California Winter 2025 - Part III Where we Babysit for Emi

Tuesday March 4

We hung out and relaxed in Los Altos yesterday. Lee made dinner - chicken and rice with lemons (from their back yard). I ran 5 miles this morning and now we’re watching Emi. We took her to a nearby playground around 10:30, played for a while, and then she took a nap on the way back and continued to sleep at the house as well, about 45 minutes to an hour. Now she’s eating lunch. She had 3 dumplings and now she’s having one of those pureed vegetable and fruit pouches. She can hold them herself now and just sucks them up!

Wednesday March 5

In the afternoon we watched her some more. Around 2:30 we walked to the Sweet Shop and then down the trail until she fell asleep.

We went out for hot pot last night. It’s fun, but it’s good to have someone with you (like Dan and Kelsey!) that know what they’re doing! We got half spicy and half regular broth.The spicy was very spicy! We got meat, tofu, mushrooms and lots of veggies. When I was getting my dipping sauces a woman asked me what to do! I was like “I don’t know what I'm doing, just pick some things you like”. They had cream puffs too so I had some of those for dessert. It was yummy.

This morning I had a run with 6x800 intervals at HMP. It went well I’m just so much slower than I used to be. I used 1:30/30 run/walk intervals. I’ll just keep training and hope for the best.

Donkeys on my Run

I’m doing laundry today and tonight we’ll watch Emi while Dan and Kelsey go out.

Thursday March 6

So last night was interesting, as the Minnesotans say. Emi was very tired after daycare. She didn’t take a very long afternoon nap and was feeling out of sorts. Lee made a frozen lasagna and a salad. Emi didn’t like it much so we made her some dumplings, gave her a fruit and veggie pouch and some freeze dried fruit. Then we played until around 7:30 and then got ready to take a bath.

First problem, she pooped right before her bath and we didn’t realize it until we started to take her diaper off, so then we had to carry her into the bedroom to clean her up and that upset her. She loves her bath and playing with all the toys, and she doesn’t mind getting washed or anything like that. But when it was time to get out she lost it. She started crying and it just got worse and worse and worse. I had let Rossi outside so I went downstairs to let her back in, but she didn’t come so I had to go out in the back yard to get her back inside. When I came back in Lee was yelling for me to come quick! Emi had thrown up, all over Lee.

I took her gingerly and put her in the tub, sleep sack and all.  I removed the sleep sack and her pjs while Lee got himself cleaned up. I wiped her off with a  washcloth. Strangely enough she wasn’t too bad, most of it got on Lee! But she was still crying and still upset. Once she had on clean pjs we sat down in the chair in her room. I had Lee turn off the light, and we just rocked for a while, until she finally stopped crying. I gingerly offered her a bottle, betting that the vomiting was due to being upset and not the onset of some virus. She took most of the bottle and then Dan and Kelsey came home and took over.

Poor Emi, and poor Lee! He got himself cleaned up but it was pretty disgusting. It reminded me of a time when Sarah was in second grade and we had just moved into our new house on Highpoint in Columbia. She came into our bedroom to tell me she was going to throw up and promptly threw up right in my face! I grabbed her and went running into the bathroom, yelling “not on the new rugs!!!” Lol, poor Sarah. 

In the morning Emi was pretty much back to normal, although she didn’t eat much breakfast. I went for my 6 mile run. When I came back I took my shower, Lee took his and then we took Emi on a walk to the playground. We had fun, but then it started to rain. There was a shelter so we huddled under that while Emi played on a firetruck until it stopped raining. It stopped raining, she yawned, we plopped her in the stroller and she fell asleep almost instantly! She slept all the way back and she’s still asleep, although probably not for long.

Friday March 7th

Yesterday after lunch and more playing, we went to get coffee around 2. We walked around a mile total after that, she fell asleep, and we walked back. She got another good nap. More playing until Dan and Kelsey got off work. I was tired, and after observing her bath again I went to bed.

I actually slept really well last night. It was almost 6 when I got up. I was out running by 7:30. I did my 8 mile run for the week because it didn’t look like there were a lot of good places to run in Stinson Beach. I took a different bike path that went around behind the high school, and I took a different road through Stanford, but still ran about to the clock tower on campus and back. It was time for a quick shower, packing and then off to Stinson Beach.

California Winter 2025 - Part II - Where We Go to San Francisco for the Weekend

San Francisco Sunset

Sunday March 2

Well the restaurant last night was great. The Morris, near the Mission on Mariposa. Highly recommend! We had a variety of small plates and they were all good, although I wasn’t crazy about the duck pate, Lee liked it. We got radishes with an anchovy dip, a little gems salad, a citrus/halibut cerveche, mushroom profiteroles, and a tortellini main. I also ordered the donuts with whiskey anglaise for dessert and managed to eat 3 of them, leaving 2 for Lee to eat for breakfast. The portions were all very manageable, so we were satiated without being uncomfortably stuffed.

