the saga of a stand-by traveler

It's a real short story.  Yesterday I told you we were leaving on the 13th.  Today I'm telling you we're leaving on the 14th.  Who knows about tomorrow.

But no whining, please.  After all, it is FREE.

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Just a few words about the last couple of days.  We've been focussing our attention on getting out of here and into France.  New plans are to leave on the 13th to avoid overbooked flights.  So we go to Seattle Tuesday morning, out to Paris in the afternoon and arrive on Wednesday morning.  Look for lots of blog posts and Instagrams.  Daughter Caitlin joins us on the 20th for a week of high mischief. Can't wait!

But today, we had a different experience.  The father of one of our friends died two weeks ago.  He was a very charming, funny, low-key and FAMOUS member of the Viticulture and Enology faculty here at UCD.  We met him, his wife, his sons Steve and Stan at Stan's wonderful B&B, Casa de las Flores, the first time we went up to Tlaquepaque, MX.  Although we were much better acquainted with Stan after all our years of staying at his place, we wanted to attend today's memorial to pay our respects to his father.  It was a wonderful celebration of a life very well lived.  There were, of course, his viticulture colleagues who talked extensively of his many contributions to the science of oenology.  Then there were his neighbors who talked about his friendliness and generosity.  And his graduate students, many who have become professors and researchers and the owners and winemakers of well-known wineries, who spoke of his dedication to the science of wine-making and the breakthroughs he made to teaching and industry. Vern and his wife, Kay, were famous for their hospitality to one and all ~ new faculty, young researchers, graduate students, undergraduates.  This  wonderful "host" gift has been passed down to Stan who is a marvelous host at his lovely little spot.

What I took away from all of this was how rich and varied his life was.  And how beloved he was among all his colleagues, friends, family.

The memorial was followed by a gracious luncheon featuring, of course, wonderful food and wine.  Vern, it was a real honor to know you.  God speed, and I hope the fruit of the vine is as abundant and splendid where you end up as it has been here in California.

hammock time

Even though it's fall, it's still hot here in the valley.  Daisy (you remember, she's my next door dog friend who loves the pool) has figured out that relaxation is the best way to beat the September heat.

Meanwhile we are packing and getting everything ready to leave at a moment's notice.  Schedule departure date is September 14, but we may possibly go on the 11th, 12th, or 13th depending on the availability of seats (preferable Business Class).  Stand-by, you know.

down the drain

We've been planning this pool upgrade for three years when we first noticed the beginning of a crack down the side.  Well, this is the SUMMER OF THE POOL, and it has been quite an ordeal.  There were basically four phases to this re-mo.  1.  Redo the lighting in and around the pool and on the deck, including tree lights that had failed because the tree bark grew around them(!).  2.  Empty out and refurbish the raised planter beds.  3.  Restucco the outside walls of the pool and all the planters.  This time we used an acrylic stucco that, allegedly, won't crack and discolor.  And finally, 4; refinish the pool in fiberglass, which also won't crack and discolor and grow slimy stuff.  So far, we've completed 1, 2, and 3.  The fiberglassing will happen mid-October when we return from our trip.

To refresh your collective memories, here is a picture of the pool taken some years ago before the crack appeared and before the original stucco began to discolor badly.  (Alfonso swears this will not happen with the new covering!)

By the time we got around to doing the repairs things were looking quite seedy and unkempt.  The soil in the planters was pretty well depleted so not much was growing well.

Jorge arrived with his crew of delightful Chilean guys and made short work of the plants and shrubs, repaired the wall lights, installed new up-  and down-lights in the Birch trees and checked out the watering system for the new plantings (after fiberglass).  He installed all LED lighting which is hideously expensive but will last until Em and Andrew's children retire.

Next up was the aforementioned Alfonso, the stucco expert.  The first thing he did was to power wash all the concrete part of the patio and all the stucco around the sides, especially under the pool cap.  Here's how it looked afterwards.

Except for all the cracks that needed to be fixed, it looked pretty good.  But alas there were many spots that needed to be re-cemented before the stucco could be applied.

Next came the application of a colorless stucco to cover all the repairs.  But before he could go any further we had to empty the pool!  So Mr. C betook himself over to the rent-all and got a pump that would suck out 3,000 gallons of water an hour.  Our pool holds 12,000 gallons.  You do the math.

Through the 50' hose, up over a trash barrel to hold it steady, out through a cleverly rigged flexible tube and into the main water drain on our property.  Took about 5 hours from start to finish.  When the water was all out it really showed the extent of the crack and whatever it is that is growing around it.  Disgusting!

At the end of the day, here's my lovely pool sitting empty and forlorn, awaiting a facelift that will being it back to its former glory!

As of now, 3 out of 4 are done.  Don't worry about the water still in the bottom; we had a strange little leak problem but the ingenious Mr. C figured out how to stop it.  Some valve or other wouldn't seal.  But all the cracks in the stucco are gone, the joints have been sealed, the color is lovely, and all the tiles were saved.  Before the fiberglass gets installed the company will blast off the chemical crust that has formed near the tops of the blue tiles and it will all be good as new.  Then Jorge hauls in a load of new, fresh soil, plants that have been waiting patiently in pots will be returned to their home in the planters, it will all be splendid . . . and then we leave for Mexico.  Until then, it's going to look fabulous!

So that's what has been preoccupying me for the last two months.  In case you wondered . . .

the red shoes

My new red shoes arrived today!  I saw this make (Bernie Mev) in a local shop and thought they just might fit my very troublesome feet.  The styles I saw were not anything I could possibly wear ~ heels, slides, tall wedgies, etc.) so I checked out on line and found these little flat, slip-on beauties.  The reason I like them is they are a woven elastic so they sort of hug my foot.  They are ridiculously comfortable.

I think they'll look quite fetching on the Champs Elysee, don't you?  Oh, did I forget to mention we're off to Paris in two weeks for a month?  Par suite d'une omission!

seven long years gone

Your laughter and smile are as sweet and fresh as these flowers, even after seven years.  Miss you dear Vicky.

now hear/see this!

Magnificent.  Go.