Trip to San Francisco

We have recently returned from a trip to San Francisco for three days. Not a weeks vacation for spring break but a wonderful get away all the same. The whole family went, minus Revel unfortunately but while he would have enjoyed the walking I don't think the Hotel would have appreciated his unique behaviors.

We started the trip with a little side trip into Pescadaro, not much there but a really wonderful market and a resturant that has been there for 100+ years. Owned by the same family the Duarte's, will add that to a future trips itinerary. We used the GPS to follow some country roads out of Pescadaro, saw some wonderful countryside with very green rolling hills and wonderful wildflowers. Sometimes its just nice to get off the freeway for a while.

Arrived in the city about 11am and headed straight for the Zoo. It has changed a lot in the 10-12 years since we were there last. I really enjoyed being able to take photographs of the animals, Edward was very comfortable here. He would love to return if anyone is ever looking for a trip to take with him this is a very good place. There is of course a small train ride. He really likes looking at the animals and watching their behaviors. Amber, Teddy and Gavin wandered on their own for most of the day, showing Gavin the smaller animals and playing in the playground.

We unfortunately left the Zoo at 4:30pm just before closing and headed to our hotel which was perfectly located just off Market street downtown. Not a good destination at 5pm on a Wednesday. Following directions from the GPS, dealing with left turns that were into one way streets (the database needs work), and millions of pedestrians was a real challenge. I was very happy to put the car in the garage and plan on leaving it for a while. The hotel (The Pickwick) was a gem, not fancy, but nice enough for Dorothy, as I said right downtown. We were within 2-4 blocks of Union Square, the Metreon, Macy's, Westgate Mall, Street cars to the Embarcadero, Fishermans wharf and the Ferry building. Something for everyone, needless to say.

Thursday Edward, Dorothy and I headed out for a hike over the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was cool but not as bad as I am sure it can be on the bridge. Edward really like this one also, The noise level on the bridge is very high, with lots of people on bikes, and walking, as well as the workman cleaning and painting. There is a great deal to watch and enjoy there.

The rest of the trip was spent taking Gavin around the city in the backpack. We boarded many street cars with the boy, he is very happy to have the changing scenery and watching people. We did some wonderful food shopping at the Ferry building, mostly snacks of Acme Bread, Cow Girl Cheese, Cream puffs at Bread PaPa Shauffenburger chocolates, even had some gourmet Mac and Cheese at a French place. Gavin liked chasing the pigeons in the plaza behind the ferry building. I enjoyed photographing him with other pedestrians. I think they make cool photos.

Aunt Sue joined use both nights for dinner, and Cousin Erin joined us on Thursday night at Taylors for Dinner. She works in the area. We had a wonderful time and found some good things for everyone. I will be keeping the Pickwick in mind for future trips. Its not far from the Ballpark. One interesting note it cost us as much to park the car in the Hotel garage as it did to board Revel at K9-Clinics. I don't know how those city folk can afford to live there.

Happy Easter Everyone

What a wonderful weekend. We had temperatures in the 70's and beautiful sunshine. The kids and Dorothy went to Monterey for the Easter holiday while I had to work. I was off on Friday and Saturday. Cousin Erin stopped by on her way home Sunday for a moment with Gavin. I got three opportunities to load Gavin into his new backpack and take him for a walk. On Friday Teddy carried him and we took Revel for about 1 and 1/2 hour walk. Proved to be a bit too much for him. His limit is about 30-45 minutes then he needs a break. Dorothy and I took him out Saturday afternoon and took a break at 40 minutes and he was great. The weight distribution on this backpack is wonderful.

