Pumpkin Patch & Martinez

Above – Alo and Akuch at the Martinez dock.

Below – photos of Alo at the pumpkin patch last Monday.

   
 
After the pumpkin patch we drove to the marina. I had no idea the bay came so far inland and was so close to where Robb & Akuch live. It’s beautiful there.

   
    
 
I have more photos, & I’m sorry to be so late in posting these. I’ve been sick with yet another upper respiratory infection, winding up in the emergency room Wednesday. I’m still coughing quite a bit but feel I’m on the road to recovery. Today will be a day of rest for me.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

North SF Field Trip – Part 2

Above – Group photo from the point during our walk to the lighthouse.


Below, view from the parking lot of the miles of beaches to the north of the point. 

Along our walk, you’ll see a small deer in brush in the middle of the photo.

Half way up the walk to the lighthouse photo op.

Side of the bluff.

A look down the north side of the cliffs from the lookout.
Another view of the beaches. This one from the lookout.

Someone said 300 stairs. I don’t know because the gate was locked and I didn’t walk down there, but at the bottom is the existing lighthouse. I wasn’t sure if this photo would turn out because I took it looking into the sun. Not bad …

Grassy moss growing out of the rock.

On the ride back, a hawk sitting on a post on the side of the road. I was about 10′ away from it sitting in the car when I took this photo.  

Today after we checked out, Bruce and I met up with Akuch and the boys for another outing. Looks like you’ll need to wait another day for those photos.

Blogged on Amma’s MacBook with LOVE!

North SF Field Trip – Part 1

Above – Alo’s “silly face” at home before our field trip.


Below, Kando doing what he did most of the day yesterday. He is such a good baby. We were out driving and doing things from about 9:30am until 9:30pm. He slept most of the time and only cried when he was hungry. While he was awake and not hungry he was content and happy.

This stuffed bear was Jamie’s when she was a baby. When Robb was  born, Janni doctored it up quite a bit, sewing new feet, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and of course a heart. I saved it and now it’s Alo’s (& maybe Kando’s too). It was nice to see Alo with him (or her). Lots of sentimental value here.

We headed on a road trip for about an hour (although we drove much of the day) to Pt. Reyes, an absolutely beautiful coastline community north of San Francisco. According to Wikipedia, “Point Reyes National Seashore is a 71,028-acre park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as an important nature preserve.” This is a very large area consisting of pine trees (Bishop Pine, Douglas Fur and Coastal Redwood) in the inland area and miles and miles along the coast on the peninsula of still-operating historic cattle ranches established in the mid- to late 1800s. We saw a lot of cattle, deer and elk and a possible mountain lion sighting on a far hillside. Also, many birds of prey, a couple of which sat atop simple barbed wire fence posts just next to the road. According to one of the informational signs we saw, the area of water surrounding this peninsula is the home of the largest population of great white shark, and with that said, not surprisingly also one of the largest populations of sea lions in the world.

Before heading to the coast, we stopped at this park just outside the town of Pt. Reyes. The weather was perfect, and there weren’t a lot of people there.

Time for a selfie.

At this park is the Morgan Horse Ranch. The Morgan horse is one of the earliest horse breeds developed in the United States. Here Robb and Alo admire a big pile of horse poop.

This horse was very friendly. Alo actually touched it … one time. 

Selfie. I think it liked me because I felt it nibbling on my shoulder.

Selfie. Alo wasn’t going to take his eyes off the horse.
  
  

Bug on a bench outside the restaurant where we stopped and had lunch. 

The bay just along the restaurant

We didn’t eat here, but this was worthy of a photo. Tons of oyster shells. They raise and farm oysters here.

Alo at lunch.

Selfie – me and Kando at lunch. He had already eaten and was very content.

At Drake’s Beach – Akuch and Kando enjoying the beach and weather. Kando was awake and just chillin.

Selfie at the beach. 

Robb and Alo enjoy the water. Sort of … as long as Robb didn’t put Alo down.

The beaches here are beautiful and go on for miles. Here we are on the south side of the peninsula – view of coast to the north.   

View of coast to the south.

We left here and drove to the lighthouse. I have more photos I’ll post tomorrow.


 

Robb has to work today, so we’re meeting up with Akuch around 10am and probably going to a pumpkin patch. We’re expecting more of the same good weather here today.

Blogged on Amma’s MacBook with LOVE!

Reunion

Robb, Akuch & the kids met us at the airport yesterday & we met our new grandson for the first time. So far we haven’t heard him cry.   

