{"id":70661,"date":"2023-07-15T09:02:18","date_gmt":"2023-07-15T16:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=70661"},"modified":"2023-07-16T15:38:26","modified_gmt":"2023-07-16T22:38:26","slug":"we-explore-saratoga-and-celebrate-hannah-and-james","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=70661","title":{"rendered":"We Explored Saratoga And Celebrated Hannah And James’ Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It’s party time at 5:00 pm!<\/p><\/div>\n

Before cleaning up for today’s adventure, we grabbed a snack and coffee at the front office.\u00a0 I wasn’t hungry after last night’s dinner.\u00a0 A day without coffee is like… Just kidding.\u00a0 I have no idea.<\/p>\n

Mary is still talking about Katrina’s Salad, which has romaine lettuce, green cabbage, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and lemon-olive oil vinaigrette.\u00a0 She added protein to the salad, which was interesting; she never had sliced roadkill before.<\/p>\n

I ordered the Tutto Mare, a dish of spaghetti with prawns, clams, mussels, white fish, white wine-tomato sauce, parsley, garlic, and chili flakes.\u00a0 I had trouble sleeping after eating the muscles because I had the urge to cling to a rock.<\/p>\n

Today we start the celebrations with a throwback to Disneyland 2004!\u00a0 The girls are having a great time.<\/p>\n

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Fun at Disneyland 2004.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Hannah graduated from high school, she moved to Southern California and attended the University of California, Irvine.\u00a0 We were fortunate to have her close by for many years.<\/p>\n

Now Lisa was off to High School, but sooner than you think, she will be a college girl also!<\/p>\n

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Hannah graduated from HS in 2009.<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s 2013, and Lisa has just graduated from Cal State University, which is located just around the corner from us.\u00a0 She’s now headed back to NorCal, and we missed her.<\/p>\n

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Two beautiful ladies!<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s 2023, and Lisa is now married to Patrick.\u00a0 They’re expecting a child.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Hannah and James are newlyweds.\u00a0 Time flies!<\/p>\n

We decided to explore Old Town Saratoga, so we put on our walking clothes and set out on an adventure.\u00a0 I always keep my eyes peeled because one day, while walking through a farm and a group of pigs jumped out of a tree on me.\u00a0 It was a hambush.<\/p>\n

\n

Did You Know?\u00a0 <\/strong>Cupertino and San Jose border Saratoga to the north, a small portion of Campbell and Los Gatos to the east, and Monte Sereno to the southeast.\u00a0 Saratoga is located at 37\u00b016?21?N 122\u00b001?10?W.<\/p>\n

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32 km2), all of it land.\u00a0 Within its borders, Saratoga includes lush redwood forests, foothills suitable for wine grapes, and a sunny valley floor once covered with prune and apricot orchards, now with suburban homes, schools, and churches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Beware of the infamous Wild Saratoga Octopus!<\/p><\/div>\n

Our first stop was at an Episcopal thrift store where Mary found leopard skin pajamas and matching shoes.\u00a0 She also found some green jewelry that matched her birthday dress.\u00a0 (Notice I did not say birthday suit!)<\/p>\n

We continued our search for breakfast.\u00a0 Mary suggested the wine-tasting room, but wine does not go well with Cheerios!<\/p>\n

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Darn!\u00a0 How about Rice Krispies?\u00a0 Snap, Crackle, Hic!<\/p><\/div>\n

Many restaurants were offering Thai, Indian, Peruvian, and American cuisine.\u00a0 We opted for a coffee bar to satisfy our latte cravings.\u00a0 I asked Mary, “How do you take your latte?” she replied, ” Very, very seriously!”<\/p>\n

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We walked three blocks down and three in return.<\/p><\/div>\n

We visited another old thrift and antique store and found a pillow for Dianne.\u00a0 Mary was attached to it!\u00a0 It looks just like the girls a few years back!<\/p>\n

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Mary had to get this for Dianne.<\/p><\/div>\n

I warned Mary that her camera might break while taking a picture of the elderly man, but she went ahead anyway.\u00a0 I exercised great restraint and refrained from biting into the sandwich.<\/p>\n

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We enjoyed a breakfast burrito and a croissant sandwich paired with a latte.<\/p><\/div>\n

