Dear Family, Friends, and Diary,
We had a definite plan for a quiet week: hang at the Rahimi home, avoid the heavy rains promised for Northern California, day trips to Half Moon Bay and, maybe, San Francisco on the dry days. Plenty of Netflix, YouTube, reading, and a puzzle or two at home and museums, galleries, shops, and new restaurants out. A good easy plan, just right for retirees.
On Monday, we started with a trip to the 49ers Levi's Stadium in nearby Santa Clara. We needed to exchange Ruben's Christmas jersey for a more generous size and going straight to the Team Store seemed like a good idea. It was. We found the XXL jersey for Ruben and a hat for me. My bald head can never have too many covers.
The stadium grounds were empty, but it was easy to imagine thousands thronging through these now-quiet passages. Right in front, we found memorial bricks that Ava and Sam's Uncle Ali bought for them and his two boys, Reef and Ryder. Thanks!
Not far away, we added one more mission to our quest to see them all. First built in 1777, the Santa Clara de Assisi Mission was the eighth of the California missions. The current building was built in 1825, but burned 100 years later. It took ten years to rebuild in the original style.
One side altar held "certified" relics from Saint Junipero Serra, the founder of many of the California missions and the namesake of my High School. Shortly after he gained the glory of becoming a saint, Father Serra's reputation collapsed. Researchers developed a better understanding of the church treatment of the native population and as a result most monuments to the 18th Century missionary have been quietly removed. Today, all that remains of the burial grounds for thousands of natives is a plaque and a rose garden.
After our tourist stop, it was time for lunch. We first picked Pacific Catch, but the fish restaurant proved too popular and, for us, too crowded. Covid still affects our comfort in crowds. We settled for a Mediterranean place back in Los Gatos, still full but seemingly better ventilated. I wonder when we will go back to our old normal.
Back at the Rahimi B&B, we settled into Netflix, reading, etc. I started a puzzle, a gift from the Maryland kids. Following the rules of this particular puzzle, I worked without a picture of the finished product. Not easy.
Part way through our quiet evening, we got evicted. Mamal's family had a medical situation that required him to come home. His mom will need his care at the Rahimi B&B, so we will head home earlier than planned. That's what happens with plans.
I'm not sure what more this diary will include as the week passes. (Nothing, as it turned out.)
John and Marianne