Archive for June, 2009

Elgin Homecoming: canoe race and parade

It’s been a while since I last caught up with some of my family back home, so I spent a while on Skype with my mum Jane and brother Charlie this morning. The picture quality leaves something to be desired:

The rest of the day has been the events of the ‘Elgin Homecoming’ going on this [...]

Posted by Robin Willis on June 28th, 2009 under Uncategorized  •  2 Comments

First day in Iowa

We’re now on holiday in Iowa, visiting Jamie’s aunt and grandmother in the small town her mother grew up in, Elgin. It’s a population of 600 – a classic mid-Western farming town.
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We arrived yesterday evening, after a long day’s travelling. The nearest airport within a single flight’s reach from LAX is Minneapolis-St-Paul in [...]

Posted by Robin Willis on June 25th, 2009 under Uncategorized  •  No Comments

Wedding in Los Olivos, and more wine tasting

This weekend we escaped to Los Olivos for the wedding of Jennifer and Thomas, family friends of the Orellanas for decades. The wedding yesterday was most memorable, and definitely unique: the ceremony took place under an oak tree in a lavender field. The reception was also superb, with good food and some excellent wine from [...]

Posted by Robin Willis on June 22nd, 2009 under Uncategorized  •  3 Comments

Spice rack project; remote central locking

I have another woodworking project under way: a spice rack to house our growing collection of herbs and spices. In this picture it is half-built at the carpentry shop (Josh’s garage) last night. Since then it has had some rails fitted to keep the jars in place, and awaits a massaging with sandpaper, followed by [...]

Posted by Robin Willis on June 19th, 2009 under Uncategorized  •  2 Comments

End of June Gloom

Since about 29th May (when we went to the Bruckner concert downtown), we’ve been mired in June Gloom, a yearly phenomenon in LA and most of coastal California. It’s basically overcast and cool all day, and the sun is hidden for weeks – very reminiscent of Good Old Blighty! It means I can actually get [...]

Posted by Robin Willis on June 17th, 2009 under Uncategorized  •  No Comments