JuliaBlog

Mom is on the planning committee for Bluegrass for the Greenbelt, a benefit for Greenbelt Alliance. This year (6/22/08) it was at Dunsmuir House in Oakland. There were some special activities for kids.


Julia was so inspired by the music that she jumped up and joined this group of dancers.

The event was a success: we raised some money and everyone had a good time, including Julia and daddy.

Somehow Julia and Clara managed not to get it all over their cute dresses!

Julia made some special presents to give to her very special dad on Father's Day. She worked really hard on them, and dad was truly touched.

My Cousin Barry Fischer is so cool. He gave the baccalaureate talk at Stanford (June 14, 2008); the next day he received a masters degree in environmental engineering (to add to his BA in economics). Barry is going to save the world some day soon, I hope. He wrote a terrific thesis on deforestation of the Brazilian rain forest. Now he is working hard in Colorado to elect Obama, then he is going to study biofuels in Iceland on a Fulbright Award. Go Barry! I'm so proud of you.

On our last day in Michigan (June 2008) we went on an agricultural tour, which included an iris farm with hundreds of varieties.

The tour ended at a dairy farm with a very popular ice cream shop. Yum!

Our hotel in Traverse City (June 2008) was right on Lake Michigan. There was a lovely path along the lake, and a little playground nearby. Julia likes to "fly" on the swings.

Pump, Grandma, pump!

I discovered once again that I can no longer handle rides that move around. A few ups and downs on this swing made quite me nauseous!

The weather was lousy for much of the trip, but we had a good time.

When I went to the ACE conference in June, in Traverse City, Michigan, I accepted a publishing award for California Agriculture journal. Since it was a silver (not gold), I got to stand up for about 3 seconds of glory while everyone applauded. Thank goodness Mom and Julia were there to witness the great event.

In early June 2008, I went to a conference in Traverse City, Michigan. Julia and Grandma came along to keep me company. Before the conference started we took a day-trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Park. Julia got her first Viewmaster.

We took a driving tour of the park. There were some beautiful views. Living in California, you forget how lush and green other parts of the country can be.

Grandma Elaine was so happy to hang out with Julia (and mom).

We took a hike through the dunes, which were formed by glaciers thousands of years ago on the shores of Lake Michigan. Hiking in sand wasn't as easy as it sounded. It took us about three hours to do a 2-mile hike (Julia does like to stop and "smell the roses," plus we had to have sand-ball fights, dig and roll around).


Behind us is a dune that you can climb straight up. But since we were on a loop hike, we didn't go down from here or attempt to climb up it.

Another post about me (maybe I need my own blog?). I went into San Francisco for my birthday with Mollie, Chris and Eva.


I got a few strange presents. After a good brunch we went to Kabuki Hot Springs, which was awsome - total R&R.

Julia had some fun with a big thick ribbon. She called this a butterfly costume.

In May (2008), Julia and I went on a little camping trip to Grover Hot Springs, one of our favorite getaways. We had never camped there before (we usually stay at the motel in Markleeville). It was pretty hot, and Julia fell asleep in the shade.

Katie, Erin and Alicia came on Saturday. Julia was so happy to see her friends. (Notice poor little ratty on the tent pole.) We went over to the hot springs that afternoon, but unfortunately someone had an accident in the pool and we weren't allowed to swim. On Saturday night Julia and I drove over to Sorenson's for stargazing with our friends Jesse and Adrienne.

Erin is a good little camper!

Who says every post has to be about Julia? During our visit to New York in April 2008, Julia stayed with Grandma and I got to spend a day and night with my pals from Washington, DC, where I lived from 1994 to 1997 (and 1988 and 1989, but that's another story). Beth, Ann, Kathy and I got massages in Port Washington, then we went out to Louie's Backyard for a drink. Old friends are the best!

The next day we took the train into Manhattan and went to the TKTS line. Beth, Kathy and I bought tickets for "The Country Girl" (with Frances McDormand, Peter Gallagher and Morgan Freeman), and Ann and Susan saw "Spring Awakening."


We had lunch at the Hotel Edison, my new favorite place for cheap eats in the theater district. We even ran into my Aunt Marcie and Uncle Jerry there, on their way to see a show, and Scott and Julia joined us (they saw The Lion King). Dear Susan is in the center.

We spent an afternoon at the Museum of Natural History during our trip to New York (April 2008). The dinosaurs were cool.

There are lots of "big" things at the Museum! However, I was bummed because there was a special event in the room with the whale, so we couldn't go in and see my absolute favorite "big" thing there. This REALLY BIG clam shell provided some solace.

Uncle Scott met us in the late afternoon and we saw the coolest planetarium show ever. It's "not your dad's" planetarium any more.


We capped off the day with dinner at the Dinosaur Barbecue on the upper upper West side, one of Eliot's favorite places.

We spent a day on the Upper West Side during our trip to New York in April 2008, and had a picnic lunch in Central Park. Julia said this looked like Pride Rock from the Lion King, and she had to climb up (and jump off).

We found a good playground for her to roll around in.


Julia's really good on the monkey bars!

During our trip to New York in April 2008 we drove out to Riverhead to visit the aquarium. The town was cute (I had never been there) and the attraction itself was pretty good. We went on a ride that took us up high for a view of the river and beyond.

We saw lots of beautiful tropical fish, a seal show, reptiles and more, but Julia's favorite part was definitely the koi. She got to feed them little bits of grass.


The North Shore of Long Island is quite pretty and unspoiled. We had a lovely day (capped off by some frantic outlet-mall shopping).

Cousin Marilyn has a new granddaughter named Alison. She's a little peach! We all had lunch at the New Leaf Cafe (near the Cloisters) during our visit to New York in April 2008.

Eliot and Paul were there. Paul sure does love trucks!

Kim, Marilyn's daughter-in-law, showed Alison to Julia.

When I went to New York in April, I had dinner with my old friend Robbie somewhere in Merrick. We had a good, long talk and this eye-popping dessert called "chocolate rain."

The day after Passover (4/08), Scott, Janet and Julia met up with the Feuers in Manhasset Park. Sam and Ava are Mitch and Maddy's twins, about seven (?) years old. They live in Boston, so we don't get to see them very much.


Ava and Julia hit it off.

We love this park, and try to get there whenever we visit Grandma.

Thank god for the Good Humor man! (They didn't have ice cream shaped like Sponge Bob in MY day...)

Grandma Elaine makes a beautiful seder - wonderful food, lovely table, the best guests. Etc. She works so hard to make it special (~4/20/08).


If there's one thing Julia loves, it's Grandma's matzoh balls.

Julia and Mom went to New York for Passover in April 2008. Uncle Eliot helped Julia build a really cool rat's den on the couch.

Julia helped Grandma with the matzoh balls - a sacred duty.

She got a much-needed haircut.

Harosets needs just the right amount of chopping and wine.