Pictures from Party for Mom's 90th

Mom's Party was at The Modern (next to, but not affiliated with, the Mus. of Modern Art)--very small; just family and a few of Mom's friends.  Alex (Aaron's girlfriend) flew in with him for the party & seder.

10/15-17 in Madison

10/15-17/2013:  I got into MSN on time, but S’s plane was late.  He said, go & meet L, so I picked up the car (w/ almost $100 in extra charges), and drive to the engineering building.  Leon guided me to a legal parking place, and we got lunch in the Discovery bldg, then S arrived, so we went out to the airport to get him, checked into our hotel, and went to the Chazen Museum of art, expanded to 3x the size it was when I visited last.

I was taken by a Thai Bhudda – 12^th century—and a madonna & child w/ a lot of geometric gold fill above.  The gallery closed @ 5, of course.  

We went to the Old Fashioned for dinner – we had to wait about an hour for a table (they don’t take resvs) – had lazy susan # 6 (creamed herring, smoked trout, other stuff I could eat) & I had a salad.  Much of the conv was between L & S – L talked about his work in a lot more detail than I’d heard before.  That when one of his friends graduated, his principal investigator (aka PI)  had sent him a flow chart for PhD comics on how to react.

L took bus home; S & I walked back to the hotel.  Our room had a massive sectional sofa.  When we asked could we pay for L to join us at the free breakfast, they said, no charge.  Guest of a guest worked ok.  

Breakfast wasn’t bad (but wasn’t great), but it made S happy it was free.  L came and joined us, then we stopped at his pharmacy for him to get a med refill, then we went out to Blue Mounds Park – grey day, not that cold, pretty fall colors in the sumac and maples.  Maybe we hiked a mile up to the top – wet leaves over everything; I was glad I’d brought my hiking shoes.  Rocks had a lot of chert in them.  Nice views from the top, but of course I was too afraid of the height to go up more than ½ way to the top of the observation tower.

We went back to the hotel, I changed fast, we went to engineering to take L’s group to lunch after group meeting broke up.  L posted a pic of S reading a newspaper and me reading my cell phone & titled it “old school vs. less old school?”

Yon Bing went to the same university as Siyi and Yin.  S asked lots of questions; where had people gone undergrad, what were their research projects, what surprised them the most about the US.  They were a lively group – fun to talk to.

After lunch, we had 5 min to talk w/ L’s Principal Investigator (but she stayed in spite of being late to a mtg).  I was VERY impressed.  She came to the US in 2000 – if she stayed in Belgrade, she’d never have enough earnings to live on her own – she started at Berkely, switched to ASU & engineering – it was easier for her to trade down than for her then-boyfriend (now husb) to trade up.  In 13 yrs, she got her doctorate, reached full prof, and had 3 kids (& is still married).  She thinks well of L – wanted to reassure us he’d be publishing physics papers, in physics journals, and would find wk in physics.  I said my Dad, who Leon was named for, was an elect engineer, and I was proud of L.

(wanted to not take too much time of hers or embarrass L).  Keep remembering the Mom who hugged S and asked him to take care of her (freshman) child.

Anyway, then S went back to the Chazan mus.  L walked me to the bookstore where I bought a Sue Grafton (she’d been on NPR – I don’t know why I’d been avoiding her books all these years), and the letters of Mme de Sevigne, and an Economist.  We met up at the hotel and soon started to Graze, where physics friends of L’s had assembled:  Alex & Megan (fr MA), John, Sarah & Lennox (5 mo old & teething) Phil, Ian.  We were a merry group.

Alex had stories of his parents, who had wilted on a 30 mi bike ride they’d proposed on a hot day.  When Megan’s Dad met her major prof, he said “thank you for taking care of my little girl”.

We went to see L’s apt – 3 rooms – BR w/ a trin bed & desk w/ computer (only chair that wasn’t covered w/ stuff).  LR has 2 bikes, skiis, ice fishing gear, tables and chairs & couch covered w/ STUFF.  S took a pic of L w/ huge ice-fishing drill (my cell phone had died by then).  

Anyway, I hugged & kissed L and we headed back to the hotel.  

S drove us to the airport next AM.  I got to my flight – arrived w/ maybe 20 min to get from Concourse F to C but MADE IT and so did my bag.  I was v. impressed.  

S had a horrible time getting back from Chicago to Phila – 3 successive flights he was booked on were cancelled (one took off but turned back), and he didn’t get in until evening.

A picked me up at the SF airport and took me to hotel (Stanford Court, again, on Nob Hill).  Bertha’s (that’s A’s 2000 hand-me-down Subaru) back door wouldn’t open – she’s getting old & wheezy – the steep hills make me v. nervous.

Thurs aft 10/17 & Friday 10/18 in SF

10/17/2013:  SF seems like another world.  I didn’t realize the cold fog of summer lifts in the fall – clear blue skies and warm.  We walked along the Embarcadero, stopped & had a drink in a waterfront cafe, walked through the Ferry Bldg, where I spent a ridiculous amt picking out heirloom dried beans (and an accompanying cookbook, of course) & having them shipped.  Beautiful sunshine.

