A visit from Teela and Jim…

I can report that both Jeff and I have at least DOWNLOADED our Europe photos…I’m going to guess nearly 3000 between the two of us. Since Jeff’s photos are on his laptop, he has actually looked at all of his, but I can’t report that much progress 🙂

One happy diversion from sorting photos was an all-too-brief visit from my Aunt Teela and Uncle Jim. They arrived mid-week from Virginia and spent a couple of nights in Yosemite before staying with us for the weekend. It was wonderful to see them and spend a couple of quiet evenings at home…including several rounds of Mexican Train.

On Saturday, we drove up to the Marin Headlands and walked out to the picturesque Point Bonita lighthouse. Along the way, we were joined by chatty park volunteer Tom…who eagerly pointed out breeding Harbor Seals, hundreds of floating Western Grebes, and all the poisonous plants along the path. He also introduced us to a wild cabbage plant who’s flower (the yellow one below) tastes like coleslaw…not sure if there is enough separation between the edibles and the poisonous plants for MY liking. We also spotted nesting gulls–perched on treacherous outcroppings–and swallows–tucked into every nook. Vultures and pelicans rounded out the wildlife. Matthew did tricks for the camera 🙂

After lunch at one of our favorite spots–Paradise Bay on the Sausalito marina–we took a winding scenic drive along the City coast, including a stop into the re-opened Fort Point historic Civil War-era fortress. The newly repainted and seismically upgraded underbelly of the Golden Gate Bridge’s was as bright orange as I’ve ever seen it. Brilliant.

On Sunday morning, Teela and Jim headed north towards the redwoods, Mt. Shasta, and Crater Lake. We worked in the garden a bit…and found a pleasant surprise. One of our grassy plants decided to bloom this year…small, beautiful flowers…we didn’t know it produced these 🙂