Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings

My sister has been volunteering for about a year now. She makes lunches (sandwiches, drinks, a fruit, and some kind of treat i.e. chips and cookies) once a month for 25 people and she delivers these bags to a church here in Fremont. She did this early this month and found that the church stopped giving lunches to people and forgot to tell her.

Determined to give the prepared bags to some people who need them, she called shelters, and churches. She did find a group who was very grateful. It was a community church a few miles down the freeway. Needy families enjoyed the lunches she prepared.

The church coordinator asked her then if she would be willing to donate Easter dinner for 20 - 25 people. She said yes. So my sisters and I, two neices, and a nephew in law served dinner today to about 25 people. My sister had prepared two hams, scalloped potatoes, brocolli and cheese casserole, honeyed carrots, rolls, and green salad. For dessert apple pie ala mode and Easter cookies.

A good way to spend Easter.

I seldom go to concerts. But if I have an opportunity to listen to some jazz music, I am there. So, my sisters and I went to see David Sanborn at Yoshi's Jazz Club. It is one of my many extended birthday celebrations. Fun evening.

I live in a town / city where there is a high concentration of Afghani immigrants. We have a part of our town called "Little Kabul". Lucky us, we have the opportunity to enjoy the Afghani culture and its food... Yummm... So here is a little peek at one of the Afghani restaurants in my area... It is a small restaurant with some "take-off-your-shoes-and-sit-on- the- cushions- on- the- floor- sitting" as well as regular sitting. Being old, I opted for the table and chairs this time...

My daughter and I went out to Salang Pass Restaurant tonight. There was a review of this restaurant this weekend on the PBS TV Channel 9 station's Check Please Bay Area. The three foodies / program guests from the San Francisco area came all the way to Fremont to try out this restaurant... All three had good reviews of the food. I have dined here a few times before before but thought we'd try it again...

We started out with one of my favorites here - the Borani Kadoo. It is pumpkin sauteed in and seasoned with garlic and topped with a special yogurt sauce. The restaurant gives the diners some salad and naan (bread) to start with, so I had the naan with the Borani Kadoo... delicious!

We then had our entree... My daughter picked Quabili Pallow. It is described as baked brown basmati rice with seasonned lamb and topped with raisins and juilllene carrots.

Yesterday, Saturday, a neighbor celebrated her 90th birthday. We could not miss this event so my youngest son, my daughter, and I went to celebrate with Mama. (My married son and his family couldn't make it as he was with his wife's family celebrating an early Mothers' Day)

The celebrant is actually my neighbor's Mom yet we all call her Mama (even if she is not ours) :) We love her. Here is Mama's cake... can you imagine 90th???? Just awesome!

Here is the celebrant. Mama was active until about a month ago. She used to walk to the bus stop to go to church and attend mass. She insisted on taking the bus so as not to be a "burden" to anyone... No one thought that she was being that... but she insisted.

So one day, while walking to the bus stop she was hit by a car and ended up in the hospital. She was there for two weeks. Now she is back walking - with a cane this time. Her daughter insists that Mama not take the bus anymore. When she wants to go to church, she is driven there... Mama sort of agree with the new arrangement ...

Isn't she beautiful? She is so gentle and tender... as her entire family!!! I am so lucky to have them as friends and neighbors!!!

No foot fetish here... LOL.. just a "Wendy type" photo ...

Once a month I treat my daughter and we go for a mani-pedi session. We invited my daughter in law to join us in this pampering tradition. After this self-indulgence, we go out to lunch. It is a nice time to spend with my girls... and our feet / toes feel beautiful.

Maybe later we will graduate to include massages, etc... :)

Three of my colleagues called me up last minute and asked if I wanted to go wine tasting in the Livermore Valley. I have done these ages ago when the wineries were few and novel to the area. Some 15 years later, many wineries have cropped up and some produce wines tasting real good to my amateurish taste.

Here's our office staff, Sylvia and Georgia.

We started at Deer Ridge Vineyards. Tried and enjoyed some Viognier and various reds. The owner of the winery took us around his property which gave the tour a personal touch. He shared his plans with us on what he was going to do to make the place an event center. He even has a two-berdoom + place on the property that can be used by clients who want to stay close by during an event. This could make a nice little get-away too at $275 per night.

The group proceeded to Charles R Vineyards, a small family-owned and operated winery tucked away on some dirt road. Fun thing about these small places is that you get to meet the wine makers and enjoy their stories. The hometown atmosphere was so prevalent that we got to overhear soon-to-be exes discuss their divorce proceedings development. :)

Kathy (Teachick) had this idea of a GTG in SF while she was here for Yoga teachers' training. What a great idea! She even had this stronger vision of some decadent Ghiradelli ice cream sundaes along with this GTG... Yummm. Here is the mastermind of this great event wearing one of her beautiful SF designer indulgences ...

The evening became a "Progressive GTG" and I loved it. Marcia, David, and Kathy started out with some pre-GTG wine at the Wine Merchant at the Ferry building as I was getting off BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to meet my daughter, Tracey. We walked over from the Embarcadero BART station to the Fog City Diner. I am surprised that we did not see each other (Marcia, et al) walking along the Embarcadero. Maybe because we did cut across some parks... The ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) in me wanted to watch some birds at one of the parks but my daughter reminded me that we needed to move along to get to the restaurant at the appointed time...

So we got to Fog City Diner right on time. I noticed Marcia, David, and Kathy right behind us. Sharon was not far behind. The second phase (for M, D, and K) of the GTG began.

Today, the Staycation continues. We headed for the beach. Inspired by Barb Cabot's eloquently written post about beach memories, we headed for the beach today... towards Half Moon Bay.

