’15 December

Up to December 15

You can click here for some pictures from Death Valley.

A few miscellaneous pictures from the prior week:

December 29

Awards Season is upon us. I went with Nancy to see The Revenant which Nancy liked more than I did.

So far from the very few movies I’ve seen I can easily say TV is better.

Number of nominations:

MOVIES
Carol 5, The Big Short 4, The Revenant 4, Steve Jobs 4, The Danish Girl 3, The Hateful Eight 3, The Martian 3, Room 3, Spotlight 3, Joy 2, Love & Mercy 2, Mad Max: Fury Road 2, Spy 2, Trainwreck 2, Trumbo 2, Youth 2, 99 Homes 1, Anomalisa 1, Beasts of No Nation 1, The Brand New Testament 1, Bridge of Spies 1, Brooklyn 1, The Club 1, Concussion 1, Creed 1, Danny Collins 1, Ex Machina 1, The Fencer 1, Fifty Shades of Grey 1, Furious 7 1, The Good Dinosaur 1, Grandma 1, Infinitely Polar Bear 1, Inside Out 1, The Lady in the Van 1, Mustang 1, The Peanuts Movie 1, Shaun the Sheep Movie 1, Son of Saul 1, Spectre 1

TELEVISION
American Crime 3, Fargo 3, Mr. Robot 3, Outlander 3, Transparent 3, Wolf Hall 3, American Horror Story: Hotel 2, Empire 2, Flesh & Bone 2, Mozart in the Jungle 2, Narcos 2, Orange is the New Black 2, Veep 2, The Affair 1, Bessie 1, Better Call Saul 1, Bloodline 1, Blunt Talk 1, Casual 1, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 1, Downton Abbey 1, Game of Thrones 1, The Good Wife 1, Grace and Frankie 1, The Grinder 1, House of Cards 1, How to Get Away with Murder 1, Jane The Virgin 1, Luther 1, Mad Men 1, Master Of None 1, Nightingale 1, Penny Dreadful 1, Ray Donovan 1, Scream Queens 1, Show Me a Hero 1, Silicon Valley 1

December 27

Lunch with Muriel who is leaving for Cuba tomorrow. Here’s a warm-up from my trip – a big old American car!

Check it out!
Havana!
The Cuban Countryside!
Big Old American Cars!

And then: Happy Birthday CARL!

December 25

It’s 6:10am, lit by the lights of the tree we call out Merry Christmas!

Everything was perfect. So many thanks to ALL!

December 24

Maxine is feeling better and looks amazingly well. What a relief.

I took over her gifts from the Monday Night party and one of her sons was there with his son and his girlfriend. The girlfriend had made some fabulous salsa along with champurrado and Christmas Eve Tamales! Lucky dog me I got to share all this yumminess!

Marija had their traditional Christmas Eve dinner party with her hugely growing family, there being so many of them she’s had to cut back on the guest list but I still show up because I want to and it’s my only chance in the year to visit with people I always enjoy and to see the babies grow up.

YAY, Cristina’s parents and her uncle were there! Remember Cristina from when I visited Manila and she and her Auntie Paulynn took me around for a wonderful local-eye’s view of the city. Gloria was sick that day so I was reeeeally happy to meet her at the party!

Cristina, me, Marija, Gloria

December 22

‘Tis the season, and this has made me extremely jolly.

December 21

My Valley Girls wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ljubica, me, Maryanne, Marija, Ann, Alicia, Lourdes, Marsha, Becky, and all our love goes out to Maxine for her speedy recovery and return to our midst!

December 19

There were 4 professional photographers, a ton of gear, and a few helpers too taking pictures at Shira’s wedding. I gave up taking any pictures because the pros were setup so ably. I’m sure I’ll be able to snag a few when they put their efforts online.

Here are some old pals that I got to hang with at the reception and really appreciated having their fine company.

The ceremony was outside, it was all so lovely. A path of rugs and flower petals for The Bride.

Flowers, flowers, and…

…more flowers.

December 18

Roger and Sandy’s living room in Park Merced, San Francisco.

We had a wonderful walk in Golden Gate Park…

…it was full of delights, and then we ate a late and luscious lunch after which I drove back out to San Rafael to stay the next two nights in another cute-as-pie refurbished old motel, this one called the Marin Lodge. It’s the best so far.

December 17

I drove up from Bakersfield to get to San Rafael in time to spend a couple of hours with the Flower Power Brigade putting together all the many many vases and bouquets and boutonnieres and etc. required in a wedding with eight bridesmaids and 250 guests.

