Marty Kaplan's Blog

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Spring is in the air, at least according to the displays in the store windows.  The drab greens, brown and tans of winter clothing have been replaced by a rainbow of pastels.  The streets are more animated as more people venture forth in the evening.  Best of all, Linares has reopened.  It turns out that they close down for the winter.

The political turmoil continues here in Spain.  To be honest, the political turmoil in Spain seems to never stop.  In response to the government’s recent changes to labor law, all unions have called for a general strike on March 29 in hopes of getting the government to negotiate some of the proposed changes.  There have recently been a series of suggestions from the private sector regarding changes that need to be made if the economy is to recover.  One suggestion is that Spain cut down or eliminate the number of puentes in the year.  Puentes are long weekends occasioned by the fact that either Friday or Monday is a holiday.  In some cases there are a week or two when there are two puentes.  In addition to the number of holidays, there is the added fact that workers tend to take an extra day to make it a four-day weekend.  Needless to say, productivity goes to hell.  The other suggestion is that Spain’s government do something to cut down on absenteeism of those who work for the government.  The current rate averages around 15%.  In private industry the absentee rate is less than 2%.

Susan and I took a cab to Kosher Best yesterday only to discover that it was closed.  We had to walk four or five blocks to catch a cab in the other direction and it took a bit of effort on my part to traverse what is normally a short distance for me.  Hopefully, my current regimen will help eliminate the stiffness that is causing the problem.

Soon after returning home Susan headed for City Hall to be present for the mascleta and afterwards she caught up with Zahava for lunch and a movie.  I made my way over to La Fórcola for lunch and that ended my activities for the day.  I spent the rest of my day reading and watching past episodes of Antiques Road Show.  Susan is about to head off for a nail appointment and I am giving some thought to getting a haircut.  Later we will give Brian and Ofelia a call to see if they are up for going to dinner this evening.

Here are some of the pictures that Susan took yesterday.  Enjoy!

Friday, March 7, 2012

It is abundantly clear that Fallas is drawing closer and closer.  All streets are adorned with festive lights that are now lit at night.  Large tents have been erected on many streets to house the celebrations of the casals that have constructed their very own falla.  Stands selling buñuelos have been erected all over town.  The same is true for stands that sell Amstel beer.  Every afternoon at 2:00, the city echoes with the sound of the mascleta that happens in front of City Hall.  Hundreds of kilos of powder cause the surround buildings and sidewalks to shudder and threaten to temporarily deafen those who witness the event.  This is only the prelude.  It will get busier, noisier and more festive.

The knee continues to improve, but has yet to reach the state of better.  I have more flexibility in my knee joint and I can walk gingerly without having to limp.  I just need to continue the regimen of ice, Advil and rest and just not overdo things.

I went out today for the first time since Tuesday evening.  We took a cab over to Kosher Tov, the only store in town that specializes in kosher food, and discovered that it was not open.  It was impossible to tell if it was closed because of the approaching Sabbath or because it has gone belly up.  There is no information on the website and phone calls go directly to an answering machine.  If it is closed, this will complicate Rachel’s visit a bit, but we know there are workarounds.

Susan will be heading out shortly to catch today’s mascleta and after that will catch up with Zahava for lunch and a movie.  I plan to take it easy this afternoon and start a new book although I am not quite sure what my choice will be.  In the past week I read all three of William Landay’s novels.  His Defending Jacob is a current best seller and I liked it so much that I bought his earlier two novels.  There are no pictures today, but hopefully there will be some tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

We are back in Valencia.  We arrive a little before 6:00 PM local time and Brian and Ofelia met us at the airport to drive us back home. If that were not enough, the two of them provided us with what will turn out to be the makings of a couple of meals, at least.  In addition to a tortilla española, there were some cooked peppers, a pork loin roast, some dessert bars and a bag of mandarinas.  We are so lucky to have such great friends.

We had decided to spend Sunday in San Francisco so that we would have no hassles getting to the airport in plenty of time for our flight on Monday.  The drive from Nevada City was uneventful and traffic was heavy at times, but there were no significant delays.  We dropped the car off at Advantage and were pleased to discover that the eleven-day rental with insurance coverage came to a total of $222.  They called us a cab and we headed for San Francisco.