In the morning I am still waking up at 5, but it’s ok. I had a room Keurig coffee and Lee bought fruit and croissants yesterday so I had 1/2 a banana and a croissant. When room service opened I ordered a latte, delivered by a robot. The robot was adorable! It squeaked at me when I said thank you, lol.

We had reservations at Yang Sing for dim sum at 10:30. We walked there, about a mile and a half. We met Daniel, Kelsey and Emi there. They came into the city to hang with us for the day. Their friend Joss joined us as well. Dim Sum was good. I was very hungry so I needed some dumplings and Lee and Dan knew better than to give me free rein because I would order anything that came by! I did manage to control myself and save myself for the things I really love. I got egg tarts, yay! Emi liked the egg rolls and the soup dumplings. She didn’t like the bbq pork buns. I was surprised, cause they’re sweet. Maybe she’s more of a savory girl, because she didn’t like the crust of the egg tart either. Or maybe she was just getting full!

Afterwards we walked over to the Salesforce Garden, the Highline-like place on top of the bus terminal. We walked around the loop, stopping at a little playground for a while so Emi could play. Then we walked  back to Luma, stopping to get a coffee and say goodbye to the others. It was nice to see Joss, and we’ll see Daniel, Kelsey and Emi again tomorrow.

Emi at the Salesforce Playground

Monday March 3

We Ubered to Hog Island Sunday evening for oysters. We got a citrus salad and the halibut entree too. It was fine, not incredible, but decent.

This morning I ran along the Embarcadero. It started out pretty chilly, 41F, so I wore light gloves, my vest and a headband. It started warming up though and I shed the gloves and headband pretty quickly. Nice run, a little faster than usual. The Embarcadero is one of my favorite places on earth to run!

Then after a shower it was time to walk to brunch. We tried a place called Town’s End Brunch. I got the french toast and it was excellent! I ate it all! Lee got a burger and said it was meh.

We’ll head back to Los Altos around noon. Tomorrow we get to bbsit for Emi!

Along the Embarcadero

California Winter 2025 Part I

Chasing Around the Barrels with Grandpa

Thursday February 27.

  Here we are in Los Altos, hanging out in Dan and Kelsey's new house. Our flight from Minneapolis was uneventful. Daniel picked us up at the airport, we got settled, played with Emi, took a walk to get coffee.

 It’s lovely here, 70’s, partly sunny. We had snacks on the plane, but I was still hungry when we landed, so I ate half of Dan’s sandwich and then had some frozen yogurt with my cappuccino. 

 Emi has once again changed dramatically. She walks effortlessly and she’s talking much more. She seems to be learning more words every day. She can definitely say bubble, ball, woof. She likes my necklace and she would like my earrings too if I let her! She loves books and will hand you one to read over and over again. 

 Friday February 28.

  Last night we went out to eat at a casual Italian place called Howie’s. It was pretty good. We split two different kinds of pasta and a pizza. I liked everything we had. Lee and I were ready for bed not too long after that, but I did make myself stay up until 8:30. I slept ok, just need to get used to it being lighter since they don’t have window treatments yet and the neighbors have outdoor lights that are on all night. I thought about getting a sleep mask but decided against it because I strongly doubt I could find one that was comfortable. I managed to sleep until 5, pretty good for the first night in California. 

I was out for a run by 7. I ran on the Los Altos bike path. It goes all the way to Stanford. I went 2.5 miles and then turned around, for 5 miles total. Then Emi went to daycare and Lee and I mostly took it easy. We’re both getting over colds and I just felt pretty tired today. We went on a late afternoon walk and now we’re hanging out until it’s time to go to dinner. Emi is home from daycare and asleep in the stroller.

Saturday March 1.

We went to a Peruvian restaurant last night. It was pretty good. Some dishes were better than others. It was in Los Altos, so not very far away. Los Altos is slightly more centrally located than Palo Alto it seems, so we end up in Mountain View or Menlo Park sometimes. My favorite thing we got was a seafood ceviche. It was delicious! We also got a couple empanadas for Emi (who didn’t want them so we ate them), a tuna cerveche that was also good, a pork belly dish that was kind of fatty, another pork dish that had a fabulous sauce that tasted great on rice, and a beef dish. A lot of times Peruvian means a take on Japanese but this restaurant was more straight Peru.

So I did my long 8 mile run this morning because it fit better with our plans. I ran on the bike path all the way from their house to the Stanford campus and back. I ran about to the bell tower for those in the know.

