Seavey, Ubuntu and stairs

The last weekend in May, Cecil and Greg came for a quick visit. First stop: Seavey for a personal tour by their charming winemaker :-)

Cecil, Greg and I beat Matt and Marcy to Seavey by a few minutes, so we entertained ourselves by watching the barn swallows do aerial acrobatics and by taking pictures of picturesque farm equipment.




Matt and Cecil examine the vines



Cecil, searching for signs of pests:


We visited the cellar and did some barrel tasting.


Here are empty barrels with Dixie Cups for stoppers. Go figure!



The assembled group



After a hard morning of vineyard tromping, we refreshed ourselves with some wine on the patio before heading to lunch.


After all of that hard work, we headed to Ubuntu for another amazing meal. The only really good picture I have is of dessert, but it is and the dessert was very good:


On Sunday we headed over to the Moraga stairs to kill some time while Theresa was out beach walking.








It was crazy windy up top.



Our neighborhood from the top of the hill.

Just a little more Leslie

A few more pictures of Leslie (that had to be scanned, thus the delayed posting)

When I first brought Leslie home, I also had a big old boy named Zeke. They got along famously.


Playing with a slinky


Even though this picture was taken 18 years ago, I know exactly what came next: she launched herself straight at my chest. Once she did this when I wasn't paying attention. Because I didn't put my arms up to catch her, she caught herself. With her claws. In my chest. I never forgot to catch her after that.


Perched on my shoulder



And perched on top of a door


In case we wondered who the Christmas presents really belonged to. This photo was taken in the apartment on Geary, after we moved back from Oregon. That's the place where Leslie suddenly decided to start using the toilet. We kept noticing that the water was yellow, but figured it was a plumbing problem. Then one day Theresa heard tinkling and caught her in the act. She stopped doing this just as suddenly when we moved. Who knows what lurks in the minds of cats?


Leslie, the effective communicator in her ultra-adorable-petter-beware pose. When Leslie was about a year old, my mother agreed to watch her during a vacation. Leslie balled herself up like this and when my mother bent down to tell her how cute she was, Leslie whacked her, claws fully extended. The next time my mother came to visit she brought a pint of Ben and Jerry's, which she shared with Leslie. They got along just fine after that.










Reining supreme in Oregon


With Ella in the sun

Leslie, 1990-June 9, 2008

You were my most darling baby girl for all 18 years of your wonderful life. From the moment you climbed out from under that couch in the trailer and into my lap, I knew you were my kitten. And you were the fiestiest kitten, performing amazing aerial acrobatics in endless pursuit of your stuffed fish, climbing to the highest places you could find, getting yourself plastered into the wall and stuck in a hosiery leg, and generally raising hell. Those first two years of your life were tough for both of us. When I finally kicked Kathy out I gave her two days to take whatever she wanted before I came back and changed the locks. When I returned, most of my stuff was gone but you were waiting for me, paws literally outstretched to jump into my arms, and I knew we were going to be alright, you and me.

After that, you exercised final authority over who I dated. We were both pleased when I settled down with Theresa. And Theresa loved you just as much as you loved her.

We made 9 moves together. I know that you didn't like being uprooted, but you were my heart and my home wherever we went--from Tucson to San Francisco, to Salem then back to San Francisco. I think you might have liked our last stop together the best, watching the birds from the bedroom window and spending sunny weekend mornings out on the balcony.



Whenever I was upset you climbed into my lap and purred and nuzzled until I calmed down.



You were smart and fierce and feisty, adoring and adorable in equal measures.

With Aunt Patty


Feather head