Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Hi Family and Happy Father's Day!

This week I've been to San Diego, New York City and even made a brief stop in Memphis to get a sick passenger off our airplane.   I was only in California for a few days to celebrate a friend's birthday, but it was enough to further confirm that if there were Democrats in San Diego and a way to live without a car, I would move there immediately.  

Here is a view from breakfast on Saturday in Del Mar near where I was staying. 

And since this is a family that appreciates food, here is a view of breakfast.

I spent most of the week in bed with a post vacation cold, but I ventured out today to celebrate Father's Day at the ball park.  It seems fitting, Bob Schilling was at a baseball game today too.   I had 8th row seats behind the visitors dugout with some girlfriends (Robyn and I pictured below).  It was 80 degrees, sunny and not at all humid, a perfect day for a game. 

I'll talk to you all soon.

Love,

Betsy

Gather No Moss

Hello familia!

Hope that this finds everyone well!

After dusting off the last of the sand from my feet, and lamenting my return to "reality", I realized...that Seth and I just had to get back to the business of having more fun. It's a tough life, but someones gotta do it.

We celebrated our 4th Anniversary by hitting some of the old haunts in North Beach...where all of our adventures began.

Saturday, we hit the Giants/Mets game at PacBell Park. It was TOO hot? Is that possible in San Francisco? We had small groups of folks peppered through-out the park, so cruised to different seats in the stadium throughout, and kept ourselves cool with some frosty beverages.

Sunday, was one of my favorite SF traditions...Bay to Breakers! If one were so inclined, one could be athletic and actually run the race (they do offically give out numbers and people do run the 7 mile stretch from the Bay Bridge to the Pacific Ocean...crazy people, that is)....OR you can join the unregistered Back of the Pack! (these are my people). We take off from the starting gate just about when the 1st runners are smelling the salt air and most people in the back have already cracked their first beer (at 8am...hey, it's noon somewhere). Costumes STRONGLY encouraged/mandatory in some circles, and the crazier your posse or float, the better.

Some of my personal favorites:

The crew from Top Gun...

...and the posse of bacon...

...and I really wish I had a picture of the salmon. Every year they start at the ocean, and work their way backwards...really awesome costumes and they get a lot of love. Our crew, a little less "organized" then some of the others, but we managed to include sombreros and disco balls. That's gotta be something right?

All in all, a great weekend to ease us back into reality after the beach. Now, we start preparing for another short East Coast trip to see friends and Phish, a band we've seen dozens of times, and always seem to be anxiously waiting for the next show.

Lots of love from the West Side!

Red Letter Day

Today is a day we can all be glad that Ed will be able to get his Official America the Beautiful National Parks Pass Senior Pass. We're traveling to Fort McHenry to pick it up for ten bucks, and go to Bertha's for Mussel's. Wanted you to be able to join us remotely. Have a glass of wine or beer today and think about all of those National Parks we can take four of us into for free. Yes!

It's Cherry Blossom Time!

Hi Family!

I know most of you have been to see the Cherry Blossoms here in DC at some point in your life, but it's still worth a blog post I think. Last year, this was one of the first weekends I really went out to explore DC and went to watch the Smithsonian's kite festival.

This is my favorite picture from that day. Sure, it's a sad kite that appears to have lost it's owner, and there's probably some kid crying about it. But look at those colors :)

This year, I set out with my friend Meghan to take some pictures of the Cherry Blossoms for her soon to arrive new daughter's nursery. We were quickly reminded that this weekend is the kick off of tourist season in DC. I like tourists, I am a tourist, I help tourists when they're lost, but I can't stand stupid tourists. People who are doctors and lawyers at home, come here and can't recognize the Washington Monument, stand in front of the White House looking for Pennsylvania Avenue, and can't imagine that DC police have better things to do than arrest the rude hot dog vendor that they're convinced is a terrorist. It's really amazing to watch, and makes me proud that I come from a family of professional "good tourists".

So here is this year's favorite Cherry Blossom picture. It doesn't get more American than the White House, the American Flag and the Cherry Blossoms. See you all in less than a month!!!!

Getting Ready

60 degrees in B-More today. Maybe we'll be in the 70's at OBX. Yes!!!!! Ed and I have been trying to get in shape before hitting the beach. Here's Ed doing a workout now...

It's a big challenge getting ready for all of the eating and drinking that go on at the OBX, but we think we've worked our way up to it. This stickie bun courtesy of Beilers Bakery at the Reading Terminal Market in good old Philadelphia, PA.

Just 'Cause

Hi gang!

No new crazy news to report out here...been plugging along with the machine these days. My company went through another round of lay-offs on Friday. As the news trickles in every several weeks or so, I just keep chugging along. I'll keep it rockin' 'til my day comes, I suppose (cross your fingers...that day doesn't come SOON!).

On the fun side (because we know that there's WAY more of that as always), saw a really amazing show last night...John Zorn at Yoshi's, a Jazz Club in the Fillmore District of SF. He's based in NYC, but has a 6 night residency here in SF this week. Each night is a different group. Last night we saw him with a set of musicians under the name of Bar Kokhba. They were totally amazing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCUcNJo2NZM&feature=related

Today, we're relaxing at the house until we make our way over to Dolores Park for a little Oysterfest that our friends are hosting. We usually head up to Point Reyes, but with the weather a little unpredictable these days, we decided to keep it close to home if the weather should turn. A shot from last year's Oysterfest...

