Linda Davick

Sutro Park

2012-02-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

5:52 p.m.

We did not jog. We did not walk. We drove up to Sutro Park for a few minutes. Then we came back home and ate in the living room because my stuff was all over the kitchen and there wasn't space to eat.

When I come home and look at photos I've taken of the things we've seen my heart jumps for joy.

All those years–half a century–when I never took a photo. To think I won't be able to see again what I saw then. But I couldn't be bothered with film. Can you imagine starting to shoot something and thinking: "Wait. How many exposures do I have left on this roll of 24? Is it really worth shooting this picture? Nah."

Tuesday's Treasure

2012-01-31T23:19:00.001-08:00

Monday

2012-01-30T23:17:00.000-08:00

Mom's Birthday

2012-01-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

Aggles, Mom, me in 2008: Our last Christmas together (Clare's beautiful cabin)

Subject: Italian Cream Cake
From: Linda
Date: January 29, 2012 12:07:56 PM PST
To: Aggles

Aggle, today is Mom's birthday. Are you making Italian cream cake? Or are you still eating that cranberry pie?

What are you doing?

Speaking of Mom kinds-of-things: Aggle, you know when I told you about those Pond's face wipes? The lavender ones are HORRIBLE. But the citrus/cucumber ones are still great.

Subject: Re: Italian Cream Cake

From: Aggles

Date: January 29, 2012 4:37:26 PM PST

To: Linda

To celebrate Mom's birthday I went to the big RV show and thought about re-doing the Grand Western Tour. Only this time it would be done right 'cuz I'd do it in an RV and not stupid tent camping! Hahahahahaha!

Italian Cream Cake sounds wonderful. Maybe I should make that tomorrow while I ogle the RV brochures.

Noted about the lavender face wipes - this is important camping information.

I love your blog watercolor. Thought it odd that someone (I forget who) asked if it were tangible or digital - then you said it was DIGITAL! Oh my - digital watercoloring. What will they think of next?

How are you?

----------------

(One time Aggles and Mom went on a cross-country camping trip together. Can you imagine?)

5:49 p.m.

2012-01-28T21:17:00.000-08:00

5:49:21 p.m. I'm lagging behind again.

5:49:50 p.m. Is that Peter and Carmen down the beach? Yes! We miss Anne.

Learning Watercolor

2012-01-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

Talk, Walk

2012-01-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

Sal was in town for the MacWorld Conference. Gina, to visit Baby Henry (and us).

We ordered and ordered. We laughed and spilled things. After squeezing out the door we headed straight to Peet's where Gina thrust scones and marble cake upon us. Later I tried to stand upright and walk, but kept falling behind.

A Slew of Dragons

2012-01-24T22:02:00.000-08:00

Anne Marguerite Herbst Golden Dragon 2012

In the mail:

And online (Mari's site!)

mischief mari's cookies

Year of the Dragon

2012-01-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies and you can too if you step over here.

Today begins 10 days of gluttony in San Francisco, as families and businesses gather to celebrate Lunar New Year. Given that it's the year of the dragon, lobster (whose Chinese name translates literally as "dragon shrimp") will probably be on most menus, as will steamed fish, noodles, hair moss, and other symbolic foods ...

-from SF Weekly, which lists ten banquet menus you can print out take to the restaurant to use as a translation guide to make sure you don't order the hair moss.

p.s. I know. That's no dragon. That's a yellow-spotted triceratops.

My Wish List

2012-01-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

I found this through SWISSMISS:
OSTRICH offers a micro environment in which to take a warm and comfortable power nap at ease. It is neither a pillow nor a cushion, nor a bed, nor a garment, but a bit of each at the same time. Its soothing cave-like interior shelters and isolates your head and hands (mind, senses and body) for a few minutes, without needing to leave your desk.

I was so excited about Ostrich that I sent the photos to Aggles right away. Aggles, in turn, shot this (below) right back at me, from her own wish list. Enthralled, I called Tom in to see it. He pointed out that the sandwich holder would fit right inside the ostrich. So now I have two things on my wish list. What's on your wish list?

from Geekosystem

Baby Drool

2012-01-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

My new publisher sent me some stickers for New Year's. To me, a gift like this a sign that we have a good understanding.

First I stuck two of the stickers on the back of my laptop, and set the laptop on the table above a yogurt drip. Baby Drool, I called it. But then one thing led to another and look what happened next:

Cold and Hot

2012-01-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

This has been the coldest winter I can remember since we moved here 12 years ago. The past few evenings we've walked on the Coastal Trail, which is much more protected from the wind than the beach is. This recipe for chili has saved us! I know what you're thinking: Why would I ever try a recipe from Linda's blog? Because it's actually Tom's recipe––by that I mean that he made it, and it's great.

p.s. He probably doubled this recipe, and added a square of unsweetened chocolate.

Adventures in Reading

2012-01-15T21:22:00.000-08:00

I bought this beautiful book at Kinokuniya. This morning when I woke up, I "read" it before I got out of bed. Being that it's in Japanese, I got the meaning from the illustrations and I was enchanted.

Later this afternoon I was looking at the book again and realized it had page numbers. It was then that I realized I had "read" the book backwards. I had read it from left to right, but the book actually started at the back and read toward the front. So tomorrow I'll "read" it again and let you know how it is.

I have a book called A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan. I let it go for months because I never got engaged in it. Last night at dinner I ran out of things to read so I picked it up again.

