It's spring and our migration pattern brings us into home territory here in the San Francisco Bay area. More specifically our
home is parked in Petaluma at the Elk's Lodge. Petaluma is a great town with its historic downtown and old Victorian architecture, situated by the Petaluma River. There are great restaurants, cheese factories, sustainable farms and produce, art and antique galleries, and, of course, the famous Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries. San Francisco and the Marin and Sonoma County coasts are a within a short drive. My son and his family live nearby, as do several friends, so for the next couple of months we'll be hanging out within a radius of about 100 miles.
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At the Petaluma Visitor's Center
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| Taking Annie, the granddog, for a swim by the Golden Gate |
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| A visit to the Pt. Reyes Seashore & Lighthouse |
But these are last year's pictures...Now we start on the 2012 version.
Easter was a grand occasion with almost all the family gathering at Norm and Wendy's. Once again, Terri packed up the two babies for the hour and a half drive up from Half Moon Bay, and Stephanie and Gary took a much needed two days off work and brought their motorhome over from Sacramento on Friday night. Sunday morning kicked off with Wendy's delicious egg casserole and mimosas to get us off and running for the Easter egg hunt at their local park.
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| Little girls (Christina & Liliana on the rt.) with baskets ready! |
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| Christina's a pro at this! |
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| Liliana takes a break to sample some goodies! |
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| Damien thinks..."just wait till next year"! |
We later feasted on ham, scalloped potatoes, deviled eggs, asparagus salad, rolls, cheeses, and the yummiest mini-designer cupcakes, apparently the latest thing. The weather was perfect for sitting outside and indulging yours truly in many combinations of family photos.
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| This might make the holiday card list! |
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| Daughter and Dad..hamming it up! |
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| The family pic! |
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| Cousins |
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| D-i-l Wendy with both great moms, Chris and step-mom Margot |
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| Noelle & Auntie Terri |
So, now the current week entails: Getting back on a diet plan after gaining back every single 4 lbs. lost since Jan. 1...luckily we have all the tools available with a great running/walking track around Shollenberger Park, a beautiful bird sanctuary across the street; Scheduling several Kaiser (our health care provider) appointments...luckily of the preventive kind; Starting a structured meditation program for Howard...Lynda is considering, but also looking for a yoga center; Having lunch at our favorite restaurant,
Dempsey's, with Patrick and Suzanne who are about to depart for a vacation to Spain.
Finally, it has rained the last two days and we're getting anxious to...do laundry tomorrow!! See ya' soon...
2 comments:
We know - and enjoy - that area so well. We've stayed at the Petaluma Elks many times (and Napa Elks, too). I love walking in the wetlands across the street. So much to do within a reasonable distance.
We're up the road in Sacramento - where we are in a downpour of rain and hail as I catch up on blogs. I hope your weather is better - but I doubt it. Good that you have family to visit.
Safe travels!
What a wonderful area to be in especially surrounded by friends and family.
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