The Love Of My Life

R.I.P. Dear Husband

Born July 29, 1935

Departed July 2, 2012

*

Departed to soon but God was waiting. He was a masterpiece of what a Gentleman is. In your caring way, you went to prepare a place for me to join you.

A Week of Celebrating

The Birthday Boy State Fair State Fair Cast Findlay High School "Pantasia Band"

A Week of Celebrating

This was a week of celebrating for my husband and me. We were celebrating not the turn of another calander year but to his good health. When a birthday marks another year and you have no chronic issues, and your family is healthy, you realize how you have been blessed. Calls came from California, New York and Paris to wish a happy birthday. How blessed is that to have children in travels and vacationing calling to remember dad's special day.

We attended the play of Rodgers and Hammerstein, "State Fair" at the Huron Playhouse on Tuesday. Kudos to the cast for a splendid performance. Not to be outdone was the Steel Drum Band from Findlay High School with their concert in Washington Park in Sandusky, Ohio on Thursday. What a marvelously gifted group. We felt we had been transported to the Caribbean with their music. Great job kids. We hope you return next year. We know we will!

A Beautiful Ending Of A Beautiful Day

click on photo to enlarge

Sunset

This day began with such a beautiful sunrise over the canyon. I posted on Facebook that the vegetation was growing and the mountains were colored green. The song birds were busy at my feeder singing and the flowers are in bloom. What a beautiful day the Lord has made for us to rejoice and be glad. Glad I was. My husband called me to the view of the sunset. I grabbed my camera and headed out to get this photo of a deep magenta sky and sunset to share with you.

The Family Reunion Finale!!!

Grandpa and Grandma With Eight Blessings

Left to right

Charlotte, Katie, Olivia, Laura, Anna, Jacob, Veronica and Philip

Dad and Mom with Our Four Blessings, Barbara, Anne, Tom and Mary

Our Many Blessings!

Each year as we end our summertime reunions, we do the family portraits. We get all kinds of the usual complaints; it is taking to long, are we done yet, the sun is too bright, how many more photos, are we done yet, can we hurry this up and get it over, are we done yet. This year Aunt Barbara was clever. After her photo shoots she said, o.k. give me your worst smile or look. I hope that is their Christmas card photo so next year they really want to smile and not complain. It really is fun to learn if we get an original complaint that we haven't heard before. It didn't happen this year. They really are good sports!

Don's Birthday With Family @ Discovery Bay

The birthday celebrant with his four children, Mary, Barbara, Anne, Don and Tom. Four Kids and A Dog. (Buddy)Tom and Susan's Dock Our Eight Grandchildren The Shoreline of Discovery Bay

Our family has few opportunities to all be together. This is one priceless weekend. Tom and Susan have graciously invited all of us to their weekend home on Discovery Bay. What fun also for the cousins to be together.

Metro Kathmandu

Metro Kathmandu

Arrive at 311 Divisadero in San Francisco, CA and you are greeted by owner Roshan for the gastronomic treat of your life. The food is prepared on site with authentic recipes of Kathmandu with the freshest high quality ingredients. The chef is native of Kathmandu as well as the former home of owner Roshan. It just can't get anymore authentic than that unless you make the trip to Nepal yourself. We consider a dinner at Metro Kathmandu a must with each trip we make to San Francisco. The food is worth the highest recommendation. I will describe the many tastes we enjoyed.

Chicken Pakoda and Vegetable Momos

Strips of chicken are dipped in spicy garbanzo bean flour and served with a sesame-tomato chutney. The Vegetable Momos are steamed dumplings stuffed with spinach, onion, cauliflower, cabbage and curry spice.

Chicken Momos

Steamed dumplings stuffed with Natural Free Range ground chicken, curry spice, onion, garlic, and ginger and served with the sesame-tomato chutney.

Mixed Vegetable Curry, Saag Paneer, 
and Lamb Saag

The Mixed Vegetable Curry which is a vegan dish is prepared with seasonal vegetables, tomato, onion and curry spices. Saag Paneer is prepared with chopped spinach and homemade cheese cooked with onion and Napali spices. The Lamb Saag is the most tender chunks of lamb cooked with spinach and tomato.

Roshan presents Don with one of his bottles of French Wine.

Happy Birthday Don!

Meet Roshan the owner of Metro Kathmandu. A wonderful birthday meal was celebrated with the family on Tuesday evening at the restaurant. Do not think of all Nepalis food as being spicy hot. Think of the food as pleasantly flavored with special spices, not bland but most of all a delicious and wonderful experience. The word Vindaloo on the menu indicates a spicy hot dish. Check out the restaurant and menu. There are no disappointed customers who stop by 311 Divisadero in San Francisco.

Happy Birthday Don

Happy Birthday Don

Tuesday is my husband's birthday. We will be celebrating back in California with our children. Tickets arrived yesterday and Monday we are on our way to celebrate with the family. Nothing is more fun than watching the little grandchildren talking about the birthday number. I should add that nothing is more fun than grandchildren.

December 26 ..... Italy celebrates the feast of St. Stephano

December 26 in Italy

December 26 is celebrated in Italy as the feast of St. Stephano. The day is observed almost as holy as Christmas as he is the patron saint of Italy. Do you remember the song about Good King Wensaslaus he went out on the feast of Stephan, When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even. That song was written for the day of December 26. Christmas 2006 we celebrated in Milan with our oldest daughter and family. Laura is the older granddaughter and Anna is the younger.

Traditional food is served both days. Fish is served on Christmas day. Early the morning of the 24th, women hurry to the grocery store to select the freshest fish and the other groceries they will need to prepare the holiday meals. Our son-in-law Silvano is an excellent cook and assists our daughter Mary with the holiday meals. Our son-in-law's mother speaks no English and I speak no Italian and we truly do enjoy each other's company with the help of our granddaughters translating for us.

We were truly impressed how the grocery stores as well as any other stores are closed December 25 and 26. Traffic is very light both of the days as time is spent with family. Traffic picks up in the evening of the 26th as family members return home.

This year our youngest daughter leaves tomorrow for a flight to join Mary and family to celebrate New Years eve and day. How lucky we are with modern day travel that we can traverse this world in hours. It does keep our loved ones near.