Susan had booked a night for us at the Palace Hotel, which is a Starwood property.  Susan was able to get us a special rate and that saved us a bit of money.  I was and am still having difficulty walking so we enlisted the aid of a bellman to carry our bags up to the room.  To be honest, the room was a bit tired and the walls rather bare. The good news is that the bed was comfortable and there was an abundant supply of hot water for both bath and showers.  Rachel had arrived in town earlier that day in order to be ready for the gaming conference that began on Monday.  We gave her a call and she came over to the hotel.

We popped into the bar for a drink and a steak quesadilla.  When we finished Susan and Rachel headed off to a kosher restaurant called Sabra, which is located some three blocks from the hotel.  I headed back to the room to continue resting my knee.  Susan and Rachel returned some ninety minutes later and we chatted for another half hour or so before Rachel headed back to Saul’s house where she will be spending the week.

We read for a while and we decided to go to bed early so that we would be well rested for our long day of travel.  At 5:30 AM the ground began to shake.  It turned out to be a 4.0 earthquake with its epicenter in Richmond.  Given all the crap that has transpired in the last two weeks, I must confess that I was expecting this.  Nonetheless, we turned over and went back to sleep.  Susan got up first to grab a cup of coffee at Starbuck’s and to take a few photos.  When I got up I showered and dressed and we headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  We knew the price would be ridiculous, but we sat down in spite of that.  Breakfast ran close to $60.  All of a sudden, I really missed Spain.

As ridiculous as the cost of breakfast was, as I already mentioned, it did not come as a surprise.  The dinner we had in Nevada City on Saturday evening turned out to be one of the most expensive meals that we have had in recent memory.  Six of us filed into Friar Tuck’s a little after 6:00 to have supper.  We ordered three appetizers, four entrees, two bottles of wine and four mixed drinks.  The bill exceeded $300.  The quality of the food was average, the ambience was nothing to write home about and the service was adequate.  I was and am at a loss to explain to myself why the restaurant was packed.  Different strokes for different folks.

We made it to the airport in plenty of time for our flight.  There was some problem generating my ticket for the second leg of the flight and we were told that by presenting the ticker that read, “Not valid for travel” along with my boarding pass for the San Francisco to Paris leg of the trip there would be no problem.  Susan had called Air France on Sunday asking them to have a wheelchair for me and was told that there would be one waiting and that the request had been made.  The wheelchair request did not show up in the computer at the airport and so arrangements were made to have one come get me in San Francisco and to insure that there would be one waiting when we arrived in Paris.  We tried to improve our seating arrangements since we were told that there were a lot of empty seats on our flight, but as it turned out I was seat in an aisle seat and Susan was in a middle seat in the aisle behind me.

When we asked the stewardesses for some help in getting us reseated they said that they would try, but we would have to wait until every one was on board.  I managed to change my seat to the two-side of the aircraft and after asking the stewardess if she would ask the young man seated by the window to change places with Susan he readily agreed and we ended up sitting together.  As it turns out, we were seated in the rear of the plane where there was a large group of French high school students who were returning to Paris after a two-week visit to several college campuses.

They were, without a doubt, some of the rudest and noisiest individuals that it has even been our misfortune to encounter.  They continually changed seat with three of them sitting in the two-side seats.  They had no qualms about kicking the back of the seats in front of them.  They shouted, they giggled and they were in constant motion.  Nobody was able to sleep.  Their chaperone did absolutely nothing to get them calm down and behave.  The stewardesses did absolutely nothing to solve the problem.  When I finally got up and complained to a stewardess about the people behind us constantly kicking the back of our seats, she showed up five minutes later to tell me that there was nobody seated behind us.

Air France is an unmitigated disaster.  All of our recent flights have been on Swiss and have been an absolute delight.  The cabin crew couldn’t be more helpful or attentive.  They frequently circulate through the cabin offering water and light snacks.  The pilot is always very communicative and lets you know what is going on.  On a Swiss flight you always know how long it will be until takeoff, what the route will be, what the weather will be like, how many minutes to landing and when you are about to touch down.  Now lets take a quick look at Air France.

Our pilot said nothing to us until we were thirty minutes away from landing.  The stewardesses, who will address you only in French in spite of our flight being an international flight originating in the US, seemed to disappear after the evening meal service.  At some point they seemed to have deposited in mid-cabin an assortment of beverages and some breadsticks.  They never bothered to make an announcement that they were available.  There lack of attention to the ruckus that was caused by the students was unconscionable.  They were late and rushed in serving the morning meal.  I had asked for water to take some pills and was told by one of the flight attendants that she was out of glasses.  I guess the twenty steps back to the galley where there was an endless supply of plastic glasses was just too exhausting after all that she had not done during the flight.  I had to make three requests of another flight attendant who finally gave me my glass of water.

