GUESTS

Amber and Jasmine together again

Linda arrived Friday with her two Shi Tzu hairballs, Jasmine and Butch, the latter a recent rescue that Amber and I hadn't met before.  Amber and Jaz began chewing on each other just like old times.  Also on Friday, in the morning, Dr. Ferrick called to give me the report on the breast biopsy that was done last Wednesday: it is cancer, so there will be that to deal with in the near future.  So far it is a toss up whether it is the malignancy or the Sutter Medical Foundation that seems more distressing.  But there will be plenty of time for discussing that.

Linda and pooches got a ride to San Ramon with her friend Chris and husband, who were going there for a family wedding.  I had thought I might have enough time in Antioch to get my car smogged, or at least washed, but between being shell shocked at the biopsy report and impatient at the congested traffic piled up in the highway construction at the Antioch exits, I drove on by and went into Richmond to take Amber to Point Isabel.  A beautiful day there, and lots of dogs and play.  We were there about an hour and a half before Linda called to say they were in San Jose and would soon be to San Ramon.  It took us quite a while to get there since I had been reading the map and decided to take the 13 to the 24, even though there was a large sign by the 80 saying to take the 580.  The 13, it turns out, is Ashby Avenue through the heart of Berkeley.  And by then it was rush hour on Friday.  But we got there at last, found Linda, mounds of luggage, and dogs on a grassy corner of a mall.  She drove back to Rio Vista.

Saturday Jacob took his car with Linda and the dogs--her choice since his car is air conditioned--and Amber and I took my car into Antioch to be smogged.  His passed.  Mine didn't, not because of emissions but because of problems with the computer codes in the engine.  Then when we left the smog place my transmission started clunking between the lower gears.  And I headed the wrong way on the highway trying to find a recreation area.  But we got turned around at last and found the park, Contra Loma.  Very nice, and Amber got to run and chase rabbits but of course wouldn't come back and led Jacob a fine chase over the hills, encountering clutches of wild turkeys besides rabbits.  He caught her at last and we headed back to Rio Vista to change for dinner at Peter's Steak House in Isleton.  We all had prime rib and it was excellent.

Sunday we lazied around, took the dogs to Val de Flores park a couple of times, got a movie to watch in the evening.  Linda got the pictures all hung above the wainscotting in the living room.  Monday morning Jacob took Linda and dogs back to San Ramon to catch her ride back to Oxnard.  It was good having them here, a very welcome diversion.

Linda tries to convince the three dogs to pose for a Kodak moment