A Series of Firsts
My dad is doing fine. The angiogram he had last Friday went well. They discovered that in addition to needing a new valve, he will need a new aorta because his is enlarged (stretched) and thus weakened. This knocks the urgency up a bit, I think. It also means life-long medication, if I understood my mom's explanation correctly. We are waiting to hear the date of the surgery. Dad seems optimistic.
This past weekend we went to Yosemite for the wedding of my dear friend Kelly. It is the culmination of a whirlwind romance with Hal, her groom. A relatively small group (under 40?) of friends and family attended the camping trip/wedding, which took place on Cathedral Beach. The reception was held at the Ahwahnee hotel and lodge. It was a really nice group of people, most of whom we didn't know. But we've been attending Ambrosia's birthday parties since she was 2, so we did know a few close friends and family members. It was my first trip to Yosemite, and it was lovely. Such a beautiful valley! And the grandeur of the rocks was breathtaking, but as Ian wondered, we can't really say why. They are just so incomprehensibly huge. (Not a very poetic description of a place that has inspired millions.) The weather was perfect, if a little too cold at night and in the early morning for my comfort. Our kids made lots of friends with the other children there, none of whom I disliked (bonus!). Both Asher and Lucas loved camping, and although I would like to visit fancy resorts, get massages and pedicures, and drink mai tais on the beach for vacations, I suspect that a great deal of camping is in my future.
Another first for me was being asked to photograph the wedding. Fortunately, the bride and groom asked several of us to photograph, so I didn't feel 100 percent of the pressure. I did feel obligated to do my very best, however. I shot 2.5 gigs worth of pics. Some of them look really nice, I think. I tried to channel frostee and t8bloom a little, but certainly lacked their characteristic flair and vast knowledge. I'll try to post a few of the best ones to my flickr account soon.
So, first family angiogram, first trip to Yosemite, first wedding photography gig, and one more first from the weekend before last: we touched a 6-foot alligator at the Reptile Show at the Sacramento Convention Center. This one, in fact (but this isn't us):
Lucas did not manage to convince us to buy one of the thousands of snakes (or turtles, tortoises, tarantulas, scorpions, lizards, chameleons, frogs, or geckos) at the show. But it was a cool way to spend a few hours on a Sunday. I think people who are really into reptiles might be a little weird.