The really big news for me is that I passed a milestone. A year ago while playing with a new hand held computer I found a program that evaluated your health bassed on your sex, weight and waist size. I was shocked when it came back obese for a person of my size. So with a new less stressful job, time in the mornings to walk the dog, I decided to loose 55 lbs but I would also have to give up some things. Diet Coke was the first to go, not so much that it was bad for my diet but it was sold at convenience stores that also sold candy. My real weakness, I have had maybe a dozen over the past year. Those of you who know me well know I was drinking two to three bottles of Coke a day. The next big problem was simply eating less. I decided that it was not a permanent solution if I changed to another type of food (Nutrisystems or Weight Watchers). I was going to do this by eating less of what I normally eat. Today that means my meals are on saucers instead of plates. While I am amazed at how little I eat, I have to say its been plenty. I have not really been hungry, frustrated that I want to eat, and shouldn't, but not hungry. The last hurdle this winter has been the snaking issue. I still have problems with it, and constantly battle. So I get stuck a set weights. I was stuck at 215 then 210, my latest obstacle was 205.

The point of all this is today for the first time in 15-20 years the scale reads 199. I still have 14 pounds to goal but I am sure that I will get there. I feel great, I think I look great, and I can do almost any physical activity I want without a concern. Saturday I played 7 sets of tennis (4 hours) and walked the dog 3 miles. Sorry for tooting my own horn but I am just so happy about this. I owe Edward a special thanks for showing me that it can be done. I thought you could loose weight but that you would never be able to loose to ideal body weight. Well he did and he maintains his weight at or below ideal. I hope that in 3-4 months I will be able to say that myself.

Lydia Henricksen 83rd Birthday Party

On Saturday my Mother celebrated her 83rd birthday. In typical fashion she came to Aptos to celebrate with Gavin who had his first and postponed here party until Sunday. Thank you Oma for being so accommodating. On Sunday my sisters, and I took Mom to lunch at Roy's in Pebble Beach for a very nice lunch. Edward who loves birthday celebrations joined us. When we returned to the house all of Elda's children, my children and some of Mom's friends joined us for cake and a celebration. It was a very nice party.

At some point I would like to add a small biography here to tell you all the things that my mother has accomplished in her life but I am afraid that I do not have the time now to complete that and get posted the wonderful pictures we took of the family and friends. Stay tuned for that as I feel that this is an excellent way to keep track of the family members so that many in the future will be able to read and understand who we were and what we did.

Gavin's First Birthday

Here he is the birthday boy!

We took Gavin to Hidden Beach Park with many friends, Grand Parents and Great Grand Parents on hand, and had a lovely birthday party. Gavin received many very nice gifts, thank you to those who contributed. I have to say that I think its a great accomplishment to any parent to get there child through that first year when so much of there care is on your shoulders. I am very proud of both Amber and Teddy for the care they have provided. They have shown a great deal of patience and understanding that I would not have expected from them. It just doesn't seem like it was that long ago that Dorothy and I were caring for all of Teddy's needs.

The next year will be an interesting challenge for all of us as we continue to try to provide support and guidance to the kids and their small family. I want to thank all of you who have helped and supported us this far. Be sure and see the album at the right on with lots more pictures.

Gavins first steps

With Amber's help today I was able to collect video of Gavin walking. He still does not walk much but a few steps at time. Birthday party for Gavin is Saturday the 8th at 1pm. His actual birthday is 3/7/2008 he will be one year old.

A Beautiful Weekend

The weather here was spectacular, possibly as high as 70 on Sunday. I packed a lot of outside activity into the weekend. Played 7 sets of tennis on Saturday fortunately with a 2 hour break in the middle. Did several walks with Revel over the weekend. You'll enjoy this its a picture of Felix and his crew (My gardener) working on the yard just as I got ready to leave for my second tennis match. While it is hard for me to hire somebody to do what I feel I should be doing, it was very satisfying to play tennis and come home to new plants and a well groomed yard.

Had fun with Gavin on Sunday. Taking pictures in the kitchen. I tried to get a video of him taking a few steps but failed. It all happens so quick and then he gets down and crawls. I will keep working on it and maybe by the next weekend we will have something to post. As you can see I am ancouraging Teddy to let Gavin feed himself. This morning I made him French Toast which was easy for him but tonights dinner was, well messy. I think that is Teddy's reluctance is concern that I will mind the mess. Boy does love to dive into his food. Notice the squash over the eye. Be sure and check the web album in the column at right the kid is adorable, not that I have a biase or anything.