Midwinter

Happy midwinter! Here in Northern California, things are getting chilly, dark and wet. The really rainy weeks are still ahead of us, but it’s certainly not Fall anymore: the sweetgums on our street have given up their beautiful red fall leaves, though the laurels (we call them daphne trees) are still green and sweet smelling.

We’re heading up to Sacramento tomorrow morning to celebrate Christmas. We hope that you have a nice one and that 2007 is better than 2006.

After getting back from England, we decided to stay in NorCal for a while. We did, however, travel to the mountains (Sierra Nevada) to celebrate brother-in-law Rob's 30th birthday. It was a 1976 themed party so you'll see some throwback outfits. Here's Cortney and Daphne (the latter is dressed more like a late 60s hippy than a 70s disco chick).


The Vellanoweths, 70s style.

Guinness makes you stronger.

Back in Sacramento, Daphne gets a kiss from her grandfather.

A nice picture with Gwenna.

Funny smiles with blocks.

Daphne got herself stuck on our magazine pile in the corner.

Here's Daphne with grandma, Kathie. Nice smiles, ladies.

Miles

I (Ben) made a quick trip down to LA to visit my nephew, Miles, who was born on November 22. Peter and Jill, two thirds of the SoCalAllens, have posted some nice pics and stories about Miles on their site, so I won't spend too much time here on it. I will give you some nice pics though, in reverse order of my trip.

Here are some crazy ponies on Main Street in Santa Monica.


Peter started a tradition in our generation of the Allen family of getting an 18 year old bottle of Scotch for a guy when he has kid. A very important part of the tradition is to drink at least 4 or 5 fingers worth at the first sitting. Since we were in SoCal in December, we figured we'd set up a backgammon table outside to enjoy the weather. Gotta love LA.

Another sign that you're in LA: here's new mom, Jill, with a Juicy Couture baby bag. Jill's doing a great job with Miles as a mom. She's a natural (of course, Miles is the mellowest new born I've ever met...but still).

Bird of paradise with a Santa Monica attraction blue in the background. As a NorCalian with eastern Massachusetts roots, I've never been a huge fan of Los Angeles, but a weekend in Santa Monica certainly opened my eyes. It's a pretty sweet place.

And the man of the post, mister Miles. This is his trademark "What, me worry?" pose.

London Town

The NorCalAllens owe much of their genetic makeup to the mixed up races from the island of Britain (among other places, including the pretty green island to the west). We decided to take Daphne to London for a trip to her ancestral homeland, and to hang out with her uncle, David, and aunt, Judy. Below you'll find many pictures of our good week over there. The sequence is from most recent to the beginning of the trip.

We start the photos with a picture of Ben and David playing backgammon. After a few early beatings by David, Ben finally picked up some steam and the cumulative score was about even by the end of the visit (after hundreds of rolls). You can also see Daphne in this shot--she helped Ben decide when to double and when to just roll the dice. You can see that David and I are enjoying some really good tea and cookies that Judy prepared for us.

On our last day, we took a nice walk north from Marylebone to the Primrose Hill area, one of my favorite sections of London. Here are some nicely colored row houses.
An action shot of Judy looking at the pretty houses with David, Daphne and Cortney in the background.
The canals just north of Regent's Park. People live on those boats.

Fun activities

Daphne was all mixed up with the time zone change. Here she is taking a quick nap in a restaurant. We're having a pint in front of Dave and Judy's place in Bentink street. Daphne is very interested in my stout.
Susan was in London for a lay over and came over to visit Daphne. Here they both are smiling.
Since I had some trouble beating Dave at first, Daphne took my place for a couple of games. Her favorite strategy was to chew on the doubling cube and grab Dave's pieces if they were getting close to home.

Making food

We were in London for Thanksgiving. You can see Daphne in this shot checking the roasting pumpkin (which eventually found itself in a blended up soup). If any of you have a chance to visit Judy and David, your efforts will be rewarded by the use of the coolest coffee machine I've ever seen (in person). The basic instructions are: 1) add whole roasted beans, 2) add water, 3) put cup under spouts, 4) push button. There's even a milk steamer for extra luxurious café au lait.
Here is a picture of Daphne taking out the garbage, with an assist from Alexa (friend from NYC).
The kitchen staff.

You want more London?

David and I went to an Arsenal match, which is pictured below. They played a bunch of Hamburgers from the Bundesliga. That grass is so green; it's so dear to the Arsenal club that the maintainance crew uses special lights that are also used in Amsterdam for growing...tulips.

What would a trip to London be without a family shot in an iconic telephone booth? Exactly.

David and Judy were gracious hosts and took us out to nice meals (we Americans are powerless in the face of the mighty Pound Sterling). Here's a shot of David and Judy eating at a great middle eastern restaurant.

Daphne just loves flatbread.

Seeing the city

As some of you know, Ben used to live in London back in the 1990s while he was studying at the London School of Economics. This is a picture of his old street in Kensington. The flat that he lived in was in the basement of the third building from the corner. Good memories.
Daphne sitting in front of Buckingham palace.
Trafalgar Square with the Houses of Parliament (and Big Ben) in the background. They've stopped the whole "feed the dirty birds" thing, which makes the square a bit less chaotic.
Covent Garden. Daphne liked the cobblestones.

Taking a walk to see Dave's work

As we expected of London in November, we faced some rainy days. Luckily, Daphne's stroller is equiped with the latest in all-weather protection, so she could enjoy the walk with barely a drop of rain disturbing her. As for Ben, a blue rain coat was all he needed.
Christmas time on Oxford Street! If you love pedestrians, this is your place.
Having a pint with Dave after work. Daphne is trying to grab the glass from her uncle, which is always pretty funny.
Daphne is sorting through some research that David had stacked up in his office. She's pretty sure the yield curve will steepen by Q4 of 2007.

Last London Post

This is the last batch of London pics for your enjoyment. Here's Daphne and Cortney getting some energy out at the gate at SFO. Daphne was great on the plane, considering the long duration. Daphne is inspecting some Brussels sprouts that her uncle got at the local farmers market.
Daphne with her trademark smile and puffy coat.
Here are Ben, Daphne and David with the once mighty and now tamed Tyburn river behind us.
Hope you enjoyed this extra international post. We'll be back on the 21st of the month program starting this coming Thursday. We hope you all have a Happy Baby Jesus Day, Secular Shopping Spree, Winter Solstice or whatever else you like to celebrate when it gets dark and cold.