The effects of the coffee kicked in three doors down the street, prompting us to head to our hotel room quickly.\u00a0 After checking for any light leaks in our eyelids for an hour, we plan to visit Diane’s around 3:00 pm to see if we can offer any assistance.<\/p>\n

The street was now bustling with cars and motorcycles.\u00a0 At the end of the road, there were paths for motorcycles leading up into the hills.<\/p>\n

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Love the “old towns.”<\/p><\/div>\n

After the party winds down, we may head for La Fondue for dessert and a nightcap!<\/p>\n

Did You Know?<\/strong> \u201cFondue\u201d is a melted cheese dish and means \u201cto melt\u201d from French verb \u201cfondre\u201d. \u201cFondue\u201d originated in the Swiss canton of Neuch\u00e2tel. Each canton has its own variation on the recipe, which generally consists of at least two varieties of cheese, wine and a bit of flour or cornstarch to keep the melted cheese from separating. The fondue is served from a communal pot called a\u00a0caquelon<\/em>, using long forks to spear a cube of bread that is swirled in the melted cheese.<\/div>\n
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Tomorrow we will find a time for La Fondue!\u00a0 (Maybe after the party today!?)<\/p><\/div>\n

We went shopping at 2:00 pm and stopped at Safeway wine cellar to get Chardonnay for our afternoon visit.\u00a0 We ended up getting three bottles and some berries for a late-evening snack.\u00a0 \u00a0It is 4:00 pm, and we are heading to Diane’s.<\/p>\n

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The outdoor pizza party was a hit!<\/p><\/div>\n

We went a little early to assist; Mary helped put out the table decorations, and I assisted in putting water into the flower vases.<\/p>\n

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Mary helps decorate!<\/p><\/div>\n

We showed the girls this Daily Diary entry and decided we needed to pose them accordingly.<\/p>\n

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2023; Lisa’s prediction was quite correct!<\/p><\/div>\n

We sat with James’ parents and enjoyed the evening.<\/p>\n

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Mary and James’ father speaks German; now we can call him up and practice!<\/p><\/div>\n

Mary and Diane even spoke in Swedish to each other (Diane was in Sweden for several years for Northern Telecom), and Mary spent a summer in Sweden selling bibles while working her way through college.<\/p>\n

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Mary and Diane had several long conversations throughout the evening; I think Diane felt sorry for Mary.<\/p><\/div>\n

Hannah’s friends came to celebrate; we have known some of them since they were in High School together!<\/p>\n

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Friends from High School and Law School<\/p><\/div>\n

We needed adult supervision, so Patrick and Jeffery watched over everything.<\/p>\n

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Patrick and Jeffery watched the goings on!<\/p><\/div>\n

I promised Mary fondue and surprised her with a visit to the fondue restaurant on the way home tonight.<\/p>\n

After the party, we went to La Fondue.\u00a0 Despite the restaurant being about to close, I convinced the staff to let us in.\u00a0 We chatted with a nearby couple, as well as the manager and wait staff, and stayed until 12:30 am, two and a half hours after they closed, enjoying fondue and champagne.<\/p>\n

After indulging in chocolate fondue and dipping strawberries, marshmallows, apples, and cheeses, we may wake up with large pimples about the size of Detroit decorating our faces.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We met a friendly Indian couple, exchanged business cards, and had a delightful conversation about culture and food.\u00a0 The husband works as a financial analyst at Google, and the wife is a nurse in a local hospital’s labor and delivery room.<\/p>\n

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We met some other newlyweds; the evening blossomed!<\/p><\/div>\n

Our waitress’s sister, who was the manager, stopped by to visit.\u00a0 Since the other staff members were having a party in the back room, we sat with them for almost an hour.\u00a0 Our new Indian friends were surprised to hear it was our second anniversary, as they were celebrating their first.<\/p>\n

We returned to the hotel at 12:35 pm and slept until 8:00 am.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before cleaning up for today’s adventure, we grabbed a snack and coffee at the front office.\u00a0 I wasn’t hungry after last night’s dinner.\u00a0 A day without coffee is like… Just kidding.\u00a0 I have no idea. Mary is still talking about … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,227,5,17,189],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures","category-dining-out","category-family","category-friends","category-walking"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70661"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70732,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70661\/revisions\/70732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}