Catalina, The Island of Romance!

Twenty-six miles across the sea ... we step back in time and notch the pace down a bit in beautiful Avalon. Been coming here since I was a child, and it sure hasn't changed much! This year's attendees were: Me, Joe, Laurel, Charlie, Greg, Jonas, Slavka, Erin, Mike, Charles, Joan, Andy, Bob, Phyllis, Coy, and Mardi. A few less people than last year, but still a great group!









Our annual Catalina adventure in August was sans my mother this year -- she just didn't feel up to it at the last moment & we cancelled her plane ticket & room, but soldiered on without her. Waiting for us was a wonderful 5 days of Southern California sunshine, relaxation, golf, walking, shopping, fun dinners together, water sports, an organ recital in the art deco theater, our lovely & comfy rooms at the Pavilion Lodge, Bananagrams, margaritas, and just all-around good times. The Pavilion Lodge is now closed, Nov. 30, 2009 until June 1, 2010, for a complete renovation, starting with it's name: now the Pavilion Hotel. The place is being completely remodeled, including an elevator, private patios, executive ocean view suites above the office, a wine/cheese bar, and the loss of the "lollipops" -- the iconic signs from the 50's. Change is hard, but I'm sure they'll do a great job. Looking forward to August 11 - 16, 2010.

Another Ladies' Getaway!

Once again, the Dynamic Trio hit the road -- the time to Pine Mountain Lake, just outside of Groveland. Bonnie Buss, Kathy Malloy, & I stayed at Marilyn Leedom's beautiful cabin (minus Marilyn, dang! -- she was in Hawaii) for 2 nights, sleeping like proverbial babies. A trip to Murphy's for wine tasting & dinner plus a concert at Twisted Oak Winery rounded out the first day.

Then, it was off to Yosemite for brunch at the Ahwahnee & a little hike to Yosemite Falls, along with a million other people. The sights were beautiful, as was the blessedly cool weather -- but, as always, the best part is talking, laughing, crying, commiserating, congratulating, toasting -- thank goodness for friends on this great journey of life.

Kenny Rankin, rest in peace

Sad and shocked to hear that last Sunday, Kenny Rankin passed away, after he found out 3 weeks earlier he had stage IV lung cancer. Unbelievable. Here's a video -- sweet song at the end. Glad I got to see him in person at Yoshi's Jazz Club, twice -- even talked to him outside the building -- what a voice, and what a gentleman. Life is Good, but Life's Too Short.

Beautiful song starts at 1:27, if you'd like to skip to the music.

Maui No Ka Oi!

Just got back from a fabulous trip to Maui with Greg and all the kids -- one week in Paradise! Got a great package on Expedia including round-trip airfare from Oakland, a minivan, and deluxe ocean view rooms at the Westin Resort & Spa @ Ka'anapali. Hadn't been there since 1976, and it was just as beautiful as I remembered.


The weather was a bit cool & breezy but still oh-so tolerable! I started every morning with a brisk walk along the beach followed by a quick workout in the gym & 1/2 a papaya. Joe swam in the ocean every day, I think Charlie made it to the gym every day -- Laurel & Greg made no major plans and just enjoyed! We did all the tourist things: the great little aquarium, a drive to Hana, snorkeling @ Napili, the Old Lahaina Luau, Iao Needle, strolling under the giant banyan in Lahaina Town, plus lots of nice dinners & just plain relaxing. The week flew by -- too bad the zip-line was booked solid, but we'll save something for next time. Once again, I'm so thankful all the kids were willing & available, and I hope they had as much fun as I did! We even had fun doing Joe's crosswords marathon. Even with the cooler weather & meticulous SPF application, there was a little sunburning, but we found a great "Maui Secret" aloe potion that was a miracle.

Also found a great sushi restaurant, "Sansei", that was unassuming from the outside & absolutely fresh and delish (worth the 1 hour wait -- call ahead if you go).

I can think of no better way to spend time & money than traveling with family -- it just doesn't get any better!

JAPAN

Last year I was able to take my kids on a great trip to Japan -- it all happened spur of the moment: the tour was available, I could afford it, the kids wanted to go, and everyone could make it. In other words, the planets were aligned. We spent Easter week taking an all-inclusive tour with Japan Deluxe Tours, completely guided & BLD of the best Japanese food you can imagine. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Hakone, & Mt. Fuji were all part of this intensive trip. The weather cooperated, the cherry blossoms began their annual show, and the last day we braved the Japanese rail system on our own (complete with ticket-buying & connections) to travel about 1-1/2 hours from Osaka to Omi Hachiman, my dad's home town. I had visited there in 1965, and not a lot had changed. We walked into town to the old historic section, and rode the tram to a great overlook of the town and Lake Biwa. Spent 15 minutes talking to a man on the train who could've easily been a distant relative, each of us trying out our limited linguistic skills on the other -- a true highlight! I hope Joe, Laurel, and Charlie enjoyed this as much as I did -- and I hope they know that just because they're adults now, I'll still invite them on family trips, and I hope they say YES! Lots more places still to see -- starting with Maui next month.

Passages

Haven't blogged in awhile -- one reason is because things are so busy at work since my boss passed away on Dec. 5th. Hard to imagine where all that energy goes when someone that dynamic is gone -- they say that energy is actually measurable, and that it's just a few ounces. But WHAT a few ounces it is!

I've always enjoyed working with older men: first my dad, then Hal Simpson @ Simpson's Nursery, and then George Jaber. It was hard to see him become so frustrated with his physical self when his mind was still so sharp. I regret I didn't hug him goodbye the last time I saw him, I don't regret the fact that not long ago I told him how much I enjoyed spending time with him, and I'll always cherish him telling me he wished he was 30 years younger so he could go on a hike with me!