Then I headed back to SF for dinner with Roger and Sandy and spent the night at Ocean Park Motel, a nicely refurbished 1936 art deco motel.

December 16

Leaving Death Valley I didn’t want to make the whole run up to SF in one go so I spent the night in Bakersfield so I could eat at Noriega’s (also called The Noriega Hotel..and also called Eskualdunen Etchea-The Basque People’s House) “A James Beard Award winning Basque Restaurant and Boarding House in Bakersfield, CA.”

Movie night at Kathleen’s.

Chinese lunch with Nancy.

Our assembly line to do up the girls’ holiday cards.

(Second night in Death Valley…) Oh the stars were out last night! SIGH!

From my phone: why I forgot so many things. This cold weather packing through me for a loop and I forgot to double-triple check on the ordinary things. I forgot Claritin and Benadryl, my fall back stuffy-nose be-gone. I forgot the thing I need to move pictures to my computer and the thing to charge my fitness tracker. So far that’s it. We’ll see.

I was preparing for the night time forecast of high 20s. Not even close. On the right is what I wore on the bottom: wool knee socks, thermals, regular pants, walking sandals. In the middle is what I wore on the top: thermals, over-shirt, wind-resistant light jacket.

I also brought a sand chair so I could sit by the tripod and mess around with the camera. I was SO warm and cozy it wasn’t even a trial.

What I brought and didn’t wear: hat, scarf, gloves (with open finger tips), heavy closed shoes, a big hoodie.

NOT My Picture! None of them will be my picture until Wednesday because I FORGOT to bring the thing I need to get the pictures into my computer. Bad Girl Me! I’ll buy something Wednesday in Bakersfield.

OMG the meteor shower last night was a-MAY-zing. It’s not like the 4th of July, but they are zooming into your vision no matter where you look, as long as you’re looking through the cloud cover.

I drove around looking for places to see between the clouds and at times there were so many stars, shooting and otherwise, that it was a trick to pick out the constellations. I didn’t get any pictures because I’d find a place, set up, and the clouds would float by, so I gave up because I’m lazy. One time I got set up and it rained!

But tonight it’s supposed to be much more clear so I remain hopeful.

December 11

I’ve been getting ready for a Death Valley trip to enjoy the Geminid meteor shower and then go up to SF for visits and a wedding. From the last few days: hair cut, shopping, walking, wreath making party at Nancy’s, Monday Nighters, an outing with Lona, just life.

Gavin Heffernan took this picture. I’m not going to be able to get these kinds of pictures because I don’t have the patience and sadly the forecast is for cloudy skies: Sun=mostly, Mon=partly, Tue=scattered. Three chances, fingers crossed!

Here’s Shira, The Bride, when we met up in Rome for a few days in 2010. I’ve known her since before she was born.

December 8

The girls made the pictures for their holiday card. I let them do whatever they want which is double fun. Rome does all the poses and the cropping.

Are they not too too cute, or what?!

December 6

A little bit of Nancy’s CHLOE!

Sure, let’s have some more.

December 5

Maxine’s Annual Holiday Extravaganza! But wait!! Where’s Maxine?! In the hospital having surgery!

She wrote long and intimate personal invitations, she cooked for 100 guests, she reorganized and decorated every room in her house and then around 3 in the afternoon she drove herself to the hospital. That’s our Maxine.

One daughter and one son were at the hospital while one daughter and one son stayed to host the party.

All Maxine wanted was for everyone to come, enjoy themselves, to laugh and have a party and to eat and take home leftovers.

A family friend sang.

A few of the guests.

YUM!

Every surface calls out the holiday season.

Maxine’s daughter Shirley and the Monday Nighters who could make it to the party: Becky, Shirley, Lourdes, Marija, Ann, me.

Thanks Jack for snapping the pic.

December 3

Tai! Hana! My old friends! I haven’t seen Tai and Hana in a blue moon and I’m soooo glad it worked out that we could have lunch together. YAY!

Sharon hosted a fine dinner party with fun, food, and Good Cheer and where we ate, drank, and made merry.

I took home so many leftovers Windy and had a feast for lunch the next day.

December 2

Beach Walk! Sharon and I decided to make our lunch stop a festive affair and ate at Shutters, and festive it was.

Then I had dinner with Ken and Bill at The Lobster Happy Hour, just off the pier.

Bill, you were remiss, you are always so faithful in reminding me to have a picture of us…now what?! We’ll have to get together again soon.

So here we are in 2005, just 10 short years ago.

Another view, this from the front steps of The Lobster.