Back on 29 October 1984, the restaurant pictured below was a fondue restaurant where I proposed to my (future) wife. The table we sat at was located at the column just to the left of the door in the picture (between the two awnings). The current restaurant is named: “Opa!” and serves Greek food. | |
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The table in the following picture sits almost exactly where we sat back in 1984. The floor-plan / table layout is completely different from back then. Our table was a four-place table back then and there was another four-place table directly behind me (where the lady is sitting at the bar). My wife would have been slightly to the left (her right) of where she is currently sitting and where I am is almost exactly where I got down on one knee to propose (in the aisle, between tables). | |
My wife has had Greek food before. This was my first time… We both enjoyed the starter and our main courses, and we loved our desserts! | |
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Hil had the Baklava Sundae for her afters… (We told the waitress about Hil’s birthday and it being the anniversary of our engagement and they put a candle on her ice cream!) | |
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I enjoyed the Banana Bread Pudding for my afters… | |
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All in all, mid-week (Tuesday) at 3:15pm was the perfect time to dine there. When we entered, we were literally the only customers in the place. Service was prompt, friendly and helpful with the waitress offering suggestions. The food taste was new (to me), just different enough to seem “exotic”, and the meal / experience another unique memory for us to add to our list of happy events together. | |
There is an axiom that you can never go home again. Sometimes, “going back” doesn’t have to mean “being the same” to still be “great”… | |
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On This Day In: | |
2018 | Forever |
2017 | Too Good To Be True |
Plain Speaking | |
2016 | She Is Still Singing |
2015 | Don’t Complain |
2014 | Nothing Is The Same |
Orange October (XII) – Giants Win Game 7 (3 To 2) And World Series (4 To 3) | |
2013 | Hours, Days, And Years |
2012 | In Kev Are In Hil |
2011 | No Game, Didn’t Really Happen |
A Good Post | |
Posts Tagged ‘Picture of Hil’
35 Years Later
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, Pictures, tagged 2019 Hil's BD Dinner, Baklava Sundae, Banana Bread Pudding, Family, Greek Food, Happy 35th (Proposal) Anniversary, Opa!, Picture of Hil, Picture of Hil and Me, Walnut Creek on October 29, 2019| Leave a Comment »
Mixing Business And Pleasure
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, Pictures, tagged Beer Tasting, Family and Friends, Family Photos, Picture of Hil, Picture of Kelly, Picture of Kyle, Picture of Me, Picture of Mom, Picture of Tony Canchola, Wine Tasting on September 29, 2019| 4 Comments »
Over the weekend, my cousin Tony (from Arizona) dropped in for a little business (on Monday) and a quick weekend visit with friends and family (us). I hadn’t seen my cousin since 1971! (That’s 48-odd years!! for you math challenged readers.) Anyway, we went out to lunch and to support my brother-in-law who was playing in a “teachers” band at a charity event (and beer tasting). He teaches music in one of the local school districts and he’s part of a orchestra of teachers from the various school districts in the Oakland, California area. | |
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In the group photo you see (L to R): me, my wife (Hilary), my cousin (Tony), my mother (Carmen), my nephew (Kyle) and my sister (Carmen). | |
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In this photo are: me, Hil and Kelly (a friend of my nephew). | |
The music was good and lively. The beer and wine tasting was excellent. (I was told… I was driving.) And, a great time was had by all. I made my cousin promise not to wait another 48 years to visit us again and he promised he wouldn’t. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2018 | Intensity Doesn’t Make It Correct |
HF2: 1940’s Grapes | |
2017 | Proof Sits In The Oval Office |
2016 | Tragic Determinism |
2015 | Maybe It Should Be Clearer |
2014 | Make It Your Strength |
2013 | Four Score |
2012 | The Ruler |
2011 | Forever |
2010 | Just Cuz |
How Do You Mend A Broken Heart? | |
It’s Alive!! (3rd Pair Shoe Review) | |
And Miles To Go Before She Sleeps
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, Family History, Pictures, tagged 2019 Trip To Liverpool, Family, Liverpool, Manchester UK, Nana, Papa, Picture of Hil, Pictures of Hil, Pictures of Nana and Papa, San Francisco International Airport, SFO on June 22, 2019| 1 Comment »
