“O-pus and starfish are having a seaweed wedding underwater!” -The Kid explaining why her octopus bucket and starfish shovel were all dressed up.

It was another hot day in the valley so we headed up to the cool foggy city. We stopped at the de Young to see the Balenciaga exhibit before it closed.

Auntie led us up to the observation tower, where we were treated to superb views of the city on this clear day.

Next we checked out the Balenciaga dresses…my favorite was the pink one at the entrance, but as no pics were allowed, you will just have to imagine it. There were so many wearable, beautiful dresses…I wanted several! There was one room of all black dresses and suits…in dark nightclubby lighting, so it was a bit hard to see them, esp. when being tugged by a toddler who loves to tour museums at breakneck speed. Also as we departed I noticed a sign that they had a Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit (could be upcoming? can’t find it anywhere)…and this Dior dress…sigh…maybe next time. There are lots of great things still to see, we will be back.

When we were up in the tower we spotted a pool with lily pads, so when we got back to ground level we checked out the pool and surrounding gardens. The pool had turtles! There was a family of different sizes, and one particularly cute baby turtle.

The kid and auntie gathered some daisies and dandelions nearby.

After this we strolled through the plane trees and fountains (last time the fountains were dry, so this was a welcome change) and madame was particularly entranced by the smaller fountain which undulated.

But the day wasn’t over yet…next stop, the beach. Auntie took us to a beach that was loaded with sand dollars…it was a nice, calm, gentle day for waves, and we walked barefoot along the beach, gathering sand dollars. What a beautiful day!

We ended the day with a visit at Auntie’s, rinsed off the sand and played with Luna and the kitties. The kid was very proud that Omie let her pet him, now that she has a gentler touch. Having thoroughly tuckered out Auntie, we headed out for the local Trader Joe’s for some travel snacks for the long drive home.

We loved their cart escalator…we could watch it for hours! This reminded me of London…the escalators down into hidden food halls…were they at M&S or Selfridges? They also had the little shopping carts for kids which our kid loved pushing around the store (and into my shins..ouch).

Thoroughly happy with our day out, we cruised back to the (finally) cooling off valley.

Do you know what I dreamed about last night? Caterpillars at Filoli! - Lucy

One of the neat things about visiting Filoli is that you never know what you will see. The flowers are changed often, and the wildlife varies as well according to the season.

Recently we have seen wild turkeys and deer, and even both in the same day! The turkeys are hilarious…very self-assured birds who sometimes walk in front of a car, puff up, and gobble gobble at you.  The deer are so used to Filoli that they do not bolt at the first sight of visitors…esp. since we stay mostly at a distance.

There is also a resident rooster at Filoli, and though we have never seen him, we hear him often. Sometimes they let one of the chickens roam around in the garden…the last time that happened, Lucy was just a baby. She was scared of it even from a distance, and wanted to run away.

Oddly enough, her grandmother was also scared of chickens. She related this to me one time when we were walking through Filoli (possibly the same day as the chicken episode). Lucy has also shown a great dislike of chickens and roosters at petting zoos…so I think this might be an inherited trait.

Anyway, the last few visits we have been noticing…caterpillars! There are the little tiny green ones that dangle on strings hanging out of trees and get stuck in your hair (they have these every year at Stanford too), and the regular sized ones with stripes or spotty patterns. Here are some of the cool caterpillars we found recently.
Anyone able to identify them?

“Now we have ‘Stay at home Wubie’ and ‘Travel Wubie’!”
— Lucy, talking about the Siamese cats she discovered outside our condo on Hawaii’s big island

Hawaii is full of life, especially wildlife. It seems like the most alive place on earth. The soil is so fertile and rich, you can plant a clipping and it will grow…just shove a twig in the ground. The birds and bugs and animals also flourish here.

On Kauai, there are wild chickens everywhere…in parking lots, at the beach, park, roadside, backyard, shopping center, even the airport!

We saw an endangered monk seal at the beach, loads of birds, and even a mouse. Eek!

On the Big Island we discovered toads on our lawn, big ones, sometimes hidden in the short grass, so you almost step on them. Last night there was one on the road we had to stop for and let pass. Was that a squirrel, nope, it was a mongoose. And the bumblebees! So gigantic they weigh down any flower or leaf they land on.

And on the beach, we saw crabs, fish, birds and….turtles! Next on the to see list: whales and dolphins. (We saw some whales spouting from the shore on Kauai, but we want to see them a little bit closer.)

