in the night sky:

The comet Neowise coming close enough to see with the naked eye was a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event, so I wasn't going to miss it.  Somehow I didn't imagine having to see it alone, but when the time came, no one else here wanted to find/see it with me.  It's okay, I was happy to see it, and I had a chance both evenings I was out to talk to other people.  It would have been nice to see it from a better location, but I didn't want to venture out this year.  I also returned to see the Perseid shower later on.  Someday I'll go up to a viewing location or the observatory that's about an hour away.

             

                      Naomi took this photo.  She was at the park with friends for a late sunset.

It's the dot in the middle.  I was mesmerized.  Thankfully I had my compass, a dark area in my neighborhood, and another person had told me the direction to look the evening before.

Broke out the telescope!  Thanks, Grandma!

From the evening before.  This was after 9 pm.  Too bright.  So I had to look for a darker spot.

speed dating:

Not sure why these pictures uploaded last photo first, so we'll go in reverse chronological order.  They're default to higher-res with the new Blogger, too.  Sorry if they're huge on your screen.  

In July, we went on a number of outdoor dates.  It was so nice to get out together.  But after I had some wheezing one week with my asthma, and with the spike in Covid cases, I thought maybe I need to be more cautious for a while.  July was also a busy month for me with Pampered Chef and Lucas's birthday, then August got quiet just in time for the start of school.

So, on our last date, Manny took me to Palo Alto, the city we met and had our first date.  It was really wonderful, and it's nice to be able to afford to eat well 20 years later!  We are blessed he is able to work from home with some occasional trips to the lab.  We ate at Crepevine and got a coffee from Blue Bottle.

Savory crepes for breakfast!

Delicious!

Artwork in downtown Palo Alto supporting BLM

I can't drink a lot of caffeine, but I seem okay with cold brew.

Turkish breakfast!

I have not had a haircut this entire time.

Trees are often part of my memories, especially sitting under them.

Turkish tea.

Always masked indoors.  But taking them off to eat with other people not in your family seems like it defeats the purpose.

strawberry picking:

The second week of July, I took Isaac strawberry picking.  My friend from LA came up north to see her mom, and my other friend from Alameda came down south.  So it was a long-distance reunion of sorts.  I drove south about an hour.  I don't enjoy driving on windy roads, but this was a special occasion.  I've been friends with them since college.  

With his sensory issues, Isaac can't handle the smell of farms well.  Thankfully it was less odoriferous in the fields.  He took his time picking the strawberries, and we took a nice walk around the farm and especially enjoyed the view of Monterey Bay.  I didn't know that they also had vegetable picking there, or we would have done that as well.  

Isaac reserved the best, largest strawberries in a particular basket for Manny.  The strawberries were sweet and delicious.  But really the best part was having some time away with Isaac and seeing my friends and their kids.

S and her three kids and mom.  They were strawberry tornadoes and were done in 5 minutes. 

Isaac ready to pick some strawberries.

Huge succulents!

'Tis the season.

This chicken accidentally got out and could not get back in.  Kept falling while trying.  Poor thing.  Eventually it got back in.

With A.  Isaac loves chatting with her.  Well, he just loves chatting, but she has a special way with him.

He said, "I feel like I should pose with my leg up, to show my admiration."  Haha!

dating in the time of covid:

On a Monday in late June, Manny had to take his car in to be service.  I went to pick him up, and he told me to turn left and surprised me with a date at one of my favorite places to eat, a Mediterranean restaurant called Dish Dash.  We hadn't been out together since early March.  The food was pretty good, except my dish was saltier than usual.  They closed off the street and moved the tables into it.  All servers wore masks and gloves, and at this restaurant, they had the menus and utensils and napkins inside plastic zip bags.  The credit card scanner also was covered with plastic wrap which I assume they change out every customer, but there are no guarantees.  It was a beautiful day, and it was nice to be out again.  I had wipes in the car for my items and phone, but later I was thinking this is still a calculated risk for me.  We continued to go out for a month, but as cases have spiked again, we're taking a break. Manny's also busy with work, and I'm busy with the kids and house and Pampered Chef stuff.  But it was wonderful while it lasted!