By now we are all back in the thick of things – working,
organizing, and looking ahead to gardening projects when the weather warms up. Seed
catalogs and web sites are starting to beckon, but I’m still relishing memories
of the Christmas holiday, and our visitors from Seattle, Washington (our son,
Jason; his wife, EJ; and their friend and colleague, Blake).
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| Gathering clouds over the Bay Bridge on the way to SFO airport |
We packed a lot into a week, and enjoyed varied San
Francisco Bay Area weather, including rain, clear days, winter cold, and days
that were almost warm. We had no spare-the-air days, so enjoyed coming home from
our walks and outings to build the evening fire.
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| Coffee run to Nelly's Java in downtown Montclair in the East Bay |
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| Hot chocolate with marshmallow snowman faces! |
Food is a big part of the Christmas celebration – from gingerbread
and snickerdoodles, to mulled or sparkling cider and hot chocolate. All of which helped
us complete a puzzle from my folks in Alaska at record speed. It is hard to
beat a good 1000-piece Ravensburger puzzle!
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| World of Words puzzle kept us busy |
We also enjoyed delicious meals. EJ,
made fantastic lamb shanks under the broiler, as well as bread pudding with rum sauce, and biscotti (special requests); and Blake made perfectly cooked lamb loin chops using his new Anova sous vide circulator. It was a delight to have the house filled with such
talented cooks and foodies!
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| Lamb loin chop |
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| Sous vide circulator |
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I enjoyed two glorious weeks of vacation, dedicated to enjoying
Christmas activities, spending time with our out-of-town guests, and bringing in the New Year. Now back to reality,
with its demands, deadlines, and pressures. But I feel fortified with many
wonderful memories of our time together with friends and family. Bring it on!
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