As you well know, some fifteen minutes before landing there is an announcement made that tells you to turn off all electronics, return your seatbacks to their upright position and to stow away your tray table.  It seems that whoever was responsible for making that announcement did not get around to it.  When we had descended to 2,000 feet the announcement was made and the cabin crew scurried around to check out the situation.  As we exited the plane one of the stewardesses asked us how our flight was.  We told her that the only thing that kept it from being a complete disaster was the fact that the plane did not crash land.

A wheelchair was waiting for me as we exited the plane and that meant that getting through passport control and security was accomplished rather easily.  My attendant took me to Gate 70 and as I got settled he told me that someone would come back for me as the flight was boarding.  It was a little after 11:30 when we settled into our seats at Gate 70 and we would have to wait for four more hours until our flight was called.  I could not fail to notice two things in the D terminal of the airport.  All the signage for stores where one could make a purchase was in English.  However, all the personnel would address you in French.  I bought a beverage and a sandwich at one of the shops and the entire transaction took place in French except when the clerk told me that the price was 10 Euros.  That she told me in English.

Our flight to Valencia started to board at 4:30.  The flight was a codeshare with Air Europa. Merely stepping inside the plan and being greeted warmly by one of the cabin crew highlighted the difference between the two airlines and the two nations.  The flight attendant not only stowed our two bags, but she also quickly filled my ice bag with ice so that I could apply to my knee during the flight.  Sitting in a cramped position on the 10-hour Air France flight did not improve the condition of my knee. She checked in with me a couple of times during the 90-minute flight to ask if I was feeling better and if I would like more ice.  By the way during the flight I heard her speak Spanish, French, German and English when addressing passengers of different nationalities.  In sum, would I ever choose Air France again for international travel?  No way!  I have finally found an airline that is worse than Delta when it comes to customer service.

We are taking life easy today as we both try and recover from yesterday’s flight and the events of the past two weeks.  We are glad to be back home and are looking forward to Rachel’s visit next week.  Here are some of the photos that Susan took in Nevada City.

Elio

Jake

The cousins - Kat, Sara, Rachel and Jake

Brother Saul

Friday, March 2, 2012
Yesterday was mostly rainy and succeeded in melting most of the snow on the side of the roads.  Today the temperature will be in the high 50’s and tomorrow it will be in the 60’s.  I have not moved the card for several days given the fact that I have not driven in the snow for the last 28 years.  I think this is a prudent move on my part.  Most of the snow has melted from the roof and windshield and I imagine that when we take off on Sunday for San Francisco all traces of snow will have disappeared from the car.

We have decided that it makes more sense to spend Sunday in San Francisco so that when we leave on Monday to return to Spain we do not have to hassle with returning the rental car and getting to the airport two hours before our 3:40 flight.  The other complication is the fact that I am limping

I woke up a couple of Mondays ago with some discomfort in my left knee.  I bought a knee brace and put in on in hopes that it would provide the necessary support until the discomfort went away.  It did not and the following week I was determined to stay off of it and use ice and Advil to bring the swelling down. That course of treatment was not to happen because that was the week that we had to fly to Nevada City. We did a lot of scrambling on Wednesday to get ready for our Thursday flight and in order to get from terminal to terminal and terminal to gate we had to do a lot of walking.  At times it necessitated wheeling the big suitcase we had taken and I was lugging my backpack throughout the entire journey.

Needless to say there was a high level of activity up until two days ago,  In that time period the discomfort had grown.  Yesterday we went to Yubadocs, which is a walk-in clinic.  Manipulating the knee gave no clear answer and so it was on to radiology at the hospital.  The x-rays have been read and I have a mild case of osteoarthritis.  The current course of treatment consists of rest, ice, elevation and the use of an anti-inflammatory.  When I get back to Valencia I will try some acupuncture since that seems to be effective in reducing both the swelling and the pain.

