somehow against all rational thought i imagined going on holiday in california would also be a break from the corona. of course, the closer we got to the golden state, the more the virus was spiking in our destination. we arrived to a berkeley even more bunkered down than boulder, where EVERYONE was wearing masks in public, where most of the restaurants were closed (except for take-out), where many people still had not had a proper haircut (most notably my parents who look like a couple of the founding fathers - my dad favoring thomas jefferson [normally he looks more like jimmy carter] and my mother’s curls reminiscent of john adams’ with the middle bit filled in) and people practicing really conservative social distancing. nevertheless, we were DELIGHTED to arrive.
(james madison, alexander hamilton, george washington, thomas jefferson - DAD, john adams - MOM)
(jefferson and adams)
(dad’s doppelgänger pre corona)
corona can’t take away the cool, salty smell of the air coming off the ocean, or the thrill of driving over the gorgeous “new” bay bridge (that i secretly think was built JUST for me - it epitomizes everything i love design-wise: clean lines and the bright white stanchion and rails), or the calm of the perfectly laid out vineyards in napa and sonoma or my childhood radio station: KMEL - i still LOVE it or the new “old school” station: Q102 that plays all the music KMEL played in high school or the DELICIOUS tapas from my favorite restaurant in the whole wide world: cesar - i mean corona COULD take that out, but it has not yet done so… PRAISE JESUS! (berkeleys - we’ve picked up dinner twice from cesar and it was so good! the chips didn’t even get soggy. just be ready to hop in your car because they literally have it packed up for you in about ten minutes.)
(my beautiful bridge; photo: shutter stock)
(the fried potatoes from cesar… ridiculous good)
also, the corona didn’t manage to take away camp kee tov, the summer camp my kids look so forward to each year. somehow the superstar director and the incredible counselors redesigned the structure of this camp so that it maintained all of the “ruach” (spirit) that it is famous for while keeping the kids safe and masked and social distanced. i didn’t think it was possible… pre corona i couldn’t imagine a germier camp - they sing constantly, they hug and give piggy back rides, they sleep out together in the woods (THAT is not happening this year so at least i don’t have to worry about my kids getting eaten by a bear or attacked by a wild turkey - turkeys are RAMPANT in berkeley!) and share so much love, connection and CONTACT that i thought a corona era kee tov would feel flat and disappointing. not so… PRAISE MOSES! my kids are having the best time and i am so GRATEFUL that they are creating these special memories because i think the corona is going to come with us into the fall and it will be helpful to face that with full hearts.
(theo and lu at the end of camp picnic hugging one of their favorite counselors, pre corona)
but this summer visit HAS been a lot different than any other. hank and i have a new routine. we get up early and go into the garden so hank can potty and i can drink my coffee and pick up the plums that have fallen out of the bountiful tree at the darling cottage we are renting. before the kids are awake i will have sorted the plums with cracks or bruises from the pristine ones (my grandfather WAS a farmer so harvesting comes naturally to me i think) and started making both plum sauce with the imperfect plums and a plum cake with the perfect ones. (i have been OBSESSED with these plums… the sauce is really good on yoghurt or ice cream and the cake is so divine we eat it after dinner AND for breakfast.) after we drop the kids at camp, hank and i swing by the post office to pick up any mail for my parents. then we go by their house and take my dad for a walk. finally, i leave hank at the house (he is the only “child” allowed inside) and go to the market or the bank or the CVS for whatever my parents might need.
(LOOK at all of these plums)
in the afternoons we are lazy… theo cocoons in the hammock, hank naps, lucy makes tik toks in the grass and i prepare us for an evening of social distancing at the cottage or in a friend’s backyard. we always serve or bring a plum cake of course!
* my girlfriend gifted us a down rumpl blanket that i have been taking with me everywhere for the outdoor socializing because for some crazy reason i didn’t bring any coats. it is so WARM and it squishes back into a tiny sleeping bag like case. i am ordering some for my parents and more for us so that we can sit outside in boulder when fall comes… i’m sure we will be social distancing for a good bit longer and i hate to be cold!
(here i am SDing with my rumpl, except i would never be in the woods with a tent)
(it rolls up to the size of a large water bottle!)
PLUM CRAZY GOOD PLUM CAKE (from the new york times)
BATTER:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened * i just stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
TOPPING:
6-10 plums, halved
juice from half a lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
preheat the oven to 350 degrees. butter the “spring form” pan (i had never heard of these, but my mom had an extra one from 1974 that i have been using - it’s genius! you just unbuckle it to get the cake out.)
mix the softened butter with the sugar. stir in the eggs. add the flour, baking powder and salt. you are meant to “sift” all this but i never do… i just make sure that there are no bumps in baking powder because that tastes AWFUL if you bite into one.
scoop the cake batter into the spring form pan. place the halved plums (round side up) on the batter, sprinkle the lemon juice and cinnamon sugar mixture on top. bake for about 45 minutes until the cake is golden brown. let it rest for half an hour before taking it out of the spring form. SUPER yummy served with vanilla ice cream. ENJOY!
* update on kee tov: camp had to go virtual for the last week because of a corona scare… they handled everything with so much care and transparency and we were all so appreciative of the two weeks of live camp they enjoyed. the next day theo, lucy and i spent SIX HOURS in line for a corona test - i have never waited that long in line EVER, for anything, in my entire life. and it’s not like when you got to the front they handed you something awesome like a giant orgasm… no - they stuck a 12 inch Q tip up your nose (which really wasn’t as bad as i expected.) we were not well prepared at all (no folding chairs or snacks or board games) so by the time we got our results (we were all negative, PRAISE JESUS!) we were STARVING and drove directly to habit (which is like berkeley’s version of the good times drive thru) and got burgers and salty fries and root beer floats. we had “mom camp” the rest of the week… walking across the golden gate bridge, driving down the curly part of lombard street, visiting the black sand beach in tennessee valley and popping over to crissy field in the city… all so BEAUTIFUL! x0x
(NEGATIVE! whoop whoop!)
(lu and her buddy walking the GG bridge)
(hank looking for sharks in the water)
(the top of lombard street)
(sand castles in tennessee valley)
