Coming March 2015.....

Attention May Family:  I have an announcement to make!  Morgan is a taco. 

Ok Ok that isn't my real announcement.  March 18, 2015 will mark the grand opening of La Casa de Daniel.  Ryder and I are moving into our very own townhouse with enough room for visitors!  I cannot wait to share pictures and have you all over for yummy food, fun and sleep overs.  

Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

And just like that, our time in South Dakota was finished. We did take a last drive over streets covered in snow to say goodbye to Mr. Bendo, check out the buffaloes that greeted us upon our arrival, to ponder the frozen eponymous falls of Sioux Falls, to ascertain if David (the statue) had decided to dress in layers, to yell one last time at the Prairie View Prevention people,  and of course, to share the atmosphere and drink another coffee at Queen City. We will be back in a few weeks to get the other car and finish vacating our home here, but this is the moment that life changes. After that we will be like pheasants among the corn rows: present without really being visible.

We came to South Dakota with a mission (work related for Eva) and a goal. The goal was to use the move to shake up the comfortable status quo and to stimulate us to grab a bit more from our lives. We did that. 

Our plans at this point don't extend much beyond the road map above. Hopefully, after a short run near the tri-state marker of Nebraska, Kansas & Missouri, we will be sitting in a Vegan bakery/coffee shop in Kansas City trying out Google Fiber's 1gigabyte/second internet speeds.

Now in your best Dylan Voice sing: 

Where we're bound, We can’t tell ....fare thee well

Summer Updates

It's been an eventful summer for the Mays of San Francisco.  

Maria joined us for a week around Labor Day. We visited the farmers market and some of our favorite restaurants, along with day trips out of SF to go hiking and to go to the beach.We loved having Maria stay with us and all the tasty treats from Grandmama and Eva. The two of us celebrated Travis's birthday with a weekend getaway at Lake Tahoe (3.5 hour drive from SF) that also included a day of hiking along the lake and a day of lying at the beach. The water's way too cold for swimming. Each of us made short trips to the East Coast for work - Atlanta for me and NYC for Travis. And we just spent a perfect week in Maui that was one part anniversary celebration and one part 'summer vacation'.  Highlights include epic breakfast buffets, lots of time on the beach, snorkeling and a SCUBA dive with lots of sea turtles. We're looking forward to spending time at home in October, which is the month with the best weather in SF.  

Carolina dreaming

Hello from the Dhaka airport!  I'm heading to Kolkata this afternoon.  My flight is delayed, but a new coffee shop with wifi just opened up here so it's actually not so bad.

Shazzad and I have booked tickets for a crazy (road) trip in October.  Carmen San Diego would be really jealous of our itinerary.  We're flying into Chicago, then South Dakota, then heading to Las Vegas to road trip to Denver, via the Grand Canyon, and then.........we'll fly to Raleigh.  We arrive Saturday October 19th at 8:30AM.  Shazzad will head up to DC on the 21st to meet his cousins for a few days before heading back to Dhaka.  I'm still working on the details of my where-to after NC (all options pale in comparison), but I'll probably head out on the 23rd for.....wait for it.....Camden, Maine....bet you weren't expecting that(!!!!)....for a conference on social innovation.

Definitely not enough time to do everything I'd like to, but I'm super excited and confident we can pack in a lot of family fun.  I must admit that I didn't check the wolfpack game schedule before booking my tickets.  I apologize for any inconvenience.

Planning to come later on, but wanted to get on your calendars!!!!  Hope you are excited too!!

My little girl

Morgan had her Middle School dance Friday night. Yes she is ONLY ELEVEN!

Eva would be proud!

I am taking a beginner's cooking class that meets every Tuesday evening for 6 weeks. Today was session #3 and my team of two was responsible for appetizer and dessert. For dessert, I made puff pastry and pear tarte tatin! It even flipped out of the pan with no trouble (but cast iron is heavy!).  

I'm not sure I can reproduce it solo, yet, but here's the proof! 

Let the games begin

It's officially a house. We got a "Certificate Of Occupancy" today on our kataj at the river. That's government talk for they are done inspecting it. Still LOTS of little things to do like clean, furnish, install a toilet or two...... Now its time to make it a home.We hope you can visit soon (after the toilet is installed).
Know anybody who wants to by a camper. Morgan says I told her I was going to buy her a jetski when I sold it!
If you decide you would like to build a house, I will be glad to be your contracter. Just don't ask how much is it going to cost or when it will be finished.

