Mar 30-31, 2026 - Marilyn is getting more mobile, so Elaine bought a gate for the steps that we will put up this week. She's still scooting backwards a lot, but she's also getting better at crawling for one or two pulls and then she sits on her butt which gets her farther towards her goal. it's fun to watch her get where she wants to go.
Mexican Blood Flower below our apartment, so pretty
Marilyn loves strawberries
how did you get in the kitchen??
she's a little bumble bee today
Marilyn was quite interested in what Kev was doing. Glad we have a supervisor checking in on him.
she loves a birds eye view
her crawl occasionally goes to this
who doesn't love sitting in a basket
April 1, 2026 - My friend Mary Ann (from our Merck days) is coming to visit today! She is on a spring break road trip with her son Tyler. Tyler is a teacher in the San Francisco area, and the last time I saw him, he was probably 8. I'm looking forward to seeing them both!
Let's see what kind of mess we can make today
It's swing time
Mary Ann & Tyler got to Los Osos late in the afternoon, so they got to chat with Elaine & Ian before we headed to Morro Bay for a view from Black Hill and dinner at the Dutchie. After dinner we stopped for a beer at the Ale House. We were hoping to get Mary Ann a Harp on tap, but they were out...just a special for St Patrick's Day.
We enjoyed our view from the top of Black Hill
back of Hollister
a spot of sun on a field
and a sun "spotlight"
April 2, 2026 - Mary Ann & Tyler stayed last night at Sea Pines and are headed back to San Francisco today. I picked Mary Ann up for a morning walk on the Bluff Trail in Montana de Oro.
It was so nice to get to catch up with Mary Ann, and hopefully it won't be 7 years until our next get together.
it was a pretty morning in MDO
you can see a few curled up poppies in the grass (they close up at night and don't open til they get some sun and they warm up a bit)
the morning was a little overcast
Back to work!
nothing better than sitting in a basket
See you guys tomorrow!
April 3, 2026 - It's spring break for Elaine! So we get to hang out with Elaine AND Marilyn today. Elaine's birthday is tomorrow, so I'm going to make her favorite (and mine) b-day cake...angel food with cream cheese icing.
somebody's snuggly this morning
Marilyn likes to be the supervisor
Yum
April 4, 2026 - Elaine texted early this morning that she and Marilyn were headed to MDO for a Bluff Trail walk. We can always be ready in 10 minutes, so we were waiting out front for them to pick us up! Birthday plans were for us to babysit while Elaine and Ian went out for brunch and a wine tasting, then cake and a game of darts with us when they got home.
the birthday gang
happy b-day girl
birthday cake and birthday drinks!
Happy birthday Elaine!
April 7, 2026 - Elaine went into the office today to get a few things done, so we babysat.
Marilyn loves to check out everything from the kitchen
that bowl looks good on you!
the new playpen is working great! It's nice to have a spot where Marilyn can hang out without getting into trouble.
April 8, 2026 - Today we went to the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden. It's only a 15-20 minute drive and was a nice spot to spend an hour or two.
We hiked up the hill to check out the human sun dial
Elaine stood on the correct month in the middle of the dial and held her hands up, so we found out it was about 11:30!
sun dial selfie
Marilyn enjoyed being pushed around the gardens
cute little bench with a steering wheel mounted to an old tire
April 10-17, 2026 - Back to work this week!
Rainbow outside our apartment
A walk on the trail in her M baseball hat from Dunlap Goods, thanks Ellie!
Kev had horseback riding lessons today, and Patty gave him some fresh eggs
this one fell over on herself and fell asleep...doesn't look too comfy
Marilyn loves to hang out on Grandpa's shoulders. He's even got handles on each side of his head, how convenient!
We went to a Pickleball party at the Ale House, Marilyn wasn't sure what to think about all the people
April 18, 2026 - Today we grabbed Marilyn early and brought her to our apartment to hang out, so Elaine & Ian could sleep in for a change. What a fun time! After dropping her back at home for nap 1, we decided to hike Cerro Cabrillo, which we can see out Elaine & Ian's living room window and has been on my list to check out.
It's been awhile since Marilyn's been to our place
Our yoga mats made the perfect spot for her to hang out
a future diet coke drinker?
We hiked from the Quarry Trail trailhead. There are quite a few trails from this parking lot
We took the Quarry Trail
it's a beautiful morning
I always need a pic or two of Hollister
There is the Tiki Rock we see from Elaine & Ian's on Cerro Cabrillo
From the Quarry Trail we took a left onto Cerro Cabrillo Trail. This trail was pretty bad, very steep and slippery. We made it just below the Tiki Rock and decided we weren't comfortable continuing.
It was a nice view from here
as close as we're getting to the Tiki Rock
April 19, 2026 - Another early morning walk in MDO and then a bike ride to High Street to meet up with the Greene's for ice cream...perfect Sunday.
Valencia is hiding behind a little fog this morning
Marilyn is bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning
bottle with a view
the morning gang
Bye Bye
feet on the table at High St
she's getting passed around
and checking out the kids kitchen play area...
