Playing "Uncle"

My colleague from my Italy years has a daughter who is going to boarding school on the East Coast. So instead of flying back to Europe, she's visiting the West Coast for the week.  So, we headed down to Fisherman's Wharf to see the sea lions.

J is all grown up!  I met her when she was 9, now 15 and a 10th grader.

We were down by the pier's because we spent the afternoon on Alcatraz

Looking up from the dock.....the lighthouse is still functioning.

Inside the prison itself.

J chose French for her audio tour, so I chose Italian.  Turns out, I was able to understand about 80% of the tour.  That was exciting.

The outdoor recreation area....probably the best view of any cement courtyard in the Bay Area.

Solitary.....

The prison was shuttered in the early 1960's....this is one of the remnants of the Indian (Native American) occupation of 1969.

Next stop....Land's End.

The ruins of the Sutro Baths....the closest thing to Roman ruins I've seen in the States.

The Marin Headlands at sunset.

Oysters, Point Reyes and Birthday Number 34

Here's the birthday boy!!!  #34  Well, a few days before his big day, we took a drive up to Point Reyes.

First stop, the Hog Island Oyster Company for Oysters (BBQ and Raw), some salad and bread.  It's a crowded place with everyone sharing picnic tables, but somehow we snapped this photo right when the table was empty.

After oysters, it was a drive to Point Reyes National Seashore.  The ice plant and vegetation was turning the autumn colors.

After this walk on the beach, we laid out a big blanket and, of course, I took a nice nap in the sun.

South Beach from the lighthouse bluff

Sea Lions

As we were driving back off Point Reyes, the sunset gave us a silhouette of some moose.

Back home...Onions living the dream.  Warm bed and wifi!

We're In The Pipeline

Today, in the mail, we received the confirmation from the Dept. of Homeland Security that they have officially received Onions application for permanent residency! 

This my receipt that I am his spousal sponsor.

His application for work authorization.  This should come in January or February.

And his application for his transit document, although our lawyer advises he doesn't leave the country until he has his permanent resident card in hand.  The next step is a biometric exam.

Cranes, Walnuts and BBQ

Weekends are for adventure.  This past Sunday, Onions and I got in the car and drove east into the Central Valley.  As fall rolls around, the Sand Hill Cranes are beginning to arrive for the winter.

We went out to a reserve, which was basically a flooded field, and saw the cranes just lounging around.

Mornings and sunset are the best times to see the cranes do their fly-ins. And apparently, we need to come back and watch them "dance."

The impetus for the trip to the Central Valley was to visit Kendra and Brian, who were down visiting Brian's grandmother's house and farm.  Doesn't this house look totally classic American?

About 7 years ago, the farm was turned into a Walnut tree orchard.  So we spent part of the afternoon walking around the farm.  Three weeks before, the walnuts had been harvested.

We also took a trip to the walnut processing plant.  I LOVE this kind of machinery.

Here trucks of walnuts (these seem to have their husks already shucked) along with all the leaves and sticks are loaded into the machinery.

Lots of blowers and separators....

This is the final belt where workers pick out the bad looking walnuts.

And then they are set to dry for a few weeks.  The walnuts are sold to a distributor who actually shells them.

That afternoon, after I took a nap on the lawn, it was BBQ time.

Ribs, BBQ Chicken, Sausage, fish, pesto penne.....

The BBQ was in honor of the family that helps Brian with the walnut growing and harvesting.  A perfect early evening in Central California.

The BBQ gang.  Brothers Kelly sitting on the steps in the middle!