It is nice to travel the usually busy Bay Area freeways in the middle of the day on Monday. There was no traffic so we made it to the beach in good time. We stopped at the San Gregorio beach where Izzy loved playing in the sand...

August 3, 2009 - Ok, I am really just at the airport for now.... HongKong airport.

Island 1 – Hongkong. We arrive at the Hongkong International Airport. We have a 9 hour layover. Yes, 9 hours! There is only a single flight direct to Cebu City from Hongkong and that is not leaving until 4 PM and it is only 7AM now. So Tracey and I wait. We checked with Cathay Pacific to find out about our flight. We have no gate assignment. Too early per the person at the check in counter. We wait.

We shop – window shop. I can’t afford to do any other kind of shopping. If I were a shopping addict, I would think I am at a buyer’s Disneyland. This can easily be one’s “Happiest Shopping Place on Earth”. Seriously, you can go to Chanel, Burberry, Tiffany, and pick yourself up a Prada all during a layover! I window shopped as I have to save my pennies for the Philippines. Besides, I am too beat from the 12 hour flight, judging from this photo.

Actually Tracey and I spent our money elsewhere. We decided to get a lunch at an airport restaurant called Wildfire. Tracey called my attention to the table setting. They had silverware but with a plastic knife place setting. They must worry about passengers taking butter knives on board and be a threat to society. Ok, works for us.

The food was awesome. We ordered a Duck Confit salad and a sampler appetizer. Everything was really good… well except for the smoked salmon which resembled raw to my simplistic taste. I passed on that. I loved the stacked grilled tomato and eggplant topped with mozzarella, basil, and tomato. I want to recreate this at home.

I wanted to blog regularly while on vacation but (vacation) fun gets in the way sometimes. :) So I am going to try to post some late entries. This one is 14 days overdue!

August 4, 2009 – The island of Cebu.

A few cousins were there to meet us. Good thing because I would not want to brave the streets of Cebu City and their daredevils called cab drives. We checked in at the local Marriott.

Upon arrival we went to dinner at a restaurant that featured Filipino food - Café Laguna. After a long flight it was great to see family and have my feet planted on Tierra firma and enjoy authentic Filipino food.

First full day in the island of Cebu… Visiting my 88 year-old Mom was the main agenda for this trip. Tracey and I went to see her on the first day. It is wonderful to see her healthy and looking happy. She seemed happy to see us too. She even asked about her other grandchildren, Shawn and Mike. She recognized Tracey. She is looking wonderful and she seems very content here.

August 5, 2009.

We are off to my hometown, Samboan, today. My Mom and her two caretakers are coming along. A van is picking us up from Marriott at 1:00 PM. The photo below is shown with my cousin, Fe - who lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and my god daughter, Bem (standing next to my daughter, Tracey).

I started the day by blogging, but I am WAY behind when it comes to posting the entries!!! And it is going to get worse... blogging wise that is. For the next five days, I am not sure what or if there is even any type of internet connection at this town destination. I am sure, however, that my daughter and I will have our fill of swimming, eating, and sunning. There will be lots of sunsets too... I will be parked near some beach. YEAH!

Let me back track. I arrived to some awesome welcome. There are four relatives / families who want to host our stay here. My cousins are asking that we stay with them… Tracey said we each can have our own individual hosts! We just might stay at one different place each night so we do not hurt anyone’s feelings. Could this be something like too much of a good thing?

There are some wonderful views everywhere,,, so whereever we are, it will be great.

We decided to stay at my cousin, Fe’s home. My Mom and her two caretakers are staying with a cousin next door. Talk about some wonderful bed and breakfasts! How did I become so LUCKY!

These and the wonderful sight to wake up to. Retirement calls.

Today we swam, ate, caught up on the town gossip… well not all… as I find out more each day what, who, when, why, and where.

And the sunsets are beatiful too!

Tracey waiting for the sun to set on our first day in Samboan.

Fe and I joined her at the beach-

So we stayed and watched the sun disappear into the horizon. Irresistible.

Perhaps I should not wait three or four years between visits.

I follow David Lebovitz's blog... read his website deligently ... own his cookbooks... not that I really cook... but did you know that cookbooks are good reads?

So David is in town. I decided I have to see / hear him. His first appearance (that I know of) was in Emeryville. I ordered tickets. I talked my daughter, Tracey, into going to one of his appearances. Since Tracey now lives in Emeryville - the venue, Charles Chocolates, was in her hood, I thought it would be a great idea if she went to meet David too. :)

So I went to Tracey's apartment on Wednesday night, hurried her along as I did not want to be late for David's apparition. :) David's talk was scheduled from 6-8PM. So we get to Charles Chocolates around 6:15 PM... 15 minutes late ... to find the parking lot to ourselves. We went to the front of the building to check things out... What? Did they shut the door for late arrivals? Now, I am going to be p&@$ed.... Afterall, I drove up the busy freeway and fought rush hour traffic to get here!

So I shook the door which turned out to be locked... chained ... locked... Shook it again... Shhh, do not tell anyone what happened after...

Anyway, I was a day early...DARN! So we went to dinner... will blog about that restaurant one day...

I was determined to see him, so I went back the next day - yesterday, Thursday. Success!

Upon arriving at Charles Chocolates on the RIGHT DAY, I spotted David eating Charles' SMORES...a $5+ block of graham cracker, chocolate bar and marshmallow square. David says one can make a dinner of it!

David talking about his "The Sweet Life in Paris"...So casual and cool.

After his talk, he signed books... including my ... Sweet Life.. and Perfect Scoop.

This is part of the crowd lined up to meet the man.

Would he think I am a stalker if I go see him in San Francisco on Monday? hmmm. I need a copy of The Sweet Life in Paris for Tracey... who incidentally want to temporarily relocate to Paris...