Today I drove my wife to San Francisco International (SFO) Airport to catch a flight to Manchester so she can be with her family (in Liverpool). Hil flew back earlier in the year to spend time with her mum before her passing. Her mum’s health has been poorly for some time and has recently taken a turn for the worse. She has just been released from hospital to hospice care. It is a time of mixed emotion for us as while we will miss her mum, she will be joining her husband (George) who has been waiting on her some 20 years now. I guess “Papa’s” calling her home is finally getting too much for “Nana” to ignore. | |
Here is a photo of Hil’s mum and dad (“Nana & Papa” to our kids) in happier times: | |
And here is a post of mine from back in 2011: Things I’ve Learned From Life – Nana Carter | |
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On This Day In: | |
2018 | What I Tell You Three Times Is True |
2017 | And So On |
2016 | Kept |
2015 | Envy * 2 |
2014 | Destiny For The Talented |
2013 | I Do Not Fear It |
2012 | Until Found |
2011 | Reducing Goods To Data |
The Fog Of Civilization Building | |
Yellow Signs Of Spring
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, Pictures, Places, tagged Daffodils, Family, Flowers, Picture of Hil, Picture of Liverpool, Picture of Lynn, Spring on February 2, 2019| 5 Comments »
My wife’s favorite flower is the daffodil. Before I met her, I never thought much about flowers. I knew what a rose was (is) and I knew they came in different colors. I didn’t know the variations had different names or much of anything else. I used to buy my wife roses several times a year. Not for any particular reason. Just to make her smile. This stopped after a few years because she said she didn’t really like flowers – except daffodils. When we moved back to Liverpool in the early 1990’s, I found out why. They (Liverpool city) have fields and fields of daffodils and they all bloom at roughly the same time each year – in February / March. Here are some of the photos from my Hil’s trip home last year (2018). | |
Several years ago, Hil began planting bulbs in front of our house. They never seemed to take. They would pop up (bud), but never bloom. Then about 2016, the “miracle of Spring” began. (Unfortunately, we had to remove the tree shown in the first picture.) For whatever reason, we seem to get a few more each year… | |
On Monday of this week, they were just buds. On Thursday, the first five blossomed. The final photo is from this morning… | |
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On This Day In: | |
2018 | But Take Heart |
Poetic Marker | |
2017 | The Few, The Many, The Most |
2016 | To My Brother |
2015 | For Junior |
A Roman Rome | |
2014 | Hmmm |
2013 | What’s A Motto With You? |
2012 | Worthy Companions |
2011 | Bourne Again |
Which Ten Are You In? | |
Easter In Liverpool
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, Pictures, tagged 2018 Trip To Liverpool, Easter Hats, Faith Family and Friends, Liverpool, Picture of Hil, Picture of Hil's Mum, Pictures of Lynn on May 7, 2018| 3 Comments »
Because one can never have enough pictures of your spouse on the internet, here are a few pics of my Hil visiting her mum over Easter during her visit to Liverpool in March / April… | |
It is kind of a tradition for the staff and visitors to don “Easter hats” to give the “old dears” a bit of a chuckle… | |
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On This Day In: | |
2017 | Decisions |
2016 | Along The Path |
2015 | Make Mine Rare, Please |
2014 | Passion Flooding |
2013 | On Purpose |
2012 | Sans Gall Bladder, Day 4 |
How Did You Spend Your Day? | |
2011 | It’s Hammerin’ Time!! |
Convenient Auxiliaries | |
Happy 32nd Anniversary, Hil!!
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Family and Friends, Pictures, Quotes, tagged 32nd Wedding Anniversary, Accomplishment, Family and Friends, Love, Picture of Hil, Pictures of Hil And Me, Pictures of Me, Quotes, Simone Signoret, Success, Wedding Anniversary on December 3, 2016| 2 Comments »
Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together through the years. | |
— Simone Signoret | |
[Happy 32th Anniversary, Hil | |
You are the roots for the life-tree we have lived and, this year, just another ring in our life-tree… | |
Love Always, | |
Your Kev | |
XXX | |
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X | |
— KMAB] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2015 | Happy Anniversary Hil!! |
2014 | 30th Wedding Anniversary |
2013 | Number 29 (And Counting) |
2012 | Hammer ‘N Roses |
Happy Anniversary | |
2011 | I Can Hear It Now |
Happy 21st Birthday!
