Blogs from San Mateo, California, United States, North America - page 2

Attic / B Street & Vine San Mateo, CA July 15, 2010... read more

Departure day! Sad that the trip is over, but I think we’re all ready to go home. They needed to clean our flat for the incoming guests, so we packed up early (leaving our luggage) and went out for breakfast. Had some nice pastries in a French bakery (not as good as the ones that were in Paris, but still pretty good). Went on a brief hunt for magazines and were amused to find that they don’t seem to sell magazines in drug stores or book stores in London. We did eventually find a news stand by a tube station, but not an extensive selection. We moved on, confident there would be plenty of time and selection at Heathrow. Stopped by an intereresting sidewalk market on the way home where they were selling a wide variety ... read more

Two days to go. I had this hairbrained idea that it would be convenient to have the floors refinished while we were away, so we're moving furniture.... read more

Aqua is the volcano that looms over Antigua. It is majestic. The little city under it so reminded me of Tahoe City in the 1960's and 70's. Friendly people. Small, independent business. Delicious food. Visitors welcome and needed. Antigua for me was both new and familiar. I’ve been back in San Mateo for a week now. Returning to my house feels like taking off tight, pointy, high-heeled dress shoes after a long, family wedding. Relief. San Mateo is different than Antigua. The shower has hot water and strong pressure. My bed is soft. I relish sinking into it. All the cars look new, even mine. People wear their seatbelts. Buses spew oxygen and not diesel dirt. Grocery stores are in business districts and homes are in neighborhoods. The dogs are well-fed. In fact, my dog Toby ... read more

Last October My ex-neighbor asked me what I had been doing recently. “Wandering around aimlessly”, I quipped. She look startled. Then disgusted. She never did think I gave her straight answers. Yet that is exactly what I have been doing for the last year when Luke, my 16 year-old son, I raised alone for 12 years, moved in with his Dad. Wandering, wailing at my empty nest, wondering what I should do next, that’s what I did with a lot of my time. I told her the truth. Oh, I look busy. I’ve been playing at being an independent corporate trainer. I love it when I’m working, but that’s only been about 40% of the time. The idea was to use my investment portfolio to keep things going until it really got off the ground. Then ... read more