I am going to try to use this as the impetus to actually develop some consistency in my blog. There was a spurt in early spring and summer, then nada. Don't think I will go backwards, at least not right now.
But, since this is named for the multiple eye surgeries it does seem appropriate to update that stuff. Right eye, not working so well. Left eye, dimming some, and plagued this week with blepharitis (think pink eye of the eyelashes). Lots of diligent eyelash cleaning, and extra soothing eyedrops have eased the pain somewhat. But the real drama is over whether to get a lens implant in the right lensless eye. I have now seen yet another specialist about that, and been bounced back once again to my primary care optometrist. I need to call him this week and see what the "team" is concluding. The girls think there should be a facebook group, "I have worked on JMo's eye!"
Halloween was fun, what with the birthday trip to see Wicked and the birthday party for Baby Kate. I didn't take any photos at either place. :(
Look for another post tomorrow.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Great Restaurants, part two: Memorial Day Weekend
In addition to the glorius Chez Panisse, we have been to an incredible number of good Bay Area restaurants in the past month.
First up was Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay where we celebrated Kelly's birthday. The meal started with oysters on the half shell, now that I had learned they are really quite the treat. We had an assortment which gave us a chance to discover that we really all prefer the small ones. Kelly, Cynthia, Marina, Laura and I were all brave enough to eat more than one. Sascha was brave enough to sit at the same table while we were slurping them down.
The list of varieties:
Steamboat WA
Kumamoto OR
Marin Miyagi CA
Malpeque PEI
Beausoleil NB
Fanny Bay BC
I think the Kumamota were our favorites.
The following day Michael and I headed off to Big Sur for my birthday-present weekend from Laura. On the way to Treebones we stopped at Nepenthe in Big Sur. Check out the stories and folktales on their website. Truly Nepenthe is in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. We basked in the sun, looking at the coast line and trying to keep the ravens and jays from eating all the french fries. It's hard to do a food review of a hamburger, but their burger, called ambrosia, was quite fine. And they served a huge half order of fries. Our Nepenthe pictures can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/judy.mowrey/Nepenthe.
Our destination was Treebones Resort, also in Big Sur, but further south, out of the really wooded area. For those familiar with the Central California coast, Treebones is south of Limekiln State Park and the stop in the road called Lucia. The entire resort is constructed of yurts. The lodge is a series of connected wooden yurts, the owners also live in a wood structure, and the guesthouse where we stayed is made of wood. The rest of the yurts are canvas sided with a central skylight. Breakfast was served every morning in the lodge and consisted of homemade granola and waffles. On Monday evening we ate in the lodge as well. They have a limited menu and require orders to be placed between 4 and 7 pm. We opted to try the chicken tagine. It was excellent, flavorful and very very tender chicken, with apricots and almonds, and served with couscous and a salad.
My pictures can be found at picasaweb as well. Michael still needs to upload his photos from the hike he went on.
Still to come:
South in San Francisco (part of the Dine About Town program)
The Ritz Carlton in San Francisco for High Tea
There is still one more birthday event, not a restaurant but a show---Spam-a-lot in San Francisco.
What a way to celebrate!
First up was Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay where we celebrated Kelly's birthday. The meal started with oysters on the half shell, now that I had learned they are really quite the treat. We had an assortment which gave us a chance to discover that we really all prefer the small ones. Kelly, Cynthia, Marina, Laura and I were all brave enough to eat more than one. Sascha was brave enough to sit at the same table while we were slurping them down.
The list of varieties:
Steamboat WA
Kumamoto OR
Marin Miyagi CA
Malpeque PEI
Beausoleil NB
Fanny Bay BC
I think the Kumamota were our favorites.
The following day Michael and I headed off to Big Sur for my birthday-present weekend from Laura. On the way to Treebones we stopped at Nepenthe in Big Sur. Check out the stories and folktales on their website. Truly Nepenthe is in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. We basked in the sun, looking at the coast line and trying to keep the ravens and jays from eating all the french fries. It's hard to do a food review of a hamburger, but their burger, called ambrosia, was quite fine. And they served a huge half order of fries. Our Nepenthe pictures can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/judy.mowrey/Nepenthe.
Our destination was Treebones Resort, also in Big Sur, but further south, out of the really wooded area. For those familiar with the Central California coast, Treebones is south of Limekiln State Park and the stop in the road called Lucia. The entire resort is constructed of yurts. The lodge is a series of connected wooden yurts, the owners also live in a wood structure, and the guesthouse where we stayed is made of wood. The rest of the yurts are canvas sided with a central skylight. Breakfast was served every morning in the lodge and consisted of homemade granola and waffles. On Monday evening we ate in the lodge as well. They have a limited menu and require orders to be placed between 4 and 7 pm. We opted to try the chicken tagine. It was excellent, flavorful and very very tender chicken, with apricots and almonds, and served with couscous and a salad.
