Another City to Explore, More People to Meet feb.28th

In the morning, did my usual, jazzercize and walking to get the paper. Got the house ready for Dan's visit, tonight.

In the afternoon, i drove into Berekeley, to shop, to walk, and to meet Kathleen's son-in-law and his family, before picking up Dan at the airport later at night.

i drove around Berekeley, and had googled stairways in that city, and of course, found many. I found another map too, with all of them listed, as well as a reference to the book i'm using in San Francisco. i drove and drove, and found "The Arden Steps." It was gorgeous! Up in the hills above the whole city, narrow streets and lanes, dark wooded homes, foliage so thick i couldn't get a picture of the view from above. I loved this, it was so charming, it actually reminded me of our little village that we stayed at in Italy, with the narrow, one lane roads and winding S curves.

This stairway was incredibly steep, i couldn't really capture that with a camera. i got a little dizzy on my way down, clutching onto the handrail. Very steep, narrow, and quiet.

i then drove to 4th Street to the great shopping they have there, then looked, but couldn't find, these outlets nearby. i ended up at Kyle's house, Frank's son. He had invited me to dinner to meet him, his wife Emily, her son Alvin, and their new baby son, Riley. We had a lovely dinner and a lovely time. Emily is Chinese, from Canton, though she's been here for 14 years. They were delightful--Kyle is a wonderful conversationist, very bright, likes to write stories. It was great to see Kathleen again too. Kathleen has a picture with her and i and the family, i will put that in when she sends it. By the way, it may seem this way, but really, i do not always wear black!

i then went to get Dan at the airport, and was very early because there was no traffic. (this is a remarkable statement!)

i really enjoyed this today; i've been to Berkeley before, on separate occasions, and was never able to put it all together before. Doing these walks forces me to see the big picture as well as the details within.