This trip we have had cats wherever we went…the resident cats at our hosts on Kauai, and wild ones here on the Big Island. When we arrived, what did we see but…a mirror image of Wubie! A siamese cat in a feral version, in the parking lot, just washing his feet. So naturally we took a shine to him. Then we saw his twin. And tonight, we saw a third siamese.

Those three had friends, all living out on the lava and in the shrubery nearby. Probably every week they get new benefactors from the condo and resort dwellers who miss their own fuzzy friends.

And on the home front, our Wubie is keeping his catsitter busy. But we’ll save that for another post!

“Yes, he is annoying because he doesn’t wake up at 9 or 10 or 11 or 12!”
— Lucy commenting on Wubert’s early morning breakfast demands

“I’m a little girl and he’s not a gentleman so he’s not my little baby!”
— Lucy explaining why Wubie can’t be one of her “babies” (like her dollies)

“Hey look at this—a tall Wubie with a smile!”
“That’s Wubie at night playing baseball! That’s his window, and his treehouse, and his bat, and his baseball!”
— Lucy explaining her latest drawings of Wubert

Way back in 1998, Jill and I had been in our condo for a few short months when we realized something was missing.

1998 was a big year for us. I’d (finally) gotten my BA from SJSU, began working fulltime in Palo Alto, and settled down in a peaceful, quiet condo with Jill. Looking back, it was probably too peaceful and quiet, because we both came to agreement that we longed for the pitter-patter of little feet.

Yep, we needed a cat.

We started looking around, and one day dropped by a local pet store that occasionally showed off rescued cats in need of homes. The store had a little room in the back that housed about a half-dozen cages. On this day the little room held captive a clowder of Persian cats that had been rescued by the aptly titled Persian Cat Rescue Society.

Though we weren’t looking for a Persian, we walked into the room and took a look at the wall of cages, each one housing a pair of cats and a litter box. As we strode by each cage, Jill would give a kind word to each cat:

“Hi, little feller! Aren’t you a cutie!”
“Hiiiiii! Meow, meow, little guy!”
“Look at you! Oh, what a pretty tail you have!”

We were almost finished w/ our little tour when Jill stopped in her tracks in front of a cage. Inside, taking up most of the metal box was a big fluffed out Persian. But next to the Persian, relegated to a permanent spot in the litter box due to the tight confines of the cage, was a small, quiet(!) Siamese cat. Yep, it was Wubie. For Jill, it was love at first sight.

“OH, HI, LITTLE KITTY! LOOK AT YOU! YOU’RE SO SWEET!”

She immediately tried touching the object of her affection, plunging her fingers between the metal bars of the cage. Seeing this, Wubie stepped out of the litter box and flicked on his “charm” switch. (Funnily enough, I think this is the last time he flicked on his charm switch, the little con artist!) He pressed himself against the cage, allowing Jill to pet him while he purred quietly(!)

“Oh, this is the one! I want him!” Jill said excitedly.

“Are you sure?” I asked as I eyeballed the cat. “He’s not a kitten, ya know. He’s a full grown cat.”

“He’s the one!”

I looked at the cat again. “Pretty cat,” I thought. “He seems friendly and low-key.” (yep, famous last words.)

So, while Jill staked out the cage w/ her “claimed” cat, I went looking for a store employee who could help us out. To my surprise, none of the employees could assist with the cat. Instead, they referred us to a Persian Cat Rescue Society flyer with a contact phone number. Remember, this was 1998, so neither of us had a cell phone.

Jill reluctantly left Wubert as we both went out in search of a pay phone. Luckily, we found one right outside the shop. However, our hopes were dashed when our call led to an answering machine.

We left an excited, semi-coherent message, pledging our dedication and commitment to this newly discovered caged beastie, made sure to leave our contact info, and hung up.

I remember that call very well. By that time, Jill’s admiration for this new cat had become contagious. I wanted this cat too. And there he was, looking pitiful and depressed, hunkered down in a litter box behind bars. But we couldn’t save him. The only thing we could do was say goodbye and go home to wait for a call that might never come. We felt utterly powerless.

Time went by, enough time for us to conjure up paranoid thoughts of assorted miscreants swooping in and taking our cat. But then the call came.

“Yes, we want the cat!” Jill said to the woman on the phone.

