The Last Day of August

An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Do you happen to live with a person who cannot ingest gluten in any form,
including beer?

Finally! A good one. Yes, you heard me. A good gluten free beer.
And it happens to be dark.

Beach glass from Saturday.

Another Gray Evening

But I came home with pockets full of glass!

Pea Soup: The Coastal Trail This Evening

A Tiny Bit of Blue (and a Chicken, Too)

Over the weekend the sea wall was repainted – and already
a giant chicken has hatched.

Not a Pretty Picture

This photo was taken yesterday. It shows the new starting point for our walks. (Down where Rivera ends, two blocks south of where we usually begin.) If you follow the path up and across the Great Highway, you'll find yourself on the beach.


The photo is very pretty; the email below, not so pretty.  

From: Peter
Date: August 21, 2011 12:36:12 PM PDT
Subject: drug test – mandatory
To: Linda

Linda, I did not post this on your blog for the sanctity of your privacy – but "we" have long suspected your use of performance enhancing substances, steroids and HGH – human growth hormones, not to mention the usual alcohol and THC and cilantro and basil. I am graciously willing to overlook the LAST four items, but there will be onsite samples taken to assure you don't try to get a chemical advantage in our game of HORSE (we could make it a best of three - with LINDA and PETER standing in for the horse).
Semper vigilans,
Peter

This Week's Beach Glass

I tore the page out of a Boden catalog I got in the mail. Have you ever ordered anything from them? I haven't, but I think their things are beautiful. And all their striped shirts are on sale at the moment.

we're pumped – got game?

photo by Peter

The challenge: A game of HORSE.
The loser treats the winner and her partner to dinner at Outerlands.

From: Peter
Date: August 17, 2011 1:46:28 PM PDT
Subject: we're pumped - got game?
To: Linda
Attached photo

On Aug 17, 2011, at 1:55 PM, Linda wrote:
All right!
How bout this weekend?
(Or do you need more time to rest up?)

On Aug 17, 2011, at 1:59 PM, Peter wrote:
We're on!

On Aug 17, 2011, at 2:05 PM, Linda wrote:
Right before dinner time? That will give you time for a nap.
You'd better go ahead and make a reservation (in your name).

Home Tour

I got so carried away with the flowers that I forgot to say where we went before the flowers arrived. The AIA East Bay Home Tour! Every year we get a kick out of the tours in San Francisco and Marin. This is the first year they've offered one in the East Bay and it looked intriguing. So we went, and it was.

The tiny house above was my favorite. The glass roof over the deck is made from the back windows of old vans that are welded together. The sides of the house are refinished panels from junked car doors. The siding on the bottom of the house (see below) is tree bark from the trees used to build the upper story.

One thing that I love about going on these tours is having a glimpse into somebody else's life. The books, the toys, the art: all fascinating.

Special Delivery

The PAC (That's Peter, Anne, and Carmen) came for dinner. Not only did they bring an exquisite bottle of Scott's wine, but they brought a crate of flowers.












































































I was researching kids' crafts a few months ago and found the magnificent piece below. It's lived on my desktop ever since. One of the arrangements from last night (above) is almost as good. Don't they both remind you a little of Dr. Seuss?

























Last night before we went to bed we set the jasmine in the bathroom. A few times during the night I caught a whiff of it from the bedroom. Waking up to that fragrance goes a long way toward casting a good spell on the day.

Windmill

This evening we walked home through the park and made a detour over to the windmill. It was cold and windy but the flowers obviously love it.

Sea Glass from the Other Side of the World

You're not going to believe what came in the mail today. John just got back home to Boulder after a year in Penghu and four weeks in Nepal. He sent me a box of sea glass he had collected on the beach at Penghu.

Isn't it the most incredible present you can imagine?

p.s. The buildings on the card are traditional homes in Penghu that are being restored.

Found in the Sand

... and on the sea wall

A Car for You

A car for me! More here.

Marin Museum of Contemporary Art

We walked in on an ice cream and cookies reception today at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art in Novato.

I know what you're thinking: "She knew there would be ice cream and that's why she drove all the way up to the museum in the first place." Not true. We didn't even know about the great little museum. They happened to be celebrating their Summer Arts Camp. The campers had their art on display, and this was my favorite piece.

I got to meet Kobe in person (left), posing beside his dolphin (middle).

Eucalyptus

We've walked on the Coastal Trail the past two evenings because the tide's been so high. There's one part of the trail that goes down some winding stone steps and this particular stretch is surrounded by eucalyptus trees. The ground is covered with their leaves. The smell is divine.

But below is my beach stash from the past week. The card is from Velvet da Vinci, one of my favorite galleries. On top of the white piece of pottery is my ring, which came from the gallery.

The Teacher, Tom Burkey, A Very Nice Turkey

the teacher, Tom Burkey, a guitar-wielding turkey

Today the School Library Journal ran a fun review of Judy's and my book, We Love Our School!

If you're like me and hate to click on links within a post, here's the scoop:

In Judy Sierra and Linda Davick's fun-to-share rebus story, vivacious verses and popsicle-hued pictures reveal the satisfying first-day experiences of a group of eager animals. After hurrying to their classroom (via sailboat, skateboard, and truck), being greeted by a kind teacher (Tom Burkey, a guitar-wielding turkey), and taking part in an assortment of educational activities and games, these enthusiastic new students are ready to wholeheartedly declare, We Love Our School! (Knopf, 2011; PreS-Gr 1).

Glimpses at realistic routines are provided along with the touches of humor, keeping the presentation pertinent but light. The picture clues in the text and the consistent rhyme scheme will encourage youngsters to chime in when the book is read aloud, generating a mood of jovial participation and promoting pre-reading listening and decoding skills.