winter holiday: part 3

Eric and myself at Fort Point, San Francisco

While we were in the bay area, we visited old friends, saw A Tuna Christmas (a silly play where two guys play all 20-odd parts, it is, it is), walked all over San Francisco, saw more friends, and went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I've always liked the aquarium, but I do believe that it just gets better and better. Jellies, Mola mola (aka: Sunfish), a great white shark and hammerheads, flounder, bat rays, decorator crabs (love those guys), snowy plovers and of course, the sea otters! Then the long drive back to Seattle, via Shasta Lake City, where we stayed overnight with friends. I am sad that I forgot to take pictures of all of these friends I just mentioned.... oh well.

The Golden Gate Bridge was feeling especially photogenic on Friday, and I took full advantage...

Jellies and Mola mola at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Part of our mission this trip was to haul back to Seattle some furniture that my parents acquired in Maryland: a bench, an area rug and a dresser. The latter two fit into the car, but the bench had to go on top of the car, wrapped in a pair of big black garbage bags. Inside the bags, supported by the upsidedown bench, we also nestled some boxes with dishes and towels. With those boxes at one end of the bench, and the bags taped securely all over, the load resembled a blocky human figure: torso, legs and feet. We saw more than one smiling face in a passing car window, apparently amused with our load. The bench now resides in our mud/sun room (depending on what season it is), the dresser will go in our second bedroom, which we are furnishing into a guest room, and the area rug is in the living room, already replete with white Finn hair (and black too, I suppose, though you can't see that).

Eric is working today, and Finn has been asleep nearly all day, finally on his own, after eleven days sharing the canine spotlight with at least one other dog. So after a five-mile sunrise walk, I've been cleaning the house, restocking the fridge and writing thank you cards, while it snowed for several hours.

I hope you and your family are happy and warm this holiday season -- and my best wishes to you in the new year!