Lunching With Friends

I think was born in the wrong country. Now don’t get me wrong; I enjoy being an American…wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. My ancestry is half Portuguese along with English, Irish and a touch of Welsh. That’s fine and dandy, but I have reason to believe two countries have been hiding inside me, mainly on my taste buds.

Ever since I had my first taste of Thai and Vietnamese food many moons ago, I’ve been smitten. Both are now mouth-watering favorites I wish I’d discovered way sooner. But here’s the good news…

My friend Mandy happens to live across the street from a woman from Thailand and she taught Mandy the art of cooking Thai food. Turns out it pays to know people who live across the street from a Thai cook. Lucky us!

Mandy
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Deja Vu All Over Again

Here’s a posting I wrote way back in 2016.

I hate to beat a dead horse. In fact I hate to beat anything, let alone a dead horse. What kind of a saying is that anyway? Now don’t get me wrong; today I’m not writing about beating horses so you can forget the opinion you’ve just formed that I’m a dead-animal-beater. I mean really, what’s wrong with you?

No, today’s blog is about how apropos my last blog was. You see, as I write this, I’m on a plane to Texas to meet my friend Sharon and help her unpack hundreds of boxes shipped from her and Jim’s previous home in Perth, Australia, to her current home outside of Houston. Being the kind, considerate, thoughtful and giving person I am, I offered to help her unpack.

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Ah, Paree!

I’ve missed traveling far and wide the last few years. So I decided to plan a couple of trips a year to places I’ve never been — like a river cruise from Paris to Normandy with three great friends.

Sharon, me, Sue and Pam at the airport

Finding a pet sitter for my six cats and two dogs isn’t an easy feat, but my friend, Daina, is just that – a pet sitter. Lucky for me, she was up for the 13-day challenge, bless her brave heart.

Daina introduced me to Grand Circle Cruise Line (GCCL) and their fabulous discounts. Why pay full price when nearly half off was beckoning? We even upgraded to better seating on the plane, to and from. Never mind I don’t need extra leg room with these stubby legs, but hey, why not? We were on vacation.

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An Unlikely Friendship

 

Our first team, Peter’s Formal Wear

The game of softball will always be special to me because that’s where I first came to know Sharon. Even though we grew up on the same street, it took years for us to connect.

As a tomboy, I lived to play baseball in the streets of our suburban home in Marin County. The boys and I dodged parked cars as we ran for fly balls; the manhole cover in front of the Brodnik’s house was our permanent second base.

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My Sandal Saga

This blog was originally posted in 2021

I bought a pair of sandals nearly a million years ago, but should have bought 2 pairs. Because as often happens with things I like, Teva discontinued these casual cuties even though they’re the more feminine of the Teva selections and everyone I know who wears them loves them. Comfortable and cute yet functional. C’est la vie!

Anyway, now that you know this, I recently wore them to Sonoma where Sharon, Pam and Sue joined me at a gorgeous 20-acre vineyard in the hills above the town square. I’d relocated four feral cats there and now it was time to remove their cages.

The cats’ view. Not too shabby

First we decided to have lunch in town on this scorching but beautiful day. We quickly learned we should have made reservations as apparently it was still tourist season. Live and learn. So we began to walk the square looking for a restaurant without a wait.

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