january
I haven't had resolutions for decades, but this month I decided I needed to work harder at losing all the "pandemic pounds" I've gained. I signed up for a six week strength training regimen for seniors, three times a week. if anything I hope to build some habits and learn some low impact activities that will help me to effectively lose. plus I really enjoy the coach - he's a great motivator!
our football team made it all the way through playoffs, but lost in the final round. no super bowl this year.
we started the "watch party" for our new house which Craig and I purchased just before Christmas. we hoped it would be finished in April or May!
february
I made several trips to the bay area, sometimes driving, sometimes taking the train, and this time there were no incidents to cause a delay! two of the times I stayed overnight to take advantage of activities in the area. one night I joined old friends and sang karaoke at a recently reopened destination. it was so much fun seeing old friends and singing! on another trip I went to the high school production of Anastasia, which was directed by our band director, and the stars were "his kids." some of them were truly talented, and I presume I may see them having bright futures on the stage! I caught a webcast production of a one-woman show about Katherine Hepburn called Kate. the actress was truly impressive in her performance.
we had some special cooking opportunities too. I participated in a cooking webcast with my favorite group, and we prepared king salmon en papillote, which was excellent! for valentines, Craig gave me beautiful roses, and I prepared a delicious coq au vin using Julia Child's recipe. also delicious!
march
it had been delayed for over a year, but we finally got to take my Best Colleague Award trip to Hawaii. Janet and I flew from San Jose to Kona first. The first week we did sightseeing, visited museums, ate at famous and not so famous eateries, and taste-tested multiple mai tais; went coffee tasting and wine tasting; sank our toes into black sands and watched green sea turtles; on an island tour we went to the famous lava tube and near an active volcano, and by a famous waterfall that is a regular tourist destination; we had a wonderful session swimming with dolphins, three of which were a grandma, mom and daughter - a rarity in the wild for them to live that long - and they get to play with each other every day; we rode Segways on a tour of downtown Kona; we went to the horsewomen of Hawaii museum and saw their wonderful parade regalia among other historical artifacts; we went back out to the volcano, as it had gone from being in a passive state to actively fountaining since we had arrived; I had never snorkeled before so we went out on a boat and snorkeled in a cove made famous by Captain Cook; and on our final day on this island, we went parasailing, another first for me!
we flew to Kauai next, where we enjoyed chocolate tasting, many more mai tais, and Janet introduced me to avocado toast; we stopped near the spot where Mama's ashes reside; we took a private flight over the entire island, and the pilot even granted my request to change the flight path to fly over the Coco Palms; we took another cruise and saw many many whales and dolphins as well as enjoyed box dinners on the open ocean; we went on an estate's garden tour and enjoyed their evening hula and fire dancing show; on another plantation we went on a train ride around the property and then enjoyed a rum safari of driving around in a safari wagon and drinking the local rums in two festive beverages; and on our final full day we each drove ATVs over another former plantation, getting muddy and having a great deal of fun while seeing several sites, including movie filming locations. too soon it was time to go home, but it was definitely a trip of a lifetime.
I made two additional trips to the bay area for work and play, seeing a friend of mine - a true one-man-band - performing at the local mall's outdoor performance area; and going to the theatre with my fellow co-producer friend Barbara and seeing Fefu and Her Friends.
april
Craig and i are still watching our house being built, but we fear the finish date will slip into May due to multiple supply chain issues. I made two trips to the bay area to see shows, one for an evening show, so an overnight stay. I saw my friend Brad's production called Broadway Showtunes. and I drove down and back for the matinee of the beloved Camelot, starring a young man I first saw in a junior production, now performing a very fine Arthur! his Guinevere was the lovely Anastasia from the high school production I watched earlier in the year! I was glad I made the trip because the following weekend had show cancellations due to the virus coarsing through the cast.
may
my first activity at the Folsom site was a painting activity organized by the site's events committee. I joined my coworker from our local legal department. another of my theatre friends directed a local production of Allegiance, another show I've wanted to see but hadn't until now. their cast had been struck with the virus too, but managed to get a recording, and were offering an online viewing opportunity, so I lucked out since the original venue was so far from my work and home locations. Janet played in her band concert, and I came down to watch, since I do love the music that Bill picks for us.
