Vacation

Hey, Tattler fans--

Sorry there's been a long silence. Here's your virtual postcard from sunny Chico, California, where it is unseasonably cold, like below 90 degrees. Chico is the third leg of my two-week California vacation.

First stop was Burlingame, California, south of San Francisco, for a day and a half with my dear friends the BGs (you know who you are). We saw harp seals, anemones and starfish in coastal tidepools near Pacifica, had a fabulous lunch at Herbivore in the Mission, and stayed up late commiserating over the state of the world.

Next stop, Davis, where my sister and her husband received graduate degrees from the university: a master's in linguistics and a doctorate in ecology, respectively. They gave a joint speech at graduation that managed to be honest, thoughtful and funny all at the same time. Bravo! A group of nine family and friends took the ferry to San Francisco the next day. We got off the boat, found a restaurant, sat in the sun (it was warm and sunny by the bay, really!), ate inordinate amounts of crab, shrimp, lobster and oysters (especially oysters!), then got back on the boat and went home.

Now I'm in the final leg visiting friends who profess at CalState Chico. We've picnicked and biked in Bidwell Park and we'll be dining and sampling at the Sierra Nevada Brewery tonight.

All this is a welcome break from the usual tales that have filled this blog, but look for more news from the 'hood next week!