The number of people assembled her has been slowly decreasing.  Sue and Jacob left on Tuesday.  Saul left on Wednesday.  Sara left yesterday so that leaves Susan and I, as well as Katrina and Elio.  Robert, Susan and David have spent a lot of time going through all kinds of “stuff” and are trying to make some sense of the financials.  I have been taking life easy today and trying to strictly adhere to my pain and swelling reduction regimen.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012
It snowed last night and that complicated Rachel’s trip to the Sacramento airport to catch her 7:10 AM flight to Denver.  David was going to drive both Rachel and Susan to the airport and he had difficulty getting up the hill that leads to mary’s house.  He did eventually make it and the three of them left at 4:30 AM in hopes of getting Rachel to the airport with time to spare.  Fifteen miles outside of nevada City the snow turned to rain and the driving was less perilous.  The good news is that rachel made her flight with a good deal of time to spare.

Monday was a day of preparation for the celebration of Sam’s life that would take place on Tuesday.  The program was finalized and delivered to the printer.  Robert took care of making a five minute video touching on the highlight’s of Sam’s life.  He worked in conjunction with a local video artist to make that happen.  The grandchildren prepared four display boards filled with pictures that marked the course of Sam’s life as well as the life of him and Bess.  Susan did a little bit of everything and found time to put to paper what is was that she wanted to say at the memorial.  I did the same.  We all took a break to eat the Chines food that David had fetched for us and when supper was over we all returned to our assigned tasks.

Tuesday began as a sunny day and the weather would hold until the end of the celebration. The family arrived at 12:30 to make sure that all was in order for the 1:00 PM start.  People began arriving at 12:35 and by 1:00 the auditorium was just about filled.  Many of Sam’s friends from the synagogue were there, as were friends of David and several friends of Robert and Saul who had made the 3 hour journey to support their friends in their time of need.

Rabbi Alan Greenberg of the Grass Valley synagogue officiated and welcomed all of us who were present.  Next we watched the video that Robert had prepared  and it was indeed a touching tribute to the man who was so many things to so many different people. Next, a color guard from Beale Air Force Base performed the flag ceremony that marks the death of a veteran.  It was a most moving sight that was performed with the precision that one would expect and it brought tears to all of us who watched.  The family then went outside to witness a 21 gun salute and the playing of Taps.  The family came back inside and took our seats and that was the signal for the rabbi to begin the next phase of the celebration.

He began by saying that what we were about to witness would be hard to describe in words.  The word celebration was, in a way too upbeat for an occasion that would evoke many tears and the word funeral was too somber a word for an occasion when we many pleasant memories would surface.  Today’s memorial would fall between the parameters of those two word.  He then proceeded to chant several prayers in Hebrew and then invited the assembled to join in the recitation of the 23rd Psalm.  One by one Susan and her brothers were invited to the podium to share their thoughts, feelings and remembrances.  Sara, representing all the grandchildren, shared their thoughts.  I was the next speaker and I observed that Sam’s life had the makings of a Horatio Alger novel where the son of immigrant parents soon after high school enlists in the Army Air Corps and has a career in which he rises to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  He then accepts the challenge of college and earns a degree that is the first stepping tone of his career in education.  He marries and raises a family who loves him and is devoted to him.  He is a friend to many and pursues all of his many passions until the very end of his days.  He was a man who possessed all the virtues that we admire the most.

The last speaker was Bill Kroot, an old friend of Bess and Sam, who shared his memories of both of them.  The service ended with all of us listening to a recording of Sam singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth”, which was the final coda to a moving and memorable event.

We all then made our way to a nearby building where the temple sisterhood had prepared a variety of salads and a sweet table to help animate the conversations that were to follow.  A little after 3:00 we began the journey home and we spent the rest of the day reflecting on the days events and lifting a glass or two to the memory of Sam Levy.  We all retired rather early because it had been an emotionally exhausting day and several of us had a 4:00 AM rising time.

Monday, February 26, 2012

We are hoping for a good weather day tomorrow and although the weather forecast looked promising yesterday it looks like we will make our way to the celebration site either in the rain or snow.  In spite of the prediction that today would be a sunny day it is snowing as I write this blog entry.  My joy is boundless.

Susan awoke early yesterday so she could meet Rachel’s plane that was scheduled to arrive at 9:30 at the Sacramento airport.  From the airport they made their way to Bevmo to buy some wine and beer and then it was off to Trader Joe’s to purchase some  goodies for Rachel so that she could have a variety of things to eat while she is here in Nevada City.  They made it back home a little after 1:00 and soon thereafter Saul’s wife Sue and their son, Jacob, pulled into the driveway.  Now the cast of characters was complete.

