Road Trip to Middlebury, VT!

Linda got a photo accepted to a juried show at a gallery in Middlebury, VT so we're off to go see it.  Yesterday we fought our way through Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey (the first 90 minutes of our trip) and finally got to the open air and terrain we'd been hoping for. Lunch in Saugerties offered a hint of Spring, warm enough for lunch outside

It was a spectacular afternoon for a drive through NY and Vermont farmland with its Andrew Wyeth winter fields and sunny blue skies. The house we rented, as advertised, was a little rough around the edges, but cozy inside. And the view from the upstairs windows was lovely.

Coco was very appreciative of the super deluxe, kng sized bed that awaited her

And Chris loved the chaise by the sunny window

At first we thought we might have to cook on the he wood-fired stove

But then found the more modern gas version in time to make a great communal dinner

Joni Mitchell 75th Birthday Concert Screening

OK so it’s not exactly travel, but it felt like an adventure. Now that we’re retired, we can spontaneously decide to take in a concert or a show. Earlier this week, the screening at Southside Seaport of the Joni Mitchell 75th Birthday tribute concert in LA popped up on FB so we decided to go. 

First of all it was at one of those new dinner movie theaters where you sit in a little pod that feels like business class on a plane and they take your order and bring your food and drinks to you (this one also had unlimited popcorn). Fun in itself. Then as we settled into our reclining chairs with pillows and blankets, the concert began. 

What a show!  Highlights included Rufus Wainwright, Emmy Lou Harris, James Taylor, Seal, Diana Krall, Chaka Khan. Some sang a version pretty close to the original they had loved. Otherspuntheir own spin on it (Chaka Khan doing Help Me was amazing). Here's a link to a review with the artists and play list.  It seems like most of it is available on you tube, but if it shows again, highly recommended

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8483958/joni-mitchell-75-tribute-concert-recap

The New Phase Begins with a Ritual

For about a little more than a year now, Linda and I have had a Friday night ritual. We started with two small bottles full of white beans - 1 for each week we had remaining until retirement. Every Friday, we'd have a drink and take one bean out of the bottles and place it in the black vase.  This was a few months ago:

We got into the habit of saying goodbye Friday mornings with "See you at bean night". Might sound silly, but the steady dwindling of the beans somehow helped during challenging times at work (where Linda had a rougher road than I).  So last Friday I officially reached my first day of retirement and took out the last bean (Linda had taken her last one out in November)  

Sunday evening we concluded the process by making (and eating) soup made from the beans. If I do say so myself, it was delicious. Hopefully a good omen for the coming years of retirement. 

We finally get it right

Jigsaw puzzles promote vacation mind. Slow down, use your right brain, chat, maybe drink a warming beverage...

First attempt was a beautiful puzzle, but devilishly difficult - 1000 pieces and all the same few earth tones. Couldn’t finish before we had to change location 

Second one was too easy - done in no time

Third one was just right- 1000 pieces, but all different and with enough time to work it out

Highlights from last few days in Berkeley

Well first there was lunch with Julie Schwartzberg- sadly I was once again too involved in the conversation to remember to take a photo. Good to catch up though and hear about her time in Berkeley (past 5 or so months). 

I visited the Farmer’s Market finally in our neighborhood (last week it was suspendedfor the holidays). Made myself laugh because I was pondering that the must have different rules here about the necessity for produce tobe local - there was so much citrus fruit. 

Then of course I realized "duh" I was in California where much of the US citrus is grown. 

That night we had our second best meal (after Great China) at a Laotian/Thai restaurant called Dara on Shattuck.  Most unusual dish was mieng  kham - spinach leaves with onion, ginger, lemon grass, lime, peanuts, coconut and tamarind dipping sauce. Fresh and so many layers of flavor

For the main course we had spicy lamb kebabs and eggplant stuffed with minced chicken, prawns, and green onions. Both delicious and different.  One review said the writer was obsessed with the eggplant dish  i can see why  

Yesterday we had a walk around West Berkeley in the late afternoon....

