PUTTING THE MITE INTO YOSEMITE Dearest Family and Friends
57 Cumberland Street, San Francisco CA 94110
Phone Number: +1 415 738 2112
Skype: nadinemellor
June Highlights
Esme
Nine MonthsHer wonderful big blazing blue eyes still dazzle all who fall under her spell.
She’s adventurous without being fearless, a great combination. Now standing up is where it’s at and she tries to stand all day long, pushing chairs ahead of her like zimmer frames.
Very endearingly she practices downward dog several times a day.
She can even perform the pose one handed.
And in what looks like our last mummy-and me yoga session (she was the oldest child there by 5 months so it felt strange to be there) she demonstrated the position to the rest of the class. 
She loves to wait at the gate for Daddy or visitors to come up the stairs.
Happy and engaging, chatting away – she’s clearly got lots to say.
When tired and uncertain, the first signs of separation anxiety from Mama have begun to appear.
She likes rolling around on the bed, being bounced and swung from side to side.
Games that involve a countdown get a great response, grin-gurgling with anticipation.
We have secured all kitchen cupboards, placed objects higher up; she’s developed a great love of opening and closing doors, 
an instant expert on where the forbidden zones lie – behind closed doors.
She claps her hands all the time – especially when she’s enjoying herself or when keeping time to music.
A clean bill of health at her 9 month check up – now 17lb3oz and 27.5” long.
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Baby Fun
The weather has veered from being mostly sunny and warm Californian style to typical SF foggy with a cold wind; when hot she still likes to get her kit off, and it is
difficult to keep the hat on for any length of time.Feeding time is good fun with faces and squeaks. She likes everything so far, which is useful.
We give her a spoon to play with while eating, this is clenched between gum and teeth,
and waggled up and down, with eyes full of glee, realising we’re laughing at her. We’ve started swimming lessons every week at La Petite Baleen (the little whale) with Kristan and Soren.
Both babies LOVE being swooshed through the water, she clings to me like a baby monkey.
They learn to go through tunnels, down slides, walk on floats, sit on rubber floating islands, kick while being supported by rings and noodles, all accompanied by songs;
Esme has developed a penchant for trying to drink the pool.We hosted a Sunday Lunch in the gorgeous garden for all four babies – Soren, Marcus, Ruby and Esme – and invited Adam and Jen, Tom and Kim to join us.
The weather was perfect, the babies all had a great time, and the grown ups enjoyed showing off their precious bundles – how far we have all come since we met a year ago!
Kristan, Armani and I went to the newly opened Dale Chihuly glass exhibition at the de Young.
The two best rooms featured a fabulous glass ceiling composed of lots of different pieces from his collections over the years, and a room of glass pots inspired by 100 year old Native American woven baskets – beautiful.
His signature style resplendent across the exhibit including the boat with baubles.
We thought our babies made quite a good exhibit in themselves. One Sunday, Amy Howard and I went to the Sunset dance party. We left the sunny and warm Mission, I was clad in a summer dress and cardigan;
we arrived to find fog whipping over our heads, and a cold wind chilling our marrows.
Esme wasn’t her usual happy-go-lucky
enjoy-whatever-Mama-introduces-me-to self in the bitter wind; luckily we hung out with Jo, Noah and Jemima for a while. But we weren’t able to last the distance, returning to the warmth of the Mission after an hour and a half. A classic case of the vagaries of SF’s microclimates.Top
Neighbours
June also saw us saying farewell to
Patrick, Catherine and Caroline who after 17 years in SF moved over the bridge to Marin where the schools are better. Colman, along with others in the Wine Night gang, helped with the move to Marin, Caroline played supervisor.
We had a farewell house BBQ during which Patrick and Kim reminisced about every inhabitant in the building over the past 17 years. Caroline thoughtfully put a note in the chimney grate to tell Santa that they had moved. We will miss them very much.
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Lelli
Lelli’s Birthday
Lelli turned 30 on the 13th June. We organised a surprise tea party for her on the day before, Armani and Marcus came too.
We cracked open the champagne, Colman was working from home that day so was able to join us, as did Antonio, Lelli’s boyfriend.
Two days later, we went to the official birthday bash, Brazilian style, at China Beach on the north-western tip of the SF peninsula with a great view of the Golden Gate Bridge. We met lots of fun and interesting new folk from Brazil as well as Lelli’s sister and brother-in-law.
