SF Tgiving

Its a terrible reporter checking in here. I carried my little camera everywhere over our family gathering in SF and seem to have come up with less than very little. Thus, the picture above is not of our family intact but rather our some of our family who had gathered in SF minus Heather, who returned to San Luis Obispo on Saturday, plus the competent and agreeable waitress at Peter D's ( the establishment on Bway and Van Ness that has "the best breakfast in San Francisco"). So here you have Lauren, Ariel, not Heather and Jolie and above you have the reason for the claim of best breakfast in sf.

Leaving Winter

We leave tomorrow for what we hope is sunny CA. When we return in December the whoop de doo of Christmas will have started. Indeed, we have already spotted the Jaycees tree lot fully stocked. The big event during the first week of December is the Snow King Bazaar - everything there from cakes to kittens. Everyone there too! Bit by bit, too, the tourists will trickle in but somehow, because most of them are someone's relatives, the change in the grocery lines is tolerated. It is later when the here for nothing but skiing and partying arrive we are not so warm hearted.

So, from San Francisco, pictures may precede Thanksgiving - or not ! ( They will definitely follow) What a marvelous thing that we have an official holiday that dictates: stop, be with those you love, eat too much and be thankful for it all! In case I am not able to post again until after the holiday, I wish you a happy one.

I am looking forward to spending sometime with you, Steve, on Weds!

Memories

Remember the firepit? After our first big storm of Monday, there is not even a suggestion of it in the above picture. The beautiful flowers that graced the deck are now big mounds of snow next to a frosty moose scupture. And the cabin? Well, you may not even remember that ( except as the domain of the alpha squirrel ) because this is the only time of year it can be seen from this distance. No question now, while the rest of you are savouring the last of fall, we have definitely settled into wintertime.

Yesterday I strapped on YakTrax to my boots and hoofed my way up Old Pass Road. There were no other walkers but the snowboarders who had been there earlier had packed the snow enough that it was possible to walk up. There were a good number of skiers coming down after having skinned up( skins are strapped to the skis and you sort of slide yourself upward). Pretty soon the road will belong entirely to those who slide and I will spend months missing what our Mary calls The Devil's Slab.

Veterans Day 2006

It is my great priviledge to know these veterans - Sharon, George, Gary, Carlton, John T., and Michelle.

Gary

Maybe these pictures will show you how much fun it is to work on The New Directions Choir project.
Gary is a big contributor to the fun!
Gary is a nurse at the VA. Because of the limit on his time the day we shot, I was unable to get pics of him other than on the seamless. Needless, to say he made the most of the seamless time.
I might as well just go ahead and say it: I am crazy about Gary!

John T.

Another member of New Directions Choir, John T., works in detox admissions at New Directions.
He showed me the two large rooms each with, if I remember correctly, about 12 beds and adjoining bathrooms that are specifically for detox. In both rooms there was a big bowl of fresh green apples. There was no one in either room at the time of my visit thus leaving the misery of detox to my imagination.
I think John T. might be a perfect sort of person to admit those courageous enough to check themselves in. He is a gentle, soft spoken man who knows, himself, the kind of courage that it takes to show up.

As the other members of the choir, he also sings like an angel.

Michelle

Michelle also works at the VA Hospital and, despite never exactly getting what her job is, I can attest to the fact that she is a very busy and obviously proficient woman. So busy was she that the best I could do was squeeze in the door for a few minutes to shoot the above.
When, earlier in the day, we were shooting on seamless, Michelle sang Amazing Grace. Her voice - and her grace - are absolutely show-stopping.

Carlton

Carlton did three tours of duty in Vietnam and was part of what I have read of as "The Secret War in Vietnam". He and others were dropped into the jungle behind the lines. I can't help thinking about what it must have taken to stay alive or the toll it took on a life. This fine man must have a deep well of courage and strength to be who and where he is today. What a priviledge it is to know him!
Carlton also works at New Directions and, in the choir, his is the voice that a vocal group has to have to be great. Carlton is the voice waaaay down there. Think of the best doo wop you ever heard and you will hear Carlton.