We walked into Chinatown & at at ZY Restaurant, which had vg cold house noodles & chicken w/ hot peppers (I just looked it up on Zagats – it had good rating –my main criterion had been that it was v. busy & had lots of Chinese clients.  Food so spicy my feet curled (happily))

10/18/2013 A wanted to wk out at the gym today, so I got up, trotted for 20 min on a treadmill watching first a news show, then a show abt picking out the perfect wedding dress, breakfasted, wrote in diary for a while, till A picked me up at 11:30. 

 

We headed down to visit Ben (goodness, the link shows a news story abt Ben’s departing Google for FB) at Facebook for lunch.  A had been a little late picking me up, and then there was a traffic jam on 101, so we were 45 min late (A alternately texting Ben as he drove (I sent one text from A’s phone, that I thought was admirably worded & punctuated given how we were bouncing around, but A said not a v. high threshold).  Ben v. affable, and a good listener (he’s also grown about a foot since I saw him last).  There are screens to sign in on (that ask for name & email).  I was slow because I’d taken off my reading glasses to hug Ben, and then forgot where I’d stashed them.  Ben took us to the cafeteria – which had vg and v healthy (free) food.  I had steamed pea tendrils, multi-colored carrots and some kind of portobello glop, washed down w/ water w/ fruit essence.  

A talked abt work, we talked about what ailed healthcare.gov.  I asked about Ben’s work, which is monitoring the stability and performance of FB.  He took us on a quick tour of a bunch of buildings, which are like a fort – they’re open on the campus side,  which holds multiple free food options, a coffee cafe, a woodworking shop, a print shop.  

Ben walked us out, and A and I set off for the Cantor Art Center in Stanford.  Huge painting of the Stanfords on the lawn in spring.  Leland died of typhoid in Europe.  V. odd portrait of Mrs. Stanford’s jewels, ultimately donated to Stanford to buy books.  V. impressive Asian religious art, also Micronesia.

Conv in the car abt Alex’s family.  She’s doing the tailgate at tomorrow’s Stanford game, which involves a trailer with grill, furniture, tent, alcohol.  The family invited me (A was originally supposed to help Alex, before he remembered I was coming), but A & Alex thought far wiser to introduce parents when S present to provide non-partisan conversation. (And of course I wouldn’t understand a thing that was happening).

Alex’s Dad is the 2^nd oldest of 4.  A gave him Nate Silver’s book for Xmas, he read it & they talked about.

Alex’s Dad is up shooting game (it’s the opening of some hunting season) and will fly down for the Stanford homecoming game – the family always tailgates.  They host 50+ people.  When Stanford played the Oregon Ducks, Alex cooked roast ducks Chinese style & hung them from the tent.  I was awed.

I took Alex & A out to a v nice Italian place (whose name escapes me) – had tomatoes with a cheese that’s a combination of mozzarella + cream (burrata) .  Quail and then an excellent hazelnut dessert.

Saturday 10/19 in SF

11/19/2013:  I’d proposed hosting Ben, Becca & Katherine (Ben’s girlfriend & classmate of Becca’s at Stanford law), Alex & A for dinner – Sat AM it occurred to me I should make a reservation.  Open table didn’t get me v. far (it being Sat AM and I was trying to find a nice place for Sat night for a party of 6 around 7 PM)—asked the concierge to help.  She gave me a list of SF places (and Alex had suggested some in Palo Alto)—Becca & Katherine were too busy w/ schoolwork to come – I found a resv in Palo Alto, and Ben counter-proposed the Mayfield bakery & cafe.

We met Claire (a friend of A’s from Carleton – he stayed w/ her family for a couple months when he first arrived in SF and still goes weekly for Sunday dinner) for lunch & went to a gluten-free Venezualan place in her neighborhood (only in SF)—v good spicy sandwich on corn bread & plantain & taro chips.  Then we went to a vg cafe for coffee and sat outside, savoring it)

A & I went to the Asian Art Institute – just overwhelming.  I’ll post pictures rather than rave on.  After a few hours, I couldn’t take in any more, went to the gift shop & wound up in the cafe.

We went back to A’s place for a little (so I could recharge my phone)—not cluttered at all (A pointed out that L had set the bar pretty low) – he shares the house w/ 2 other men, one a teacher & the other a graphic artist.

Dinner was nice, but I was running out of steam, and sometimes conversation flagged.  Alex was checking her phone under the table intermittently & Ben was checking his openly.  We all hugged & A drove me back to the hotel (by then it was about 11).  I kept waking up in the night, nervous I’d sleep through my 5 AM wake-up call (I had alarms set on my bb AND my cell phone, in addition to a call from the front desk), but of course I woke up in time and trip home was uneventful.

Feel bad not to have taken a picture of Alex & Aaron--the one below is from Mom's birthday

 

Walking this morning, I twisted my ankle on a rock & fell, so am kind of sore but nothing broken or sprained.