Chicago 2008

Chicago 2008
Ameriprise National Conference

Sunday, August 7, 2011

A 25th Anniversary of our First Date Retracing the Steps

 
Rob is the romantic one who always thinks of these great ideas.  It was his idea to go back to the place of our first date back in 1986.  Interestingly enough, I wasn't into flower gardening at that time, but made up for that later.

We retraced the steps of our first date from 25 years ago today at the SF Conservatory of Flowers and had a lovely time. It was our 23rd wedding anniversary and 25th anniversary of meeting on August 6th.

We met a nice lady who offered to take our photos while we all strolled through the gardens.  This is a very special place in Golden Gate Park.  The Conservatory was damaged by a wind storm years ago and it took a long time to raise money to have this historic building repaired.  It is a beauty!


My two photography friends Kate and Janie have inspired me to try my hand at taking photos for art pieces.  These were taken with a little camera I picked up at Costco about 1.5 years ago.  It is fun playing around with photos and the cropping of photos to bring the best out in them.
The Dahlia's are grand at this time of year.  Aren't they? I love the shape of this variety of the flower.  The two tone ones are a favorite.

The peach colored flowers are a Begonia variety as are the rose and yellow colored ones.  They are also a favorite of mine. 






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Monday, July 18, 2011

The Robinson's First Sail With Us July 2011


What an adorable couple! This is a photo in the estuary as we motor out toward the bay.

Scott is "chillin" on the pulpit seat in the aft. Looks chilly for sure. We hope we didn't scare Scott and Lisa with their first trip out on the bay with us this year. We'd love to get them back out on a day when the sun is out so they can get the true feel of the wonders of sailing.

Rob and Kate on SF Bay July 2011


I love this photo of two of my favorite people. Hey, who is at the helm if the Capt. is with Kate in this shot? Kate and Jim always behave themselves on the boat, so we ask them back often. Our neighbors look right at home on the water and at their cabin in the woods too.
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Lisa and Scott enjoy lunch on the back side of Angel Island too. Nice hat Lisa. It fit you well. Janie, was that the hat you left behind last July?  Thank you for putting together such a delicious lunch!
Here is Rob and Lisa taking in the view of the bridge.


Kate is slaving away in the Galley. Doesn't her salad look amazing? It was. That is by far the largest bowl our boat has ever seen.  The salads the ladies made on this day were scrumptious and healthy!
For once these pilots could take a break from being at the wheel. We are delighted that folks didn't get seasick despite them not having had much sail boating experience on the bay. Thanks Lisa for making such a delicious lunch for us!
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Who is on the bow?


We managed to get Lisa and Scott out on the Bay with Kate and Jim this July. The weather was chilly and foggy, but the winds were calm for the most part. Lisa and Kate made and brought us a fabulous lunch.
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Jaime and Elaine came to visit and we took them out on the bay. Their boat is still in San Diego. We have sailed many times and stayed many more times on their boat over the years. It is nice to finally be able to return the favor. Jamie hadn't sailed the bay for over 2 years and had forgotten how fun SF Bay is with the changing winds and currents. He is looking pretty at home being the Helmsman here.

 Here is Elaine enjoying the cover of our canvas dodger on another chilly day on the bay. It has been so great having them visit this summer. They are the easiest house guests anyone could ever dream of having. They have first dibs on sailing when America's Cup Races are here in 2013. If it weren't for Jamie and Elaine, we wouldn't be sailors today. We are so grateful they shared their love of sailing and their vast knowledge of sailing over the years. It rubbed off on us.

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Monday, July 11, 2011

Oahu at our time share with our neighbors. They look right at home at K'Olina, Oahu Mariott. The employees greet you with "Welcome Home," when you arrive. I love this photo of Jim and Kate. It really captures the essence of their love for one another.
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If you look carefully on the hills in the background, you will see snow right near the top of the trees.
Imagine how cold this water would be as fresh mountain snow run off. Nobody was swimming. That is for sure.
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Doesn't this look like a fun place to hang out?
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The Zack's took us to Alpine Lake for a walk around these sights. I love the serenity of this place. Kate said the water level was super high this year and that most all of the beaches are underwater. The Kayak life is something I would love to do on a regular basis someday when I save my pennies for one of these things. I want one with an outrigger and pedals as well as oars. When we kayaked in Avalon last summer I flipped the boat twice in really COLD water and thus I would feel more stable with that outrigger.
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Here is the lift area and the magic carpet ride for the bunny hill. That is a lot of snow for July 10th.
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We got the personal tour of Bear Valley Ski Resort. It actually still has snow in many places above this photo. July 10th and there was still snow.
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Now we are behaving like adults can. We love spending time with our silly neighbors' Jim and Kate.
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Friends' behaving badly. We spent Saturday night at Jim and Kate's cabin in Arnold this weekend in the Sierra Mountains. Even though this queen doesn't cook, I actually made Cuban Curried Chicken to bring up for us to have for dinner. It think it made have made us all giddy. Hey kids, were the spices really that hot? Looks like you are all letting off some steam or something. Honestly folks, some kids never grow up!
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OK, we didn't plan to match that evening at dinner. Great friends think alike I guess. We certainly got a great laugh out of this once we discovered we were dressed as "twins."
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Randy ordered the tempura shrimp.
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Rob had sea scallops at Yoshi's in Oakland. Yum! The pureed beets made for a pretty splash of color in this presentation.
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After our sail, Shellie got ready for our sushi dinner followed by the Michel Franks' concert at Yoshi's in Oakland. She is my girlie girl friend though she claims having raised two boys toughened her up. I am proud of my sweet friend for sailing today despite any hesitations she may have had about seasickness. As always Shellie, you look AMAZING!
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We had lots of company sailing with the Jerome's today. Aren't these little boats adorable? See how calm the bay was today. The conditions were perfect for taking Shellie, who has had seasickness in the past on other boats.
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