Now accepting reservations

Looking for an opportunity to visit us - well be prepared for some 24/7 inside time together. We only have 1 extra bedroom so it is first come first served.

Department of State adopts the "Travis" rule

Well, not officially, but they did, upon her arrival back at Foggy Bottom, give Secretary of State Clinton a helmet to wear while working. Those of us who are super-informed on world affairs know the back story. And while helmets are now most certainly part of national security, the true role that Travis played is classified and will be redacted for at least 50 years. 

Oh and the fact that it is now here on the internet, no one will see it.

California road trip

Travis and I enjoyed a 4-day, 3-night road trip from San Diego to San Francisco along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway.  We traveled with one of my college friends, Elise, and got home on Tuesday night.

Some of our highlights included:

• Exploring the critters in tide pools in Corona del Mar (Orange County)
• My very first Ferris wheel ride
• Wandering the boardwalk at Santa Monica pier and chasing seagulls on the beach
• Hiking to the top of a ridge just in time to see sunset over the ocean
• Climbing the clock tower in the beautiful courthouse in Santa Barbara (the setting for the TV show, Psych)
• Eating morning pastries on a beach
• Watching hundreds of elephant seals - males fight for mates by bumping their chests and trying to bite each other
• Exhilarating, and at-times scary, windy cliff-side driving through Big Sur. Big Sur also featured craggy rocks that beat the ocean to froth, spectacular sunsets, head-spinning ocean vistas, and waterfalls into the ocean.  A truly amazing landscape.
• Night driving to the tunes on the "Top 90 of the 90's" countdown on satellite radio

Wendy's Frosty and Grandma!

Some of us do not have a Wendy's Free Frosty card like Grandma and cannot just drive through and order one.  So we can now make them at home!  Do they have Wendy's Drive thru in Dakha?

Copy Cat – Wendy’s frosty

Recipe type: Copy Cat Recipe

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 Cup of 2% Milk
• 2 Tablespoons of Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix
• 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons of Cool Whip
• About 8 Ice Cubes

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender – blend till smooth
2. Place in freezer till it has the frosty consistency.

WordPress Recipe Plugin and Microformatting by EasyRecipe

Christmas starts on Thanksgiving

We are celebrating Turkey/Acorn squash day in San Francisco with H & T as they continue their honeymoon bliss. Here they are in front of a 20 foot Christmas tree near Union Square. Despite the setting, they have asked to join the ranks of those not receiving Christmas presents this year. I am here but don't call me the Grinch. Looking forward to another big meal with all of you in 1 month - once the hours of daylight starts getting longer.

New Construction

After a year of debris removal, picking up glass and hanging out in the camper, it is time to really get back to something we love. We started framing up our new cottage (pronounce Ka taj) at "The River".
Top picture was day one when the framing began. Pic below was this weekend when we actually got to climb the ladder (stairs coming soon) and see if our design was what we thought it would be. Not many changes yet. Roof and second story are going up this week.
Don't you think the living room window frames the Tiki Bar and Pier well. I don't know when it will be finished (I'm the general contractor) but it sure does feel good to get started!
Also, Ann's piling were being driven today. She will be rolling soon.

Back at it

I have been meaning to post our annual "First Day" picture as we launch a new school year. Mostly fake or no smiles here. We were happy on the other side of the camera!

Grandma, Samantha and I spent the day watching Morgan play in a soccer tournament in New Bern.  After the first game we had a very nice picnic lunch provided by Peggy and Craig under a tree in the park.  We had dessert of ice cream after the last game while celebrating her team winning the #1 slot.  The weather was perfect so we still obtained a little tan.  Check out Morgan's shoes and the girl standing beside Stephen.  

Happy Mother's Day

You know who you are! For those headed to New Bern today, maybe you should think about your offspring as you read "3rd Generation of Mays could kick themselves" at http://dumbestthingieverheard.com/2012/05/3rd-generation-of-mays-could-kick.html

Birthday Signs are going UP!

I noticed that North Carolina has started putting up signs in honor of Greg's upcoming birthday.  It appears they have been very busy as I have seen them everywhere.

Hope he has a great day!