by Carolyn Bickford
A few days ago, I saw the headline that all Fry’s Electronics stores abruptly closed. Sadly, there was nothing abrupt about the closing. But for anyone who experienced shopping at Fry’s (for better and worse), it was a sad end for something that was a Silicon Valley tech geek analogue. When I met Peter, he…
Last June, one of my fellow hikers introduced me (and other fellow hikers) to Gilroy Yamoto Hot Springs, a former Japanese-American resort that’s now being repaired and renovated by a small non-profit group. Like most locals, I had no idea we had hot springs so close to home, nor that they were part of local…
Last night, Peter took me out to Paolo’s Restaurant to celebrate our 22nd anniversary. We honestly hadn’t been there in a dog’s age, but it has held a place in our heart thanks to previous romantic dinners there. It’s one of San Jose’s oldest restaurants, known for its elegant Italian cuisine, and Peter had a…
Every year, our neighborhood has its own parade for Memorial Day, and I looke forward to it. It’s a small event, but it’s a chance to remember the holiday in the right way and see our neighbors. For the first few years, Neil participated as a cub scout, and one year Kelly dressed up for…
I originally planned to take the children to the De Young Museum today; and another homeschool parent had told me about a free hands-on science day as CSU-Hayward; but in the end, I decided what I would rather do this weekend than on any other is to visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum again with…
Yesterday, our internet was down for most of the day. Peter called Comcast, who could only tell him it was a bad regional outage, but it was being worked on. I’ve been in a chicken-little-the-sky-is-falling mood lately, so I sardonically surmised it was the Chinese testing the gear they’d recently installed into our electrical system….
Christmas seems remarkably subdued this year, and I’m sure it’s not just us. In comparison to other years, the Christmas songs as stores are muted, fewer expressly-for-Christmas items are on the shelves, and the mall (at least whenever I’ve gone) is uncrowded. But Kelly is carrying the Christmas spirit for all of us. I set…
Since the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum is in San Jose, we happen to visit it just about every year. But this was the first year we went there after a course of study on ancient Egypt. Needless to say, we noticed and absorbed more than we had on other visits. For one thing, after taking the…
Last Saturday, we had decidedly weird weather. Although it was supposed to be horrifically hot, sudden rain showers broke out twice, and some of the guests at the party we were at reported seeing lightning strikes without thunder. Since then, we’ve had so many wilderness fires in Northern California that every day has been hazy,…
I think this was the fourth year my neighborhood has had a Memorial Day parade/festival, and the first that Neil hasn’t been in it. There’s a lot of things I love about my neighborhood, but I really love having a parade right in it. This year, it was the highlight of our Memorial Day weekend,…