I read chapter 8, which is nothing less than a work of art (La Doll, her party, her ideas for the General. Her daughter Lulu). Then Chapter 9, Where Jules interviews Kitty. Fantastic. Is it all over now or will the magic continue through chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13? Don't tell me.

But do tell me your latest adventure in reading.

Where's Linda?

2012-01-13T21:39:00.000-08:00

Can you find her? She's lost in her favorite bookstore, Kinokuniya, in Japantown.
Gina spotted her right away somehow or another.

Found in the Sand

2012-01-12T21:59:00.000-08:00

p.s. A great little pleasure: This evening when I got home, I found a fresh loaf of bread on the counter that Tom had bought for me from a little Italian grocery store. I was famished and it was exactly what was called for. A gesture like this means something from a person who can't eat wheat himself. I tore into it and splashed a little bit of cold white wine into a glass. Bread + wine = divine.

The more I look at the woman up there, the more it looks like she's eating bread too fast to chew it properly.

Some Kind of Wonderful

2012-01-10T21:04:00.000-08:00

If you're an artist or an illustrator and work on the computer, do you know about kuler? It's a helpful way to choose colors, especially if you find yourself choosing the same colors over and over and over and over and over.

Happiness is a Warm Green Vest

2012-01-09T22:04:00.000-08:00

A warm green vest that matches your hair.

I love my new vest. It's very soft and light. I found it at Nordstrom Rack this weekend while Tom was looking for a microwave oven at Home Despot.

I wear it all the time and even sleep with it at night. (I put it on top of the comforter so I can feel it when I wake up.)

p.s. I'm making oatmeal on the stove because we weren't able to find a microwave oven we liked.

Moonrise

2012-01-08T20:34:00.000-08:00

5:21 p.m.

Sunset

2012-01-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

5:23 p.m.

Hooray!

2012-01-06T21:30:00.000-08:00

For show & tell, Anne brought the painting she finished this week.

Today was the best day of the year. At lunchtime, Anne went with me to Lucille's. Two kindred spirits finally met.

Lucille made her famous butternut squash soup, and I brought a few cans of Sofia over. We celebrated my book contracts which came today.

Anne and Peter had been to the flower market early this morning and shared armloads with Lucille and me. There are gardenias in every room of the house, and two big bouquets.

A jog on the beach, a beautiful sunset, and many drunken emails and phone calls and texts exchanged between me and my swell bookies.

Cold!

2012-01-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

5:00 p.m.

Sparkle

2012-01-04T21:21:00.000-08:00

Today Tom comes back from Chino's and there's this girl sitting in a van using her computer. Tom sees the computer and stops short. "Don't go away. I have to go get my wife so she can see your computer. She'll go crazy. She loves to stick stuff all over everything." He yells up at me, I run down the steps ... and here I am admiring Lydia's rhinestone-encrusted Mac. You should see her cel phone.

5:17 p.m.

Coded Message: Happy New Year?

2012-01-01T23:55:00.000-08:00

What do you think it says? To see the whole message you must go here!

I met Sonia a year and a half ago and have never gotten over it. On New Years Day I jumped at the chance to return to her home to see her and to meet some of her friends. Gina drove, so I didn't have to worry about getting lost or our car window exploding like it did right before Sonia's party last year.

Sonia and Gina

You won't believe this. I even got to meet Sonia's mom, Sherri King. I had just seen some mosaics that Sherri had made on Sonia's website. There was one in particular that I was crazy about, called Marrakesh, so I told her how much I liked that one. She smiled and said, "Go into the bedroom and look right by the bed." She pointed around the corner. I went in and found the light switch. Guess what was sitting right by the bed? That very mosaic (shown below).

Marrakesh by Sherri King / Sherri in the studio (photos from Sonia's site).

Fudge Fitness

2012-01-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

From: Katy
Date: December 31, 2011 3:00:00 PM PST
Subject: 20almost here12
To: Linda

Linda,

It's almost the New Year, it almost is. What are we to do? Sit back and watch it arrive, or go to bed early and let it arrive in the dark, with our eyes closed. I'm going to take the sleepy early route.

The other day a strange food thing happened, and since you're interested in food, you might need to know about this. In a Chinese restaurant, where I've been before, but where I go less than I used to because I like the Mexican place better, and because they always rush me at the Chinese place (Magic Wok), with What to drink? or What soup? even before I can take off my coat or sit down. I was welcomed, shown to a booth, smiled at by the usually speedy waitress. I was cold, I wanted hot tea and hot and sour soup. The waitress still hadn't spoken to me. Eventually she came out with something for the man in the booth facing mine. He was reading the Steve Jobs book and wore a big orange T on his shirt. She was carrying more than his order. She approached my table, Hot tea? You like hot tea? (Yes please) Hot and sour soup, you like hot and sour soup? (Yes, thank you.) And both were placed in front of me. I had ordered nothing but got exactly what I wanted. Linda, what happened? Please tell me. She did take my order for chicken in garlic sauce, at least she didn't go that far with mind reading magic. How did she know? She has never ever behaved in this way. I liked it, and I was dumbfounded, under her spell. I was not rational, I was unable to ask her how she just happened to have exactly what I wanted on her tray. Should I return to the Magic Wok on another day, as an experiment, to see what happens? Will you go with me? I may need a witness.

I hope all is well by you all. Happy New Year, with plenty of magic to go around.

