Trip to Pleasant Hill April - Day Four

Sam went to school; Julie went to work; Sean had several telephone conferences.  So marilyn and I took off to do some sight seeing.  First we went to the new Oakland cathedral, Christ the Light.  It is a very dramatic structure that is in the form of a fish.  This was interesting to me since the church across the street from my high school and college was St. Francis Xavier which is also in the shape of a fish.  Since it was there when I started high school it must date from the late forties or early fifties.

We spent a little over an hour in the church and in the mausoleum below.  We then decided to go over to the City and Maiden Lane where we spent a significant amount of time in Britex, a fabric store.  We then hustled back to Pleasant Hill where we did some gardening in Sean and Julie's back yard.

It will be an early night since our Bayliner car shows up at 4:00 am to take us to SFO for our 6:00 am flight.

click here to view the updated photo album.

Trip to Pleasant Hill April - Day Three

So this is another reason why we are glad that we are in California and not back in Rochester.  this is a radar map of the winter storm that is about to engulf the Finger Lakes.  It should generate around 8 inches of snow with wind gusts up to 45 creating power outages and other nastiness.  Here in Pleasant Hill, meanwhile, it will be in the lower seventies with blue skies.

Sunday we went to Mass after a breakfast of Julie's special french toast casserole...with warmed maple syrup of course.  This was Sam's first  post first communion communion.  As luck would have it, he was chosen to carry down the wine in the offertory procession, something he has been wanting to do for some time.

We came home relaxed in the backyard and, oh yes, ate some more.  Then it was off to soccer practice followed shortly by baseball ball practice.  Both of these are part of the YMCA program.  I was impressed with the coaching of both which was done by the same person.  The drills were well conceived and the coaching patient.  Sammy participated well and seemed to enjoy both the activity and his team mates.  We adults were trying to keep in the shade since the sun was glorious but unrelenting.  I even went out to buy some sun block since this was the first time in six months that my skin and Marilyn's had actually been exposed to legit sun light.

As with the nature of the game, baseball practice had more lulls in the action.  Just to complete the picture, there were even some outbursts of  "Little League parents" behavior.  It took me back to San Diego and some of those sun-drenched bozos.

After practice, we stopped at a Seven-Eleven to get Sam a Slurpee... that brought back some memories...while Julie and Marilyn went to pick up some barbecue for dinner...yes more food!  After a walk around the neighborhood with Marilyn, I turned in early so I could get up early and provide all my readers with this summary of our third day.

Click this to view update Picasa photo album of trip.

Click here to view baseball batting video.

Trip to Pleasant Hill April - Day Two

With the three hour time difference, the day began very early for me.  However it is the opportunity to get these blogs done and then to have coffee with Sean at the local Starbucks.  After sunrise, the backyard feeders were visited by a full complement of hungry birds.  this gave a chance to try out my new Canon 60D at moderately high ISO and my longest lens.  I like the result as I have with all my early experience with it.

Julie had prepared some of her delicious muesli which had been in the refrigerator over night.  So I began the day by overeating which, of course, continued throughout the day.

We got ready for the big event and arrived at Christ the King a little after 10:00.  As we arrived the 9:00 First communion class was just leaving church.  CTK has a school and a large religious education program.  As a result, there are six first communion celebrations spread over three weekends.  The long-time pastor, Fr. Brian Joyce, is an experienced presider with a comfortable and commanding style.  You could tell that he truly enjoyed the children, their families, and the entire experience.  He reminded me of Fr. Bill Donnelly, the retired pastor of our own St. Mary's.

First Communions and other family events are great opportunities for family portraits and this one was no exception.  Normally I have a hard time getting everyone ready and into the same frame but this time I was able to get a number of such shots.

One interesting sidelight to the ceremony was the attendance of Herm Edwards, former head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and current ESPN NFL analyst.  He was there for a God child's first communion. I went over and introduced myself and he was gracious with a brief conversation.

After the ceremony, we went for lunch to Jack's, a nice informal restaurant that in the space formerly occupied by The Left Bank, were we had Sean and Julie's rehearsal dinner and the lunch after Sam's baptism.

Then it was home for a nap and more food.  Inevitably it was time to eat again and we had Mexican take out from a restaurant in the area that Sean and Julie have been using since they were married.  Delicious to be sure even if more than I needed.  Marilyn and I took a walk around the neighborhood and returned home for more food:  the First Communion cake.  Shown here with the happy First Communion boy.

