Hanging Out and Having Fun

May 24th – I have gotten behind in updating this blog…..that kind-of happens when we get busy having fun.   : )  So….with my apologies for being a bit late and abbreviated…….I will try to catch up…..

May 13th-21st – With the excitement of graduation over…and Dave’s family headed back home to Waukegan, IL….Fred and I settled in to a week’s worth of ‘hanging out’ and having fun with Laura and Dave…..with a bit of work in and around our visiting, as Laura still had to finish up some work on the journal that she edited this past year, and Dave was working on a computer programing project for a client.

We did take one day to drive about 1.5 hours north of San Francisco to the Russian River for a bit of canoeing. The weather was great and the river was beautiful……We had a very enjoyable 1/2 day of paddling.

Jade even joined us on this adventure.  : )  Note- I am sitting up front and tried to snap this picture behind me without tipping over the canoe……..

Friday mornings, the street in front of Swan’s Market hosts a Farmer’s Market……

With all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade breads and pastries, many specialty items and even live music. We stocked up on veggies for the next several day’s meals, plus some to take with us when we left. Laura and Dave are so lucky to have the bounty of California’s produce right at their doorstep.

Each day brought new discoveries….Jack London Square right on the Bay with neat restaurants and stores and another Farmer’s Market on Sundays…..Angelique’s, a ‘Louisiana restaurant’ in Berkeley with a chef straight from Baton Rouge and really good food, and beignets…...    : )  

We went to a performance by the Berkeley community theatre….A Hot Night In Ephesus…..a musical based on Shakespeare's ‘A Comedy of Errors’. What fun! There are so many opportunities in a city…….

Most nights, (except when we were going to be out late or up early) Fred and I headed back to our camper at Chabot State Park, about 35 minutes away.  This campground is very nice, with full hook-ups……wooded, with a lake……and a whole flock of wild turkeys!

I just had to include this picture…..this male was strutting his stuff for several females, and looked just like the pictures at Thanksgiving.

Laura and Dave’s Apartment

Laura and Dave have really made this apartment their own………

As you walk in, the kitchen is to the left…….

Their kitchen is so roomy, with lots of cabinet space…….

And Dave’s ‘office’ is to the right.  Laura and Dave designed and put together the ‘floating’ bookcase, and Laura built the desk out of left over wood flooring.

Likewise, Laura built the dining table…….it really looks great!

And so nice to be able to sit down together and share a meal…..

I just had to take a picture of the beautiful flowers that decorated the table. Several different apartment residents  brought over flowers during our stay to help celebrate Laura’s graduation. I couldn’t get over how thoughtful this was…..

This is Laura and Dave’s living room…..and a ‘tall’ view to show the metal beams from the original structure. New paint and a new sofa, rug and coffee table help pull this room together. And Laura built the end table, too.

Jade discovered the kitties’ door…..but Peanut and Patches were hiding upstairs.     : )

This mini balcony (just behind the blue patterned chair in the living room) opens to the garden below and lets in lots of light. The railing is covered with beautiful roses. Laura has a bird feeder on this balcony that the purple finches love.

Upstairs……a small landing…..

And two bedrooms and a bathroom. Laura and Dave painted these rooms and installed and finished a wood floor for the apartment owners, replacing a nasty looking carpet.

This apartment feels just right….Light filled and very comfortable. I had been a bit hesitant when Laura talked about moving to downtown Oakland……. but this apartment has such a great feel, and the connection to a community is a fantastic bonus. The neighborhood feels safe, and they are just a couple of blocks from the BART (public transportation) that Laura will take to her job across the Bay in San Francisco. It couldn’t be a better fit…...

Oakland, CA–Visiting Laura and Dave And Their Co-Housing Complex

I wanted to share a bit about Laura and Dave’s new cohousing living arrangement. They moved into the Swan’s Market Cohousing complex in September of 2011. We had seen their apartment in July when we had visited but it was before they had moved in. This was the first time that we had really gotten a chance to get to know all about this cohousing arrangement.

The more that I learn about ‘cohousing’, the more I really appreciate the concept. Quoting from this Cohousing website…..” The cohousing idea originated in Denmark, and was promoted in the U.S. by architects Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett in the early 1980s. Cohousing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The physical design encourages both social contact and individual space. Private homes contain all the features of conventional homes, but residents also have access to extensive common facilities such as open space, courtyards, a playground and a common house.”  We were able to see this cohousing concept first hand.

 

The Swan’s Market complex was developed in an old market building in downtown Oakland. The lower level of this square houses the MOCHA (Museum of Children’s Art) as well as several businesses. The vine covered area in the lower right of this photo is the fence to the courtyard for the cohousing.

Behind the fence, is a garden area. The cohousing units are up the stairs. The room with the large windows that is across from the railing is the ‘common room’.

This is the community garden…..designed and tended to by the residents…with the flowers and produce shared by any who want it.

The 20 cohousing units line either side of this shared patio space. Laura and Dave live in apartment V.

Each unit has their own chairs, table plants or whatever……The wood Adirondack chairs are Laura' and Dave’s.

This common seating area  is shared by all…..This shared space, and having all of the units face the patio walkway  encourages socialization. We enjoyed sitting out and sipping our frappachinos (there is a Starbucks just a couple of blocks away) and visiting with any of the neighbors who passed by. It really does make one feel ‘connected’ to the community.

The majority of the Swan’s Market residents are somewhat older…..the complex could really use several more young couples to balance the mix….but those that we met were delightful and very interesting. There are several retired professors and several anthropologists in the group, and one very spry 80 year old woman who just returned from a SCUBA trip in the Philippines.

