Rosalee & Friends

Warning: there will be an overwhelming number of cute, chubby baby pictures in this post.

Just before Halloween, Brittany and I flew from SF and Amanda from NY to visit the Brookshires in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  What did we do while there?  I can barely tell you!  Bath time was a huge event.  There was a pumpkin patch.  Mostly we just had morning snuggles, took Ruby the dog for many walks with baby Rosalee in tow, and rolled around on the floor chasing giggles.  And what more could you want?

Lesbian adoption stock photo?

I brought Rosalee these jingly unicorn socks, and predictably she was most interested in the crinkly tissue paper!

Peek-a-boo!

A rare shot of Ruby in her natural habitat

One night we went out for Indian, and it was surprisingly warm enough to sit outside.  Here's our only all-girl shot of the trip (it's unfortunate we don't look happy at all):

I think we were giddy the entire weekend-

just look at that little spark of joy!

Having dear friends live on the other side of the country can be so difficult.  But the weekend reunions are so frenetically filled with love and joy and continuity of friendship that I think the quality time might be even better than if we were to live close by. 

Lesbian couple stock photo, the remix

#adulteress

A big topic over the weekend was how UC San Diego, our alma mater, had just been recognized by Money Magazine as their pick for 2018's second best college in the nation, public or private.  We jokingly ribbed ourselves, saying we'd never be able to get in again if we had to apply now!  And then, as if from a deep need to fulfill a prophecy, throughout the weekend we each accidentally offered proof of how that might actually be true.  Kristen had captioned a picture with something about us wearing "scarfs" and during Scattergories I wasn't the only one to play an entire round on the wrong letter.  (This game also inevitably sparks heated lawyer-esque defenses, such as when Amanda tried to put "patterns" as her answer to "items above the waist" and we refused to accept it, or when Brittany prefaced one answer with a defense even though none of us ended up having an issue with it.)

Saturday night, we took mom out!  We went to a couple bars downtown and just chatted.  The funniest part of the evening was when Amanda noticed a bar's live music sign featuring a band she said was called "Vampires & Werewoofs."

"How funny that they made it werewoofs instead of werewolves," I said.  "It was actually werewoofs?"

And then Amanda assured me that yes, it was like the fictional animal, "the werewoof."

"No, Amanda.  The animal is a werewolf.  Did the sign say werewolf or werewoof?"

"It's the same thing.  The 'l' is silent."

We doubled over in laughter.  Another reason we could never get into UCSD today!

Soon we were back with Rosalee!  When the belly would come out (and sometimes it would basically burst itself out) we'd all go a little crazy.  It was time for raspberries.  The nickname Rollsalee was lovingly bestowed, but don't worry, her dad's set an expiration date on it. 

 

 Check out that irresistible baby fat!

 

 How many adults does it take to bathe a baby?

Also, please note the hilarious modesty octopus above.

Rollsalee!

 Stylin' for the patch.

Everyone had to wear plaid, as it turned out.

I mean, c'mon.

Our little one-sock feminist!

Try not to laugh.

#bluesteel on the tractor ride!

Yes we bought them.  No we didn't carve them.

#roadtohell

 Behind the scenes

I'm telling you.  With this group, even changing time offered gratifying, cherished, photo-worthy moments of baby bonding!

 

The finished product!

Does she remind anyone else of David S. Pumpkins in this getup? 

Rosalee was so peaceful our entire trip, rarely crying, amiably going along with our plans, humoring all efforts at entertaining her.  Simply letting a stuffed pumpkin drop on her belly would garner squeals.  One morning while Kristen was making pancakes we bumped Beyonce on the speakers and I turned a stretch of Manda's into Rosalee's new favorite dance.  Later, I was exceedingly excited when my efforts at teaching her to make bubbles, or blow raspberries, with her lips turned out successful.  She would watch me and giggle, then screw up her face with the utmost concentration before surprising us all by parroting the act multiple times over!

 

On our last walk through the neighborhood, we got to see the elementary school she'll attend a few years from now, and push her in the swing!

Rosalee's first swing!

With an early flight our last day, I knew goodnight with Rosalee was really goodbye for that trip!  Babies are such a startling measure of time.  Knowing we'd never see her again anywhere close to this age, not even knowing when we'd see her again, I went to sleep that last night feeling her phantom legs kick against me, her doughy hands grasping my cheeks.  I'm so grateful we all managed to align in the same place that weekend to enjoy her and each other.  That quality time with loved ones is what it's all about.  Thank you, Brookshires, for a heart-warming weekend!  

I'll leave you all with the last stanza from a non-ironic poem Amanda wrote us roommates at the end of freshman year that I think sums it up: 

 I'm so proud to be a part of your life,

So blessed you're part of mine.

