Somewhere Under the Rainbows...

This was a favorite storm...much needed and completely unexpected. The skies just opened up on a Friday afternoon in the Napa Valley.

Our side of town got thunder and lightning, and lots of it, which is not too common. We had heavy rain and a double rainbow.

The west side of the city got flash flood warnings, inches of hail, and I heard there was even an itty-bitty earthquake.

For the beauty of the earth...

 My kids curled up with books.

I made grilled cheese sandwiches and enjoyed everything about it.

Foodie Selfie

The funny thing about this photo is that it is the ONLY one I took at our family reunion celebrating my parents' 45th wedding anniversary, and I see these two people all the time. Where's the one of my cousin Kathleen who I haven't seen in 13 years? Or Uncle Tom? Or Aunt Elinor? Or Uncle Bob and his stuck-together fingers? Or the one of the couple celebrating their anniversary? Bad job, photog.

So nice to be together, even though I have no proof of it.

My Favorite View

 Watching the morning garbage trucks rumble by...

Dirt on his nose from pressing into the screen door.

If You Leave Matthew Alone with Nana and Some Art Supplies...

...you may return home from work, only to discover that your son bears a resemblance to a historically evil dictator. With a bad haircut.

If You Give Matthew a Bad Haircut While He Sleeps...

He is sure to wake up the next day, and want to run away. He'll grab his Ducky backpack, slam the screen door behind him, and head out into the big, wide world (er, the outside perimeter of his house, while being followed closely by his mom who is armed with the camera).

He'll look up and see that his big sister on the roof with Daddy, helping him clean leaves from the gutters. He'll decide that he needs to have his own fun adventures.

So he'll head over to the landlord's house (aka Grandma Joan's) for a visit, even though he is only wearing his diaper.

Grandma Joan will think it's so fun that he has come for a visit, she'll secretly tuck a few pecan sandies in one of the pockets of his Ducky backpack, and send him on his way.

Matthew will later discover the pecan sandies, forget entirely about the bad haircut, and decide that home isn't so bad, after all.

Happy Birthday Mark!

Chocolate cake and tickets to a Cal game with Dad= Happy Birthday.

Sliding Rock Becomes Reading Rock

Football Fun with Dad and Mark

Family

Family reunion breakfast with Jack, Christa, Buddy and Baby James in Mill Valley. Mom made Dutch Baby pancakes...

 ...with blueberry-lemon syrup. She used to make these pancakes for dinner for David and I when my Dad was on business trips. I'd forgotten about that.

 After breakfast, Papa took the kids on a bike ride.

 Matthew let James know he wanted to be better friends with him by staring at him.

It worked because soon after they were running back and forth on the landing.

 Matthew liked James even more when he discovered the truck on his jumper.

 This handsome kid is 14 now and is as tall as his elders.

He also continues to hold the title of "Best Cousin on the Planet", which is what you are when you play playdoh with your 6 year old cousin.

Matthew fought off his nap for as long as he could, then fell asleep against Papa, while watching the football game.

 James soon followed. So fun to be with each other...both consciously and unconsciously.