Labor Day in San Diego

Last weekend I headed to San Diego for a quick visit.

The main goal of my trip was to get my grandmother on the internet. And, as impossible as it seems, I (think) I (may have) succeeded! This was a total team effort. Mike built (or, really, un-built) the computer for her. We gave her an apple laptop with a very small set of functions and targeted bookmark buttons. I wrote the documentation (complete with many, many screen captures) for the computer. And Mitchell and Polly ordered the internet service. Saturday morning, I hooked up the internet service, and voila!

Kind of blows your mind, no?

It's like a total adjustment, having internet in La Jolla. My grandmother wanted to know something about growing okra. So we looked that up. And then she wanted to know about geraniums. So we read about that. And then I showed her how to read foreign newspapers online. And, like, if you want to check if your flight is on time, you can just look it up. Same with the TV listings..... It's like discovering the ease of the internet all over again.

As an aside, I also ordered a new office chair for her to sit in. A chair that doesn't weigh ten tons and isn't hideously uncomfortable to sit in. Shocking, no?

Saturday night our friend Harriet hosted a little garden party. It was great to see old friends again. I also got to meet baby William for the first time. William is Emma's brother; they are the children of my friend Alex and his lovely wife, Kat. Here's William and Harriet:

William and Brooke:And Emma and Kat:And Emma and William:Aren't they adorable!

The rest of the weekend I just kind of hung out. Here's the view from the front deck:Here the chickens my grandmother's neighbor is keeping. Unfortunately, there's also a rooster in the bunch, which made for less than restful mornings.And here are some obligatory plant shots.