Otherwise, getting ready to rock OBX! Our plane tickets are purchased, vacation time locked in at work, and I'm already sitting at the swim up bar in my mind. Really looking forward to seeing everyone and spending some time together. Til' then...OX.

Crabs and Vegas and Tattoos Oh My!

Hello folks,
I was just thinking about you guys... Its a lovely sunny day here in San Francisco, one sunny day surrounded by rain falling on every other day in the 7-day forecast. better enjoy it now! I've been back from the gold coast now for a couple months, and they've been nothing short of wild and crazy.

I've been pretty busy playing tour guide to one friend and a welcome wagon to another, both girls i met in my class in Costa Rica. We did a little sight seeing, ate and drank everything in sight, including crabs at fishermans wharf and got fake tattoos. I find myself sounding just like Heather when i moved here, telling Kate (her name is kate too) hang out in that part of town, this is the best place to eat Chinese, best place to buy socks, best taco tuesday... its fun to have a new friend in town to show off all your favorite stuff

Just after my return from Costa Rica my friends Matty, Luned and Brett decided it was time we all visited Las Vegas. So off we went on a unplanned, haphazard trip one day after work in a broken down car full of sleeping bags and pillows. It was a cool 9 hour drive to the city of neon lights and all night fun.

Arriving at 4 am, we couldn't check into our hotel untill 11 that day, so we headed to the New York New York casino for some early morning gambeling with our breakfast of beers and nachos. For those of you who know of my good luck with slot machines can just hold on to your seats. It took me about 20 minutes to find the right slot machine with a 25 cent sticker and cherries on the spinny wheels. JACKPOT, well kinda! I won $378.75 with just one quarter. It sure was a hoot going back to the bar with that ticket and setting it down in front of matt and luned. Yeah Buddy! We visited the Stratosphere to see the Vegas strip from the sky, played carnival games at Circus Circus where I found a Zoltar Machine and knocked a rubber chicken into a rotatin pot of water and of course visited all the casinos for video poker, black jack and more slots.

That is all the news i have for now. I'll see you all in May at the Outer Banks, family vacation style! Can't wait to see everyone, eat Thanksgiving, bask in the sunshine, dip into the pool and swim up to the bar where there should be a margarita waiting for me already. Make that a mango margarita!

Greetings From Wine Country

Hi gang!

Just a quick 'hello' from CA. Seth and I spent a couple very fun and relaxing days up in Wine Country this weekend. Friday, we roamed on our own, and had dinner and spent the night in Santa Rosa. We ate at a cozy Italian place called Lococo's, and I had a chicken/prosciutto dish that was absolutely delicious. Mmm...meat IS good! ;)

Saturday, we met up with a friends at a beautiful winery called Iron Horse, and spent the day together.

So, here's a "Cheers" goin' out to YOU!

OX

I'm In!

Hi Everyone, I was starting to feel neglected, no responses to my emails?! I guess this is the happinin place to be, what a family! Being a rookie at this, let me know if I need to do something differently.

I am enjoying every single day of my retirement, so much to do and LOTS of time. It is a whole new way of life for me. Jim and I are beginning an update of our kitchen and family room, soon I will be a painting fool. My "Plan," (always gotta have a plan) is to have the house all done by OBX time. Then, I am going to sit by the pool, or maybe at the pool bar (can you believe that?!) with a Margarita, lite on the salt, and sigh with such peace and contentment. In fact, I'm not sure I will be able to scrape myself up to do anything else, except maybe nap and read.

Betsy, I loved the Inauguration Day story, that must have been quite the day. I spent the day in front of the TV, only moving to get snacks:), loved every minute.

I'm off to buy a new kitchen table since the old table is too big with the new island plan. deb

come on spring

This is my first try at this thing. With Nan's help, I am trying to move into this century. It was 67 today in Baltimore and it felt great. Took a nice walk, did some erands, and all without a big coat. It is supposed to get colder tomorrow but I have been rejuvinated.

Tomorrow a company is going to come out and give us a few ideas about our back deck with the $ amount to follow close by. I got a nice letter from Social Security confirming my application and starting date for $(mid June). Considering health insurance and our travel trips I am not sure if what remains each month will amount to much more than beer money.

I sure hope this works. Nice to join Y'all.

Ed

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share a few pictures from the Inauguration, and tell a couple stories too.

I’m not sure how to squeeze this all into something short, but I’ll do my best.

I went down to the National Mall a few times before Tuesday and there were tens of thousands of people down there. What really surprised me was how happy everyone was. DC is a great city, but it’s not exactly known for its warm inviting attitude, but that week it was like everyone put their nasty attitudes away for a couple days and just celebrated history being made.

