What...A...Blast!

Let The Thanksgiving Festivities ROLL! Dorothy (Dan's sister) came last Monday night and spent Thanksgiving week with us. Clay & Heidi (another sister) and their family also came for Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving festivities.

Please bear with us--there's a lot of pictures and links. Enjoy the recap:

Two days cruising around. Dorothy, Julia and the kids went on a jaunt down to Point Lobos, Monterey and Carmel. Even though it was rainy and gray, it was a fun filled day indeed. The next day Dorothy and the kids went to Bolt and the Blackhawk Auto Museum. Loved it. Dan went to work.

City Day. Went into the city ... Ferry Building, Ghiradelli Square, Golden Gate Bridge, Ocean Beach, Dutch Windmill, Golden Gate Park, Haight Ashbury, all the usual haunts.


Thanksgiving Day. Biked to Central Park in San Ramon, built sand castles, played tennis, played games, watched family movies, went on a "I think we ate too much" walk.

The china was out. The goblets were in full flair with a magic cranberry brew. The home festooned. 5 kids were on one table. The rest of us (8) on the big table.

Liza helped with the meal.

Dorothy was a HUGE, HUGE help and joy to have around.

Our kids were genuinely sad when "Aunt Dorsey" went home. It was like Nanny 911 had come, worked her magic and gone home...but 10X better b/c it wasn't just a Nanny, it was the one and only Dorothy.

Day After Thanksgiving. Biked from Marin Headlands Trailhead across Golden Gate Bridge, and on short trail above Baker Beach. Many photos. Many smiles. The kids' (and our) thirst for adventure quenched.

Amid all this I confess...I kissed Julia on the bridge--for the record.


Did I remember to say we took a lot of photos?

Clay & Heidi and family loved it.

On bikes, you can really get around there. There is a great trail on the southwest side of the bridge, just as you are approaching Baker Beach.

Liza and Caroline bumped happily along--the whole way. No fits. No drama. Just plain wonder.

The Porch Project. Behold, the before and after shots of our porch. I guess I should say, somewhere on here you will see them. The alignment of all these pics and the copy is getting a little frisky. I still need to apply the matte seal, which will darken it a bit. You'll love it when you come visit.


Liza the Mom. Liza loves her little sis.

One of the very last pics you'll see with this post is one of Liza carting around Caroline in a vintage 1950s baby carriage that our neighbor gave us.

She's not riding in this rickety thing ever again. Obviously it was only made for a doll, but Liza got a kick out of having Caroline in it as we were spotting her.

We've decided pulling them across the Golden Gate Bridge in a bike trailer was safer!