With two children living in the Bay Area, especially with Claire starting a new job and not having first choice of days off, we decided that we should celebrate the holiday on the Left Coast. We flew out on the 23rd, arriving in time to host a dinner for our extended family at Rivoli, a favorite Berkeley eatery, where Linda took one of her famous food pictures.
Friday, Christmas Eve, we journeyed into San Francisco to see what Claire's apartment looked like. Then we walked down to Golden Gate Park and over to the DeYoung museum. The museum was heavily damaged in an earthquake and has been recently renovated, resulting in a stunning piece of architecture to complement the art inside. We returned to Amy and Charles's pad for a dinner with Amy's friend Shanti, husband Chris and darling daughter Brook. The evening ended with a quick game we call Let's Humiliate Jim.
For a complete description of Claire's apartment, check this out>>
Christmas day dawned bright and cheerful. We spent the morning opening presents (what else?) before heading over to Marilyn's for another fine meal (two actually). Claire got called away for an emergency and wound up having to stay at the hospital all night.
Boxing Day was another piece of great weather. Amy was scheduled to work a 24 hour shift doing what midwives do best, helping people out. Charles, Linda and Jim took Molly for a run at the nearby dog park, where she got a bit muddy. Fortunately, the park has a conveniently located facility where for a modest fee you can wash your dog. We managed to tick a virtual lifer, a Red Phalarope, last seen in Alaska in 1984.
Then, it was back to what we do best: more eating. Claire suggested Burma Superstar, a restaurant serving Burmese food, where Linda insisted on taking a picture of the incredible Tower of Tofu.
The evening concluded with a second game known as Let's Humiliate Jim Again.
Our luck with the weather ran out Tuesday morning as the long-predicted rain finally came and washed out yet another of our attempts to locate the Varied Thrush, our current nemesis bird. (All birders seem to have a bird that is relatively easy to see that somehow eludes you over and over.) Alas, the we left the rain behind us as we returned to Austin, currently suffering through another of the periodic droughts we've learned to expect.