Sunday, January 10, 2010

homecoming

Barn deck on Saturday!

I love home. Always have. This doesn't mean that I don't enjoy packing my bags and taking off on an adventure... it just means that the return is oh so sweet. So, after two weeks of traveling, my family and I are settling back into our nest. I had planned on taking a little blogging break during most of it, but some exciting stuff kept us all a little more tuned into my laptop than anticipated. Where were we?

Dolores Park after the rain. My childhood playground!
For the first half of our trip we visited San Francisco, my city. A family reunion was in order. As my mother and sister flew back from India, my little brother left his Chicago music scene to join us all at my Dad's. It was the first time we were all under the same roof (at the same time) in our old neighborhood in many years. There are lots of fascinating stories between those lines, but let's suffice it to say that this homecoming was very moving for someone as nostalgic as myself. For years, I've told my husband that there's absolutely nothing like the sound of the J church streetcar. Our first morning I awoke him up at 5 am to listen to the familiar squeaks and squeals of the J careening around the same curve in the tracks from 22nd to 21st street I heard as a child. The sound of a lullaby from another time... and so sweet to share with my dearest friend. It was a whirlwind of family, childhood friends, and new discoveries in my old hood (Mission-Dolores). I also got to see and photograph some of the treasures brought back from India, firsthand. Many of you are familiar with my mother's sensibilities from her barn. Typical trinkets they did NOT bring. I'll share in the upcoming week, promise!
Before coming home to January's frigid upstate New York, we spent some time on the coast down south. Although we got caught in a crazy cold snap, we still managed to capture some wonderful moments at the shore...


Including one of the best sunsets ever! This was our last night. What a gift!

So, now you know where I've been! I've managed to read all of my e-mails and your loving comments from on the road... writing back to you has been the real challenge. So from the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU!

I'm really ready to share this next year with you, friends!! Pin It

10 comments:

  1. Wow, what fun! I'd love a trip to the beach right about now. We're just starting to warm up into the 20s from our deep freeze last week.

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  2. Welcome home...I'm so glad you had such a wonderful time with family in your old neighborhood. It sounds like a great time was had by all.

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  3. San Fran is so beautiful, being a SoCal girl I never imagined living up north but hubby had recruiting duty for 2 years just east of San Fran so we visited often. Beautiful place how lucky you get to call it "Your City" Lovely pictures and Welcome home!!

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  4. That sunset is stunning, what a way to finish off a trip.

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  5. sounds like a wonderful 2 weeks. might you share with us (me!) how you photographed that sunset? we tried to capture one last night and it seemed like no matter what setting we put the camera on the pink fire just did not come out!

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  6. Dear Maya,
    I don't know, if something went wrong with my last comment - but it didn't appear... So I repeat to thank you for saving my daughter's wool leggins with your great idea to put felt circles on the moth holes. She is loving her new "fly agaric leggins" ;-) If you like visit my blog - I have a picture there.
    Lisa

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  7. That is a stunning sunset - you must feel so lucky to have withnessed it as well as to have captured it's beauty forever.
    Andjxx

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  8. Wow! - the contrast in weather, from beach to knee-deep in snow.

    I yearn to visit San Francisco. When I was a girl, my great aunt gave me a book of postcards of San Francisco from the turn of the last century. Beautiful, atmospheric photos.

    Wonderful sunset. Glad you're back and you had a good break :-)

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  9. Thanks for the great welcome home!
    Ali Smith- I have dozens of photos as the sky shifted. They're all the best sunset photos I've ever taken. I give credit to the sky and luck. I also made sure my hand was very steady and kept the flash on other beautiful nights without this result... that's why I can't give myself any credit:)

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  10. Hi Maya. Beautiful sunset! Was that on New Year's day? We were in Santa Barbara and had a very similar one. Everyone was talking about it the next day. You know: "I wanna be where the talk of the town is about last night when the sun went down."

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