All Together Now

Now matter how many times I tried to get everyone together for a big family picture, it seems I could only catch groups of four or five at a time. And now it's time to go home! Jack and Claire were completely charmed by their new cousin, Marcella, who already has another sibling on the way...

In His Element

Wynham is having the time of his life here, with every possible form of entertainment a teenage boy could dream up. It helps that Uncle Pepper is every bit as wild and crazy as he is, if not more so; the two of them get up to no good and I just look the other direction. If Wynham had his way, he'd probably just move in...

Family Shindig!

Pepper and Debbie are brave enough to have invited the whole Pettit family (21 of us in all) for a reunion at their gorgeous house on Lake Lanier, and Katie outdid herself in planning a wonderful time for us. The oldest member of the family was thrilled to meet the youngest of the bunch today. Nothing beats time spent with the ones you love...

Blasting Off

We took off Monday and haven't slowed down yet: breakfast in California, lunch in Georgia, snacks in Tennessee, and dinner in Alabama, where we've landed for a brief respite. Grandfather treated us to a visit to the Space and Rocket Center, and everyone seemed impressed by what they saw; Jack hasn't stopped talking about the Hubble telescope all day!

Back to Nature

Camping was on the menu this weekend, at an amazing little place at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge called Kirby Cove. We were lucky that the fog didn't roll in, because the fog horns are so loud they shake the ground. But when the weather's beautiful, it's one of the most amazing hidden spots on the West Coast. The kids have a blast exploring sea caves and digging up slugs and searching for starfish and collecting beach pebbles and making s'mores by the campfire...

Aaaaaaah...

Nothing is so refreshing on a hot summer day as the sour cherry limeade they serve at Pizza Antica. I haven't been able to replicate it, but perhaps next time I can convince them to divulge the secret!

Spoiled Rotten

Deb can always be relied upon to spoil me rotten for my birthday, an event we could just as soon skip, thank you very much. I got a rare evening out though, and she treated me to a lovely dinner at the new L'Appart in San Anselmo. I ate so much, I should have walked home...

Sunny All Day

This evening we had a gathering of a handful of people from church who came to visit with a former member who's moved away. So many folks said the same thing: we need more gatherings like this, the kinds of events that really bond the community. That's just the way I grew up, drenched in Southern hospitality. I have to admit, I miss that here sometimes. More gatherings? I'm all for it! I should post a picture of all the guests, but this bright, cheerful image captures the feeling of the day...

The Graduate

Hard to believe that Jack is already a Pre-K graduate and moving onto kindergarten in the fall. The commencement ceremonies had even an old pro like me sniffling just a bit... Jack celebrated a quiet moment after the festivities by loosening his tie and a slurping back a frozen yogurt!