    
We went out for Indian food (the kids were wearing their Indian outfits I got them in Pune). Here Alo is working a vending machine. He didn’t get lucky though …

 I was wearing a turtleneck because it got chilly. Alo: “Amma, where’s your neck?” Another time he looked up at me, touched my face and said “I love you.” Precious.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and passed out. I had gotten up in the wee hours of the morning (1:30am, yes I consider that wee hours…) and needed to get to bed.

Today we have an outing planned and will be heading out after breakfast.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

The last few days

Above – Hogan enjoys his breakfast of romaine, broccoli and hibiscus flowers. He didn’t eat the yellow flowers …

My morning walk yesterday – private beach and lifeguard practice.   

  

Sparty waiting for Amma to help get his shoes off for music class. Class went great this week, btw.  
  

Basil flowers. It’s probably not a good idea to let herbs flower, but aren’t they pretty?

I woke up to a text that our flight was cancelled, so I scrambled and got us on the next flight out, only an hour later. We’ll be off to Oakland later today to see the fam!! Alo. New baby Kando. Oh… & Robb & Akuch too.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

The Sparts

Above – at Liberty Station after music class.

Last Wednesday marked Sparty’s first music class with Amma. He looked pretty bored during the drive there.

   
Still not too excited here. I didn’t take any other photos during clas because he was pretty much clinging to me the entire time with random bursts of tears for no apparent reason. It might take a couple weeks for him to get used to his crazy Amma. Today was much better with no tears! Still a bit of a cling-on though so no photos to show for today.

 
After class we took a walk around the fountain across the street from class. He liked that a lot.

   
    

  
  

Funny – Today Maya and I were looking at my blog post from yesterday (one of our favorite pastimes), and when we got to the photo of her foot stuck in the fence she said “My foot was stuck,” then she looked at me and we both started laughing .

I found out today my favorite alternative rock radio station, KPRI, sold out on its listeners. After a couple decades of great music with the best DJs on the air and Sunday Morning Unplugged being the best music on the radio, this once San Diego independent radio station was sold to K-LOVE, a nationwide syndicated “pop” Christian music station. Disappointing.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

The Kids

Above, Alo and his babe Lilly out for a cruise. We get to see him and the new baby this weekend!!

Below, more photos from last Monday with Sparty and Maya.

   
   

Help!! My foot’s stuck!
  

That’s no joke. Her foot was really stuck in the fence and I had to pry it out of there. Pretty funny!

Hi ho, Hi ho, it’s off to work I go … Yes, it’s true. I have to go to work today. 

Blogged on Amma’s iPad with LOVE!

Yoga Room Fort and More!

Above – silly kids having chocolate milk in the fort.


Last Monday, we built this pretty cool fort in the yoga room.

I was able to get Sparty to smile.

I was able to get Maya to smile.

But I’ll be darned if I could get them both to smile at the same time!

I got a couple silly faces.

And once again, only one smile, and another silly one at that!

Then some silly upside down faces.

  

Bribery will get you everywhere! Sparty was working hard on the candy sprinkles toppings. 

Is Pappa eating worms again?

Sparty’s not afraid of Hogan.

And look! Neither is Maya!

Sweet! And look … Maya’s still wearing the friendship bracelet I brought her from India. When that one’s worn out, I have two more! Different colors, of course.


I’m in LA this weekend at a workshop and will be home around 3pm Sunday (tomorrow).

Bruce and I are getting excited and looking forward to our trip next weekend to meet the new grandson!

Blogged on Amma’s MacBook with LOVE!

Blooms, high hopes & other stuff

In bloom today.

  
Bear & me sharing a front row seat for the pitiful Chargers game Sunday.

 
Who is that in the isle standing on her head just to the right of Birjoo at the Birjoo Mehta Workshop (gray shirt/orange-ish leggings)?   

Perhaps Sparty will become a Station 22 fireman one day … ???

   
I have lots of photos from our afternoon with Maya & Sparty Monday but had to move through these photos first.

Today – a first outing with Sparty to his music class, then an afternoon with Maya at gymnastics and fun.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

Gymnastics Performance and Goodbye

Above, Maya with her medal and pink flowers.

Yesterday’s gymnastics performance was really good. Here’s the group Maya was in (5th from right).

 Afterwards… 

   
And, of course, the performance.

This morning we said goodbye to Jamie. We had a lot of fun with her while she was here and we were sorry to see her go. Here she is with two extra loads than what she she came here with! 

 Luckily for her an airport worker directed her toward an empty line and then she wound up in pre-check so check in was easy. So easy that she had time to visit the donut bar and get a root beer float donut! 

 Of course I insisted on a selfie! 

 Safe travels!

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!