Attended my tobacco control activist friend Tehra’s housewarming. What a cool home in Vallejo from 1915 with a huge backyard with lots of features and amazing plants. She’s a cool lady (pictures with her thumb up in one of the pictures) and a great public speaker with a story to tell about Big Tobacco and its targeting of the LGBTQ population.
We had a slightly early Halloween party on Mare Island with friends from the Humane Society of the North Bay, so Ernie and Bert (which I accidentally called Bernie and Ert at one point) made another appearance.
Halloween costumes! Who was the genius who came up with this idea? Imagine a small tuft of hair at the top of my pointed yellow head. In hindsight, Shea should have had a rubber ducky. I couldn’t convince him to put on a red muppet nose (it would mess up his products I suspect), so I decided to forego an orange one.
Post-party stop at local gay bar:
Preparing for VGN at Greg and Steve’s house:
Bonnie and Snoopy were a hit at the pool. Bonnie, who generally does well in crowds anyway, as opposed to onesy-twosies, was well-behaved, thanks to some dog training we’ve had. She barely growled at anyone and I think she’s a big faker, because for the tiniest of treats, she loves to be petted. She let at least a half dozen people she never met pet her, to my shock, because each time I thought she’d smell them and back away to “protect” me. Perhaps we’ve made some real breakthroughs! Snoopy was so popular he was barely on the ground since he was being held so much. There were also two other small dogs there, Jordi and Toby.
Great turnout!
HSNB’s biggest gala of the year aligned with Oktoberfest.
Please visit and donate at Humane Society of the North Bay’s website. The Pawtoberfest Gala which was held in Benicia’s gorgeous Clocktower building. We had German caterers and Austro-Bavarian dancers, as you’ll see. We love being able to support our area’s homeless cats and dogs who cannot speak for themselves.
Pictures that other folks took:
We were honored to be included in Maus’ International Literacy Day Party. It was a fundraiser for a local literacy program and simultaneously in support of Vallejo’s own Alibi Bookstore. It’s always a treat to visit Maus House and you can always count on there being the most interesting people present.
Karen Finley, the blue-haired owner of Alibi Bookstore, wrote: “In honor of International Literacy Day, my sweet friend Maus von Trappe had a party/ fundraiser for the bookstore, which raised $300! We’re giving the funds to Another Chapter to buy books for kids who need them — and literacy. It’s a win win! They get books, we get to sell books, and I got to spend this beautiful, warm night with beautiful, warm people having conversations at Maus’s magical fairy house. I was in heaven, and it boosted my spirits like you wouldn’t believe. Sometimes the world just feels so icky and overwhelming, but then something like this happens, and reaffirms my faith in good humans. God, I love Vallejo. And Maus. I thank you, I thank you. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️”
I neglected to take a picture of the twenty or so neighbors there, mostly from Topsail here in Glen Cove, Vallejo, but we had a wonderful time with great food. Chef Shea made his Sashay Satay.
Had an amazing time at the Sister Cities International Dinner and Auction, which took place at the Filipino Community Center here in Vallejo. I helped Shea pick out this beautiful barong at Vallejo’s own Barong & Formal. The event was in recognition of Sister City La Spezia, Italy, where my cousin lives with his family. I got to speak a little Italian with the Italian dancers who performed, which I think they appreciated. There was a buffet from at least nine different cultures, as well as representatives from many parts of the world.