My pictures can be found at picasaweb as well. Michael still needs to upload his photos from the hike he went on.
Still to come:
South in San Francisco (part of the Dine About Town program)
The Ritz Carlton in San Francisco for High Tea
There is still one more birthday event, not a restaurant but a show---Spam-a-lot in San Francisco.
What a way to celebrate!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Chez Panisse in the Spring
I am so grateful to Rick, Kelly, and Susan for making my long-time wish to eat at Chez Panisse a reality. It was wonderful start to finish. Now, at the risk of sounding greedy, I want to go back at least once every season! The spring menu matched what I have been getting in the Two Small Farms produce box, and what we see currently in the farmers markets, and I am sure the same would hold true in other seasons. It was wonderful to get to taste what the others ordered. I had never eaten an oyster on the half shell but thanks to Kelly now I know they are incomparable. And I probably wouldn't have tried an entire plate of bone marrow bones but the bite from Rick's bone marrow plate was also exquisite. Susan's shoestring potatoes, more like crispy slivers, were marvelous.
My choices were the citrus salad: slim slices of blood orange, tangerines, and larger oranges, dressed lightly with a cilantro pesto and ginger vinaigrette, sprinkled with spicy pistachios; a semolina based soup made with green garlic (which has been in our box for the past few weeks) and fresh peas; a pizza with spring onions, olives, and capers,with a fragrence so heady it permeated the house when I brought the leftovers in; and for dessert a delicate rhubarb tart with an amazingly flavored cream.
The portions were just the right size, not overwhelmingly large, making it possible to enjoy everything we tried.
The restaurant is a perfect Berkeley place, craftsman design with a treehouse feeling in one of the rooms.
Now I am eager to try many of the recipes and techniques in the cookbook, "The Art of Simple Food."
Again, thanks to all for a very very special afternoon!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Los Cabos, Life in the Sun, Feb 2009
These aren't captioned yet but I think you can guess. We had 5 days of sun and beach at the Westin Los Cabos Resort. I recommend this place to all.
Sascha Judy Sun and Ocean
Sascha Judy Sun and Ocean
Friday, February 20, 2009
Books Books and more Books
What book has been on your shelves the longest?
Winnie-the-Pooh
What is your current read, your last read and the book you'll read next?
Current: Firefly Lane
Last Read: Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones (not the movie)
Next on the List: 3 for book clubs--The Birth House, Night, Run
What book did everyone like and you hated?
Don't know the response of others, but I didn't much like A Complicated Kindness
Which book do you keep telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't?
Satanic Verses
Which book are you saving for "retirement?"
Ulysses by James Joyce
Last page: read it first or wait til the end?
I almost NEVER read ahead to the end!!!
Acknowledgments: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
I like creative acknowledgments that tell something about the author
Which book character would you switch places with?
Anne of Green Gables
Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
Doris Lessing reminds me of the time when I was in Library school and I first started reading and collecting her books. She is now on a list to re-read, which I started doing last year with Memoirs of a Survivor.
Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I still have some poetry books that I bought at City Lights in SF in 1964, when there were still remnants of the beat world there and the edge of the hippie years was beginning.
Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I like to give books and try to pick special ones when I do. One gift that made me happy was last year at Christmas when we gave our little nephew a deluxe copy of Hatchet. He was genuinely thrilled, had already been introduced to the book but was so happy to have the illustrated version.
Which book has been with you to the most places?
Some of my old college textbooks have traveled with me for 46 years.
Any "required reading" you hated in high school that wasn't so bad ten years later?
I hated most of American Lit in high school but loved Melville and Hawthorne 5 years later.
What is the strangest item you've ever found in a book?
I haven't found any strange items.
Used or brand new?
They are both good, but right now, a new variant---Kindle version
Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
He's somewhere in between, fun to read and a true caring person
Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
Many movies from books stand on their own very well, even if I like both. The Lord of the Rings trilogy should be read AND seen for example.
Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
Kite Runner
Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take?
Most of my book club buddies are amazing in their recommendations!
Winnie-the-Pooh
What is your current read, your last read and the book you'll read next?
Current: Firefly Lane
Last Read: Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones (not the movie)
Next on the List: 3 for book clubs--The Birth House, Night, Run
What book did everyone like and you hated?
Don't know the response of others, but I didn't much like A Complicated Kindness
Which book do you keep telling yourself you'll read, but you probably won't?
Satanic Verses
Which book are you saving for "retirement?"
Ulysses by James Joyce
Last page: read it first or wait til the end?
I almost NEVER read ahead to the end!!!