Love,
Katy

---------

From: Linda
Date: December 31, 2011 4:09:34 PM PST
Subject: Re: 20almost here12
To: Katy

I love your Magic Wok story. Yes, you should go back. To me it sounds like the waitress has decided that she knows you. How nice. We don't have a magical place like that here yet, and it's been 12 years.

I'm tard, Katy, rilly tard. I may not be able to do anything tonight. I had an egg sandwich for breakfast (real eggs) on good white bread toast with butter and a little onion. No lettuce because Tom had not come back from the farmers' market. But it was good, rilly good. But jesus, that was 6 hours ago! I had not had lunch and just now I had many many many salty pretzels and many cheese slices and several glassees of wine, and a big scoop of peanut butter and some raisins and walnuts for health.

Now how will I ever do my situps or go for a walk? It won't be possible I'm afraid. I'm reading a book called Blueprint for Building Better Girls by Elissa Schappell. On my phone at night in bed. Last night I fell asleep to it. I've started getting that reading bug again--a lot of it's because of Lucille who loaned me The Corrections.

Sigh, sigh, sigh, I'm going to go lie down.

We had our New Years last night with Anne and Peter at the Cliff House Bar. An old Swing jazz band played. A & P treated us to a bottle of bubbly stuff and a cheese plate.

Wish we lived a little closer.
Love,
Linda

---------

From: Katy
Date: January 1, 2012 7:16:35 AM PST
Subject: 20card12
To: Linda

Food card for you, combined with health concerns and issues. But truly, it looks like a mafia front to me. Happy New Year. Eat everything.

New Years Eve Eve

2011-12-30T22:26:00.000-08:00

4:57 p.m.

Thanks, Anne & Peter, for the music, the bubbly, the cheese, and, and, and ...

Merry Christmas, It's the Easter Board Book!

2011-12-29T19:55:00.000-08:00

Look what came in the mail today! That Easter book over there on the right will be out in a board book version on January 24. I love board books because they're compact and shiny and so substantial you can use them for lunch trays.

There are no endpapers, though, and I miss that part. But they run two bucks less than the hardcover: only $6.99. Can you believe you can buy a new book these days for $6.99?

Heavy Sky

2011-12-28T20:55:00.000-08:00

6:51 a.m.

When I woke up this morning the sky looked like a kid had drawn it. There it was, crowded against the top of my screen. Underneath it was a big blank space. Then on the very bottom were houses and trees.

5:12 p.m.

This evening, foghorns – one of my very favorite sounds.

Out of the Kitchen

2011-12-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

5:03 p.m.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:19:00.000-08:00

Step Two

2011-12-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

12:02 p.m.

Did you notice there are quite a bit fewer cookies shown than there were yesterday? Mari says in her book, "Although I make mistakes all of the time and I like to incorporate them into the overall design, there are plenty of occasions when I've made a mistake that I just couldn't keep. It's a good thing cookies are edible!"

Step Two seemed harder than Step One. Mari's book says: "Always bake in a good mood. This ensures that love goes into what you're making."If you hear yourself muttering, "I'm going to stab myself," over and over, does that mean you're in a good mood?

Step One

2011-12-23T19:19:00.000-08:00

Today I made Mari's basic sugar cookie recipe. One thing I really like about her new book is that it only contains two cookie dough recipes. The rest of the book inspires you to decorate those cookies like crazy.

In honor of Mari, this is the first time I've ever followed instructions. I could not imagine why I was using something like parchment paper to line the cookie sheets with. I had never dreamed of rolling out cookie dough between two sheets of wax paper. Wouldn't it stick? And why lemon zest and lemon juice instead of vanilla?

I didn't have a wire cooling rack, so I put newspaper over an oven rack. And when the space ran out, I just used newspaper. Otherwise I followed Mari's instructions to the letter. One thing I can say is that I'll never bake again without using parchment paper, and I'll never use a rolling pin without making a sandwich out of wax paper for the dough.

I had some trouble with this part: "Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until they brown around the edges."

When the timer would go off at 10 minutes, the cookies would look as pale as they did when they first went into the oven. So I would set the timer for 3 or 4 more minutes and wander off to do something else. When the timer would buzz again, the cookies would be very brown around the edges. I did this over and over! I learned that there's a thin line between unbaked-looking and burned.

Blue Christmas

2011-12-22T21:07:00.000-08:00

5:23 p.m.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2011-12-21T21:19:00.001-08:00

Before the P.O. Opens

2011-12-19T21:25:00.000-08:00

Found

2011-12-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

Mari's Book! It's Here!

2011-12-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

I thought it would never ever ever arrive. I waited outside by the mailbox for days. It is gorgeous and funny and instructive. The book is called the coolest cookies on the planet and it's by our own Mari Pfeiffer, with photos by her husband Wolf. Here are just a few of my favorite parts:

Did you notice? I always use electric colors:electric blue, hot pink, lemon yellow, bright orange, electric green and fire engine red. It's a personal preference, obviously, and you may not want your decorated cookies to look as zany as mine. That's okay. We can still be friends.

When I started baking on a regular basis, the most common mistakes I made were: not carefully reading the recipe ahead of time, not having all of my ingredients or not having all of them in the required amounts, and not understanding the equipment necessary. Because I have this insane belief that I'm so clever, I substituted ingredients here and there. And then I cried when I didn't get the results I wanted.