Also passing in December was my old neighbor, Harvey Rydman, age 90. Harvey always had a twinkle in his eye, a spring in his step, and a project on the horizon, and never a mean thing to say about anyone. Can't do much better than that.

Then last week, Mike Malloy's father passed away, age 80. I didn't know him, but if he was anything like Mike, then I know I'd have liked him.

This all makes me realize anew how lucky my dad was to be working up to the moment he died -- as my cousin, Kay (now gone, too) told me, "If you could write your own ticket, that would be it." So true.

Motherhood, Take 3

I like to joke that by the time the 3rd kid rolls around, we moms are much more relaxed ... ie., "Honey, put the knives away when you're done playing with them!". There are also 2 built-in playmates for entertainment. Maybe this is why I feel Charlie is an "old soul", and, not to be morbid, but when he first looked at me as a newborn, I had the uncanny feeling that he will be holding my hand when I die (no pressure there, Charles, it's just one of those woman's intuition things that can actually just be chalked up to hormones or too much coffee that day!).

Charlie is artistic, sensitive, and thoughtful -- more a gentleman than a macho-man, which I think women in particular find quite refreshing. He has donated his hair to "Locks of Love", donates blood regularly, and the hug he gave me during one particular meltdown was Everymom's greatest reward.

Here he is, earlier this year, having miso soup for breakfast in Tokyo.

Motherhood, Take 2

You love your first baby so much, you worry that the 2nd will be short-changed ... ahh, the miracle of motherhood is that each child gets 100% of your love, defying the laws of mathematics!

Laurel arrived feminine, and nurturing, and empathetic, and remains so. She is a caretaker & organizer/planner, and being in the middle of 2 boys, is not afraid to get her fingernails dirty (tho she does love a nice manicure!).

It has been an absolute pleasure to see her evolve from playing with dolls at home to designing anything & everything at college, and I can't wait to see where this passion takes her. She's definitely a "mid-century modern" kind of gal!

Recently, she literally knocked my socks off with her depth of wisdom & woman's intuition -- she knows what I'm talking about -- any woman would be lucky to count her as their "girlfriend"!

Motherhood, Take 1

The absolute best thing that ever happened in my life was becoming a Mom. When Joe came along, I had been married for almost 10 years and had never even babysat, let alone changed a diaper!

Here's 4 day old Joe, all 5lbs. 13 oz. of him swimming in his onesie, & a very tired me, 2 weeks shy of my 30th birthday.

I remember the exact moment the center of the universe shifted -- it wasn't when he was born, it was a few days later in the hospital & I was watching a nurse give Joe a bath absent-mindedly while she talked on the telephone -- and from that moment on, the world didn't revolve around me anymore. I suddenly "got it". This moment must happen to every parent. All the things I had worried about before he was born vanished, because they had all been about me, and that wasn't what It was about anymore.

Now, how he transformed from from the little guy in the walker to the big guy with his girlfriend, Courtney, & my mom, has been a wonderful journey. He's handsome & smart, with a wry sense of humor. The great thing about an adult kid is there is still part of that little child there... I see it every time Joe shows up in a hat & cowboy boots. Or laughs a certain way. Or gives me a kiss. We think we know love before kids, but when that new person arrives, there's no comparison.

Now, Charlie & Laurel, don't feel slighted! An Erma Bombeck column I loved was a letter entitled, "Why You Are My Favorite Child," which she gave to all three of her children! Your turns in this blog are coming ...

Ancestors

One of the things I'd like to do with this blog is list the people in my life. These are some photos I took with me to Japan recently: from left, my maternal grandmother, Kei Sato, my paternal grandfather, Bernard Thomson, and my daddy, Joe Thomson (ne "Jiro"). Kei died in 1935, Bernard in 1966, and Joe in 1994. I think these photos are from around 1933, and look to be in Thompson Park in Alameda. My memories of my grandpa are of him delivering home-made banana nut bread or sitting in our living room with a glass of sherry, quite the old English gentleman! More on these folks later -- they've been in my thoughts since traveling to Omi Hachiman, and getting new tenants for grandpa's old house, and I visited all their graves on Father's Day -- left some flowers from the garden.

Ladies' Getaway!

Sometimes girls just gotta have fun! Kathy Malloy & Bonnie Buss were game for a trip to my mom's beach house in Santa Cruz this weekend ... lots of talking, laughing, cheese, wine, ahhhh! We checked out Laurel's newest restaurant recommendation, "Brazil", where we were easily the oldest patrons but the energy was high & the food was fabulous. We also took in a South American music gala @ the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Bonnie had to get back to business in Yountville, after a week on the road ... or perhaps she sensed what Kathy & I were about to do: PAINT THE LAUNDRY ROOM! Yikes, what a mess it was: unfinished walls, cracks everywhere, & filthy. By this morning, the walls were primed a clean white, the miniblinds washed, the floor scrubbed. In a word, a miracle. Thanks, Kath!

And, gals, sorry about the photo, but it was the only one I had of the 2 of you -- thank god this is not YouTube, eh?

In the beginning ...

My daughter's blog is so inspiring, she suggested I could do one, too ... and I believed her! Thank you, Laurel, for helping me with the set-up. Since I'm not a design major, like you, I suspect this one will be a bit rough around the edges -- but then, so am I.

Whomever I direct to this blog, here is the disclaimer: I'll try my best to keep it interesting, but I appologize to everyone in advance for boring you -- be gentle with your comments!