Two Good Films

During my bout with COVID, I watched a couple of old films – well not that old, but not recent. And yes, I had seen them both before, but they once again were absorbing and a couple of scenes still choked me up. I didn’t plan it this way, but both dealt with very similar themes.

Dead Poets Society

A new English teacher, John Keating (played by the late Robin Williams), is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. With Keating’s help, students Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) and others learn to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams and seize the day.

Favorite quote: Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

Neil Perry’s performance as Puck in a school production of A Midsummer Nights Dream, is just magical and his fate afterwards is simply heartbreaking.

Mona Lisa Smile

Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students including Betty (Kirsten Dunst) and Joan (Julia Stiles) to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.

This is a female variant of Dead Poets Society and I found it lacking a little. Strangely, Julia Roberts is outshone by the acting of her students. But, again well worth re-watching.

Yes, folks I was sick and not up to much intellectual challenge, but if you come across either of them – even if you’ve seen them before – give them a try.

Fabulous Fjords

Sorry for the delay, are you ready to hear about our trip? If so, keep reading

If not – totally understand – skip this post. There will be books to tell you about over the next days.

We started with a few days in Edinburgh to acclimate to the time change before sailing. Had a lovely B&B run by a great couple who had lots of ideas and served the most incredible breakfast. It rained off and on but we went out anyway with no schedule or agenda – hopped on a bus and stumbled into old town, wandered around, discovered a hidden garden, and had tea in a little tea room.

Sorry we didn’t take many photos as the weather was so dreary. When it came time for our departure, we discovered our ship left from a dock just near where the Britannia is docked – so we dashed over and took a tour. The Britannia was the Queen’s favorite place to relax and many important events were held there. It felt very comfortable and relaxed. I would have been most happy guest – had I ever been invited aboard.

As we finished the tour of the Britannia, we got a good view of our ship ~~The Star Legend. It’s a smaller cruise ship carrying only 200 passengers. Note second photo is a publicity photo from Windstar ~~ as I wanted to show it’s a very pretty ship.

Here’s a map of our cruise itinerary. Such a wonderful trip, which went by all too swiftly.

I created a very amateur video with the photo highlights. Full disclosure, we are not very good at remembering to take photos – we tend to go exploring and forget all about taking pictures.

Photos range from our very nice ship’s cabin, to the tiny Norwegian towns, the amazing fjords, waterfalls – lots of waterfalls, a train trip up into the hills, and ends up in Copenhagen, where we spent our last night touring Tivoli Gardens, after the crowds had left, and with wonderful lights.

To play this very amateur video ~~ Click HERE

Fear not, we’re still barmy about books here. Between this trip and the recent bout with COVID, I have a stack of recent reads to tell you about. Be back soon.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

I know, it’s been a long while and I have lots to tell you…

There was a once in lifetime trip – involving this lovely ship

And beautiful fjords, in sometimes dicey weather

Full admission, I stole that photo from the internet and I am not up to going through all our photos right now….

Why, you may ask?

Two days after arriving home I came down with COVID – I successfully dodged it up until now…getting all and every vaccination and booster.

Then, this morning Husband came down with it too. We are very rarely sick at the same time, always one to take care of the other – not this time.

We are a pitiful sight – endless cups of tea, sounds of coughing from separate bedrooms, protecting our separate dishes, tissue boxes everywhere, and all the over the counter cough and pain relievers we could find from our medicine chest. However, as one dear friend pointed out, it’s good thing we didn’t come down with this while traveling ~~ always a silver living.

On the way home from picking up our Paxlovid* – we stopped at our favorite neighborhood restaurant and got enough varied Chinese dishes to last us three or four days. Why is it when you’re sick, Chinese seems the only cure?

Sorry to say, there will be an recovery interval before I am back to myself and eager to tell you all about everything. It was indeed a trip of a lifetime, and yes, there were books which I read on the trip and now during this illness.

But for right now, my only trip is to repair to my chambers with more tea, a book – and yet another nap.

In case you haven’t ascertained – I am a lousy sick person.

*while effective, turns out to be a wretched drug – giving a variety of unwelcome side effects and a constant horrid taste in your mouth.

A trip downtown

We don’t go downtown much anymore – since the pandemic and our own little neighborhood sprouting with good cafes, shops, bakeries and the farmer’s market on Sundays – there’s no reason. However, we updated some legal documents and needed to sign them in person at our lawyer’s office – you guessed it – downtown. So we dug out our transit cards and hopped on our public transport.