Stanford Bell Tower Behind Me

I was a chilly morning, low 50’s, but no wind. No sun either. I wore shorts and I was fine except my hands were cold. It was a nice run, but kind of slow. I’m still fighting this cold I guess.

When I got back to the house everyone else had gone out for coffee so I took my shower and packed for our excursion to San Francisco this weekend. By the time I was done with that it was time to take Emi to her swimming lessons. Daniel does them and the rest of us watched. Emi just loves the water! She liked everything they did except floating on her back. She could have jumped off the side and done the dive down exercise they do all day. The lesson was 30 minutes and by the time it was over she was cold. I think the water temperature was lower than normal. Poor thing, her teeth with chattering.

We got her changed and warmed up and then it was time to go to lunch. We went to a lunch/brunch place called Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park. They were good, everyone else got eggs and I got the apple waffle.

We had the Uber driver pick us up there and we headed into the city. We are staying at hotel Luma, near the baseball stadium. We have dinner reservations at 5:15; I hope we’re hungry by then!

The Ever Curious Emi

Belize Winter 2025 - Part IV

Monday January 27

Last night we walked to the brew pub to watch the Chiefs and the Bills  play in the AFC championship game. It was fun. There were plenty of other American football fans there. Some of them were there for the previous game where the Steelers annihilated the Challengers. I heard someone at breakfast calling the Challengers the Redskins. I guess old habits die hard.

I got a margarita and we got some wings and settled down to watch at least some of the game.  The wings were a lot better than the burger and nachos we had the other day. We watched the 1st half and the start of the third quarter. It was fun talking to fellow fans, some for the Bills, some for the Chiefs. Now that the Chiefs are so dominant everyone loves to hate them, but for me its fun to root for a good (or great) team for a change, kind of like when the Cardinals are good. And Mahones is just fun to watch, as is Andy Reid, stoic and mostly calm on the sidelines. And to see who Taylor Swift is sitting with. Last game she had Caitlin Clark with her; last night it was Travis Kelce’s mom.

When we left the Chiefs were still ahead but not by much. We stayed up until they won. Off we go to the third Super Bowl in a row, pretty cool. And to think 20 years ago when we first moved to Austin I had not a clue about football. Cody got me started and then Lee and Dan got interested as well. At first it was mostly college ball. Really it’s only been in the past few years, since we moved to Minnesota, that I’ve gotten interested in professional football, and even basketball last year when the Timberwolves got hot.

So today is our last day, we leave for the little airport on Caye Caulker at 11:10. This will be a long travel day; I’ll report back tomorrow! 

Back Home, Wednesday January 29

We’ve been home for a day now. We’re glad to be home even though it was a nice vacation. We liked the laid back vibe on Caye Caulker and the inexpensiveness too. The dogs are all just fine, even Heather seems happy and much better than when we left. Rita even gave them baths this time, and said Harper was fine and didn’t freak out. We want to know her secret!

The puddle jumper from Caye Caulker to Belize City was fun. iIs only a 10 minute flight, and the view over the water was just gorgeous. We were able to fill out the departure form online before we left and  ended up with a lot of time to kill at the airport in Belize City. But the rest of the flights went smoothly. And going through immigration in the US was nothing compared to how it’s been sometimes in the past. We have Global Entry and they now use facial recognition so that took all of a minute. And it seems like customs is now selective about who they check. Anyway we wound our way through immigration in Houston and that was that.

When we got to our gate for our flight to Minneapolis we still had an hour and as luck would have it there was a Texas BBQ place right next to our gate, so we split some sliders and a salad. It was pretty good, the real thing even in an airport!

We both managed to sleep a little on the flight to Minneapolis. It was after 11 pm when we landed, a long day. And oh joy! The ParknFly van was right there waiting for us, and we were dropped off at our car first too.

We were home in bed before 1 pm. Unfortunately we had to get up because our housekeepers were coming. But we went to breakfast in Excelsior and then got the dogs and took them for a walk. Even Heather trotted right along, with a couple breaks in the stroller.

We really liked getting away from the cold for a week. In a month we’re going to California for a couple weeks too. Winter will be over before we know it!

We’re talking about where we might go next year. We thought Portugal but it’s not warm enough. We’d still like to go to Costa Rica someday, so that’s a possibility. Then Lee suggested Palm Springs. Warm, sunny and we could combine it with an Emi visit. Maybe!

The biggest downside of our trip for me are the bug bites I got. Probably sand flies from what I’ve read. I’m putting hydrocortisone cream on the bites but it's not helping very much. They were really bothering me last night. I’ve got a call in to my doc to see if I can get something stronger. Dr. Google says the welts from the bites could last up to two weeks. Ugh! (the nurse said to take an antihistamine, so I went back on Claritin and that definitely helped! All better now.)