Suite one-oh-eight, more than suitemates - 

Friends...

friends for life.

Letizia Finally Returns to California

Letizia and I met as roommates during a short summer in Siena; two months there being the longest we've ever lived in the same town.  For years, we've reunited all over Europe: Florence, Pisa, London, Paris.  And this year was the greatest of all, because we got not only to see each other in Europe (adding Belgium to our list of geographies enjoyed together) but in the states, twice!  We shivered together for my birthday and New Years in NYC, and just last month she was on the west coast for work, living the dream!

It was such a pleasure to finally get to host her for once (as she's done for me in at least five different houses over the years), and our first night together my parents joined us for buddha bowls at my house.  They hadn't seen her in six years-the last time she was in California and spent two weeks with us.  It made my heart so full to have us all together in my home.

Look at this beautiful ceramic cup she made me!

Another evening during the work part of her trip, we met up for tacos at one of my favorite restaurants in the city: Loló.  We didn't talk nearly as much as usual that night; the food was too good.

Then she disappeared for a week to continue her project in Los Angeles before returning back to SF for three days off work together.  We kicked things off with a drive down Highway 1 towards Pigeon Point, stopping for a walk along the stretch that was formerly the highway, stuffing ourselves with seafood at Sam's Chowder House, and doing our usual sing-alongs on the ride. 

 

 We saw whales!

 

 

Pescadero is such a sweet little town and there's a surprising amount with which to entertain oneself-a garden, a tasting room, a pottery shop, an eclectic hipster coffee shop that anywhere else would seem to be trying too hard but is so out of place there that it works, and a great local market whose crowning glory is artichoke bread. 

 

We stocked up on delicious treats from the market, like Harley Farms goat cheese and illicit wine to bring back to the lighthouse.

And then we were there, at my happy place.  Which was soon to become Letizia's, too.  (All the gorgeous black and white or sepia-toned longer shots are by Leti, taken on her analog camera).

 

 

 

 

The lighthouse at Pigeon Point is also a hostel.  There are no frills, but so many charming amenities like a fire pit, a hot tub on the cliffs, and linens you get to put on the bed yourself!  Let's call it glamping. 

 

Chatting with hostelman Michael, who is basically 

a matured hippie skater boy sloth.  Think exactly THIS.

And yes, I was just like the bunny.

Not a camera trick, but real life: 

half the world looked black and white!

The biggest selling point of the Pigeon Point hostel is that you can pay a little extra at check-in to reserve the hot tub all to yourself.  I always get there right at check-in so I can get the exact time I want: sunset.  

 #fashion

 

We did a lot of contemplative ocean-staring while sharing one secret tumbler of wine and noming on Pirate's Booty.

You only get half an hour, which is actually fine because the water's so hot we felt like the boiled lobsters we'd eaten for lunch after half that time.  Next: feast!

Basically we would just rotate from one absolutely beautiful, pleasurable, relaxing activity to the next.  We rounded out the night with tea and pumpkin cake in front of the fire we had proudly built ourselves. 

Breakfast in a thousand words:

The only weird thing of the trip was this: while I was packing up the next morning about to check out of my room, a woman knocked on the door and asked if she could use our bathroom.  Since it's a hostel and everything's pretty free and open and I was on my way out anyway, I let her pass.  But then I remembered there's a common bathroom right in the hall!  And it was unoccupied!  What a weirdo.  A short time later, I saw her in the hostel's staff room and she thanked me again and said, "I just really like that bathroom."  Who does that?! 

After bidding adieu to the lighthouse, we headed on to Pie Ranch for strawberries.  Just kidding, it was for pie!  But the strawberries were on point, too.

Wanting Letizia to experience the full extent of American fall, we stopped by a Half Moon Bay pumpkin patch.

This lady gave us a pumpkin discount after I taught her 

how to take a screenshot on her phone.  She correctly

stereotyped me as capable after learning I live in San Francisco.

 Back in the city, we met up with Brittany and Gio for drinks and a creole dinner.

 
 When Letizia's around, I'm always her subject!

On our last day together, we spent it exploring a couple neighborhoods in the city.  What a rare joy to wander San Francisco on a weekday, and sharing it with her felt like I was seeing it all for the first time.  We started in the Haight (primarily shopping for weird socks and Grateful Dead tees), wandered to Divis for a BBQ lunch, said hello to the Painted Ladies in Alamo Square, and finally stopped on Valencia to visit Tartine.

Letizia, come sempre, vedo il mondo sotto un luce più brilliante quando sono con te.  Torna presto, cara mia, perché c'è ancora tantissimo da fare tra di noi qui.