My friends – and especially my right-brained friends – baking is a science! You really need to follow the directions carefully and do as you're told. I know. Hearing that just makes ya wanna holla. But trust me. As much as I hate to listen to orders and follow rules and regulations, I learned that:

When it comes to baking, do what you're told.

But when it comes to decorating, do whatever you want.

And here are just a few nice little tips to ensure that your cookies will come out just right:

• Always use butter that's at room temperature.

• Always fluff up your flour before measuring.

• Always mix your ingredients until just combined.

• Always measure your ingredients carefully.

• Always add ingredients in the order the recipe tells you to.

• Always bake when you're in a good mood. This ensures that love goes into what you're making.

Xmas at Gina's

2011-12-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

me, Gina, Meg

Bean soup with crimini mushrooms, Italian kale, onions, Italian sausage. Pate, Afghani-Italian filled bolani, bread, cheese, carrots ... biscotti and wine.

Gina made the mosaic on the mantel.

Footnote: Gina lives in San Mateo. If you're born with no sense of direction, this is how many maps it takes to get to her house, even if you've been there before.

Another Enchanted Glutinous Evening

2011-12-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

From: Anne
Date: December 14, 2011 10:12:14 AM PST
Subject: Cheese Ravioli, ... Bread Pudding

Just got this Linda. Do you want to join us? My treat.

From: Linda

Date: December 14, 2011 10:12:15 AM PST

Subject: Cheese Ravioli, ... Bread Pudding

HELL YES! What time?

I wasn't expecting the food to be so amazingly good. It was. Chris, our server, was extraordinary, too. It was not the Bistro I remembered at all. (This is the upstairs part of the Cliff House, not the fancy downstairs part.) Soon as Tom gets back, I'm driving him straight there from the airport. Thank you so much, Anne and Peter – the best pleasure is having your company.

Me gusta comer pastel.

2011-12-14T14:36:00.000-08:00

The fifth in the Whistlefritz Spanish for Kids series is out. The illustration and
mouse-terful Flash animation is by me.

2011-12-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

5:19 p.m.

Gluten Fest

2011-12-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Tom is not able to eat gluten. Tom is out of town. So Saturday night, Anne and Peter had a gluten party. Pizza was on the menu – something that Tom and I never eat. What would I bring?

I noticed a BAKE SALE sign in front of Sunset Co-op Nursery Saturday afternoon. The perfect opportunity to buy some glutinous substances for the gluten fest! Not only were there cookies and gingerbread houses and little trees to be decorated, there was a bar set up on the 2nd level for grown-up children. That's my idea of a progressive nursery school.

I ordered a vodka with cranberry juice, and hightailed it over to the bake sale table where I bought a raspberry pie for $10.

Help! The Moon Got Stuck in the Windmill

2011-12-09T22:09:00.001-08:00

4:56 p.m

Write about a ritual (today's prompt)

A ritual I love is this: About a half hour before the sun goes down, I stop working and put some sunblock on my face just in case a ray of sun might hit it.

Then I change into my grungy pants with big pockets and put on an Eddie Bauer hooded under-thingie.

I comb my hair back and put on my baseball cap. (Light yellow for now.) A disgustingly filthy 6-year-old light wt. down jacket goes on next. Sunglasses?

I grab my shoe bag and an extra pair of light wt. wool socks because my shoes are too big. Then I turn on the porch light, lock the door, and drive down to Taraval. That way, during the first half of my walk the sun will be behind me, and when I'm coming back it will already have set – but there will be plenty of light still left to walk. In other words, I won't ever have to be walking directly into the sun.

I park down by the rest room. I pull off my UGGS and change into my filthy running shoes. I plug my earbuds into my phone and set Pandora to the Beatles and hit the beach. The best treasures (glass, shells, rock) are down this way. I walk north to the Beach Chalet, then turn around and come back. Tonight the moon was full. (In fact, it was so full it got stuck in the windmill.) It was almost dark by the time I got back to Taraval.

2011-12-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

5:12 p.m.

The violence

2011-12-06T20:12:00.001-08:00

I get to be part of the Writing Salon's Round Robin this week! I'm substituting for somebody who left town in a hurry. Today's prompt is The violence. We write 10-12 minutes from that prompt, and email it to our partner of the week. I cleaned mine up a little for you:

✍

I'm having two books for five-year-olds published in 2013. This means that soon I'll be able to say I'm a writer. Every day I've been opening up Publishers Weekly, and imagine how exciting it was this morning when I saw a link to this article:

12 Holiday Gifts That Writers Will Actually Use

Oh boy! A list of gifts people could buy for ME some day. I clicked right over.

#1 was A CHEESY NEW BESTSELLER. Thanks, but no thanks. Unless it's this one.

#2 was GOOD LIPSTICK. Yes! That's a good one! But how would you know what color? Everything I apply to my lips or face turns orange. So just in case you're wondering what color to get me, it needs to be something with lots of blue in it, because blue neutralizes orange.

#3 was FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING SOFTWARE. "Most writers wish they knew more languages," the article claimed. Ha, ha, ha, ha! I'm laughing myself silly over this one. I've never learned my own language and I have to look up any word longer than 6 letters. Plus, I never leave my neighborhood.

But #4 was the killer: A BATHROBE.

"...As Ann Beattie recently revealed, and as a generation of bloggers already knows, most writers wear awful clothing while they are working. Help your writer friend out by giving her a beautiful robe to cover up her bizarre ensembles."

