Our friends Greg and Steve joined us for a trip to the art lofts in Benicia. I had never really wandered around there, nor did I know how cavernous the studios were. I also was very impressed the the gardens on the ground and some of the military (?) architecture even as it begins to look neglected.
Shando’s selfies:
Glen Cove Waterfront Park on May 4 – I took Polar and probably Monte (who is not pictured here). It was overcast but beautiful. I like to take a few of the dogs even when I run errands so they get the stimulation of a drive and the smells from the window, especially when it’s cool like today. Sometimes I’ll take a detour on the way home so they get some coastal time in.
Backyard and beard growth:
So cute!
We took our four most ambulatory dogs on a hike on Mare Island.
Previous to the hike we went to the art exhibit on Pintado Street which included very cool work from our friend Manny Furtado, who lives on Mare Island.
We happened to be there right after they had “wreathed” the military cemetery that is along the hike.
It could happen! Once in a while, I can proudly land a perfect one. I row with the Solano Rowing Club on a whaleboat most weekends. Maybe you had to be there, but while we were putting the boat away for storage today our coxswain Alison said, “next time we’ll work on ab holds”
I retorted, “What did you call me!?”
An original quote from yours truly is that “laughter is the best revenge against death,” by which I mean we can laugh and that alone makes life worth living. On another macabre note, I always wished I could sleep less when one thinks that a 75-year-old person has slept away 25 years of his or her life. I’ll never forget the chill I get when I heard the antagonist in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea claim “sleep is just a slice of death.”
Now for a segue.
We recently lost the goddess of candy pants, Judy Tenuta, to fucking ovarian cancer at the age of 73 (the same age my mother was when she died of fucking ovarian cancer in 2016). I saw Judy live in New York City years ago to my glee. Riding the subway home I had to hold on to my companion because I thought I’d fall on the subway tracks I was such jelly from recalling her jokes. I’ve always gravitated toward funny women, which partly explains my Streisand fandom, but Judy’s wit will be so uniquely missed. I went out and ordered her books and whatever else I could find on her but I always searched for her online to see what she was up to. I recently read her first book on the plane to Hawaii and quickly started using her quips with my husband on vacation. I still believe Judy was very underrated.
Fortunately, Judy was sometimes on the Stephanie Miller Show to talk about not just politics in her special way, but also her attempt to KICK CANCER’S ASS. I do listen to Stephanie Miller every morning on FreeSpeechTV and encourage everyone to join in. Stephanie spoke at Judy’s celebration of life recently. Through the last several years of SCOTUS packing and general mayhem in American federal politics, comedy like Stephanie’s and Judy’s has kept me sane.
“Is anybody hearing this? I feel like I’m taking CRAZY pills!” — Will Farrell
This was just in front of our house.
I’ve been rowing with others in a whaleboat most weekends with Solano Rowing Club, but my friend Nancy recently inspired me to try to get back into kayaking, which there is a great club in Vallejo that facilitates that. In Dan Foley Park we kayaked adjacent to Six Flags Park and got to see giraffes eating on the side of the lake! Who knew!? There are roller coasters and other things to see from the lake, but the hills and the park are wonderful as well. What a cool place! We hope to do this regularly. Dan Foley is such a beautiful place. We’ll be back for more.
Speaking of rowing in a whaleboat, periodically the boat needs to be brought back and forth between my neighborhood in Vallejo (Glen Cove) to Benicia. During one of those trips, I had to take a picture of these geese on top of this house right by the water. I hope the residents of this house don’t have to suffer from this kind of goose attack that often, but it would be worth it for the views they have!
Sometimes nature surprises me. I’ve had some of these cacti for years, many of which I got from my mom’s house after she died of cancer a few months after her house was destroyed by fire (in an unrelated incident). This one just took my breath away, and like so many amazing things in nature, it only lasted a day or two.
