New Orleans trip

Here I go again trying to post photos -- why does it never seem to work the same way twice? Tomorrow I'll try the same thing with the photos from my iPhone.

Me by the riverfront -- it was so cold I had to buy a sweatshirt to add under my windbreaker and over my sweater and socks to keep my toes warm!

Art everywhere -- Donna and Julie admiring local art near Jackson Square. Julie bought a lot. I restrained myself, but somehow spent all my money anyway!

It is required to have coffee and beignets here, but once is enough. 

My most interesting breakfast was a baked sweet potato with pecan syrup and powdered chocolate at the French Market.

Lots of walking. These are Donna's and my happy shadows on the moonwalk near the Cafe du Monde.

Steve and I went on a Eco Swamp Tour -- saw gators, wild canaries, snakes, turtles, a giant spider and a great blue heron, but you had to be pretty fast to get a picture of any of them.

This fishing boat was blown up  the Pearl River from the Gulf by Hurricane Katrina, and is still there seven years later. We also toured the lower Ninth Ward, but it was too depressing to take pictures.

Shrimp boat -- I ate a lot of seafood: shrimp, crawfish, crab, and a fish called Drumm, and tasted mussels -- I wasn't quite brave enough to try turtle or gator sausage.

We were told this was near the place where they filmed Beasts of the Southern Wild, athough it looked pretty tame!

Swamp wildflowers. We learned the difference between a swamp and a marsh and a bayou and a slough. It was beautiful and creepy and mysterious.

I'm glad I didn't have to find my way around.

Cypress trees and their "knees" (actually part of the roots.)

This great blue heron was called George by the boat captain, totally unfazed by passing tourists.

April weekend

Rio Del Mar Beach with Margee and Joey -- a beautiful day, not crowded despite the fact that it is Spring Break week. 

There were a few shells and bits of beach glass, if you were willing to wade out a bit to get them. but the biggest surprise was a ladybug on the beach!

 

The cats are happy to have warm sunshine, and I discovered all of them taking advantage of the chaise lounges and cat beds in the backyard, which smells of a bumper crop of wisteria blossoms. 

Looking down at Alameda Creek from the bridge

Little Yosemite -- not much water, but a lot of rocks, and yes, those are people down there!

Another successful hike.

I went on a short hike to the Little Yosemite area of Sunol Regional Wilderness with the Singleaires. 

There were lots of wildflowers, given the fact that it has been a dry year: California poppies, several varieties of lupines, johnny jump-ups, popcorn flowers, sticky monkey flowers, virgin's bower, wild hyacinths, globe lilies, yarrow, and something my expert companions assured me were called blue dicks!

March 31, 2013

I'm not very comfortable with "entertaining" but at Noelle's suggestion, I agreed to host Matt's 29th birthday/Easter/Game of Thrones Third Season Opener Party. I may have gone a bit wild with sigils, decorations, themed foodstuffs, costumes, party games, prizes. Exhaustion! Here are a few pictures from my iPhone (I was too busy to take all the pictures I wanted to -- maybe there will be some good ones from other people's cameras.)

Iron Throne -- butter knife version

Wight -- they must burn to truly die

Ser Matthew of House Hively

Dish Garden Making  Margee, Channah, Noelle, Matt

Lin as Catelyn (taken by Channah!)

Margee as Melisandre

Flaming Castle Nameday Cake

Clash of Vegetables Stew

Guest of Honor on Iron Throne -- cardboard version

Eddie, Ian, Margee at the Feast