The violence of that assumption!

I stopped reading and stomped into the other room. Then I glanced in the mirror.

I was wearing orange striped bed socks with UGGS. A pair of 10-year-old size large pajama pants covered with different types of faded sushi. A turquoise mock turtleneck that smelled bad. On top of that was a dirty discount sweater that had never worked out. The left side hung down 8 inches past the right side because the buttons were buttoned not ONE-BUTTON-OFF, but TWO-BUTTONS-OFF.

In case you're interested, here's the link to the Holiday Gift article.

p.s. #7 and #10 are great ideas.

The Joy of Socks

2011-12-04T21:18:00.001-08:00

New socks! And earbuds. (Alongside the past week's collection of sea glass.)

Remember those track lights from Home Despot? The ones that almost drove us to check into the insane asylum? We returned them today and got a refund. We took the money and ran across the parking lot to TJ Maxx and bought socks and new ear buds – and white elephants for Emmy's party. I hadn't partaken of a shopping mall-type experience in so long, it was simply exhilarating. Holiday music. I was daffy with happiness.

I also bought new running shoes and some tights, but later I came to my senses and returned them. The shoes were just too unsightly, even though they felt good. It was the opposite story with the tights. They looked great but after I left the store and pulled them out to admire them and I realized they had control tops. I was afraid that if I was able to get into them that they'd get stuck on me and I'd never get them back off.

I just found out I get to be a substitute for the Writing Salon's Round Robin all week this coming week. I've really missed that class so I'm looking forward to it.

Playing Hooky

2011-12-02T20:16:00.001-08:00

DAVe Warnke Color Critters Marker on 6" x 4" Martha Stewart paint chips

This afternoon I kissed my computer goodbye and headed downtown. Helen Steele and DAVe Warnke both have art on exhibit this month at Hang Art Gallery.

The pieces above were drawn on Martha Stewart paint chips. Sometimes the name of the color influenced what DAVe drew (for instance the ice cream cone, which is drawn on the "Lemon Ice" chip.)

I met Helen at Fort Mason where we were taking a class in how to make repeat patterns. These particular paintings have got to be the farthest thing from repeat patterns I can imagine. Her work has been hung in the place of honor: right by the big front windows.

Helen has another opening at Room Gallery this Tuesday, December 6 at their new location in Mill Valley.

Helen Steele A Moment in Time Acrylic on canvas 36 x 36 inches

Gale Force Winds

2011-11-30T20:55:00.001-08:00

Anne and Peter think we're wimps. We only walk on the beach when the tide is low, and only when it's not sleeting, and only when a tsunami isn't in the forecast. Anne and Peter run six miles every night no matter what.

It was incredibly windy this evening. Tom and I started out before the sun set. We parked down by Taraval and headed north. Walking was nearly impossible! Of course coming back was a breeze.

But suddenly we realized it was perfectly calm – that the wind had stopped. That's when we ran into Anne running north, with Carmen on her leash.

"Anne, your timing is perfect!" I said. "There were gale force winds when we began." She looked around. All was peaceful. "Oh, really?" she said.

Merry Christmas, Be Mine!

2011-11-28T21:21:00.001-08:00

Today Publishers Weekly ran a nice review of 10 Valentine Friends. The book will be released on December 27.

Will Work for Cookies and Wine

2011-11-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

Lucille tutors kids of all ages who have dyslexia. I tutor Lucille. She's 87. Her goal is to get a reading program for dyslexic kids into the school system – a program that works. She wants to start her own blog to talk about this particular teaching method that works. I basically just sit beside her while she figures out how to put the blog together.

It's fun visiting her because she always has cookies in the oven and wine in the fridge and books to loan.

And the clothes she wears!

Star and Bird

2011-11-22T20:17:00.001-08:00

4:19 p.m.

Line break

4:41 p.m.

Gulp!

2011-11-18T21:37:00.001-08:00

I gulped this book down. (This is the back cover of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.) From the book:

Simplicity isn't just a visual style. It's not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of the complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep. For example, to have no screws on something, you can end up having a product that is so convoluted and so complex. The better way is to go deeper with the simplicity, to understand everything about it and how it's manufactured. You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.

...Design was not just about what a product looked like on the surface. It had to reflect the product's essence. "In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer," Jobs told Fortune shortly after retaking the reins at Apple. "But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers."

Another part I remember from the first few pages:

Even though they were not fervent about their faith, Jobs's parents wanted him to have a religious upbringing, so they took him to the Lutheran church most Sundays. That came to an end when he was thirteen. In July 1968 Life magazine published a shocking cover showing a pair of starving children in Biafra. Jobs took it to Sunday school and confronted the church's pastor. "If I raise my finger, will God know which one I'm going to raise even before I do it?"

The pastor answered, "Yes, God knows everything."

Jobs then pulled out the Life cover and asked, "Well, does God know about this and what's going to happen to those children?"

"Steve, I know you don't understand, but yes, God knows about that."

Jobs announced that he didn't want to have anything to do with worshipping such a God, and he never went back to church.