Belize Winter 2025 Part III

Saturday January 25

We woke up to blue skies! Yay! No rain today, and none tomorrow either. It’s windy but who cares!

We take our time, drinking coffee in our room, banana pancakes again in the resort restaurant. Around 10:30 we grab our bikes and ride to the Split Ferry. The ferries (there are a few different ones) are basically pontoon boats that are large enough to hold a golf cart, a couple of bikes, and some people as well. The channel is small, it only takes 5 minutes at most. Soon we’re on the north island.

There’s not much there, a few resorts, a few restaurants, lots of construction though of what looks like condos and fancy houses and resorts. The roads are the same Belize roads though, packed sand and potholes.

We tool along following the signs for Bliss Beach. We’re not sure what it is but we’re going to find out! It’s about three miles from the ferry to the beach. it turns out to be a nice beach where you can enjoy the ocean, sit in a lounge chair, and grab a drink. No food though, and we’re getting hungry, so we opt to turn around. We ride about two miles back to the Happy Lobster and have lunch there. I have conch fritters and Lee has a lobster and we share. They are spiny lobsters which means they don’t have claws. They’re split in half and it’s easy to pick out the meat. The conch fritters are excellent as well. They’re served with a chili lime dip that’s spicy but delicious. Just use it sparingly! I get another Mexican coke as well.

We bike back to the ferry. As we’re riding the ferry back my hat blows off! Oh no! It’s the hat I bought on the Big Island in Hawaii during our trip there for Dan and Kelsey’s wedding. It’s easy to see it in the clear blue water but we can’t reach it. The ferry captain says he’ll try to get it on his next trip but I really don’t want to wait around. All of a sudden the girl at the next dock over jumps in the water and rescues my hat! I thank her profusely and she tells me to wear it backwards if I’m facing into the wind. Good idea!

Back at the hotel I decide to get in the pool and swim a few laps to cool off. Well, the water is FREEZING. I only swim around 250 yards before I have to get out. Lee says it’s mostly rain water after the week we’ve had and he’s probably right. There hasn’t been any sun to warm it up, that’s for sure.

Sunday January 26

We had a pizza delivered for dinner. It was pretty good, mostly a nice change. 

In the morning it’s another beautiful day, and less windy too. We have a reservation to go snorkeling at 9 AM. We meet our guide out on the dock. I’m nervous; it’s been at least 10 years since we’ve done this and because of all the wind yesterday it was pretty choppy.

But our guide was really nice, and knowledgeable. He knew the names of lots of different fish. The first place we went he got in the water with us. Alas I had a problem; my mask leaked. We tried to fix it but my face is really narrow and sometimes I need a kid’s mask. I tried to make the best of it, just dumping the water out occasionally.

We floated around looking at all the different fish. The coral was brown but we expected that. Poor coral. There was a fairly strong current and I was still nervous. I had a life jacket around my waist so that I would be a little buoyant. Lee took his off; he didn’t need it. Of course we had flippers too. I tried to stay pretty close to our guide, but at one point I accidentally got a mouthful of water and that freaked me out. I couldn’t seem to keep up with Lee and the guide. The guide took a look at me and asked if I was ok. I shook my head no. He grabbed me, told me to just float on my back and relax. I floated, but didn’t relax, sigh. Once we got back to the boat and I was out of the water I was fine. He gave me a water bottle and told me to drink some. I was kind of mad at myself for having a little panic attack but oh well.

We drove to another site. Here there were a BUNCH of nurse sharks and sting rays. We got in the water again and just floated there for a bit while the sting rays swam underneath us and the nurse sharks bumped us with their big brown bodies. It was pretty cool but now it was Lee’s turn to be nervous, so we didn’t stay in the water very long. The sting rays are neat, they have big eyes and seem to be looking at you speculatively. The nurse sharks weren’t scary at all. Apparently they don’t have actual teeth but the insides of their mouths are very sandpapery. They are called nurse sharks because they suck up their food, like a baby with a bottle.

The third site, the coral gardens, was very shallow. Once again Lee and I got in the water by ourselves. The current here was really strong but finally my mask seemed to be seated properly and it quit leaking. We would kick against the current and then float down and look at all the fish. I saw a white fish with pink stripes that was beautiful.

After that we boated over to the other side of Caye Caulker and looked at the tarpons and pelicans. People are allowed to feed the tarpons here so that’s what we did. We had to be careful of the pelicans; they would take your fingers off, but all the tarpons did was bump your arm and make you drop the fish. Lee and I both fed them. It was awesome!

That was the end of the snorkeling adventure. It was fun once I recovered from being scared. It’s the ocean, and open water that does it for me. I love to look at it but getting in it not so much.