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The tree is nekkid except for the lights (need Bill to help unwind), the bags are mostly unpacked, the thank you's mostly written, and the cold belonging to my airplane seatmate is brewing in my sinuses, thanks very much.
But it was a wonderful holiday. The last couple of years hadn't been so good--most of my family and Bill's were elsewhere, and we didn't even do a tree or really much of anything but a few parties with friends. This year, maybe because I knew I was headed out to be with my kids, everything seemed shiny and bright. Even the same old neighborhood get-togethers were more fun.
The week in the Bay Area was one of the best. My kids, my ex's brother and sister in law, the ex himself on occasion, and D's (son's partner) family at various events and even more extended family (about 60, more or less) for the Eve and the Day. And T and D have a big new year's day party, to which I toted many pounds of frozen BBQ (turns out not to be hard to do, if you don't mind paying for an extra bag). But besides the huge and delicious meals, we went up to some wineries in Dry Creek, walked in Redwood Park in the Oakland hills (much mud, but huge redwoods, lots of ferns) and the Berkeley Botanical Gardens--I love the California woods in the rainy season, ate at many good restaurants (Ippuku, Vik's, Picante, Saul's, Sol Food (San Raphael), Lanesplitter's in Oakland--not the best--and a great dim sum place in Millbrae), played Settlers of Cataan, and cooked and ate even more at home. Some of us went to yoga at YogaKula and hot tub/massage at Piedmont Springs, always my idea of heaven. And the night I got there we went to eat and hear Pharaoh Sanders at Yoshi's, with very delicious sushi and saxophone.
My son actually made charts to keep track of who was meeting for which event, since we were spread out over four cities and six or seven houses. But mostly it was just being with everybody, at a good time in everyone's life. Promotions, retirement, possible babies, possible weddings...the cusp of memory and expectation.
But it was a wonderful holiday. The last couple of years hadn't been so good--most of my family and Bill's were elsewhere, and we didn't even do a tree or really much of anything but a few parties with friends. This year, maybe because I knew I was headed out to be with my kids, everything seemed shiny and bright. Even the same old neighborhood get-togethers were more fun.
The week in the Bay Area was one of the best. My kids, my ex's brother and sister in law, the ex himself on occasion, and D's (son's partner) family at various events and even more extended family (about 60, more or less) for the Eve and the Day. And T and D have a big new year's day party, to which I toted many pounds of frozen BBQ (turns out not to be hard to do, if you don't mind paying for an extra bag). But besides the huge and delicious meals, we went up to some wineries in Dry Creek, walked in Redwood Park in the Oakland hills (much mud, but huge redwoods, lots of ferns) and the Berkeley Botanical Gardens--I love the California woods in the rainy season, ate at many good restaurants (Ippuku, Vik's, Picante, Saul's, Sol Food (San Raphael), Lanesplitter's in Oakland--not the best--and a great dim sum place in Millbrae), played Settlers of Cataan, and cooked and ate even more at home. Some of us went to yoga at YogaKula and hot tub/massage at Piedmont Springs, always my idea of heaven. And the night I got there we went to eat and hear Pharaoh Sanders at Yoshi's, with very delicious sushi and saxophone.
My son actually made charts to keep track of who was meeting for which event, since we were spread out over four cities and six or seven houses. But mostly it was just being with everybody, at a good time in everyone's life. Promotions, retirement, possible babies, possible weddings...the cusp of memory and expectation.