Sadly we had to leave as the music started up and Esme was getting her groove on – but what a lovely afternoon.
Lelli and Antonio took the babies to the beach on another hot day.Lelli’s mother, Rosalie, has looked after
Esme a couple of times now and stepped into the breach when Lelli was unwell one day. Here both Soren and Esme are drumming on the table in harmony.Top
June Events
Adam’s charming father, Colin, came to stay and we went out to dinner, to see Indian Jones at the Castro, to see Lucia di Lammermoor in the AT&T ball park, and to dinner at Adam’s where Colin made a very moving speech about his love and respect for his son. Not a dry eye in the house.
Armani and I went to see Billy Bragg at the legendary Fillmore venue with Jecca and Rob – top notch performance.
Barack Obama has finally secured the Democratic Party nomination. Campaign posters are sprouting all over the city, even in unexpected places.
San Francisco Moment of the Month
One Sunday afternoon we took a sunny stroll around Dolores Park and caught the Bicycle Music Festival, a small stage and musicians amplified by pedal power – volunteers from the audience kept the power fresh.
While ambling around we came upon some dudes peddling a controversial - proposal . They needed 7168 valid SF registered voters’ signatures to get the proposition “Should The City And County of San Francisco Rename The Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W Bush Sewage Plant?” in tribute to the great deeds the outgoing President has bestowed upon the earth.
This caused some lively and entertaining debates, particularly with our progressive friend and neighbour, Tom, who rightly points out that the sewage plant and its workers have every reason to feel aggrieved by this suggestion. To rename a force for good in our society, which provides a vital role in purifying waste, after such an instigator of corruption, a destroyer of the environment, and dangerous incompetent is wholly wrong. 
And besides, perhaps the energy expended in getting this petition up and running would be better spent in trying to reverse some of Bush's disastrous policies. However, it is a hilarious headline and one that is gaining international media attention.
As the blog went to press they had succeeded in getting 11,000 signatures to the petition and will know by the end of July if the measure has made it onto the 4th November ballot.
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Visitors of the Month
DLG Event of the MonthKeith, Karin and Marley, our first summer visitors, arrived on Thursday 27th June from Sydney winter to a hazy late afternoon – caused by the rampant bush fires further down the coast.
Nothing daunted they turned around in five minutes and we headed off to Pier 39 for Amy B’s 30th birthday celebrations aboard the Adventure Cat. 
We found the cure for jetlag – a brisk (some would even say cold) strong Westerly Pacific wind that shivered the timbers like nobody’s business. We lamented not bringing gloves, hat, scarf, thermals. Keith and Marley cheated and found the onboard wind/waterproofs; Karin and I lasted the distance, teeth chattering. Luckily there was a bar on board!
This catamaran sailed across the bay, past Alcatraz, over towards Sausalito, before veering under the bridge, and then back home, spotting Common Murres, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican and the barking sea lions en route.
The light was extraordinary because of the fires – a weary red sun glowed intensely out of a murky sky, the Bay Bridge marched into oblivion, the East Bay invisible. Thanks Geri for organizing!
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Yosemite
Expedition of the Month
The next day we set off for Yosemite. The sun shone hazily as the fires continued across the state, we stopped for genuine American tucker in American portions, en route to our redwood cabin in Wawona.
Five of us hot footed it to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, for an enchanting early evening walk through these huge living legends, benefiting from reduced crowds and heat. 
We marvelled at the sheer size of the 2700 yr old Grizzly Giant - this photo doesn’t convey its scale (its largest branch is 7 feet in diameter) nor its fairybook quality – we quite expected it to come alive or sing.The last remaining tunnel tree
(the other has collapsed and you’re banned from cutting into the trees now) was also impressive; as was the setting sun glinting through the redwoods, the many deer, chipmunk and squirrels we sighted in the undergrowth.
Vernal Falls Hike
Saturday saw us drive into Yosemite Valley, cameras a-clicking at every awesome vista, dome, crag, waterfall, monolith, river and Alpine meadow.
We tackled the Vernal Falls hike – previously we had done half of it in the snow in February 2007 [see Wild West entry] – Esme on Colman’s back. The temperature mounted as did we on the vertiginous path.