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Philosophy, Pictures, Quotes, tagged Doctor Who, Family and Friends, Happy Birthday Sarah, Philosophy, Picture of Hil, Pictures of Sarah, Quotes on March 13, 2014| 3 Comments »
Sarah Through The Years |
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There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t act a little childish sometimes. | |
— Doctor Who | |
[Hi Sarah, Your mother and I would like you to know how much we’ve enjoyed your being with us as the last child at home. We look forward to your going away to college in the Fall only because we understand how these first tentative steps away from home will help you become the beautiful young woman you are meant to be. | |
Happy Birthday!! | |
Love Always, | |
Mum & Dad | |
— KMAB] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2013 | Expectations |
2012 | Trust Him Smile |
2011 | Why Change? |
Hours, Days, And Years
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Philosophy, Pictures, Quotes, tagged André Maurois, Engagement Picture, Family, Family and Friends, Happy Birthday Hil, Love, Philosophy, Picture of Hil, Pictures of Me, Quotes on October 29, 2013| 4 Comments »
He who has not spent hours, days, or years with someone he loves cannot know what happiness is, for he is unable to imagine a protracted miracle like this – one which makes out of ordinary sights and events the most enchanted existence. | |
— André Maurois | |
[I don’t believe the above quote is an absolute, but I do feel it would be fairly difficult to imagine such a miracle without having shared such a “protracted” period. As of today, my wife Hilary will have spent over half of her life with me passionately in love with her. | |
On this date, in 1984, on bended knee, Hil sitting at a candle lit table, in a (not too) crowded restaurant, I proposed. — And she said, “Yes.” | |
Happy Birthday, Hil!! | |
All my love, | |
Always, | |
Your Kev | |
— KMAB] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2012 | In Kev Are In Hil |
2011 | No Game, Didn’t Really Happen |
A Good Post | |
Updates On Life
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Pictures, tagged 27th Wedding Anniversary, Cliff House, Family, Family and Friends, Golden Gate Park, Picture of Christmas Tree 2011, Picture of Hil, Sutro Baths Ruins on December 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Christmas is once again sneaking up on us… | ||||
Anniversary Lunch: | ||||
Last weekend (Saturday), was Hil and my 27th wedding anniversary. We started off by giving each other the same cards. We bought them on different days, at different stores, and she got hers under husbands, while I got mine under wives – but they were the exact same card! When I opened mine, I started laughing and Hil was hurt looking thinking she’d accidentally bought me one she’s already given me. I told her to open hers and she understood why I laughed. | ||||
To celebrate, we went to the Cliff House in San Francisco for lunch. We had our reception there (way back when). It’s changed quite a bit. There is a modern, new addition called “The Sutro”, where we ate. The food was fantastic! (Expensive, but fantastic.) We had a lovely drive into town. The sky was incredibly clear and visibility was “unlimited”. Popping out of the Caldecott Tunnel, you could easily see both bridges and passed them out to sea. We briefly debated driving around all the old neighborhoods, but settled on simply driving through Golden Gate Park. GG Park is still as beautiful as ever. | ||||
When we got to the restaurant, there was several close parking spaces so we didn’t have to walk far up or down the hill. The Cliff House is located about half-way up a pretty fair hill. It’s not that steep from the bottom of the hill, but it’s long. It’s not that long from the top of the hill, but it’s steep. | ||||
When we got inside and asked for a table, we were advised the restaurant did not normally take walk-ins, but they would check. I looked over the balcony and saw several empty tables including one (a table for two) right by the windows. We were advised there was sitting available and so we asked for the table I’d seen. We had a terrific view. I was facing north towards the old Sutro Baths ruins and Hil was facing Seal Rock, the ocean and Ocean Beach. | ||||
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In these photos, the pool (1) is where the baths were located. Photos (2) and (3) are the paths leading down to the ruins. | ||||
Believe it or not, even the drive home was beautiful as we watched the sun setting over the bay / City / Golden Gate. Traffic was normal, but not stop-n-go and we decided to take I-80 up to CA-4 instead of going back through the tunnels. | ||||
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Tree Traditions: | ||||
We have a tradition of always getting our Christmas tree on the first full weekend in December, so on Sunday we went out to get the tree. Sarah, Hil and I picked it out and after getting it on the stand, I sat back while they decorated it. | ||||
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Stoned: | ||||
And, of course, I’ve also got my health update – stoned again. Kidney stones that is. And they’re killing me!! This last Tuesday, I went and got an ultrasound on them to see where they are and how big they are. Hopefully, I can get them blasted or lasered before too long. They are an almost constant pain now. Sometimes, almost unbearable. | ||||
Still, life goes on… | ||||
Pictures from UCLA trip…
Posted in Faith Family and Friends, Pictures, tagged Faith, Family and Friends, Picture of Hil, Pictures, Pictures of Bec, Pictures of Me, Pictures of Sara K, UCLA on October 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Here are some pictures from our recent drive to UCLA to drop off our daughter (Rebecca). | |
![]() Bec, Hil and me at the UCLA sign |
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![]() Bec, Hil and me |
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![]() Bec posing |
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![]() Hil, Bec and her best friend Sarah |
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