...and then ended up at Skates restaurant which is right on the bay, for drinks and appetizers. Just in time for the sunset


Linda's SF explorations

I asked Linda to report on her travels in SF: 

On Wednesday and Thursday I went into San Francisco on my own to do some wandering — and of course photographing.  First stop was the Leica store to see a photo exhibition by Rachel Cobb, Le Mistral (the amazing winds in Southern France) —one of my favorites is below.

I also went to SFMOMA ...

which recently did a major expansion — absolutely stunning space.  Among many delights there was discovering a new artist (to me). Ethel Adnan - very simple, beautiful abstract paintings that really spoke to me.  She is also a poet — and in doing a little more research after I got home I discovered she recently got a Lamda Literary award — so it seems she’s family.  Here is one of her paintings (wish it was larger- not sure how to do that)

[Here’s a link to more of her work https://goo.gl/images/rMTEzJ]

I also visited Pier 24, a small, beautiful art museum right under the Bay Bridge that only does photography exhibits — changing the exhibit once a year.  You have to have an appointment to go — a 2 hour slot shared with only 30 others in an 18 room museum.  While the type of photography they tend to feature isn’t my favorite, it was still an amazing experience to be in that space with so few people.


All in all a very fun 2 days of wandering.

Telegraph Avenue

Wednesday Linda headed off to the SF Museum of Modern Art. I hopped on the a Telegraph Ave. bus to visit Mariposa Bakery which was recommended by a friend as the best gluten free bakery in the area. They have a pleasant shop and cafe in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland. 

Found fabulous GF bread - even a batarde style loaf. While there I stopped for a guilty pleasure tuna melt. Did not disappoint. Crunchy sourdough - Something I haven’t had been able to eat in several years. 

After lunch I took the bus back to Berkeley to the Telegraph Ave. of my youth, though of course it wasn’t.   There are a lot more chain stores, bubble tea shops and much (though not all) of the grunge is gone. Newer Amoeba Music keeps company with the old Rasputin Records

Reassuringly, Moe's Books remains. My family used to have a ritual visit pretty much every weekend to peruse the used books and music scores  it’s smaller than it used to be, but has survived.  Still "Four floors of books"

That night Linda and I checked out Da Lian on Shattuck whose pictures of soups with homemade noodles beckoned to us on a chilly night. Linda had the braised pork brisket noodle soup.  I had pickled cabbage soup with barbecued chicken. and they were kind enough to substitute rice noodles for me. Both were delicious and warming. 

 


New Year’s Eve

Jim and Louise invited us for New Year's Eve dinner at Great China (a James Beard nominee). We'd noticed a line down the block as we drove by a few days ago. Now we know why. Might be the best Chinese food we’ve ever had. Happily we had a reservation and didn’t have to wait in the line on what was a chilly evening.

The highlight was the Peking Duck, but it was all delicious 

And the company was wonderful too

Elmwood and Rockridge

Perhaps it’s travel or maybe the newness of unstructured time as retirees, but the days are a bit jumbled. One recent day, we started in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland and made our way up College Ave. to Elmwood, the Berkeley neighborhood where my family lived and where brother Jim still lives. 

In Rockridge, we noticed shared bikes like we have in NYC, but also shared electric scooters which you unlock by scanning a QR code. You find them with an app and it seems you can leave them anywhere. This apparently has been a source of trouble since residents get riled when people leave them on their yards, blocking driveways,etc. Still an interesting idea

Elmwood is very different from when I lived there in the 1970s. Gone is the 5&10 type store and the drustore with soda fountain (though the latter has been replaced with a cafe that tries to have some of the old feel).  More restaurants now - my favorite is Trattoria La Siciliana .

There's a bookstore (Mrs. Dalloway's) and an Italian food shop complete with fresh pasta "performance " in the window

There’s even a milliner's shop

And they've spruced up the old Elmwood Cinema where I spent many an hour as a teenager 

Back at home base, we decided to eat in so we stopped in at The Local Butcher where it seems a beard is a requirement of employment.  One such hirsute fellow was happy to pose for us as he rang up our our Tuscan White Bean Soup.