Playing Catch-up, Part 1 (June 23-July 6)

Okay, okay, you can throw a couple tomatoes my way. I haven't held up my end of the blog bargain by posting timely updates. Since I have not posted new photos or videos of Ayla for one month, I'm going to bring you up to date on the past month of Conway family shenanigans in three or four posts.


+ + June 23-29 + +

Bonus Day! Sat. June 21

We had a lovely heat wave in June, evidenced by Ayla's outfit in the first photo below. I took the Morning Shift this Saturday, letting Meg sleep in, and took an early stroll with Ayla and Pinto to nearby Dolores Park, which was completely empty--a rarity for this popular park.



Later that afternoon, the first perpetual motion machine was invented. Well, not quite, but an equally momentous event occurred: our nearby relatives, the Rowes, visited our house for the first time. In their defense, Aunt Maureen and Uncle Doug are SLIGHTLY busier than we are, with three kids, two jobs, a full-time sports practice and games shuttle service, and a house that winds up being the go-to place for friends to eat, drink, and be merry on Friday and Saturday nights.

After spending some time with Ayla at our house, Maureen, Allison, Scott, Evan and I took a stroll down Valencia Street, where we wandered into Paxton Gate, a true cabinet of curiosities offering mounted insects, various animal skulls, vintage drawer handles, and carnivorous plants.


The Cousins: (L-R) Me, Evan, Scott, and Allison, still smiling after our encounter with giant mounted millipedes and beetles at Paxton Gate.



Maureen, aka Auntie Mo, and her little angels




June 23-25

We had a fun time with Meg's dad, John, who stayed with us in late June, in between a busy travel schedule for work that has recently taken him to Africa, the Middle East, and (if I remember correctly) Eastern Europe.



Grandpa John and I start the trip out right, with a trip to Ritual Coffee Roasters on Valencia Street.



At Crissy Field, at the north end of San Francisco, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.



Check out the huge super tanker going under Golden Gate Bridge.



Father and daughter enjoy a walk in the sunshine at Crissy Field, with downtown in the distance.



Grandfather and granddaughter enjoy some down time at home.





+ + June 30-July 6 + +

July 2

Who doesn't love the sight of a baby belly?


Ayla checks out the camera...




July 4

Our friend, Tina LaRosa, was back in town for a week and organized a little July 4 picnic in the park behind Lucasfilm's Letterman Digital Arts Center in the historic Presidio.


After getting nailed by a water balloon, Tina reaches for a balloon reload to get her revenge on Ami.



Brian and Trish's son, Adrian, demonstrates proper balloon-hurling technique.



Rob J., Pete, and Gidget watch the action from a safe distance.



Ami, owner of On The Fly, smartly dressed for any occasion... including, apparently, croquet, whiffle ball, and an impromptu water balloon fight.



The indignity: Tina displays her (wet) battle scars.



Justin shows off his major league swing...




Meg, Ayla, and Pinto make some new friends.



A view of the picnickers, the park behind Lucasfilm's Letterman Digital Arts Center, and a glimpse of the building itself.




July 5

The Conways met some friends at Alemany Farmer's Market, the oldest farmer's market in the Bay Area.



Rachel and Mike wait for their order from the lunch truck El Huarache Loco.



See pic below. I love El Huarache Loco's tag line, "From the D.F. to the S.F." Translation: "From the Distrito Federal (aka Mexico City) to San Francisco." For the record, they serve some yummy food, though no one was brave enough to try the menudo special, listed on the white board in the photo.



Alex watches Ayla while Meg grabs some grub and Brick snaps photos.



Alemany Farmer's Market will henceforce be known for its foxy lady shoppers.



Everybody digs in to a tasty lunch.



July 5

Though our friend, Jesse, has spent some time with Ayla (see the proof), his better half, Vivian, hadn't yet had a chance to meet the littlest Conway. With Jesse and Vivian's post-Independence Day visit, formal relations were finally established.



Vivian realizes that the paparazzi has arrived on-scene.



Ayla, sans full diaper coverage, keeps Vivian's Security Threat Level at Orange.




After Vivian and Jesse left, I gave Ayla her second bottle ever. Note the rocking chair's snazzy new look, after being reupholstered by the ever-talented Miss Rachel Robinette. Or just look at Ayla's increasingly chubby legs. Your pick.



Still want to throw a tomato at me?

Oh, I know what you're thinking: "Not enough pictures of the baby, Brick!" Well, the next post will be almost exclusively pictures of Ayla (many with Grandma Rose and Momma Meg). Here's a sneak peek...




We'll have those photos up for ya real soon.