I made a good faith effort to read to Sam but, of course, I fell asleep before he did.




Click here to watch a video of Sam's procession in with his Mom and Dad.

Click here to watch a video of Sam's class singing a hymn after Mass.

Click here to watch a video of Sammy playing in the sprinkler.

Click here to go to the updated photo album of the trip.

Trip to Pleasant Hill April - Day One

On board BART from SFO to Pleasant Hill

We were back from New York long enough to do laundry and for Marilyn to submit her formal acceptance of the retirement incentive.  She will retire July 1, 2012.  With that all taken care of, we boarded a 6:00 am flight to San Francisco for Sam's First Holy Communion.  Weather in Chicago and a radar failure there delayed our trip but the flights were pleasant.  We enjoyed "We Bought a Zoo" on the flight from Chicago to San Francisco.  It was a sweet and moving film, made all the more meaningful to Marilyn because it is based on a true story.

Captain Skylander!

We traveled from SFO to Pleasant Hill on BART, what a great way to get around!  Sam was already home from school.  He explained the intricacies of Skylanders to Grandma Marilyn.  After a lovely dinner, Marilyn went for a walk and I began to crash, falling asleep in their comfortable rocker.  However, not before we both experienced one of the nicest things about California this time of year.  The orange tree in the backyard has just begun to bloom.  The sweet fragrance is everywhere.  I remember my first time in California when I came out to interview at the University of San Diego.  That sweetness was everywhere I went on campus, a harbinger of the sweet times I would spend there for the next seven years.

We also got to meet Trixie, a pretty calico cat that Julie has assumed responsibility for.  It came from a family across the street.  Trixie apparently had some problems adapting to the introduction of some other pets into that household.  So she hangs out at the Pickett's.

See photos of the trip so far.

Trip to New York April 2012 - Day Five

Mamaroneck Harbor Sunrise

This photo is the reason photographers get up early.  This is a high dynamic range image captured as the sun was rising behind me and illuminating the harbor.  I had waited all week for the weather at sunrise to cooperate and it certainly did Friday.

We left for home around 9:00.  It was a beautiful cloudless day with warming temperatures.  As we drove along Route 17, we saw many trout fishermen out in the mountain streams in waders fly fishing.

River Rose Cafe is inside a unique gift shop.

As is our custom, we stopped in Owego NY beside the Susquehanna River for lunmch.  Last summer, the river flooded and the entire downtown was under water.  We were amazed at how quickly it has recovered.  Fortunately our lunch stop, the River Rose Cafe, was open and crowded.  We had a leisurely lunch on the outdoor deck right next to the river.  The sun warmed even the breeze off the river.

We completed our journey and arrived home to the excited greeting from out little Archie.  It seems like we had been gone for more than five days.  We packed so much into that brief period of time.  Now, to get ready for our next trip...to California for Sammy's First Holy Communion!

Click here to view the complete trip photo album.

Trip to New York April 2012 - Day Four

We got down to the city around noon, prepared for an afternoon of museum visiting, then dinner, and then "Wicked." We walked from the theatre district where we parked over to Fifth Ave and then on by Central Park to the Frick at 70th.




It is a most unusual museum representing the collection of one person, Henry Clay Frick, and housed in what was his family home. It is currently featuring a show of Renoirs from the collection as well as others. It is well worth a visit and is conveniently located hear other great museums: Metropolitan and Whitney.






We then walked through Central Park. The day was pleasant though cloudy and the park was filled with people, especially family groups and school children. We spent some time in the Time Warner Center where we had a magnificent view of Columbus Circle.

After walking around somewhat aimlessly looking for a restaurant we liked, we finally stumbled in exhausted at Uncle Jack's steak house, a pedestrian name belying is pricey menu and ambiance. We probably disappointed the Captain by sharing a 24 ounce New York strip. The smallest one on the menu was 16 ounces. Of course, since they cooked it with the bone, it really wasn't 16 or even 24 ounces unless you were a dog. It was, nonetheless, delicious.


After dinner, we strolled to the theatre with a stop at Rockefeller Center. marilyn enjoyed looking in the studio where the Today Show is broadcast. Folks were still skating in the main area.  We finally arrived at the theatre where Seitz-Pickett haggled with a scalper and sold our extra ticket for 50% of its face value. I stayed out of it because I would have settled for less. Marilyn is clearly the shopper in the family.




Of course, it was an immensely enjoyable show. It was a long day in New York but we enjoyed it and each other's company very much. Tomorrow we head home.