This is one full house, but the good news is that is a large house.  It is currently populated by Mary, Miladie, David, Saul, Sue, Jacob, Robert, Sara, Katrina, Elio, Susan, Rachel and I.  It’s a good thing that I am not superstitious.  The decision was made to have dinner at home and that the main course would be shrimp.  Saul and I volunteered to go down to Savmart in Grass Valley and buy the necessary ingredients.  In addition to ten pounds of shrimp we picked up a good supply of salad vegetables, several baguettes and all the necessary ingredients to make a Caesar salad.

Sara and Katrina volunteered to prepare our evening meal and while the assembled group watched the Oscars they set to work preparing what turned out to be an outstanding meal.  In addition to the Caesar salad we enjoyed a pasta salad made with angel hair, arugula, Parmesan cheese and a garlic butter dressing.  The centerpiece of the meal was the six pounds of shrimp that had first been cooked in a crab boil mixture and then broiled to bring them to their proper state of doneness.

When the Oscars program ended all the adults gathered around the table.  When we were comfortable seated we joined hands and those who wished to shared their thoughts about Sam.  The testimony to the gifts of this man and his wife was the fact that gathered around the table were all his children and their spouses, as well as all his grandchildren.  The importance of family was a concept that was very well ingrained in all of us who were partaking in the meal.

We then proceeded to make quick work of six pounds of shrimp and the rest of the goodies.  When the table had been cleared and all the dishes were in the dishwasher I set up the magic show that I had been requested to perform. I ended up doing seven or eight effects and the laughter and the amazement turned out to be a good tension reliever and an up moment in a very trying series of days.

When the magic show was over Sue, Saul and Jacob headed over to the motel where they were spending the night. Robert headed down the hill to sleep at Sam’s house and David returned to his house. The rest of us spread out to our respective sleeping spaces in Mary’s house and by 11:00 PM we were all tucked intoour beds.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Saul has just come up the hill and is working on a watercolor that will become the back cover for the celebration program.  David is off at his gym swimming laps.  Robert spent the night at his home in San Rafael so that he could sleep in his own bed last night and sing in the Glide Chorus in San Francisco, which is his usual Sunday morning gig.  Susan picked up Rachel thirty minutes ago and they are on their way up here.  Miladie and Mary are playing with Elio who has been the center of attention ever since he arrived.  I think Sara is still asleep after a late night out and I am not exactly sure where Katrina is at this moment.

Planning for the celebration continued yesterday.  Susan worked on the design for Tuesday’s program and discovered a most appropriate and beautiful prayer that she discovered at Friday night’s services and will be included in the program.  The Air Force will send an honor guard as is their custom when a veteran passes away.  An old friend of the family, Aiola, who sang with Bess and Sam when they presented their ymusical program here in Nevada City, will be part of the program.  Family members have been invited to speak and along with the Rabbi they will be the major participants in the celebration

Susan and I took a trip into town around 11:00.  Our goal was to find some Kosher food for Rachel that will sustain and entertain her for the few days that she will spend here.  We had good luck at the local supermarket and found a variety of chips and salsas, tuna fish, crackers, mayonnaise and canned tuna.  Susan and Rachel will stop off at a Trader Joe’s that is on the way back to Nevada City to fill in her cache of supplies and fresh fruit and vegetables are readily available here at Mary;s house.  Our morning trip also included a visit to the local toy store that carries some magic supplies.  I found a close-up mat and I picked up a couple of decks of cards because I have been asked to do some magic and I have enough basic supplies now that will allow me to do so.  Our last stop was at a coffee shop where our two coffees cost us $8.00.  Welcome back to the USA.  By the way, gas here in California is at $4.50 per gallon.

When we arrived home it was lunch time and so Mary and Miladie set out the cold cuts that we did not finish on Friday.  There was also some cold salmon and the warmed up potatoes from the other day.  A couple of bags of chips bit the dust and so did a number of bottles of beer.  The afternoon was an opportunity for everyone to pursue their own interests and I spent the afternoon reading and playing games on my iPad. There was no formal supper, as such.  We all just helped ourselves to whatever struck our fancy.

Katrina and Sara left about 8:00 in search of some sushi and some entertainment.  Susan went to bed early so she could get some sleep in before she had to get up early to meet Rachel at the Sacramento airport.  I busied myself with this and that and when I went to bed at 11:00, I was the last one standing.  I shut off al the lights and crawled into bed.

