Nice visit from Jill

Our friend Jill from the San Diego area, who worked with Kristan at Charter Hospital back in the day, came to visit this weekend. I expected a mini-disaster, considering the series of sleepless nights that K has accumulated over the past few weeks. But it turned out very pleasant, and the two of them got to visit a whole lot more than I had feared. I picked her up at the airport on Friday afternoon, then we picked up Italian food at Romano's, and spent Friday evening having a big dinner with K, while she was in dialysis. I had a pleasant time dragging Jill out for some local walks on the local trails, and chatting along the way. We even got to play a three-way game of Scrabble on Saturday night.

Unexpected loss

We heard from the daughter of an old friend on Saturday afternoon, that her Mom had passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly. K was pretty devastated to learn of it, because she had been holding onto the idea that they would eventually get back into being in contact on a regular basis, and even be visiting each other in person sometime.

Launching LDCM

The countdown for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) has begun, out at Vandenberg AFB on the California coast. Liftoff is planned for 10:02am Pacific Time. SpaceFlightNow has live video coverage of the launch countdown and flight. Check it out: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/atlas/av035/status.html

Clement Park

Kind of a dull flat day. We're getting in a walk around Johnston Reservoir at Clement park, before round two of the weekend snow storms arrives. When we started, the lake was devoid of geese. Then a huge crowd descended on the frozen lake, just before we left. — with Mandy Hushing and Ken at Clement Park.

Chilly at City Park

Getting in a quick walk at city Park, before the rain and snow come pouring down. Brr, it's chilly here, with a light breeze, as we watch the clouds moving in overhead. The forecast is for maybe an inch of snow today.

Confused

The weather service is soooo confused. Forecast: Rain. Snow. No snow, just rain. And now... It's snowing!

Breakfast and a fireplace

A mini slice of heaven, is a spinach soufflé *and* a cinnamon crunch bagel, *and* a piping hot latté *and* eating it by the fire. Oh, *and* having it all paid for by a good friend. — at Panera Bread

The Annies

We've been watching the Animation Awards at AnnieAwards.org, scouring the background images for a sign of our neighbor's son Ryan and his daughter Inge in the audience. It's especially fun watching, when we know someone who gets to be a part of the event!

Conifer outing

We wandered around Conifer for a little while, and finally found a delightful place to have breakfast, DW's 285 Diner, before our walk. The waitress recommended walking at Meyer's Ranch, which turned out to be a great idea. A little cold, though. We'll remember heavier jackets, the next time we wander up to 8,000 feet, on an already chilly winter day.