Husband had a great idea – lunch at Tadich Grill – a very special place, and located right on the cable car line – it’s the real San Francisco treat.

You see, Tadich’s opened in 1849, and is the oldest running restaurant in California.

Now, I know you folks on the East Coast and Europe undoubtedly have much older places, I’m thinking of Durgan Park in Boston and almost any pub in the UK – but for us this is a piece of history.

I used to work right across the street (see brown building to the right above) and many a time I would join co-workers and grab seats at the counter. And, if I remember, martinis were involved – it was the 80’s.

But this day Husband and I got a proper table, right in the window, with fresh starched table linen.

Many of the waiters have been there forever and they wear long starched aprons and range from fun to surly. All part of the experience.

Tadich’s has had never closed since their opening, but had to shut down during Covid for 55 weeks and, like so many other eating establishments, many of us feared it might not re-open.

I am happy to report it is back and bustling.

I never take photos of our food when out eating (we put phones away) but because this was the first time we’d been here since it was closed down, I decided to make an exception — everyone else was. Tadich’s is known for its seafood – so we both had fish – locally caught and very very good. I think it’s all in the butter sauces.

If you’re coming to San Francisco, this is a must – and happy to say — reservations recommended

Creative Book Sellers

I’d love to tell you about a book I’ve finished, but regretfully, I have none to share. It’s not that I’m not reading — I am! But I’ve got myself reading several books at the same time, so my book completion rate is nil.

I did wander into my local bookshop the other day, ducking out of the rain before meeting a friend for lunch. I didn’t buy anything (see my quandary above) but I did admire this very clever display for Valentines day.

It got me thinking about how creative booksellers have to be. Not only keeping displays fresh, but also coming up with events. Every week, my local bookshop hosts a children’s reading hour, a knitting night, open poetry readings, and of course, lots of author readings – lots of work to sell a book or two or three.

Kepler’s Bookstore once had a display called Blind Date with a Book which looked something like this:

I wonder how many customers actually buy books blind, I’m not sure I would, but it is a very creative idea.

There’s funny displays based on customer questions ~~

Scary and spooky Halloween reading recommendations:

And a great idea for around the holidays, a perfect gift for a reader on your list — a series of books, a book for each day of Hanukah or a book a day advent calendar.

Perhaps I’ll start planning my bookish gift list now.

But enough distraction, back to the pile of books I’m currently reading…

They’re all so different that I can read in and out of each without confusion…depending on my mood. But then again, I’m barmy.

Westlake Anniversary

While this was a major milestone anniversary — 45 years — we kept it low key as we’re celebrating this summer with a big trip, (more on that when it’s closer).

We went to Westlake, a quirky suburb just south of us, in Daly City.

We like to walk this neighborhood, admiring the unique mid-century homes…

Developed by Henry Doelger, Westlake is notable for its 1950’s architecture, created by a team of designers to encompass nearly every building in the development. While there are many unique homes like the ones above, the majority of homes are known for architectural blandness, exemplified by its endless rows of boxy houses, which were the inspiration for the folk song “Little Boxes” an anti-conformity anthem of the 1960’s.

You can see why ~~ here’s a photo (not mine) from the air.

There’s even a very cool book about the development.

Westlake is also home to one of our favorite restaurants ~~ Westlake Joe’s.

Opened since 1956, it went through an extensive renovation a few years back, which kept and enhanced the original style and mid-century feel.

It still has much of it’s original menu, known for steaks, classic Italian, and retro cocktails.

It seems most of the Bay Area flocks to Westlake Joe’s as reservations are almost impossible. So, we clean up, don our best duds and walk-in ~~ we’re never turned away.

Just take a look at the interior… classic bar, plush seating, even the old menu covers have been re-created.

The food is always great and yes, it’s expensive, what restaurant isn’t these days? For such a special occasion – we threw the budget out the window and enjoyed glasses of red wine, a nice perfectly cooked, small steak (me) and a huge plate of lasagna (Husband). We ended our meal with the best dessert I have ever eaten – really my absolute favorite. Warm butter cake – sigh.

So what does 45 years together feel like?

Well, it certainly doesn’t seem like 45 years ago we were this young and excited.

I’m laughing because Husband hurt his ring finger playing volleyball a few days before, and it was still sore. He winced and was in pain when I put his wedding ring on. Later, as we were formally posing for the photo above he said he hoped it wasn’t a warning.

Happy Anniversary to my cute Husband, partner, friend ~~ still making me laugh every day.