Craig and I finally did the final walk-through and got the keys to our new home. and just days later, we were re-married by my Elvis impersonator friend on the banks of the Sacramento River in front of a riverboat, wearing Hawaiian attire, and joined by a few family and friends. "Hitched again forever baby!"
june
on our original honeymoon in 1986, we went to the theater and watched the first Top Gun. due to the pandemic, the latest movie sequel wasn't released to theaters until now, which to me was perfect timing. we went to a theater and watched Maverick, just like the first time. I personally think this one is better than the first, and I really liked the first one. Craig moved into our house first, and I spent the month getting ready to move on the July 4th long weekend.
july
I moved into the house first in two big truckloads, then had several more small trips in Craig's truck, eventually getting my rental professionally cleaned and handing off the keys. I am now officially a homeowner again. our wedding officiant had been performing before showings of the new Elvis movie, and the local theater owner gave him a free viewing for 150 of his closest fans, so I drove down and joined the crowd to see his performance and watch the movie. I even won one of his scarves created just for the event!
august
moving is painful and sometimes dangerous, but unpacking can be too. a large piece of furniture fell on me and gave me a concussion. I couldn't take time off for recovery since I was covering for another admin who was on sabbatical! I did stay home the first eight days, and only did drive down to the bay area because I had tickets to two shows. I saw Sondheim's Putting it Together at Montalvo, a favorite "happy place" since I discovered it in my teens. then Janet and I saw our friend James in his cabaret show with several local talents joining him.
september
being the anglophile that I am, I was heartbroken when Her Majesty passed. I knew it would happen in my lifetime, but I still was surprised due to her resiliency and family longevity. I woke in the middle of the night to watch all the funeral activities.
my favorite cooking group presented a tiki drinks class, so I built an entire dinner menu around the drinks so we could have a whole tiki-themed meal. the biggest hit was the mini key lime pies. the chefs even commented during the broadcast that I had a great menu and they were impressed with my initiative.
october
I drove to Fairfield and caught the matinee of one of my favorite musicals, Assassins, which I've also performed in several years back.
Craig's work schedule prevented him from joining me, so I took my birthday trip solo as I have so many times before. I flew through Washington DC to Charlottesville, VA. first I went on a tour of a Belle Epoch mansion named Swannanoa. the next day was spent at Monticello. the following day I woke early and drove up into Maryland and spent several hours with my aunt, my dad's younger sister. on the fourth day, most of it was taken up with getting from Charlottesville to Philadelphia via the Crescent train. the fifth day I saw several bucket list locations including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, which we didn't see in 1975, the last time we were in this area. my last full day's activity was spending the whole day, into the evening, at Longwood Gardens, seeing several Bruce Munro exhibits as well as this beautiful estate's many gardens. on the morning of my return flight day, my "old" friend (by one month) :-) Bill from fifth grade - so we've known each other over 50 years :-O - picked me up from dropping off the rental car at the train station. we enjoyed a long leisurely brunch, did some sightseeing by car around the city, and eventually dropped me at the airport for my afternoon flights back home. it was a wonderful trip where I checked off a number of bucket list activities and made more precious memories with people I love!
november
while we had planned to join family in Reno for the long Thanksgiving weekend, I contracted some illness - but was negative on The Test - and we had to spend turkey day at home, eating a nice ham dinner that Craig prepared. I worked up enough energy to cook bread pudding with rum sauce for dessert. Craig and I went to see the Van Gogh Experience at the local downtown convention space. it was just as wonderful as when Janet and I saw it last year.
december
I wrapped up the year seeing several artistic endeavors; first I attended a Sunday matinee of the Nutcracker Ballet that used to be my regular holiday performing activity. then I went to see Janet play her Horn in our band's annual holiday concert; wish I could still participate as the music this season was wonderful! and based on a recommendation from a Nutcracker friend, I went to see The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley in downtown Sac. another friend gave me a ticket to see his panto of Sleeping Beauty in SF.
and of course we celebrated both Christmas and Hanukah, with decorations and candle-lighting. sadly, Covid hit me after Christmas dinner, and I spent the next week completely miserable.
after not seeing her for over three years again, I finally got to see Joyce early this month, but for a truly sad reason. once of our dear friends that we've known since he was born passed away in a terrible accident. we knew we both wanted to attend the memorial for him, so she flew in and I drove down, and we stayed Friday night to Sunday morning, and saw his family and many old friends at the Saturday memorial.
as we can see, our hold on life is fragile, and we should express our feelings for loved ones year 'round, not just once or twice a year.
we hope that you will have opportunities to enjoy your special year-end holiday with those you love.
shalom v'simcha
peace and joy of the Season.
