We arrived home safe and sound last night. Since I am not a fan of flying I am always grateful for smooth flights which we had both ways this time. It was over 80° today, warmer than any of our days in California, but there is no green yet.
Sarah asked if she could have her birthday gift early this year. She and Adam rent a lovely little house in Livermore. They have a huge paved patio and a remodeled room in the garage, but very little actual yard. She really wanted her own garden. Since Tracy and Matt are both expert gardeners, it seemed like perfect timing. (I hope it's all doing well in August on her real birthday!) She found a lovely nursery nearby and picked out a combination of vegetables and flowers for her containers. She also found a great book called Grow Great Grub which I have ordered from Amazon. We're still waiting to hear, but are hoping to get a plot in our Community Garden this year.
The Alden Nursery. The people here were very knowledgeable and helpful.
Sadie was thrilled to be able to go on an outing!
Just behind Sarah's house is a lovely path along a creek. Matt and I took Sadie for a walk one afternoon. The path is paved on one side of the creek, and appears to go for many miles.
Sadie was a very happy lady.
We spent a lot of time just hanging out, playing games, doing crosswords, and reading. It was so good to just be with family.
Adam had just gotten this new game, Corn Hole. The guys really enjoyed it.
We are all big fans of Sadie, but Matt is especially fond of her. She slept on the couch with him every night.
BananaGrams: lots of fun, but it could be pretty frustrating as well.
In addition to his job as pastor for youth and young adults at a Methodist church, Adam also works as a social media person for the Wente Vineyards in Livermore. He twitters for them and keeps them active on the social media sites. Tracy and Matt were the lucky recipients of a round of golf at the Wente golf course. They had a beautiful day for it.
We've only been to California in the summer before this trip. The hills are always golden by then. They are a beautiful green in the spring.
I still have photos to edit from the last few days of the trip. Today just flew by with unpacking, grocery shopping, organizing, and ironing. I really thought I'd get a chance to play with some new scrapbooking & stamping goodies I brought back with me. Maybe tomorrow.