July 5: dinner with family

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Since we had been up till 1:00 a.m. this morning, we slept in till about 8:00 a.m., and then had breakfast, after which we did some loads of clothes, cleaned up the apartment, read, and prepared a family dinner we had planned with Randy, Shu, Irei, Isaac, and Isabelle for this evening.  In the afternoon we spent a breezy time walking around part of San Francisco Bay, then returned home for reading and final preparations for dinner, which included sliders with boneless pork shoulder, cole slaw, stir-fried kale and bacon (Randy's contribution), and potatoes and sweet potatoes which had been cut up, sprinkled with olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Maureen gave all the grandchildren socks, which they seemed to enjoy.  Then all of us went next door to Randy and Shu's apartment to see the newest Star Wars movie, "The Force Awakens" on their 42-inch TV, which was excellent.  However, I was appalled that Han Solo was killed in this episode, but equally gratified that Luke Skywalker was finally located at the end of the episode.  I immediately recognized where the last scene was shot--on Skellig Michael, off the west coast of Ireland, a place I had climbed and the site of the beehive huts of a defunct 7th c. monastery!  

We have left Randy and Shu's and are planning to go to SFMOMA tomorrow and have dinner with friend Lizz in the evening.  Good, restful day today!  Always the case here.  As ever, SV

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas