Birthday brunch

Birthday kids posing in front of Fletcher Cove Community Center

I was inspired last year when my sister had her own blowout party for a certain significant birthday.  And since Steven and I both had a significant birthday this June, I thought why not have a big party?  I'd also had a hankering for years to do something at the Fletcher Cove Community Center in Solana Beach. This 1100 square foot building was a former military barrack.  It sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean and was completely renovated a few years back.

Brunch time.

 We had bagels and knishes and blintzes and Toll House chocolate chip cookies. The requisite birthday slideshow played silently in the background.

Friends enjoying the view of the Pacific from the bluff.

Hmmm.. could that be my sister Cindy?  Better check out the name tag.

If you didn't want to look at the ocean, you could paint beach rocks, play lawn games (Flickn Chicken anyone?), enjoy an old timey soda, or play a guessing game (people, places, events of 1964). And my family came down from Washington state. Everyone was able to relax and enjoy the day.  It passed too quickly.

Samuel and Grandpa Sherman paint beach rocks.

And last, but not least, we had cake, graciously provided by Sherman and Marlene.  It was a chocolate vanilla creme concoction from the locally famous VG Donut and Bakery shop.  Steven's parents had to wait in a line that snaked around the corner to order it.   All our tastebuds appreciated the effort.   

Graduations day

It was Friday the 13th and it was graduation day, or more precisely, graduations day. 

Big brother congratulates Samuel 

In the morning, Samuel graduated from Earl Warren Middle School.  It was "bring your own lawn chair" casual, with some great singing by three teens.  If I had closed my eyes, I wouldn't have known 14 year olds were singing.  They were that good.  I will miss this middle school.  The only word to describe this school is "chill." Every time I arrived on campus I began to relax.  Was it the sea breeze?  Was it because everybody looked like they had just returned from the beach?  Was it the tired but homey 1954 architecture? Whatever it was, I will miss the vibe.  After an hour of effortless ceremony, we packed up our lawn chairs and left to get ready for the big graduation ceremony.  

Benjamin points toward the future for his grandparents.

Benjamin, after some serious senioritis (and consequent nagging from his parents to make up that Statistics test, already!), donned a cap and gown and marched out with his nearly 700 other classmates at Torrey Pines High School at 4 p.m. on June 13, 2014. Amazingly, all 600+ senior names were read out loud. Three enthusiastic readers team- tagged the names, reading each name in turn with real excitement.  My hats off to those thespians.  Even more cleverly, the names were NOT read in alphabetical order.  That way the ginormous crowd in the football stadium was forced to pay attention until the very end.  I call that good planning.  And then it was done.  The seniors all moved their tassles to the other side of their caps and let out a big whoop.  After a meet and greet on the field (see Marlene and Sherman with the graduate above), we asked Benjamin where he wanted to go to dinner. Some place expensive perhaps?  No, he had a hankering for an In-n-Out Burger. It was just as well.  When he's off at college in Tacoma, a thousand miles away, there will be no In-n-Out burgers to be had.  

Germs and the Japanese

Masks for sale at the local 7-11

Based on my totally unscientific count, it appeared that every fifth person in Japan was wearing a mask.  Was this because they were sick, getting sick, or trying to avoid getting sick?  I never figured that out.  But I can tell you that when I first arrived I thought I'd been deposited in a cancer ward.  On the other hand, you are never exposed to sniffles in Japan.  How polite is that?  So polite.

All your mask needs can be met at the local 7-11 or Family Mart where an endless selection of masks await you, including a lavender scented mask. 

And look at how beautifully the Crunky is packaged!

The masks were right next to delicious chocolate bars, including the Crunky.  Now, I don't know about you, but "Crunky" would not be my first choice for naming a chocolate bar.  I think the name is meant to refer to crunchiness, but as they say, something has been lost in translation.  Nonetheless, it was one of the tastiest chocolate bars I've ever had.