David Multer

This is the usual routine with Monica and Abby. I’m not sure if Monica is convinced she’s really a dog, or that Abby is convinced she’s human. Either way they look very happy together.

Unfortunately we’ve had a ton of rain while Dad, Karen, and Max have been in town. We caught a few movies downtown including the latest Lord of the Rings and the Last Samurai. Both very excellent movies. Back at the house we’ve got our own home theater setup. Not quite the latest movies, but it sure is cozy.

Monica enjoys bringing Daisy in the house occasionally for cuddling sessions. Here they are catching some episodes of Sponge Bob together. I’m sure Daisy enjoys the comfort of a nice antique bed instead of the usual outside spots. It also must get lonely out there with Tasha not being around.

It was such a nice sunny day, we decided to head over to La Madrona and get in a bit of tennis. It was a whole lot more crowded than I expected, but we lucked out getting a bit of time on the last open court.

Actually Daisy is anything but an indoor cat. She’s spent her whole life outside standing guard against the tide of vermin that would invade our home and yard. The wood rat situation was overwhelming when we first moved in so many years ago. Once we got their numbers down to a manageable state, we brought in the elite guard to avoid another population explosion. They also manage to keep control of the gopher and mole problem. ...

Charlotte, Val, and Gordon headed up to San Francisco with Doug and Gabe today. The kids have off for Veteran’s Day, the sun is shining, and it’s time to make the most of the day. The skulls exhibit at the Academy of Sciences is very cool. Wish I was there. George works up in the city and fortunately had time to hook up with everyone for lunch down at Fisherman’s Wharf. Doug and Gabe sure do enjoy themselves. They make quite a pair. ...

We celebrated Gordon’s birthday at Michael’s restaurant. Besides great food, friends, and family, we had the pleasure of dining alongside walls full of Val’s artwork. It was such fun having Bea, George, Ellen, and Carol here to join us for this occasion. The food and conversation was loads of fun as usual. There’s always plenty of great stories with this crowd, especially with George in the mix.

Gordon’s in town for the month and Monica’s birthday is just around the corner. Since her birthday falls in the middle of the week, we decided to have grandpa and the Peyser’s over for barbeque and cake on the weekend before the official day.

We didn’t have much luck growing pumpkins this year, though we did manage to get a nice one out of the garden. The rest we picked up at the market for the kids to carve. The carvings turned out great, and the kids always enjoy the pumpkin seeds. Gabe went for the anaconda look, Monica the vampire queen, and Nick the gigantic and terrifying bone man. Plenty of nice close ups, including one of the always frightening Doug. ...

Valri just finished up with Open Studios again this year. I think it was another great success. She’s also getting display time at the Soquel restaurant Michael’s.