Opposite the outdoor seating area is the common room which has a living room……..

 

And dining room where meals can be shared 3 times a week. You just sign up several days in advance, then show up and share a common dinner, served at 7pm.  The residents do not have to participate in every common dinner, but Laura and Dave have really enjoyed this benefit.  We joined the community at the common dinner several times and I can really see the advantage of not having to cook every night, plus the ‘family’ atmosphere of sharing a meal.

Each resident is required to cook (in pairs) for one meal every 5 weeks. This is not really all that difficult, as there are usually just 18-22 people who attend at any one dinner…..and you get to use this fantastic common kitchen. The cooks try to provide for the various dietary restrictions as best they can, making a vegetarian or vegan option, if they are serving a meat dish. We helped Laura do common dinner on Monday, making Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, and substituting a soy based substitute for the chicken and sausage in one pot of the gumbo.

The cooks try to keep the cost of each dinner to $4/plate. You track your costs of preparation and, at the end of 6 months, the costs are tallied up and reconciled against the number of times that you have eaten common dinner.

The kitchen and dining room are also available to the resident for their own use any time they are free. So, if you were to have a large group over, you can schedule the common room to use for entertaining.

The common room building also has a large playroom for any children in the complex. They also share laundry facilities and several pieces of exercise equipment.

After spending some time visiting this cohousing complex, I can really see why it would be appealing. This living arrangement really creates a ‘community’ in this urban setting where one  might otherwise feel quite isolated.

A Walk at the Beach

Saturday May 12 – We took a drive with Dave and Laura, and Rick, Joyce, and Rebecca to Half-Moon Bay, a beach just a bit south of San Francisco. I will say, up front, that the traffic crossing the Bay Bridge on the weekend was horrendous! But, we made it just fine, and enjoyed lunch at a nifty little Italian grocery and restaurant, before heading out to the beach.

Laura had looked up a trail that seemed like it would make a nice hike……

The beach was beautiful, and very quiet in some spots….

Joyce really enjoyed getting to spend some time down by the ocean. She said that it reminded her of many special times that she had as a child, vacationing on the coast of England.

It was a nice way to spend time visiting, as well as enjoying the California coast…..Here, Joyce, Rick and Rebecca Riddle gather some shells……

And we all tried to squeeze in as much time with our kids as we could……

Isn’t there some sort of saying about time and tides……..Anyway, these are the times we treasure…..

I

After Graduation……After the Barbeque

After the graduation, we gathered with Laura’s friend Brittany and her family at Tilden park for a barbeque.

What can I say? When you are amazing, you just know it……     : )

After Brittany and her family went home, we all decided to take a walk. Here is Dave’s mom, Joyce, with Fred and Jade, enjoying the walk around the lake.

Dave’s sister Rebecca and Laura, and Dave with his dad, Rick.

A good pic of Laura and Dave….in their traditional picture taking setting by some body of water.

I just couldn’t resist including this pic of one of the ducks on the lake….it was so pretty.

It was a nice end to a very special day……

Graduation!

May 11, 2012 – Ok, so as most of you probably know, we are in Oakland, CA these two weeks (May 8-22) to visit our oldest daughter, Laura and her husband Dave. Our timing of this visit centered on this most important occasion of Graduation from Berkeley law School.

It seems like just a short time since Laura and Dave first moved from Des Moines to Emeryville (then to Oakland) -these three years have flown by! We are so proud of Laura for this great accomplishment, and so thankful for Dave’s support.

Graduation was scheduled for Friday morning at 10 am, outside at the Greek Amphitheatre at Berkeley. It was a beautiful day, though a bit warm, but the graduation proceeded as 300 students received their Juris Doctorate, in addition to 100 students with their Masters of Laws.

Some of you may have seen these photos on Facebook (I just couldn’t wait to post them) and I have included a few recorded clips of the ceremonies which I will apologize for, now. The  filming is a bit shaky and I haven’t yet learned how to edit the recordings, and truthfully, they may be something that only a mother (or Grandmother) could love.   : )

But the day was awesome…….

Laura looked so very official and so very pretty……

This plaque on the law building…..weighty thoughts……

The proud graduate…..

This was Laura’s group of ‘study buddies’ Brittany, Brielle (Jill’s friend, not one of the core study group) and Jill. Laura met Brittany and Jill her first semester at school and they instantly hit it off. Thank goodness for this group of friends who supported and challenged one another as they made their way through these three years with style.

Walking In

As graduations go, this was a fun twist on ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ ……played on the steel drums.

The Greek Amphitheater…..a neat setting, but in the full sunshine, a bit warm.

Speeches by: The law school dean, Dean Edley…..and the keynote speaker, California Attorney General Kamala Harris…

The co-class presidents…… and the favorite teacher, Professor Eleanor Swift.

Laura receiving her degree

That all important, and all to brief,  moment that we wait for…..

Conferring of Degrees

I just liked the ‘official-ness’ of this…..the conferring of the degree of Juris Doctorate.

Dave deserves special thanks and recognition for being so supportive (financially  as well as emotionally and otherwise).

Dave’s parents Rick  and Joyce Riddle and Dave’s sister, Rebecca flew in form Waukegan, Illinois just to be here for graduation and to celebrate this occasion, making it quite special.

And, of course, the proud parents……..      Congratulations, Laura!    : )

And though Laura celebrated this accomplishment in style, she will have only a brief break before starting on Monday, May 21st, a 6 week review class for the Bar Exam. Her exam is scheduled for the last week of July, then she and Dave will be free to do a bit of traveling before she will start her new job with the Cooley Law Firm in San Francisco in November.