wednesday in san diego

Last night it rained heavily in Long Beach most of the night. It cleaned the air, watered the thirsty lawns, and left everything refreshed. We drove down to San Diego under a bright blue sky with puffy white clouds making it interesting. My brother-in law, a first-class chef, cooked a lovely dinner of poached salmon and stir fried veggies. Tomorrow Vic will go off to dialysis and the Patient and I will get the Thanksgiving feast underway. That means polishing the family silver, setting the table, arranging the various food elements. There will be only four of us so preparations will be modest. Braised turkey, some stuffing, mashed potatoes, steamed pea pods with mushrooms, green salad, cranberry sauce with chopped tangerines and walnuts, and dulce de leche for dessert. Bottle of Spanish cava beforehand and Chardonnay with dinner. The big disappointment is, of course, that Ruby and her parents are not here. Mother Kaley has a new job at Yale University and could not get the time off. Perhaps mom Kaley will send a holiday picture that I can put up. Gosh, she is almost four years old! Meanwhile, we have settled in to this most comfortable home for four days of R & R until we hit the road.

There are many things for which I am most thankful:
* Obama is our new president
* McCain and Palin are history . . . for now
* This is Bush and Cheney's last Thanksgiving in power
* The Patient is in full recovery mode
* Children and grandchildren are healthy, happy, productive, smart and funny
* I don't have a 401K that has gone belly-up
• My health is good. No great, but good
* My sister seems to be holding her own; not great, but OK
* I have gotten in touch with some old friends and that has been so rewarding
* I have a lovely hideaway on the edge of paradise where I get to go every year

I have some observations about traveling the length of our beautiful state, but am still mulling it around in my mind. We have had, so far, an easy trip. Much beauty has passed by us. What a remarkable place we live in.

54 days until 1/20/2009: End of an Error