Saturday, February 25, 2012
Yesterday was a busy day and understandably so.  With the memorial service scheduled for Tuesday there is a lot that needs to be accomplished before then.  yesterday Susan and her brothers wrote the obituary notice that will be published in the local paper here, as well as The Salem News. There was a meeting with the rabbi who will be conducting the service and a brief meeting with the head of the sisterhood of the synagogue.  They will be in charge of the reception that will follow the service and have volunteered to do so in appreciation of all that Sam did for the synagogue and also to relieve the family of the need to plan yet another event with all the other business that needs to be addressed.

At the memorial service there will be a display of photos and part of yesterday morning was spent going through a number of pictures that were in the basement of the house where Sam spent his California days.  There were a number of pictures from his service days, as well as photos from his career in education.  Prior to meeting with the rabbi the foursome made a stop at the local paper to discuss the obituary and then made arrangements with a local graphic artist to produce a slide show that will be part of the celebration of Sam’s life. While all that was happening downtown, brother Saul came up the hill with his violin and demonstrated his skill on his recently acquired instrument.

Saul plays a multiplicity of instruments.  He plays guitar, fife, ukulele, banjo, drums, clarinet and now the violin.  His violin was purchased at the Goodwill in San Francisco.  It turns out that its previous owner was an Emily Chen and the violin was covered with stickers that displayed her name and her likeness.  Saul thought she looked a bit like Snow White and for that reason he christened his new instrument as the Princess Emily Chen Violin.  For someone who purchased the violin in November having never played one before he is at the point where he can play a number of tunes on the violin.  Saul revealed the secret that lies behind his ability to play a multiplicity of instruments.  He said that the key was when he realized that there was one thing that all instruments have in common.  They were designed to be played with ten fingers.  Once he discovered that commonality the number of instruments that he was able to play grew by leaps and bounds.

Saul and I decided to take a trip to the local supermarket to pick up some makings for lunch and to restock some of the basics in Mary’s house.  Our cart soon was filled with fruit, vegetables, bread, lunchmeat, milk, chips, as well as other necessities like a case of beer, a bottle of gin, a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of tequila.   It soon became obvious that we needed to pay a visit to the potato chip aisle so that everyone would be able to make it through the day.  As we made our way up and down the aisles Saul played a variety of tunes on his violin.  We also serenaded the checkout clerks and one of them suggested to Saul that he might want to take a seat at the bench outside the store where the homeless hang out and play his violin there.  He implied that Saul might be able to earn a day’s pay out there.  We thanked him for his suggestion, but we informed him that our task for the day was magical in nature in that we were going to cause much of the beer in our cart to disappear in the course of the day.

We sat down to lunch around one and everyone took care of making their own sandwich.  We polished off a couple of bags of chips and made a sizable dent in the containers of coleslaw and macaroni salad. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking at pictures and working on the computer at a variety of tasks.  Mary and Miladie had been busy all day preparing cakes and pies for the impending visit of Sara, Katrina and Elio.  In addition to making her world famous zucchini cake, Mary popped a couple of pumpkin pies into the oven.  At about 5:00 PM Mary got back into action preparing supper.  In addition to making a salad, she prepared some Yukon Gold potatoes, asparagus and a rather large filet of salmon.

Susan and Robert sat down to dinner as soon as the salmon was ready.  They had planned to go to Friday night services at the synagogue and would return back home much too late to have dinner.  Susan and Robert left at 7:00 and the rest of us grazed at the island as we waited for Sara, Katrina and Elio to arrive.  They had picked up their rental car at the San Francisco airport at 2:30 and had encountered the same miserable traffic jams that we had encountered the previous day.  As much as San Franciscans make fun of LA’s traffic situation, I hasten to tell them that their traffic situation is as bad if not worse because LA offers a number of different alternatives to get from point A to point B.  San Francisco does not have those alternatives.

Katrina, Elio and Sara did not pull into the driveway until well after 10:00.  Elio had fallen asleep in the car seat and shortly afterwards he was transferred to one of the many beds in the house.  David arrived soon thereafter and we sat around the kitchen island chatting while we enjoyed a wide variety of food and drink.  The pumpkin pie emerged from the fridge and quickly disappeared.  Susan and Robert returned a little after 10:30 and joined the party.  I turned in about 10:45 and Susan and Sara continued to chat for a while and I have no idea when Susan came to bed.