Happy Birthday, Anne

2011-11-16T21:11:00.001-08:00

Dear Anne,
An excerpt from one of my favorite bloggers (posted today, on your birthday):

This morning during breakfast Harriet asked me for the name of Theseus’ wife and I went up to my bookshelf to get my eighth grade book from Mr Shoemaker’s English class, Mythology and Me. (This is unrelated but I want to tell it anyway… Yesterday, she asked what albaricoque meant and on the title page of my old Spanish-English dictionary I found that there is still a drawing of a purple heart with”Trinidad y Ana son amigas” written inside. That could have been written yesterday. Time is meaningless.) After she left for school I sat with my coffee and opened up the mythology book to the middle and read:

Creativity is one way people free themselves from the limitations of conditioned responses. It is a means by which people free themselves also, of ordinary choices. It enlarges the universe by discovering new dimensions. It also enriches people by enabling them to experience these dimensions inwardly … There are some conditions or attitudes under which creative endeavor thrives. One of them is, surprisingly, aloneness, or being able to be alone without being lonely. Other circumstances that seem to promote the creative process are inactivity and daydreaming … In order to be creative, we must put what we have discovered into action.

I think this might be one reason we are such good friends: We value our aloneness.

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

2011-11-15T20:13:00.001-08:00

Hey, my husband has a new website. Take a look at some of his beautiful work, photographed by Larry and Barbara. I put the site together, and in exchange Tom ran errands and made meals and cleaned up. A win-win situation.

Little Man, Little Man

2011-11-13T21:49:00.001-08:00

Did you know that James Baldwin wrote a children's book? I didn't.

Katy sent it to me. It's not like any children's book I've ever read.

Drugs, alcohol, violence, despair. Friendship, sweetness, and loyalty.

And the illustrations! Loose and free as can be.

Wondrous Beach Finds

2011-11-12T21:15:00.001-08:00

4:56 Right before sunset I almost ran over these snowflakes on the beach.

Maybe someone made/photographed a Christmas card and left their art for us?

This is actually the one I saw first.

This little stash of shells was nearby.

My Dinner With Lucille

2011-11-10T21:08:00.001-08:00

On Nov. 09, 2011, at 2:27 PM, Linda wrote:

Hi again, Lucille!

Just checking in to make sure tomorrow around 4:30-ish is still a good time for us to have a drink.

I think I'll bring champagne (California) instead of martini paraphernalia. We can celebrate.

Casual dress? I'll bring some more tattoos, too, just in case we feel like tattooing.

On Nov 9, 2011, at 3:37 PM, Lucille wrote: (she's just one of those people who writes things like this)

Every day's a celebration when I see you, Linda. 4:30ish sound good. I have the cheese and crackers. And maybe some dinner?

On Nov. 09, 2011 3:41 PM, Linda wrote:

Lucille, actually dinner sounds good!

Cheese and crackers is a good dinner for me ... But should I pick up something else on the way? I'd love to. Just say what.

Hooray! Just bring your dear self and the bottle.

Lucille! I just remembered. Tom made some vegetable soup last week. We froze a quart or two. Should I take it out of the freezer tomorrow a.m. and bring it?

I never say no, Linda. It will be delicious, knowing you. First course - followed by an entrée.

When I got to Lucille's place, we ran out on her balcony to take a photo before the sun set and then popped the cork. We sat down for a while with the cheese and crackers. Then Lucille jumped up and poached some fish. She stirred up an incredible sauce from the Sunset Cookbook. Suddenly a sweet potato pudding appeared next to the fish.

She sent me home with The Corrections, a jar of peanuts, and some malted milk balls.

Thank you, Lucille. I loved spending the evening with you. I'll be back soon to help you set up your blog.

Moon Up, Moon Down

2011-11-09T20:14:00.001-08:00

5:14 (Strange! Same time as yesterday's photo.)

Looking Both Ways

2011-11-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

5:14 Looking west

5:14 Looking east

A Website for Gina

2011-11-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

I recently finished this website for my friend Gina.

Best known for her blockbuster book, Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.?, Gina Pera is an award-winning journalist and compassionate advocate for everyone affected by Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ...

Just another day in the life of Gina: Today a couple in Australia wrote to her to say they owe their pending marriage to her book, so they've invited her to the wedding in Adelaide. She hopes to surprise them and actually show up.

Vacation Day

2011-11-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

11:44 across the bridge to IKEA on a quest for lighting

2:27 Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek to see the Insider/Outsider Art Show

Rush hour traffic: Tom can't take it anymore. We take the exit to Sausalito.

6:22 In Sausalito we walk by this gas station which is blasting opera music.

6:32 We duck in; sit under a heat lamp. "Hot tacos, fresh oysters, cold beer"

Back home with our new lighting.

Winter Came Today

2011-11-03T23:22:00.000-07:00

6:12 p.m: I was wearing gloves.

Hey, That's Me in The Painter WOW! Book

2011-11-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Cher Threinen-Pendarvis just sent me a copy of her new book called The Painter WOW! Book (the Tenth Edition). I'm proud to be included in The Power of Color chapter.

Happy 11.1.11 Sad

2011-11-01T22:29:00.000-07:00

5:28 p.m. Very windy and clear.

The white boat over on the left is from the Coast Guard. Six or seven police cars are parked along the trail. It's a funny feeling: at the same time we've been walking merrily along, someone has drowned below.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:52:00.000-07:00

We have three terrific new neighbors (above). They just moved in across the street. When we offered them more than one Snickers bar apiece, they politely declined. Can you imagine?

Boo!

2011-10-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

Two spooky things happened at Green Apple Books today. First, I ran into my counselor Gene MFT outside. That wasn't really too scary – it was fun, actually. Then once I got inside, Janet's book jumped off the shelf at me. Actually I was very happy to see it, too! I did those pictures seven years ago.

