j u n e . 2 0 2 6

 welcoming summer

     blooms from the garden!  the two varieties of my glads bloomed a couple weeks apart.

  

     on the first Saturday in June, I watched the Race Day activities at the famous track in upstate NY, in Saratoga.  this is the final year they will run the Belmont Race here.  the Kentucky Derby winner won wearing the #9 blanket, so if i had bet I would have won!  

     there had been a heavy rain storm just before the race, so the track was muddy.  the horse came out of the gate last and stayed there ... until he moved all the way to first!  A beautiful rainbow filled the sky for Golden Tempo. 

     this handsome champion descends from two Triple Crown winners, Secretariat and Seattle Slew! 

     there were 15 races run on the day, and three of them were won by #9 horses!  the network also started the broadcast showing the Epsom race from the UK, so we watched Christmas Day win that race too! 

      the next day I attended the end of season concert for the band I used to play in.  evil perfume-wearing woman!  it was a two day music in the park so I got there early enough on the second afternoon to hear two other bands play their 45 minute programs.  

     I got my third Zometa infusion on the second Friday of the month.  because the appointment had been pushed out, it now conflicted with a support group lunch and a local band concert, but I was determined to attend both anyway. 

who doesn’t want a selfie with The Rock?! 

coincidentally I sat in front of the Singer

the guitar player was at the end of the bench

     I splurged and ordered a non-vegan meal; this is Jalisco-influenced Chicken Mole, and it was delicious!  I washed it down with a mango margarita that I made last thru most of the meal. 

     Craig had golfed that day, so he opted out of going to the concert ... his loss.  the venue is fun, the vibe is tropical, and for this band at least the demographic was perfect for us! 

sitting at Table "#9 ... #9" (Beatles reference)

my bev was from the flamingo tap

I splurged again on a non-vegan Hawaiian Burger and Mac Salad ... so delicious!

     our table was technically the handicapped table, but the chairs were so much more comfortable than the bar chairs at other tables.  I was a single, and a group of three arrived and shared the space with me!  we were all about the same age, so we enjoyed the music and sang along with many of the songs!

signed guitars decorate the walls and ceiling

     we sat at the very back of the space, so we couldn't see the stage from our seats.  luckily, the closed circuit camera system showed the concert on several monitors around the space!  the guys all dress like crew on a yacht, except for the woodwind player, who dresses like Gilligan!

     in keeping with the yachting or tropical theme, I wore my flamingo Hawaiian shirt.  either the venue or the band provided light-up leis to some of the patrons!  I left just before the band took a break, and the hostess, who is also a cancer survivor, told me how I could log in and watch from home!  I watched the rest of the concert - - until 11:15 - - from the comfort of bed :-D 

     it has been two years since my last chemo infusion.  Juneteenth is also a company holiday, so again, I got to take the day off! 

m a y . 2 0 2 6

 looking forward to lots of spring activities. 

     the admins at work had one more gathering for admin professionals month.  we went to the opening day early afternoon performance of the new Miranda movie!  I had never been to this theater before but it's a cute little upscale theater with a nice bar!  parking is terrible!  while it wasn't made specifically for the movie, the bartender recommended a delightful bright red berry margarita.  the popcorn bucket purse was insanely overpriced, but I've received a couple of recognition bucks, so I used that to purchase it :-)  i met some admins I've not met before, and we had a delightful time! 

     we watched the Kentucky Oaks over dinner and my #9 horse won! 

     took a trip to Woodland to have lunch and a long catch-up conversation with old high school friend Kermit.  we spent four hours eating at a cute bistro with outdoor seating, watching the town go by, reminiscing about old days, and catching up on the present ones.  he also gave me his art deco era throne since he no longer has room for it.  in 1980 he took a picture of me sitting in it.  I promised I would take a present day version photo sitting the same way!  we talked about our friend Robert too and I promised to connect them both. 

     on the way home I was able to catch the race coverage and heard about the first woman trainer, and only the ninth jockey to win the Oaks and Derby in the same weekend!  my #9 horse was a scratch.

     when I told Robert I had the throne, he said he wanted to get the picture too!!  ahh. so many fond memories of those times long ago.   the following day, Robert reached out to Kermit and they had a long catch-up over the phone (since he's in Oregon).  both said it was 'just like old times' and were grateful I helped make the connection.  we will try to meet up when Robert drives down here for Memorial Day!  they sent me a pic from their meetup.

     some years May the Fourth sneaks up on me, but this year, I remembered to pull out my shirt!

     made a trip to the bay area for work, and also caught a local production of a Tony award winning musical.  I even knew three of the performers.  

     the next morning I got breakfast at an old favorite restaurant under New management.

