No Christmas tree is complete without a new puppy under the tree. Two of my very favorite people in the whole world. Thanks for bringing dessert! And a whole bunch more of my favorites joining us for dinner.

Charlotte and I headed down to Phil’s for lunch today with dad and Karen. A huge thanks to Charlotte for recommending the halibut tacos. They have a fantastic beach out back. Since I’m taking all the pictures, Charlotte couldn’t resist a few candid shots of your author. The self portrait is mine. Kinda scary. Everyone is enjoying themselves. A few artsy photos for the collection. I really liked the drainage patterns in the sand. ...

My dad, Karen, Max, and Shweta are here for the holidays again this year. Today we’re off to Monterey to visit the aquarium and then down to Carmel for the day. Gabe has really been enjoying having both grandpas in town. The shore birds exhibit is a little different and I like the changes. The birds seems happy about it too. Gabe and a group of small children are really enjoying the tidal surf section. ...

It’s hard to capture how much fun she has playing down by the trampoline.

Looks like our new puppy is feeling right at home now.

Charlotte is up in Oregon today getting our new puppy! Here are some photos of her mom (black) and grandpa (cream) along with some of her siblings. This is the last she’ll see of her old pen. Grandpa gets a grooming that he really seems to enjoy. One last feeding from mom. I’m sure she’ll miss this. Tug of war with her sibling looks fun. ...

Gabe’s been playing the trumpet in the school’s new beginning band class with Mr. Kurrus. It’s been such a pleasure having a music teacher dedicated to helping the students across our entire school district. All the hard work comes together at tonight’s Fall Music Extravaganza. Pretty impressive for kids that just started playing three months ago. Many years ago I could play, but now I just keep the music from blowing away while a singing group performs. ...

Charlotte and Valri are off to lunch at my favorite seafood restaurant in the area. The food is making me hungry. And it’s a beautiful winter day on the coast.

The best dog in the whole world was born on September 1, 1997. We brought her home on October 4, 1997 to her new family. My brother Scott got a standard poodle named Joe the year before, and we were sold on how awesome standard poodles were. Right away you could see she was the sweetest dog you would ever meet. She had the most mellow disposition, and was always a puppy right to the end. She loved running and playing with her family, especially other pets. She enjoyed running circles around every dog she ever met. ...

Gabe and Charlotte head up to visit George and San Francisco with Gordon while Monica, Nick, and I are at Max’s wedding. Gabe and Zach seem to be enjoying themselves. I think lunch was just an opportunity to make funny faces. And then things get really crazy. I’ll let you guess who’s mouth is whose. Charlotte manages to catch Santa surfing in Capitola while dropping her dad off. Seems there was some contention when it came to splitting up the ballons after Santa took off. This is a good way to wind up on the naughty list. ...