Beautiful Planet

2011-10-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

6:41 p.m. Earth. Did you see our tiny moon this evening?

Special Agents

2011-10-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

Deborah Warren and Rubin Pfeffer

I got to meet Rubin and Deborah of East/West Literary Agency today. Not only did I get to meet them, but I got to eat ravioli and drink wine with them. We talked a little about this Children's Book Proclamation. Here's one part of the proclamation I liked: The tidy ending is often dishonest. And I got a kick out of this part: Even books meant to put kids to sleep should give them strange dreams.

The only sad part was that Judy had to fly back before dinner.

Little White Dog

2011-10-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

I had the feeling this little white dog appeared out of nowhere to tell me that life will be easier in the spring.

Speaking of Lighting the Night ...

2011-10-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

Don't ever buy track lights at Home Depot and attempt to start installing them at 5:30, or this may happen to you: we have one outlet in the kitchen that works this evening. (My studio is now in the kitchen.)

Luckily Kristin informed us about Free Candle app Thursday night. At least I have that! And a flashlight.

p.s. Don't ever buy track lights at Home Depot and attempt to install them no matter what time it is.

Light the Night Walk

2011-10-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

Mary Ann, our fearless leader

A candle for Dad, a candle for Kristin's mother-in-law

The streets of San Francisco during the walk

Back to where we started at Union Square

Me and Mary Ann

The train home suddenly stops (underground) as an earthquake is announced.

Thank you again, friends who donated and friends who thought about us tonight. Mary Ann and her team raised over $5,000.

p.s. The train started back up. Then it stopped cold again – underground, of course. After that it screeched on toward home. Tom chased it down Judah Street and rescued me at 19th Avenue.

Found

2011-10-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Walking Man

2011-10-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

6:56 p.m.

Oh no. PLAGIARISM!

I just realized that this is almost exactly the same photo I took four days ago. But isn't the blurry color kind of nice? I like this one better.

p.s. Is that really how you spell "plagiarism"? I would have dropped right out of the spelling bee.

The Recycled Book Recycled

2011-10-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Remember this book?

I gave it to Anne and now look at it.

Remember that it used to be blank?

It is no longer blank.

It's kind of a diary of the past week.

And past presents.

Anne knows how I feel about sea glass.

Me and We (and Mimi)

This one's called Wearing Stripes

Cat Tail

Anne recycled the stickers I used when I gave the book to her.

One last de tail

Dinner Guest

2011-10-14T00:44:00.000-07:00

8:28 p.m.

Blue Boy

2011-10-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

12:26 Do we have anything for lunch?

6:37 Sun sets right on time according to Tidelog. And I found love.

It's Getting Dark Earlier

2011-10-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

6:30

7:00

7:01 and the streetlights are on

Sea Glass from Saturday

2011-10-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

... on top of the announcement about the Creativity Explored opening. Hmmmm ... does the announcement bear a striking resemblance to the book cover up there on the right?

Friday's Beach Find

2011-10-07T10:58:00.001-07:00

Delicious, Messy

2011-10-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Gina took me to Limon to celebrate two books being accepted for publication. It looks like I'll be a published writer for 5-year-olds! Gina's already a published writer, though her readers are a little older.

After a delicious and messy dinner, I made Gina accompany me to the opening at Creativity Explored (above), where I almost fell over in the middle of our photograph.

the cover: a detail from One, Two, Tin by John Patrick McKenzie
© 2010 Creativity Explored / permanent marker on laminate

Here's something I bought at the show that I love: a book made out of recycled paper. An oversized postcard from a recent opening at the gallery is folded in half and stapled to make the cover. It was $5.00 and they have more if you'd like to buy a whole truckload.

A Little Help from My Friends

2011-10-05T21:52:00.000-07:00


So nice to find this (from Gina!) in the mail on a day like today.

Today was one of those days. How many times did I listen to the lynda.com tutorial on creating layer-based slices and have it pour like sludge into one ear and out the other – and then evaporate completely? Later Barbara texted me that Steve Jobs had died. I had no idea that his death would affect me so extremely.

A House Boat?

2011-10-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

480 square feet

looking out the back window

returning later... does the dock feel a little bit like Barbary Lane?

Dreamy

2011-10-01T22:54:00.000-07:00

Peter and Anne invited us to go to the Flower Market with them early Friday morning.

Tom jumped at the chance. Peter told me about the nice cafe where I could sit and drink coffee, so I went too.

For breakfast would you rather have a dozen eggs or a dozen roses?

Peter bought 100 asters (among other things).

Earlier in the week Peter had placed an order for a box of gardenias. Even though they smelled heavenly, the seller didn't think they looked gorgeous enough so he threw in a second box. Anne decided that we should have the extra box! (Those aren't the gardenias below, those are something else.)

To make a long story short, we drove back home with a car full of flowers. Below is my first attempt at flower arranging.

From: Linda

Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 10:19 AM

To: Lucille

Subject: gardenias?

Lucille, hi!

How are you???

Do you like gardenias?

Let me know.

To: Linda

Of course I love gardenias ! It's a flower, isn't it? I can't think of a
rhyme for gardenia or I'd write a poem.

To: Lucille

Can I bring some over to you today some time? (Or just drop them off?)

To: Linda

Gardenias are filling two bowls.

The fragrance is intoxicating –
Well, maybe not exactly like a martini

But I’m one very happy lady.