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Trip to New York April 2012 - Day Three

Times Square at noon

We recovered nicely from my mistake with the tickets and spent the afternoon and early evening in the city.  I went to the International Center for Photography on Avenue of the Americas.  It has a reciprocal arrangement with the George Eastman House where we are members.  It is small compared to GEH but had some fascinating exhibits.  I found the Magnum Contact sheets to be very interesting and diverse.  Murder Is My Business shows the work of Weegee, a unique figure who was the first free lance photo journalist of sorts who documented the violent under life of New York City for the tabloids in the thirties and forties.  It is well worth a visit when in the city again.  Neither of us were particularly hungry after our late night dinner at Rosa's so we skipped lunch except for a bit of a sandwich at Starbuck's.
Our big event today was seeing "Death of a Salesman" with Philip Seymour Hoffman.  Even though our expectations were high, it exceeded them in every regard.  Of course, Hoffman's portrayal was perfect and incisive.  In addition we were particularly impressed with Linda Emond who played Willy's wife, Linda, and especially Andrew Garfield who played Biff in his Broadway premier.

After the play, we ate dinner at The Playwright's Restaurant with its Irish cuisine and then drove home.  I was able to capture this nice picture of Marilyn after she had finished her Shepherd's Pie.

You can view the daily updated photo album by clicking here.  Here is a video pan from the grandstand in Times Square.  Tomorrow, "Wicked" and a couple of galleries!

Trip to New York April 2012 - Day Two

As usual I was up early and got some photos of the locale scene in the early morning light. Rob's cottage is right on the bank of Mamaroneck River. The space in the yard is quite constrained but he has made excellent use of the site.

After breakfast, we went down to the harbor and walked around. It was mostly sunny with just the right number of puffy cloud to make the scenes interesting. I dropped Marilyn off on the main street where she spent a couple of hours visiting shops. I spent the time back down at the harbor and around town scouting out some places for picture making.




I had spotted a building earlier and wondered exactly what it was. It was topped with a tall tower with a light beacon on top of that. I was surprised to learn that it was a sewage treatment plant that was built in 1929 when they precipitated out the solid matter and then burnt it. That tower was, in fact, a smoke stack! They stopped that in the 1940's but it continues to operate today.

I had another treat as I was investigating the building. A brisk breeze came up and made it look for all the world like snow flurries.


Oh my gosh. I just looked at our tickets for Wicked for tonight and saw that they are for THURSDAY night! My mistake. Unfortunately that means that I had to cancel our B & B reservations for Thursday night outside Poughkeepsie. Looks like we will be staying an extra day in New York.

What is that old saying?  "A door closes...and a door opens."  That was our experience tonight.  We decided to walk to Mamaroneck Ave for dinner.  Rob suggested an Italian restaurant:  Rosa's La Scarbitta. There we met Rosa who is both chef and waiter.  She came from Italy 40 years ago and opened the restaurant 14 months ago with her husband, Angelo.  The wall when you enter says something like:  When you come as a guest, you leave as my friend."  We found this to be absolutely true.

And the food was delicious.  And here is a review from the NY Times.

Check out the photo album so far.

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Trip to New York April 2012 - Day One

We had a comfortable trip down to New York. While it was windy--gusts up to 45 mph--the day was mostly sunny and pleasantly cool, almost warm at times. We left the house only 15 minutes later than planned, a miracle if you ask me. We arrived at Ralph and Buffie Richardson's in Macungie PA right on time at noon.

Ralph and I went to St. James Grade School, Rockhurst High School, and Rockhurst College together. I was in their wedding but hadn't seen them or even been in contact for the intervening 47 years until last month when I gathered with them and Pat and Jackie Miller in Charlotte and Asheville NC. This time Marilyn got to meet them.

We had a relaxing two and a half hours at their beautiful home, eating lunch, sharing memories, and getting caught up on family and friends.




The only sad note was a text message from my sister Mary telling me that she had heard that Kevin Glynn, a grade school mate of Ralph and mine at St. James, had died in Kansas City. His obituary tells the story of a wonderful man and meaningful life of professional accomplishment and service. View his obituary in the Kansas City Star.

We arrived at Rob's--Marilyn's brother--shortly after 5:00 having successfully navigated through the city thanks to Google Navigator on my handy phone. Rob fixed a delicious dinner at his new place which is right on the bank of the Mamaroneck River. I went to bed early, even passing up the opportunity to walk into the village for some ice cream. Obviously I was tired!


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Location:Mamaroneck NY