California here we come

A sampling of items on our to-do and most-looking-forward-to lists:

• Family dinner at Chez Panisse (we'll finally see what all the fuss is about)
• Visit two new beautiful babies, and the soon-to-be-proud-parents of another
• Shopping at Target, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods--we could spend days in those stores
• For me--wandering used bookstores in Berkeley and San Francisco
• For Duncan--eating untold quantities of beef, burritos and Chinese food 
• Getting my hands on the September issue of Vogue--thanks JX for reserving a copy 
• Running at Duncan's high school track while trying to blend in with football practice
• Getting a new passport as all the pages in mine have filled up and Canada doesn't add extra pages anymore
• And though it may seem a mundane thing, we will be happy to just sit in a coffee shop, with or without wi-fi, reading the paper or a book for hours

Here's to safe and fruitful and refreshing travels!