So how are you spending the last weekend of summer? I’ll be deadheading plants, doing laundry and generally catching up after yet another trip to Utah. Three family weddings (including Will’s) had me flying into the Beehive State once a month over the summer. On a clear day, the descent into Salt Lake City is [...]
Today the air smells like smoke and the sky is buzzing with helicopters. I suspect they’re monitoring the fires north of us that are burning out of control. I am watching them circle the Bay and thinking about the Oakland Hills Firestorm in 1991. We didn’t lose our home but close friends did and I [...]
When I was a kid the biggest event of the summer happened one town down the line on July 24th. Known as “Pioneer Day” or, more pragmatically, “The 24th,” this county-wide celebration commemorated the day that Brigham Young entered the Salt Lake Valley after leading his people across the plains. On that fateful July 24 [...]
You know how big events often dog pile in your calendar rather than lining up in an orderly fashion? That was my June. It all started with our daughter Sydney’s graduation from Harvard Law School. Harvard Law. Quite remarkable that. And then a week later her little brother Will’s graduation from MIT. Really, no [...]
Goodness gracious things have been busy around here. The wrapping up of the garden renovation, wedding and travel planning, some local travel writing for the San Francisco Chronicle and a few speaking opportunities have kept me on the go, go, go. I’d like to take a break and tell you all about it but that [...]
Let me introduce you to my new pink dogwood tree—isn’t she a beauty? She went into the back garden yesterday along with a bunch of climbing vines and two fruit trees–a Kieffer lime and a “Panache” fig (classy, huh?) I spent a few peaceful moments last night watering everything in, grateful to have some new [...]
It’s been a while since I shared any remodeling news. That’s because most of the interior work we wanted to do on the new house is done and we’ve been enjoying a respite from projects beyond the ongoing purging and organization of stuff. But an early spring is upon us and a wedding party is [...]
Happy Friday the 13th/Valentine’s Day/President’s Day weekend everyone! Wow, that’s quite the mashup. Not sure what image would really capture that — chocolate covered scorpions wielding teeny-tiny American flags? I’ll stick with sparkly sugar cookie hearts and share some other sweet things to savor when you get a moment. The romance of a pink sofa. [...]
Achew! Pardon me while I reach for another box of tissues. It’s been awhile since I’ve had the kind of cold that keeps me up all night and napping through the day, but this week a doozy of a virus reminded me why it’s decongestants and not diamonds that are a girl’s best friend. I [...]
Feeling redundant this week after being told that the Home & Garden section for the Bay Area News Group is going away. I suppose it was inevitable. Anyone reading (or writing for) newspapers has seen design coverage diminish drastically over the years so I won’t bore you with sad talk about How it Used to [...]
