History

Hi,

The weekend weather in Palo Alto was perfect.  We carried sweaters but rarely put them on, enjoying the mild temperatures.  In the back of my mind I was thinking:  ‘Wait ’til you get home, where it’s so hot.'

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “Anyone Who Had A Heart” by Dionne Warwick.  The singer of this ‘Easy Monday’ song had many mellow hits:  “(intro) He’s laughing with another girl and playing with another heart, placing high stakes, making hearts ache.  He’s loved in seven languages.  Jukebox life, diamond nights and ruby lights, high in the sky.  Heaven help him, when he falls… Diamond life, lover boy, he moves in space with minimum waste and maximum joy.  City lights, business nights when you require streetcar desire for higher heights.  No place for beginners or sensitive hearts.  When sentiment is left to chance.  No place to be ending, but somewhere to start.  No need to ask, he’s a __ __, __ __, __ __, __ __.”  Hint:  Oh, this is just so easy.  

Friday morning we flew to San Jose, got our car and drove to San Leandro for lunch with Cousin Trudye and our long-time friend Skip.  This was our first Oakland Cousins Lunch without Eunice.  We held it together and had a really good visit.  Trudye called Cousin Wendy in L.A. and we all sang Happy Birthday to her, which surprised her.

We drove down to Palo Alto, got settled in our motel and met with Lisa’s dad Joe, her brother Dan, and his son Ryland for a little reunion dinner at Trellis Restaurant.   It was also the site of Saturday’s birthday party for Joe.

We hadn’t seen Ryland since 2008 when we visited New Zealand, where they live.  He is currently doing research at Notre Dame in the field of crystallography (organic chemistry).  Heavy stuff over dinner (555).

Saturday was the big day, Joe’s 95th Birthday celebration.  When we arrived at Trellis, we were taken to the downstairs dining room to be interviewed for a documentary that is being filmed about Joe’s life.  After that we went to the rooftop dining area where there were tables set up under umbrellas.  There were about 60 guests consisting of family and friends.  Joe has a big family and an even bigger extended family.  There were former students who studied art with Joe and went on to become noted artists, as well as people from his everyday life.  After lunch there were lots of tributes to Joe and some very moving moments where we got to hear how this very special man has nurtured so many.  There was also a group of Valley and New Hampshire Cousins.  The whole thing was a little over three hours.  A lot of the guests, like us, had heard of many of the guests but never met them.  It was a day to remember.  After it was over, we hung out with the Cousins at their hotel.   

I can’t remember how many times we drove up and down El Camino Real, the main highway in Palo Alto, but it was a bunch.  It was our big connector with everywhere we went.  Sunday morning we met with Joe, Dan and Ryland at Joe’s favorite breakfast spot and I think a few of us over ate (5).  The place is called Stacks, as in pancakes and I sampled the blueberry.  Yum.  We then went to Joe’s house for come collective work on his computer, setting up a fan and getting him started on a Kindle that someone gave him.  It was a very cool day.  Lisa and I got to go into the studio with Joe and see his latest creations.  He and Lisa discussed some technical stuff and we took the traditional photos.  Today was a good day.

Here are two photos from Joe’s birthday.  The first is a partial view of the setting, and the second is Joe and Lisa listening to guests speaking about Joe.

Have a Great Week.

                     Peace,

                               Danny

"People are trapped in history

and history is trapped in them."

~James Baldwin