     I took a detour on the drive home to pick cherries during the "you pick" event they have during the season.  I got a little over two pounds of delicious Coral Champagne variety. 

     on Mothers Day I went to a local comedy production called Franklinland in a little community theater in downtown Sac.  Joyce made sure I got to see my little man in a Mom Day FaceTime <3  

     mid-month my support group sisters gathered for food and crafts again.  we created a tree of life sculpture, in honor of our journeys!  it was at a different location than previous activities, and I saw this cool mural on one of the buildings. 

     after I got home I was able to watch the Preakness race.  since the Derby winner wasn't racing, there would be no potential Triple.  it was cool that the #10 and #9 horses came in first and second, and Joyce liked their names too.  they were Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor. 

     the week before Memorial Day I was on standby for Jury Duty at the courthouse around the corner from the downtown train station.  if I had to attend, I could take the train from Roseville to Sac and not worry about parking.  luckily each time I checked the website, I was pushed out to check again the following afternoon.  finally, Thursday afternoon at 4:30 I was released from service. 

     on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend I met Kermit and Robert at the same restaurant in Woodland.  I wanted to listen to as much of the Indy 500 as I could before our meet-up, so I listened on a web/radio app on my phone until Kermit joined me.  he made a face when I said I was listening to the race, so I turned it off.  I knew better than to ask to be seated near a TV too :-D  instead we were seated outside on their lovely tree-shaded patio, and our waitress was so attentive.  

     I had tried to recreate the famous throne photo 46 years later.  I made prints for both Robert and Kermit, since they both wanted to see the transition.  

  

and here we are celebrating 50 years of friendship!  we spent five hours
reminiscing about past shows, old friends, and crazy times.

     I made all the ingredients for our memorial day dinner; we had pico de gallo and chips for an appetizer, followed by grilled marinated portobello mushrooms topped with avocado chimichuri, smashed sweet potatoes with gouda (plant based), and steamed asparagus.  

     at the end of the month I made another trip to the Disney Museum in The City.  the guest speaker this time was the son of famous Imagineer Rolly Crump who designed so much of what we enjoy in D'land!  I figured there would be lots of walking again - I was right - so I brought the walker again.  this got me special seating and a ride in their special wheelchair lift too!  Chris was hilarious, and told great stories - he's a gifted storyteller no matter what he tells you!  he even offered to sign one item at the end of his talk.  I had him sign one to Finn, his first autograph!  it was in one of Rolly's books that I've had and read.  

     I also spent several hours, this time slowly going through the museum and seeing what I missed last time.

     Snow White was the movie that came out when Mama was a child.  when we were young, she bought the book of music, top row second from right, and played all the songs for us.  these are a few of the mementos from the premier and the merch that was made available. 

     another section of the museum is about this building of the new building, specifically for creating their animation.  

     another one of Walt's favorites was his music special, Fantasia. 

     the first time I saw this movie it was a special on TV and I watched it with Kermit.  

     creating miniatures was one of Walt's favorite activities. 

     a bracelet for Lilly of all his Oscars.

     even though there was a fog layer over the bay, there were a number of sailboats out sailing.

     a military ship was steaming back out of the bay, toward the golden gate. 

     I read in many biographies how Walt came up with the idea for D'land as he waited for his kids on a park bench.  you get to see that park bench! 

     two important people in Walt's life were two people I also met in my life.  both of them attended prayer breakfasts when I worked at the bank in the early 80s, and I was able to speak with admiration with each of them!

     I had even been a child on an episode of his "Kids Say the Darndest Things." 

     driving out of the Presidio I saw this classic Bug Bus, now being used for tours!!  I had to send it to the boys. 

     on the drive back home, I made a quick detour to stop at my ninth California Mission, the one in San Rafael.  it is a beautiful well maintained gem right in the middle of town.  as I was getting ready to leave the sanctuary, the padre came bustling in; it was obviously a well-used and busy chapel.