Notes from Class

2011-09-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

... and a week's worth of sea glass.

Light the Night Walk

2011-09-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Mary Ann is leading a Light the Night walk to raise money in honor of her friend Michael Selhorst. He died last November from Leukemia. I had heard so much about Michael Selhorst "The Seahorse" that I felt like knew him.

My dad (that's him below) died of Leukemia when I was 12, so of course I'll be thinking about him as I walk.

Aggles (below) and I would make up stories and characters and Dad would take photos for us. He also shot movies that we'd write and direct. My favorite one was full of scenes that looked hilarious when you ran the film backwards: we jumped off swings, poured lemonade from on high, stuffed deviled eggs in our mouths ... we had a charmed childhood with him.

Click here if you'd like to help sponsor us on the walk. $10, $25: any amount is greatly appreciated. Every little bit of money we raise will help current and future Leukemia victims. Mary Ann has set a goal of $2,000. (She just changed it to $4,000!)

If you'd like to join us, the walk is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 20 p.m. at Union Square, San Francisco.

Rivera Street

2011-09-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

At low tide we parked down by Rivera Street, where there was a big bed of rock, shell, and glass.

This was a serious beachcomber. Even more serious than I am.

Yipes

2011-09-22T23:04:00.001-07:00

James Marshall

Better Than Facebook

2011-09-22T23:03:00.001-07:00

West Coast friends meet East Coast friends face to face.

Red

2011-09-22T23:03:00.000-07:00

A knife holder that one of Tom's favorite clients bought by mistake. (She came to the conclusion that she needed a white one.) So guess who got the red one? Yippee!

It's by bodum and you can buy their wonderful things at Target.

Sweet Tuesday

2011-09-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

Plink

2011-09-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

We Got Our Windmill Back!

2011-09-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

We thought it would never happen. While we were in Point Reyes, Peter e-mailed us that the copper dome––all 64 tons of it––had been set in place on top of the Murphy Windmill.

When we got home on Thursday, the arms had been added.

I took the photo yesterday evening from the beach. We can see the windmill from our window. It stands at the southwest corner of Golden Gate Park. We can also see the Dutch Windmill, which stands at the northwest corner of the park. We haven't seen the arms turning yet, but we can't wait.

... The restoration finally got under way in 2002. The dome was sent by ship to Lucas Verbij of Verbij Hoogmade, a company in the Netherlands that has been designing and building windmills since 1868.Nine years later on Monday, a crane hoisted the refurbished cap into the sky and lowered it, inch by inch, on top of the giant.

Read more.

Not Fair!

2011-09-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

All of the others (everyone except for Linda and Tom) moved up to Mendocino yesterday for several nights.

Have you heard of Glass Beach? The photo above shows what Barbara collected there today. I repeat: Not fair! Barbara's the one who got me hooked on beach glass, by the way.

News from Point Reyes

2011-09-15T21:53:00.000-07:00

from our favorite column in Point Reyes Light (Sheriff's Calls):

Thursday, September 1
• Point Reyes Station: At 9:06 p.m. a cow was in the road.

Saturday, September 3
• Inverness: At 2:34 p.m. someone saw a German shepherd running down the road.

• Dillon Beach: At 7 p.m. a woman reported that her grandson, whom she described as having big, round eyes, had not returned after leaving home that morning.

• Stinson Beach: At 8:32 p.m. someone heard fireworks.

• Nicasio: At 9:50 p.m. a brown cow was walking to town on two pairs of white legs.

Sunday, September 4
•Tomales: At 8:30 p.m. a driver narrowly missed a cow.

Good Fortune Bracelet

2011-09-14T22:31:00.000-07:00

Larry made this lucky good fortune bracelet for me. He found the Y connector on the ground. Then he wrapped tiny objects (all lucky objects) in silver wire and attached them to the cord. Have you ever seen a more wonderful thing?

* The fortune says No need to worry, you will always have everything you need.

Point Reyes Pals

2011-09-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Crab Fest

2011-09-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

Orange and Blue Evening

2011-09-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

In front
of our house.
His antennae are black and white striped!

On the Coastal Trail. Fog horns all day long.

Labor Day: Lots of Sitting Going On

2011-09-05T21:40:00.000-07:00

My beautiful next door neighbor Emmy and I labored over lunch for two hours. (Eggplant sandwiches and sweet potato fries.)

When we hit the Coastal Trail this evening, this gigantic bird was sitting in a tree right on the path. An hour later we walked back by and he was still there.

Sunset HOR Eeks Out Win

2011-09-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

The look on Peter's face when I sunk it first. He's an H.

Trying to catch up. Dark clouds forming on the horizon and above Peter's eyebrows as well.

Victory is fleeting and soon forgotten.

The cheerleaders held the fans' attention when the game on the court lagged.

Game On.

2011-09-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

On Sep 3, 2011, at 11:12 AM, Peter wrote:

Final "GAME ON" Press Release

Dear Linda, the DAY of reckoning has arrived (not unlike the Rapture–Harold Camping's reckoning). I am stabilizing the "Spalding" at between 7-9 lbs. pressure–THE ONLY PRESSURE I feel. What if we turn the tables on our two cheerleaders, and MAKE them play a game too–and we can have side bets! ...

Stay Strong

On Sep 3, 2011, at 7:10 PM, Linda wrote:

I'm Ready.

-----------------

Results tomorrow.