Summer connections in the West

We are winding up our time with family and friends in California, our first extended stay since arriving in Charlottesville in August 2008 (we've made some quick trips for funerals and graduations).

On Tuesday we saw my mother, Jean, again, and had a very pleasant visit. It is sunny and hot in Northern California. Here's a photo taken by her caregiver, Carla.

And to many of you, thanks for asking about her and keeping her in your prayers. She is doing much better than she was six months ago, and we are very pleased about that.

This past weekend, we took in a baseball game at our AAA League Sacramento River Cats, and friend scored us great tickets at field level behind home plate. Here's a photo of us at the game -- unfortunately, the Cats (the Oakland A's farm team) lost to the Colorado Sky Sox (the farm team for Chicago White Sox).

And, a little walking around Berkeley always pays off with wonders. Here's Lori outside a store that sells soap on 4th Street; and the gardens of Berkeley are exploding in color right now -- my hometown is truly one of the most beautiful spots on earth.

Finally, here's a photo from the Sacramento Farmer's Market showing a vendor selling giant cucumbers from the planet Mars.

See you soon, love to all,

Jim & Lori

Tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados, sand dabs and other delights of summer

We took lunch to my mother today after first grazing the Berkeley Bowl, an independent grocery which must have the largest produce section in the western world.

We picked out choice avocados, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, fava beans and mushrooms. Then we moved onto the fish counter and selected a few sand dabs, a Pacific Coast family favorite for generations.

We then drove to my mother's house and Lori prepared an amazing meal. My job was to cut the tomatoes and debone the 'dabs. And thanks to one and all for asking about my mom -- she is doing much better these days and walking much better.

Technically speaking, we were at the new Berkeley Bowl. The old one is still around, a feast for the senses in its own right. The new one, further west of Ashby, is big, clean and has a produce section at least as big as the old Berkeley Bowl. We are truly blessed to have so much fresh food and the farmers who grow it here in California.

Here are a few photos I took at the Berkeley Bowl. And if this is making you hungry, check out Lori's food blog by clicking: Lori K's Cafe.

Cheers!