TOP: Gary (note the hair!) with Deb and Ed Fotsch at their chateau on San Francisco Bay. Ed was considering a career change from software wizard to lumberjack. Deb, of course, was her usual model-like self.MIDDLE: Saski doing "the puppet thing" with Walter. She does this when her normal "mind control" is too tiring.
BOTTOM: Tom looking to set off an "Amber Alert" on the Stanford campus. He did, then claimed his lab "Amber" was lost. Somehow the Stanford cops didn't think it was all that funny.
Finally, after the pain of Florida (mom getting real sick, and car dying on the side of the freeway, rain almost every day, tornadoes), we headed off to the promised land- California. Kathy and I flew into San Jose on one of the most turbulent flight we've experienced in some time....bouncing all over the cabin, seat belted for over 2 hours, and people heaving up their lunch bag after bag.
We were meeting Tom and Laraine Gallagher to do some sightseeing, catch up with old friends, and see the Tour of California bike race (kinda like the Tour de France, but with less heavy sauces and champaigne). We rendezvoused in SanJose, and spent an incredible Valentine's Day eating dinner at the Residence Inn...nobody ever said we weren't romantics.
We had a full slate for the week with the Gallagher's, then another week booked into San Diego to go visit our friends there. We started with dinner at The Slanted Door, a very good asian-fusion (I don't know what that means, but I saw it on the menu so it must be important...maybe something to do with the Chinese getting nuc-u-lar weapons) restaurant right on the SF wharf. The food was exceptional, and we got to hook up with our "new" friends from our Kilimanjaro hike, Walter and Saski. They are PhD folks over at Livermore and Berkely respectively, way smarter than the rest of the universe, and thinner than me (but who isn't, really). We had a great dinner reminiscing about Kilimanjaro, and discussing our next great adventures. Walter got in NEARLY 3 sentences...he's come far.
The next night, we split up, with Gallagher's going to visit Laraine's sister AnnMarie and husband Ed, and Austin's going to visit the Fotsch's at "Chateau Golden Gate". Ed and Deb were business acquaintences of mine (back in the old days when I actually worked for a living), and are just fantastic people. They're raising 2 sets of twins (just shoot me...), the older ones being cute and cuter, and the younger dumb and dumber. The older ones are headed "Ivy" (one to Cornell, my old college haunt), and the younger ones are studying hard to get into high school...they're now 15 and have to move up next year as they're now 8" taller than their classmates. They are, however, Wii studs, so maybe there's hope for them after all...that is if "Halo" becomes income producing.
After imbibing of their massive wine cellar, we played the parental equivalent of "Truth of Dare" over dinner. Ed asked the twins (and some friends who were staying over) a question, and if they get it right, they get to eat. If not, then they have to go jump off the deck into the Bay...or the bayside rocks if they miss the bay. Some nasty screams that night. Anyhow, only lost 2 of the boys, so dinner was considered a success. They got several questions right "Name the city across the water from here?", and "Does your name start with a "B" or a "D?". They really struggled though with "What animal flys?" and of course, the indominable "What is the airspeed of a swallow?". I haven't had so much fun at dinner since the mashed potato fights with my sister growing up. Kathy and I are now thinking about adopting twins.
After some more wine and catch-up, we bid them good night, and headed off to hangover #1 of the trip. Lovely couple, lovely family, lovely home. Can't wait to host them at "Casa de Lump" so they can enjoy our 3 plant flower garden, view of the shed behind us, drink NY wines, and play euchre.
Tomorrow, day T-1 of the Tour of California.
"Slanted" Lumpy out
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