Acknowledgments: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside?
I like creative acknowledgments that tell something about the author
Which book character would you switch places with?
Anne of Green Gables
Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)?
Doris Lessing reminds me of the time when I was in Library school and I first started reading and collecting her books. She is now on a list to re-read, which I started doing last year with Memoirs of a Survivor.
Name a book you acquired in some interesting way.
I still have some poetry books that I bought at City Lights in SF in 1964, when there were still remnants of the beat world there and the edge of the hippie years was beginning.
Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person?
I like to give books and try to pick special ones when I do. One gift that made me happy was last year at Christmas when we gave our little nephew a deluxe copy of Hatchet. He was genuinely thrilled, had already been introduced to the book but was so happy to have the illustrated version.
Which book has been with you to the most places?
Some of my old college textbooks have traveled with me for 46 years.
Any "required reading" you hated in high school that wasn't so bad ten years later?
I hated most of American Lit in high school but loved Melville and Hawthorne 5 years later.
What is the strangest item you've ever found in a book?
I haven't found any strange items.
Used or brand new?
They are both good, but right now, a new variant---Kindle version
Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses?
He's somewhere in between, fun to read and a true caring person
Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?
Many movies from books stand on their own very well, even if I like both. The Lord of the Rings trilogy should be read AND seen for example.
Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid?
Kite Runner
Who is the person whose book advice you'll always take?
Most of my book club buddies are amazing in their recommendations!
starts with the letter J
Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real . . . nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.
1. What is your name: Judy
2. A four letter word: just
3. A boy's name: Justin
4. A girl's name: Julia
5. An occupation: judge
6. A colour: Jade green
7. Something you wear: jeans
8. A food: jicama
9. Something found in the bathroom: Jergens
10. A place: Jersey
11. A reason for being late: jumped off a cliff
12. Something you shout: Jumping Jehosephat
13. A movie title: Judgment at Nuremberg
14. Something you drink: juice
15. A musical group: J Geil Band
16. An animal: jackal
17. A Street Name: Judah Street
18. A type of car: Jaguar
19. The title of a song: Johnny B Goode
20. Ice cream flavour: java chip
1. What is your name: Judy
2. A four letter word: just
3. A boy's name: Justin
4. A girl's name: Julia
5. An occupation: judge
6. A colour: Jade green
7. Something you wear: jeans
8. A food: jicama
9. Something found in the bathroom: Jergens
10. A place: Jersey
11. A reason for being late: jumped off a cliff
12. Something you shout: Jumping Jehosephat
13. A movie title: Judgment at Nuremberg
14. Something you drink: juice
15. A musical group: J Geil Band
16. An animal: jackal
17. A Street Name: Judah Street
18. A type of car: Jaguar
19. The title of a song: Johnny B Goode
20. Ice cream flavour: java chip
Friday, February 13, 2009
memes COULD be me.....
I get these memes coming in on my blog reader and sometimes I get interested in doing them, but since NO ONE reads this, or even knows it exists, I haven't been posting them here. Instead I emailed 2 of them to the girls who just seemed baffled, although I think they all played the 25 Random Things on Facebook. Anyway, here's my 10 favorite childrens movies and my 10 favorite places to shop:
1. Trader Joes
2. Nordstrom
3. Bloomingdales
4. Target
5. Amazon.com
6. Fry's (well...how can this not be here, but favorite????)
7. DSW
8. Williams-Sonoma
9. Andronico's
10. safeway.com
Movies
- Beauty and the Beast
- Wizard of Oz
- Shrek
- Charlie and the Chocolate factory
- Harry Potter (any one of them)
- Lady and the Tramp
- Fly Away Home
- Ice Age
- Babe
- Secret Garden
Shopping
1. Trader Joes
2. Nordstrom
3. Bloomingdales
4. Target
5. Amazon.com
6. Fry's (well...how can this not be here, but favorite????)
7. DSW
8. Williams-Sonoma
9. Andronico's
10. safeway.com
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Brief eye update
After nearly two weeks without the hard contact lens, I finally got a replacement last night. The new one is bigger than the last and more definitely green so I hope it won't float off my eyeball and get lost. I can see better with it, but still not very well.
Ten Favorite Items of Clothing
- The black Not Your Daughters Jeans that fit better than anything I own
- The dark blue NYDJs that have rhinestones on the hip posckets, even though I am accused of trolling for cowboys when I waer them.
- The adidas exercise pants
- The Karen Neuberger green robe
- Purple fancy dress that has now gone to 3 weddings and other special events
- New red jacket
- Black t-shirts of several types
- Red pair of Naots and bronze pair of Naots---a tie
- Purple sweater set
- Beige coat with fake fur that went to Holland last year
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