It was going to be a trip to the West Coast but before we could leave, I had to meet with the West Coast in Princeton when Walter Lee '01 came by on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, we got on the plane where pictures came out very dark
until the food came
as OtherJane
couldn't wait to see her name on the Avis board
as we focused
to Ben's amusement
while we made our way to the car
and then drove on in darkness
to the Stanford Park Hotel where the room was elegant
if sometimes too dark
but in light, it looked good even if the wireless was limited
The next morning, we made our way to Hobee's
where this was my meal
and Ben's
and OtherJane's
as OtherJane was focused
but any attempt to capture us
got at best a corner of Ben's head
and the top of my face.
We made our way to the international headquarters of Ductus where the founders posed
and then were joined by the visitors
before Ben and Jacobo observed the Ductus sign and headed off on their excursion.
OtherJane and I needed to first stop at the bank to get Jacobo's birthday present
and then we were off to the Vietnamese restaurant where my tofu
amused Josephine
and the rice and chicken
for Josephine
and Jane's dish
amused Jane
and Susan Goldman
as Josephine and I practiced clucking sounds
and left but not before getting this collection sign.
Next we visited with Paul Koontz '77
and then returned to the hotel to bring a gift to Jacobo which he received with great gratitude.
Friday morning we went off in search of pancakes for Ben at the seafood restaurant.
The menu was impressive
as was the coffee
and Ben's orange juice
and then my fruit plate came
and Ben's pancakes of which he maybe ate too many
but they made him happy as he ate them
and this French toast
seemed to have satisfied OtherJane
as I took this self portrait.
Next we hit the road with Jacobo and got this overview of the Valley
and then focused in on Stanford
and the road trash
before we reached the large redwood with dates
and a story
and then zoomed in on the beginning of the tree
and the most recent dates before it fell
not to mention the obligatory phone booth pictures
before we went into the forest and saw a fallen tree
that Ben tried to climb on
before he regrouped
to try to climb the middle of the tree
as we saw big trees
and looked up them
before the two of us
and then the three of us huddled into a tree
and then another group gathered in another tree
and had Jacobo take their picture
before we looked up the tree
and Ben climbed into the tree to pose
even as we looked at
and up a tree
while Ben absorbed the nature
and we marched on
to the memory of Andrew Hill
to get a view of the mother of the forest
which towered above
until we came to the father of the forest
where we took a few pictures
to get a sense of size
before taking a father and son and father picture and heading off to the airport.
Once at the San Jose airport, we had some California Pizza
and Diet Snapple and then flew to San Diego.
Once in San Diego and at Dansyl's house, we saw the appetizers that had been set out
as Dick and Syl
discussed wall colors
as DanSyl posed
and then Larry arrived
so that Fran and Janet could pose
before we went to the Mall
to Panda Express
and returned to the set table
where a feast of questionable value was spread before us
as Syl
Dick
Ben and Janet
Larry
and Dan
and Fran showed me her new ruby (her birthstone and a 40th anniversary gift).
Later, Janet and Larry
Fran
Dan
Dick
Syl
Ben
and I, in this self portrait, lounged until we called it a night.
Saturday started with a cup of coffee
until Larry came
and I got this banana
for Ben
and took this self portrait
and image of Larry's cereal
before heading to our new room (the previous room having been abandoned in a horrendous flood) which overlooked a dump.
Laura joined us for lunch
as the crowd assembled
with Larry
Dick
Ben
and me, in this self portrait, at our end of the table
and the others downstream
before I got this picture of Larry
Fran and Syl
and then the bread sticks
and bread
before Ben's burger
Dick's stuffed cabbage
my grilled cheese
Larry's shredded steak
Fran's bagel
and Laura's croissanwich arrived
before Ben decorated his burger
but avoided the mustard
as my fries arrived
and eventually a few desserts came
to accompany my decaf
as I kept avoiding dessert.
Back in the apartment, Syl showed off her sign
as we watched television
and played a board game
as these pictures of the lazy men
were taken by the chatting women
as the game played on.
The evening began with a glass of Pinot Grigio at the hotel
as we joined Larry
and Janet
and Ben
and I (in this self portrait)
welcomed Dick and Fran
who took these pictures of the two of us
and then we captured Larry and Janet
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before Darwin came
to show us to our table and this wonder aruggula, walnut and pear salad
and seafood martini to start
and then the main courses came
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as Dan dug into his entree
and then the dessert came
and the anniversary couple dug in
even as Fran took a picture
like this one
and I admired the dessert tray
before we admired the signage about dress
and membership restrictions.
