72 Hours in San Mateo

In between the first and second half of our sabbatical, we made a quick pit stop in San Mateo. Our goal — wash clothes, see friends, and celebrate Maya’s 24th birthday. Mission accomplished on all fronts.

We arrived on Thursday and I made Arie take his suitcase directly to the garage where he sorted his clothes and we got the wash started. After running some errands, we had an “all-girls” outing to see Wrinkle in Time, one of Maya’s favorite books which just opened as a movie. The company was great — Maya, Francesca, Maria, Martha, Leslie and Hannah. The movie — meh.

Friday was Maya’s birthday, so Arie and I took her to Octavia for dinner. We were joined by our newly-adopted daughter, Hannah Strauss. The food was yummy, and (as always) I enjoyed the treats that we were given on account of Maya’s status as pastry chef at Manresa Bread. But, my favorite part of the evening was the huge smiles on Maya and Hannah’s faces. What fun.

Saturday I got to go on a 5 mile walk with my pals, have lunch with Auntie Shirley, and see Black Panther with Jay and Martha. (Now, that was a good movie). After having pizza with friends, we left for the airport and part 2 of our sabbatical — Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, here we come.Read more