Archive for the 'family ties' Category

Coastal Drives on Thursdays

Published on January 31, 2011 in family ties and wanderlust. 1 Comment

My birthday weekend was a tough one. Lots of work. You’ll hear more about it in a little bit. But my dad and mom both came out for that weekend and it was great seeing them. Then my mom went home, and I brought my dad back to Santa Rosa with me. I took my furlough days Thursday and Friday and that is how he and I ended up going for a coastal drive on Thursday.

First of all, we couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather… The ocean was PERFECT that day. Warm enough for sweatshirts, sunny, and just a gentle breeze. We took a few stops along the coast to get some prime photos. Somewhere along the way, we stopped at my favorite beach. I don’t know if it has a name, but it is really the only beach between Bodega and Jenner where you don’t have to descend down a big hill to get to the water.

After basking in the sun for a while, we continued our drive down through Tomales Bay and into Point Reyes. We picked up coffee and a snack then headed out to the lighthouse. I forgot how much I like driving for fun. It was great exploring with my dad. On our way out to the lighthouse we encountered some great wildlife…

We even saw a few whales spouting out in the ocean. It was pretty awesome. First time for both of us!

After the walk out to the lighthouse, we thought we would drive down to a beach to catch the sunset. Good lord! We were rushing around. Our first attempt took us to a cove where no sun could be found… and just as we abandoned the idea of catching the sun sinking below the water, the hills dipped and we caught it just in time.

These past few days with my dad have been some of the funnest I can remember. I am glad we had time by ourselves and with Eric, Lisa and Lam. Even Pebbles had a great time with him…

Now we just have to work on getting them to move out here!

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The Food of Pittsburgh – Part 1

Published on January 14, 2011 in Daily Rambling and family ties. 1 Comment

There will be many parts to this tail… these are just the highlights from the last trip home. I posted this on a Friday so that people who are not in Pittsburgh suddenly feel like they are missing out on something and people in Pittsburgh can get up and get themselves something yummy.

Primanti Brothers

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The best gyro place on the Southside of town (above) and their delicious meat (below).

Pronounced j-eye-row. Pittsburghers bastardized this word so much even the Greeks that run the joint pronounce it that way. If you can’t beat them, join them… right?

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Mineo’s Pizza

I knew I was home when I asked for mushrooms on my pie and I ended up with the beige grey slivers of canned mushrooms piled on top. I didn’t mind, but it certainly made Eric laugh.
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And a good old fashioned dive bar.

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Spirit House Designs is AWESOME!

Published on November 9, 2010 in Crafty and family ties. Closed

Alicia over at Spirit House Designs has been crafting up a storm for the Davis Art Center Holiday Sale. The show is December 3rd thru the 5th and will have all kinds of wonderful goods. But I have to say, I am especially excited about Alicia’s scarves, handbags, and floor cushions.

And if you really can’t wait to get your hands on her stuff, she is having a presale! At her studio! On November 20th! Just contact her through her blog for details. But hands off the yellow scarf. Because I have been dreaming about it for weeks now. =)

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The big finalé

Published on August 12, 2008 in family ties and wanderlust. Closed

It is so sad. We’ve spent months looking forward to the wedding and now all we can do is look back. My parents and grandma leave bright and early tomorrow morning. The last of our aunts and uncles leave later in the morning. And this concludes the perfect wedding week.

My sister’s wedding was incredibly beautiful. I don’t think things could have possibly gone better. I hope that lisa and lam look back on it with great pleasure and happiness. I really glad to have gained such a great brother. I can’t wait to see what the future brings for them.

It was also great to spend time with the family out here. I wasn’t sure that any of my dad’s family would visit us up here.

All in all, it was a great time. And now I am going to go back to watching “it’s always sunny in philadelphia”.

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The Day After

Published on August 9, 2008 in Daily Rambling and family ties. Closed

The wedding was perfect. Pictures are on their way.

Eric and I slept until 10 this morning. No one bothered to call and let us know what was going on and that was nice.

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Happy Birthday Lisa!

Published on July 7, 2008 in family ties. 2 Comments

Apparently Lisa gets to be offended, even when my post isn’t about my weekend.

I love long weekends. I left for Santa Rosa on Thursday afternoon so that I could get there early enough to watch the fireworks. This was probably the most planned part of my weekend. Fireworks are nice, but nothing would ever trump the fireworks in Pittsburgh, so really this holiday is all about friends and bbqs.

On Friday Lisa and Lam came out. Lisa’s birthday weekend celebration began! Our day was spent running small errands here and there, listening to music, drinking champagne and wine, eating good food, and just generally enjoying each other’s company. Quite a nice way to pass the time. Saturday the kids went hiking and Winemonkey and I did a couple of tastings out at the winery then went to his mom’s birthday bbq. We sure do know a lot of people born the first week of July. Afterwards we met back up with Lisa and Lam and went to a tired, allbeit nice, dinner at the Underwood. I had been feeling all kinds of under the weather this past weekend and the kids were tired from their hike. The Underwood had no roasted beets (because someone didn’t do their job) and the tuna tartar was off the menu. But I enjoyed my meal none-the-less and especially enjoyed the company.

Sunday we had Lisa’s favorite breakfast… french toast… yummified by Winemonkey and his test kitchen recipe… then parted ways and I finished laundry before heading back to the hell that is Sacramento.

Seriously.

It is 9 pm and STILL 90 freaking degrees outside. Can I click my heels three times and end up at the ocean??!?

So ultimately – HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA! I had a great weekend with you and your fiance.

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