Details drawn from our wonderful week together

Scouting for a tsunami

No, we weren't Quite That Stupid. Close but not Completely Crazy. Rather, we're all Whale Watching the day before. 

From the day of the tsunami alert: Packing quickly and moving to higher ground. Leaving all doors open to let waves wash through our house. Will pick up pieces down the road, literally, after it all subsides. Not good/but we'll be safe. Over and out for today. Computer in potential path of waves.

Update on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 5:04PM by Lois

Well THAT was an interesting exercise in assessing What Matters.  Dogs and friends were safe with us perched on rocks above potentially sketchy/threatening shoreline surges.  We woke up to early morning phone calls from concerned friends in CA and security. Our energetic/resourceful/thoughtful friends helped us collect and consolidate what we could before moving to higher ground.

GA was monitoring the buoys from CA and texting minute-to-minute updates, our only contact with news.  Friends and family sent messages of concern. The water receded numerous times/very eerie ocean patterns/we thought for sure that the tsunami was imminent. Thankfully, it never materialized.  We’re all taking a deep breath, appreciating that we will continue to enjoy this amazingly beautiful place for a little longer.

Several years ago I thought that nothing could be better, really, than our head-lamp-lit, folding-chair-Hibachi-style-BBQ’s on our bare lava lot that has become our home.  So if everything was gone, nothing was really lost.  We’d simply be back where we were/so enjoying the sea/the stars/the magic of sitting around a campfire with friends and family.  Interesting reality check.  Hey thank you/this realization was worth the work today.

  

OMGosh

What do you do? What can one say? When a friend faces a potentially life-threatening disease? We have or will all eventually face this issue.

Prayer immediately comes to mind. This absolutely/without a doubt/changed the course of a good friend's life over the holidays. Stanford doctors are calling Tom's 22-hour open heart surgery and ultimate outcome "The Christmas Miracle."

I'm spreading the word again for one of my best, best, best incredibly wonderful friends, Kathi, who sent word today that she has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Together, our prayers have the potential of creating another miracle.

Thank you, everyone.

Create Your Own Adventure Day!

Bring a wok to work.  Stir up something special for your friends at work. Or simply stir up a little mischief.

Make up your own mantra.  Practice meditating if only for 2 minutes.

Isolate your favorite only-on-vacation activity. Insert this delight into your day.

Do something spontaneous. Or outrageous. Or simply absolutely, totally soul-satisfying.

Take a walk on the wild side: talk to a critter of some kind.

Figure out how to fit more of these moments into your life. Be sure to report back.<

A walk on the wild side.

What could this possibly be?  Answer later in the day.

Update on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 6:47PM by Lois

You guessed it.  A turtle turn around.  Huh?  Maybe this will belp.

What Brings You Joy?

What makes you come alive?

For me the list includes: laughing with my family and friends. Being with people I adore. Explorations in town and around the world. Being in, on or near water. Visiting gardens. Filling my car with flowers and plants to add to our back yard. Growing our own vegetables. Discovering new ways to do almost anything/like growing tomatoes in gutters or hanging them upside down from trees. Photographing everything. Creating something.

Keep the list going and growing. Submit your ideas by posting comments below. Let's expand our repertoire to include more of these memorable, often magical, moments. Imagine the impact this might have on our lives and on the lives of those around us.

"Let anyone who comes to you go away feeling better and happier. Every one should see goodness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile. Joy shows from the eyes. It appears when we speak and walk. It cannot be kept closed inside us. It reacts outside. Joy is very infectious."

Mother Teresa

From picts for cards

Love me, love my dog

Buddy, my bud.  A pound pup. Part dachshund/part terrier.  Chihuahua for sure.  A "Modesto Mutt" concluded my vet.  "A Great Modesto Mutt," I added. "He just needs a confidence boost" noted my son, the fellow pup picker.  A burrower, Buddy makes his way under the covers to my feet every night since his adoption.  How lucky am I?  I'm pretty sure Bud feels the same way.

What could be more incredible...

...than nature, herself? These two pictures are part of a much larger series dedicated to taking a closer look at all that is around us.  IF we take the time to notice. 

The first is one of my favorites. Cashews! Can you imagine? UNBELIEVABLE. What could be more creative/more colorful/more amazing? OK, perhaps the beginnings of what will eventually become a banana just below the cashew.

Two terrific finds.

One is local/the other can be accessed online.

While I’m not a fan of raw fish/my husband is/I’ve always loved Sushi Main Street in Half Moon Bay. The great news is that the owner, Caroline, has expanded the restaurant beyond it’s dark/some would call "cozy"/quarters off Main Street to a new, airy/artistic space adjacent to the old location. My pictures are below.

http://www.sushimainstreet.com/

Second Stop on Main Street: We have used and love Black Chamba Clay Cookware  since discovering it several years ago at Torque Blanche also in Half Moon Bay.  It’s microwave friendly, dishwasher safe and oven proof. Truly a lovely/rustic pot that can travel directly from stove top to table.

OK, the photo doesn’t do either the recipe* or the pots justice but you can see just how wonderful those colorful recipes can be presented in these easy-care, beautiful black dishes. 

*Stir fry vegetables in clay cookware on stove top, top with fresh eggs/love the yolk color when straight from the chicken!  Place in moderate oven until set. Serve with salsa and sour cream/great breakfast fare.  Picture shows leftover omelet AND stir fry with eggs.

http://www.mytoque.com/brands/la_chamba_cookware.html

Here's to you, dear friends and family members!

Finally a few free moments to take a deep breath and reflect back on a wonderful week filled with friends from across the country. As well as those from the Bay Area and beyond. To G who helped transform a gigantic heat sink into a beautiful, soon-to-be, high-yield garden/more on THAT later.  AND W who provided tech tutorials. 

Thank you, everyone!!!

Update on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 9:18PM by Lois

How to transform fresh grapefruit into a tropical toast? A Breville Citrus Press. And if you're a fan of adding a little something special to your drink, two tips: Austrian Vodka from Trader Joe's and a gadget that pours consistent portions. Toss the bottle cap/simply store with Measured Pour Spouts. No more over serving yourself or others. A handy hostess gift; purchasing the 12-pack may make sense. Note differences in pour size.

Cheers!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Wiley!

Another step toward creating a space for FP to find its way in the world.  It will be so much fun to watch Wydea take flight as well.

This and many others soon to be available as greeting cards. Stay tuned.

Photography by Lois

Ready or not. Here we go!

Without the help of two dynamic young women, this site simply would not have surfaced. Mary, you are amazing.  How much fun for me to experience firsthand what others have said for so many years. Thank you, thank you for helping me to create a platform for taking FP to a broader audience. Christian, without your enthusiastic support, your colorful contributions and obvious artistic talents, I would still be wondering what a blog was all about. Thank you both for helping FP take shape as a blog and, hopefully, as much more.