It has been quite a while since I’ve posted anything. I’ve been enjoying time in California with my daughter and her family, and practicing bass when they are off to work/school/daycare. But, I pull out the camera now and then so I have collected a few things to share. It’s taken me a long time though to find time and inclination to write anything though. (I’m working hard to learn bass so I can sub in my husband’s band. It’s going well but it’s a lot to learn.)
One evening we went to Paradise Ridge winery. They are open on Wednesday evenings so people can bring or buy food, drink wine, and enjoying a beautiful evening watching the sun get low in the sky. This is where my daughter got married so it was interesting to be back, now with her two children.
On another day we went to the beach. It was hot in town but cooler at the beach, and it felt even colder in the strong winds that tried to blow sand in your face anytime you faced them. Marian was reported to be afraid of the waves but she apparently got over that. She would run straight into the waves at every opportunity and Amy had her hands full chasing her and keeping her from harm.
On another day the in-laws and I visited Quarry Hills botanical gardens It is the middle of summer and not many things were blooming but the grounds were beautiful and we really enjoyed walking around and exploring. The nearby vineyards were also beautiful and there are lots of grapes on the vines.
Things seem crazy expensive to me, as usual.
A few other random photos
All good things, however, must come to an end. The time came for me to head back to San Francisco for a flight to Seattle to visit my other daughter, where I just arrived last night.
The flight to Seattle was one of the most beautiful flights I can remember. We had a good view of San Francisco in the evening light with fog softening the edges of the city and making the distant hills purple and gray, and just beautiful. As we flew north the sunset colors only intensified until everything in Washington state had a rosy glow, including a spectacular snow covered Mount Rainier.
Speaking of all good things coming to an end, I just got word of a death. My biological mother has been married for 60+ years and just lost her husband. This has to be a very difficult time for her so please, if you can, send some love.
The Panama Adventure 
Hola Kris,
Sad to hear of your mom’s loss. Prayers for her.
Those kiddos are gorgeous and photos of California are great. A reminder of why so many folks want to live there. Beaches to vineyards to mountains anytime. I do remember one August in Santa Clara where I thought I would freeze in the morning but by noon it was cozy warm.
Good luck with the music and keep snapping fotos. Don’t forget to rest, remember you are on vacation! 🙂
jim
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Thank you 🙂
Yes, I really like CA and the northwest. It’s just too expensive and chilly. Vacation LOL. I am on vacation from my permanent vacation 😀
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Sorry for your mom’s loss.. The kids are so adorable and such great scenery. Love all the pics and the blog.
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Thank you amiga 🙂
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we still have a home in CA, but live on Playa Chumico near Pedasi. CA is a one party state and cannot get its spending right. Building a train to nowhere at an insane price. Soon to be a sanctuary state….are you kidding me.
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I really like California, and I’m glad my daughter lives there so I can spend some time on my visits. There are politics to disagree with anywhere you go.
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Hi Kris — I had no idea you were still here in the States — not so very far away from me and in the very area that I grew up. What a lovely extended family time you are having! Thank you again for the photos of my childhood ‘neighborhood”. The flight from SF to Seattle is one of my favorites as well. Always a bit of ocean, hills, mountains and then landing in one extraordinary city or another. Whichever direction one goes, it’s a lovely flight.
I too have been away from blogging for a couple of months. I still have episode 3 of my Wildflower Tour with Larry to post and as that happened three months ago now, it’s almost laughable. A whole new crop of wildflowers has come and gone since then. Berry season is almost upon us. The summer has been full of Events that we have hosted here. They are mostly personal growth events for teens. It is sacred work. Our staff is mostly involved with cooking three meals a day and having enough beds ready for them. Their organization brings their own facilitators and runs the workshop part of it. Still, it’s an honor to support this work, which I started when I was twice their age. It makes life a whole lot easier later on when this kind of clearing is done early. Enjoy your family time, Alia
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I’ve been here almost a couple weeks and I’ll be back first of next month. Sometimes other things get ahead of blogging, like all the interesting and important work you have been doing. It sounds like a wonderful thing that can make a real difference in lives!
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Condolances en la pérdida de su madre.
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Gracias, muchas gracias
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So sorry for your family’s loss Kris. Your photos are simply beautiful and your grandchildren are precious. I know you will master that bass very soon ! Hugs !
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Sorry to hear of your mothers loss, hope that she is managing well. Your photo’s are beautiful and so are the subjects, go well and Mary and I will see you soon in the great Daveed.
Doug & Mary Banks (Australia )
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Thanks. She has a close family which will help but still…
yes, August is just around the corner now!
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Id love to live in CA if it weren’t for the traffic and expense…the weather is PERFECT there. Your pictures are lovely, as always. It sounds like you’re having a great time!
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The traffic isn’t too bad where my daughter lives but the expense, yikes, way too high for me too! I’m glad I get to visit though, and I have a place to stay when I’m there 😀
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Thanks for sharing your family time Kris – and all the lovely photographs. Glad you made many happy family memories while there.
California is so beautiful – it even smells wonderful – the dry grass, sagebrush, salt in the air, eucalyptus trees…. I had the all too brief pleasure of visiting my daughter in Berkeley at the end of June and oh was it a terrible wrench to have to leave and return to North Carolina.
So sorry to hear of your Mother’s loss; hope she’s coping well (after such a long time being married it must be very hard indeed).
Best wishes, Wendy
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Yes, I love California too, especially the northern part (but there is a lot of the south I haven’t see so I shouldn’t say that).
I haven’t talked with my mother since I got the news. Time often slips by us. She is close with her three daughters and their families for which I’m very glad because I know they will all be there for her.
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