class Distraction" Bill Turner. I have about a dozen photo's with different people on Bill's lap, but I will save that for the class website. Sharon's family and my other dear friend Karla and her mom "shared" me after my parents moved to Phoenix in the middle of my Senior year. That was the only way for me to graduate with friends.

Mrs "Williams" (at the time) was my music teacher and a great inspiration to me. She had a bit of a soft spot for our class since her daughter Staci Johnson was in it. We had fun swapping stories during the evening. She was thrilled that I taught children's choir for so many years.

Dave Packbush and his lovely wife Shirley. We were buddies along with a group of guys I hung out with my Junior year. .

Peri Miller and I became friends when we both discovered it was our first day at a new school-in the first class. She looks the same as she did back then.

Greg Hughes and his wife Barbara. Greg was my High School Sweetheart. He's a grandparent to two little girls too. What fun it was to see him after all these years.