I volunteered with Service Nation on Monday morning, and helped out with the press pool. It was a great event, kicking off a day of a MLK day of service in SE DC. We were at Ballou Sr. High, which has gotten a little press on the Ellen show lately, for their incredible marching band.

http://www.balloumovie.com/ellen.html

My favorite speech of the morning was by Rep. John Lewis. He has an incredible story, you should google him immediately if you’re not familiar. He gave a lot of perspective, ending his speech with something I’ve been hoping to hear for a while from somebody “It’s going to be OK”. He's seen a lot, and not all of it has been pretty, and if he can be hopeful so can I. And he was followed by...Spiderman. Tobey Maguire, Maria Shriver and Ashton and Demi dedicated some of their time to the service project.

On Tuesday, I got up bright and early to head down to the Mall. I hate crowds, but this is history right? So i put on 14 layers (like the true Wisconsin girl I am) and walked down 17th St. I can't really describe the atmosphere on the Mall, so I'll add a few pictures instead. Suffice it to say, I told all my friends it was like Barackapalooza. People from all over the country and the world, just happy to be there, freezing their history making butts off.

I found a good place, far away from the madness by the security gates and up on the hill by the Washington Memorial. I was next to a Texan, a couple of Canadians, a woman from Kenya, and a woman who was possibly Romanian (She didn't speak English, but we became good friends when she shared her cashews). Later in the day, I met three teenagers from NorthEast DC who defended my view of the jumbotron, a nice lesbian couple from Boston, and a professor from Philly. All morning we talked, shared strategies for keeping warm, and applauded every time a half hour passed. One of my new "friends" took this picture of me in my many many layers of Wisconsin attire.

I don't think I have to tell you all what I felt the moment he was inaugurated, that obviously meant a lot to me. But I can tell you how cool it was to hear 2 million people listen. 2 million people were quiet enough for me to hear every word of the inaugural address. Amazing.

It took me two hours to get home (12 blocks) and I spent most of the afternoon hoping my feet would thaw in time to squeeze them into 4 inch patent leather stilettos for a ball at the American History Museum. If you haven't seen the renovations at the museum yet, you should check it out, it's a beautiful space. My friend Katie and I took full advantage of the open bar and danced into the wee hours of the AM, and then I went to sleep, for many many days.

That's it. Here's a quick life update. I'm job hunting and interviewing constantly. Once I figure out that mess, I'm out of town for a few days. And don't you worry, I'm telling every perspective employer that I'll be taking a vacation the first week in May!

Love you,
Betsy

Greetings From Sunny CA

Hi gang!



SO excited to see the new posts on the blog! Upcoming travel alerts...love it!



The latest from CA...it's been unseasonably sunny and warm out here, so we've been taking full advantage. Last Saturday, Seth and I took off late morning to head down the coast. Followed the water down about 20 minutes until we hit Pacifica, and then headed about 2 miles inland to try out a new 3 mile hike. We headed up the hillside through the eucalyptus trees until we reached the peak with an amazing view out to the ocean and the town of Pacifica. Made our way back down the mountain with vistas of the ocean and the town peaking through the trees.



Figured we deserved a little reward for our 'hard work', so continued down South another 1o minutes or so 'til we hit Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. Sitting right on the water, it's practically heaven on a sunny day. Ordered up some Bloody Mary's and their signature sandwich, the Lobster Roll (apparently, named 1 of the Top 5 best sandwiches in the country, and I'm a believer), and admired the view. Hit the jetty for a short stroll after lunch to stretch out the full belly.



http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=heather.wolters&target=ALBUM&id=5300585897139093649&authkey=67H5P68Zi7Y&feat=email



This weekend, I headed up to the Russian River for a Ladies Weekend. 11 of us rented a house right on the river to hang with a friend who had just recently moved to LA (OK, LA's not that far...we just wanted an excuse to rent a house for Ladies Weekend). ;)



http://www.vrbo.com/95902



Such a great time...I haven't laughed that hard for that long in a while. Mostly hung at the house, on the porch, in the hot tub, on the dance floor (a.k.a. the living room)...but did venture out on Saturday afternoon for some wine tasting at the local wineries.



Our next adventure is back up to Healdsburg/Russian River next weekend for a PickUp Party at one of the wineries that we belong to...Hop Kiln. Seth and I are staying in Santa Rosa Friday night, and then, meeting up with some friends for wine tasting during the day, and the party late afternoon. It would be great to have some more sunny weather for the event, but we need the rain so badly, I'd embrace a rainy day.



For now, though, back to 'reality' for the work week.

I'll be dreaming of wine in the meanwhile...

Calendar Alert....Make Your Plans Today

Oh Yes...We have started our Arizona trip plans. Now have a room at the Grand Canyon for Oct. 4th....Anyone who wants to meet at the Grand Canyon (South Rim) then, start planning now. We'd love for more people to join us there. Tucson is the next week, so you can meet us there too, starting October 6th.

Product Placement

Not only have I joined the Blog (Thank You Heather), but, even though my computer with all my photo's was fried last November so I had to go to the CD's, but I found a photo with product placement. Notice the Diet Pepsi in my hand. When do you think I'll get a royalty check from them? Now I'm off to do a Blog training session for Ed....

Away We Go!

Just a little ditty for a family that loves those pictures!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXZTBu_3ioI