Ethel and Alex came to Fallbrook, CA to celebrate Ethel's 85^th birthday.  Afterwards they came to visit us and spend time exploring our area's attractions.  This is a synopsis of their time with us.

July 2, 2002

• Picked Ethel & Alex up at the airport and brought them back to our house.  We spent the evening relaxing, catching up and remembering the great party in Fallbrook.

Alex at Gloria Ferrer's terrace.	Eating lunch in the park in the old Sonoma square.	Having dinner at Buona Sera in Petaluma.	Having dinner at Buona Sera in Petaluma.

July 3, 2002

• Went to Sonoma in the AM, lunched at Sonoma Cheese Factory in the park in the old town of Sonoma.
  Then we visited two wineries off Route 12.
• Headed off to Bodega Bay in late afternoon, walked around Birdwalk at Bodega Bay.
• Headed back into Sonoma using back roads. We worked our way to Petaluma and the Buona Sera Cucina Italiana restaurant in downtown Petaluma.
• We headed back home after a delicious dinner.

Enjoying the fourth with a dinner at our house.  Guests include Ishmael, Carla, Tennessee, David, Naoko, Trudi, Ethel and Alex.

July 4, 2002

• We stayed home most of the day. Alex swam in the pool and tubbed in the hot tub this morning.
• We were slugs all day at home.
• Dinner included Carla, Ishmael, Tennessee, David, Naoko, and Trudi. Carla brought some soul food and a chicken dish. David and Naoko brought a salad. I cooked up some mixed grill.
• Everyone left quite late in the evening.

   
Naoko cooking dinner for us in her kitchen.  (We were told that David did help.  ;-) )
Alex enjoying a strawberry from David & Naoko's garden.

July 5, 2002

• Ethel and Alex stayed home with Caroline most of the day. I was actually doing some work.  Don't tell anyone I have a reputation to uphold..
• Ethel, Alex, and I headed to David and Naoko’s house for dinner. 
• David and Naoko cooked a terrific dinner served in a Japanese style. Caroline stayed home because she was getting sick.
• After dinner Ethel, Alex and I drove down the coast to spend the night at Caroline’s folks’ place.

Ethel & Alex working their way up the stairs at Nepenthe.	Enjoying the "Screaming Chicken" sculpture on the Nepenthe patio.	Enjoying the vista, finally, after the fog cleared somewhere north of San Simeon.

July 6, 2002

• We had breakfast at the Victorian Corner restaurant in Pacific Grove.
• We drove through Carmel to see the houses, and drove along the waterfront in Pacific Grove and Carmel.
• We proceeded down Route 1 towards Big Sur stopping along the way to see the sights. It was fairly foggy most of the way to Big Sur.
• We stopped in Point Lobos to see the cove area and walk around the park. It was very warm, clear and inviting. Ethel’s leg was acting up so we forewent the hike around the periphery of the park. We did get to see a Sea Otter in the whaling cove before we left.
• We stopped at Nepenthe for some drinks towards midday, but the fog was still too thick to see the sea from the Nepenthe patio.
• After Nepenthe we stopped in at the Hawthorne Gallery across the street from Nepenthe to see the original works of art. Lots of very nice items were on display.
• We continued on to see the next gallery down the line which was more ordinary and touristy.
• We continued down the coast looking for sunshine and vistas. We eventually got clear weather about 40-50 miles north of San Simeon and were able to see long vistas up and down the coast.
• Near San Simeon we were able to see sea lions sunning themselves on the beach.
• We returned to Pacific Grove via Route 46 and Route 101. It was much quicker but it was pretty hot. Thank goodness for the air conditioning since the thermometer said the outside temperature did reach 100 degrees for a while.
• We picked up some nosh foods and took them back to the house. We never did get around to lunch so we were ready to eat.
• After the nosh and some rest we decided to avoid the restaurant crush and ordered Chinese food, delivered to the door.
• We spent the evening lounging around the house and enjoying the memories of the day.

Alex making coffee under the careful tutelage of Ethel and Don.	Brunch on Don's porch in Carmel.	Ethel enjoying a Russian Imperial Stout in David & Naoko's backyard.

July 7, 2002

• We started the day by getting some fresh bagels and schmears and went over to Uncle Don’s house for a brunch.
• We brunched in the sunshine on Don’s back porch. There was a very entertaining scene where Don and Ethel are instructing Alex how to make the coffee in Don’s kitchen.
• We departed Don’s house and returned to the other house to finish the laundry and get our belongings.
• We headed north on Route 1 and were quickly inundated with fog. It was only sunny in Pacific Grove and Carmel.
• We headed for David and Naoko’s house to spend some time chatting with them before heading back home.

We finished the day with a nice dinner at a local Afghani restaurant.  We figured that would be a novel food to send them off with.  Then we drove them to the airport and sent them on their way.