Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
Sure, it's dry heat, but days and days of triple-digit highs is wearing. For Labor Day weekend, we opted for a trip to Monte Sereno and the Rahimi Resort, even if resort management and staff were headed off to the Sierras. We drove out of the baking San Joaquin Valley on Thursday afternoon, after required physical therapy and eye exams. The three-hour drive was well before the holiday traffic, thank goodness, and weather in the South Bay was indeed reasonable.
Friday morning started with tradition: Hungarian crepes for Ava and Sam. From there it was off to school for the grandkids, but not before a family photo. These kids are both getting bigger faster than we would prefer, but what can you do? After delivering the middle students to school, Gabby came back and packed the supply truck for her five-hour drive up to Tahoe. She had just the two dogs for company since the kids were flying with friends after school. Flying, really. Avoids Labor Day getaway traffic.
So, we settled into a quiet long-weekend. We didn't have much on the calendar, just staying cool. Writing this note four days later, I can't remember doing much of anything. Our new dietary discipline ruled out interesting dining and most friends were off on their own holiday activities. I occupied myself with the same things I do at home: reading, screen-watching, and a little walking. Marianne did her regular too: screens, program-approved cooking, and some time with friends.
Adrienne joined us for Friday Zoom games, but our Maryland team was a no-show, leaving us more time for chit chat with Colorado. Adrienne was a good addition to chit chat. She expanded the conversation and we learned even more about Jen's new job in a Longmont school. That job involves pre- and after-class programs for kindergartners, what Jen called "herding cats". Good luck with that one!
Saturday was more of the same: quiet, mostly. The highlight was a visit to Mamal's mom Zohreh. Having turned down the fruit and sweets she had prepared, we drank tea and enjoyed pleasant patio weather. It had been awhile since we we had talked with her and it was good to catch up. As happens with our age cohort, much of the catching-up involved doctors and diagnoses, but things have apparently settled enough to also add in discussion of future plans for travel. Her travel to Iran sounds more challenging than ours to Idaho!
Sunday was another quiet day. The Rahimi Resort without management, staff, and guard dogs was way too quiet, I'm afraid. We missed the chaos. We did take the time to go to downtown San Jose to check out the urban neighborhood we had moved from 24 years ago. At first blush, it seemed very different, but on closer examination, it remains an urban improvement project not quite reaching goals. It's just as well that we left downtown for Ukraine all those years ago.
Interestingly, the only picture from the downtown trip came via YouTube. Jon, from Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley, did a test of "full self driving" at the same time we were doing our own drive. He even passed by our old condominium. His drive=our drive. Small world. Later, I checked out another FSD tester's local drive. This time it was a nighttime drive down San Francisco's Lombard Street, a twisty path the car did without human intervention. Pretty amazing.
The balance of our weekend continued quietly. My photography was limited to a flower or two on a small Sunday-evening walk and a sunrise or two. This was just enough to keep up with muscle memory. The hope is that travel in late September will need REAL photography. We'll see.
On Monday, go-home day, I started the home air conditioner at 3:30am, with house temperature at 90F. By the time we were home, it was still 81F and higher upstairs. The heat had truly soaked the place.
The yard thermometer "was off-scale high." (It was in the partial sun. Later, in the shade, it cooled off to 213F.) To make things harder, it was a "PG&E Smart Day", one where we basically have to disconnect the cooling between 4 and 9 pm.
The forecast was for a week of this stuff, and that's what happened. Days settled into a pattern of morning activity, afternoon hunkering down inside behind closed curtains, finding some sort of escape from 7 to 9pm, and getting to sleep on a very warm bed 10 or later. After a few days of this, we were ready for a break, but that's another story.
News of the week, other than heat: not much. We had a Tuesday video conference with Dr. Box, our favorite oncologist. (Better to not even need to know an oncologist, but ...) Last week, after sudden bouts of headaches, Marianne had her head examined (MRI) and a small "thing" was discovered. Of course, we worried about the elephant, but Doctor Box assured us that it was just a cyst, outside her brain. Care will be shifted from oncology to other specialists, but a fix is assured. Stay tuned.
Otherwise, we continue our normal activities, although Marianne's art studio quickly heats up beyond the range of her room coolers. Our electric bill rose to $612 and will likely be even higher next time, but we are thankful for whatever cooling we can have. I started a new puzzle, purchased in an evening escape to cool off at Barnes and Noble. This is a benefit not available with online shopping.
My war-watching was a bit more encouraging, with Ukraine starting a slow reclamation of territory. It's still hard to imagine how this conflict will end, but end it must. All wars end and, with winter coming, this one will wear down to a stop in a month or two. Any chance it will be more than temporary? Stay tuned.
Thursday afternoon we head down to Monte Sereno again, escaping the last of this climate-changed summer heat wave. Stay tuned for that one too.
John and Marianne