Although only a 3 mile round trip, it felt much longer, especially as the total elevation was 1000ft, up and down.To our amazement, the John Muir Trail was heaving with every stripe of tourist, from the skimpy-lycra-clad all-over-tanned muscular blondes to the wheezing unfit in inappropriate footwear, from the Latino family groups to the serious back country hiker loaded up with gear, walking poles and without flesh on display.
Our first proper stop was the bridge over the cascading Merced River, the photo op position in popular demand.The climb up beside the waterfall was hairy, stone steps slippery with water, narrow paths bulging with people, steps cut into a sheer rock face, Esme losing her hat and getting wet from the spray.
But the ambiance at the top was glorious. The river comes gushing down the Silver Apron (a smooth granite face) from higher still into Emerald Pool, framed by towering peaks all around.
We rested, ate the remnants of lunch, watched beadily by a chickaree, who feasted on our scraps with gusto.
Marley fell into Emerald Pool, but managed to extricate himself before he became the 14th person to be washed over the 300ft drop in recent years.
Our thighs turned to jelly on the descent but we made it safely back. Our drive back through the valley was punctuated by more photo opportunities and we saw tiny climbers on the face of 7569ft El Capitan through our binoculars, giving us a sense of scale. Barking mad in my view; but then again the view they would have had…
Glacier PointThe best sight in Yosemite did not fail its reputation. We drove along Glacier Point Road that strikes out on the top of a ridge so is surprisingly flat and straight for much of its length, with meadows and forest. Occasionally a break in the trees revealed vistas that stretched miles.
Words are incapable of doing justice to the scenic splendours that await at the end of this road. Your eyes drink in the sights: Yosemite Falls, classic glacially carved hanging valleys, the flat valley floor 3200ft below. 
But it is the iconic 87m year old 8842ft Half Dome with its 93% sheer cliff face, the steepest in N.America, that really renders you speechless. Especially when you can see the louse like humans who have climbed up top: a 17 mile climb and descent.
Beside and below this monolith is Nevada Falls, which splash down to Vernal Falls far below us. Suddenly our exploits of the previous day seemed paltry and puny, dwarfed by the surrounding peaks, still topped with snow. 
You can see miles and miles of fabulous back country wilderness. We had a stroll at the top of Four Mile Trail before parting company; we drove back to SF while KK&M white-water rafted the Merced River.
Visitors in SF
Once back in SF,
KK&M went to Alcatraz, explored the city and enjoyed the Mission’s murals. We also met up at SFMOMA to see the incredibly moving Frida Kahlo retrospective. Adam and Jen came over for dinner one night, Jen and Marley conversing in Japanese! No end to his talents for sure.Restaurant of the Month
On their last night, we were treated to a scrumptious dinner at Jardiniere, French-Californian cuisine. We started with champagne and oysters. Keith, Karin and I loved our Maine Diver Scallops, White Corn, Smoked Bacon and Truffle Nage starter, Colman went for the Charcuterie plate. For mains Colman’s pork with divine but Keith and Karin’s Duck Breast, Farro, Mission Figs and Lucques Olives, Vanilla Gastrique was to die for. Thank you so much both of you for coming to stay and being so very generous. And Marley, for being so amazing with Esme. It was wonderful seeing you and slipping straight back into the groove as you do with old friends. Our turn to treat you next!
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Bird of the Month
In Yosemite we did manage to see some new feathered friends, despite the enormously tall trees, which prevent easy birding views. Bird of the Day on the Friday on our Mariposa Grove walk, was the Red-Breasted Nuthatch , busying himself around fresh mud. As we hiked up to Vernal Falls, the rare Black Swift was scything high above us, winner of Saturday’s title. 
And while walking around Glacier Point, we thrilled to see up close the White-Headed Woodpecker fly in front of us and obligingly spiral up a thick redwood trunk to be crowned Sunday’s Bird of the Day. All three are new Life Birds for me, as was the Western Tanager I spotted in the car park. So after the weekend we put it to the democratic vote. Karin and I favoured the woodpecker but the boys, with Marley’s deciding vote, went for the Stellar’s Jay Cyanocitta stelleri, a handsome chap, dubbed the Stalker Bird,
for ubiquitously popping up wherever we ventured, right on cue.Mural of the Month
Stencil of the Month
Bumper Sticker of the Month
If You Want Peace, Fight for Justice
Love and hugs
Nadine and Colman xxx
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