“Are you sure? He’s a Siamese cat you know.”

“Yes!” Jill said. “I’ve had Siamese before. I know what to expect.”

“What to expect? What are they even talking about?” I thought as I listened in. The majority of my experience had been with gray tabbies. “Whatever. A cat’s a cat,” I decided.

Arrangements were made. When the day came, we drove off to the pet shop, excited as can be. When we saw Wubert, he looked worse for wear than our previous meeting. He now had an infected eye and was looking rather glum.

However, this time we were able to do something about it. We filled out the required paperwork, paid our “adoption” fee, and excitedly purchased cat food, toys, and a litterbox for our new charge.

Once we got him home, our new roommate took some tentative steps around the condo before doing some full-fledged exploring. We named him “Mr. Wu” which eventually turned into “Wubert”. Lately he’s been “Wubie”, the moniker Lucy applied to him.

Now here we are, almost 13 years later. Having Wubie has been great. He’s been a loyal (well, as loyal as a cat can be!) constant companion. However, I now understand much better what it means to share a home with a Siamese cat. Shortly after the adoption, Wubert shed the quiet, tentative demeanor. Once he became fully comfortable, he decided to wave his Siamese freak flag high.

Some observations about Siamese cats:

• They are loud and proud
• If they are lonely or bored, they will let you know about it, loudly
• They are stubborn
• I truly believe that they see many daily interactions as a struggle of wills
• They are incredibly perceptive (Wubert will run and hide if he thinks Jill and I are doing anything that looks remotely conspiratorial. He can sense when a trip to the V-E-T is imminent)
• Have I mentioned they’re loud?

Anyway, that’s the rather longwinded story of how we met Wubert all those years ago. Now, here’s some stuff that’s a little more recent:

Wubie’s getting older, so now he has to see the doctor every now and then. These are some pictures from a recent trip to the V-E-T (we spell it out when in front of him)

The above two pics were taken in the V-E-T’s office. The pic on the right was snapped after Wubie came home after a two day stay at the hospital. They had to put him under while he was there, so they shaved a little window in his sleeve where the needle for the anaesthesia was placed. Here’s a close-up of Wubie’s “window”:

More pics of Wubie after his return home. The left picture above shows him playing the role of customer at Lucy’s “store.” The pic on the right shows the two taking a break.

And here are two last pics of the partners in crime just hanging out. Young Kid and Old Cat—sounds like a cop buddy movie.

BTW, long before this blog was created, Wubie had his own web site. We have an archived version of it here.

Daddy: “It’s the weekend, kid—what do you want to do?”
Lucy: “Maybe we can go to french fry town and then the park!”
Daddy: “And visit Gma too, and see her garden!”
Lucy: “Yes, and we can go to her garden and see if there are any snails that need a snail race!”
— sorting out weekend plans with Lucy

Pumpkin Patch Visit from Mike C on Vimeo.

I spent last weekend in front of my computer, finishing up a project for work. However, the kid and her mom got to go out and have some fun in Half Moon Bay.

This video is of a pumpkin patch they visited with GpaTom, Gma Karen, Auntie Laura, and Uncle John. Check out Lucy on her first ever pony ride!

Music Used:

• “War on War” from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco

“I’m a new dolly!”
— Lucy, after washing her feet

Every so often it gets a little quiet and I start to wonder what madame is up to. One day my mommy-radar was tingling and this is what I found…

which reminded me of this…

(That’s Edith climbing to get Mr. Bear’s new clock from Edith and Mr. Bear. )

When I popped onto the scene Lucy assured me of her great climbing ability, and I did let her finish getting the toys and climb down by herself.

She has used the chair to get things like cookies from high places…last week I found her quietly reaching for cookies on top of the micro by using the chair…but adding the stool to it is a new trick.

I think I will keep those cats at a more accessible level from now on…and keep listening for when it is too quiet.

“Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rice“
— Lucy’s version of Sing a Song of Sixpence

Lucy wrote a shopping list and brought it to my store. This is what it said:

Bouncy Mushroom (see fig. 1)

ABC for Wubie (2)

‘Pinano’ music for Wubie to practice  (3)

Xylophone (4)

Stickers for me

Cat Toy for Wubie

Circus Cat

Merry-Go-Round

This year the big event of the day was Lucy winning a prize at one of the game booths…a kitty cat! She has had luck on the ‘wheel of fortune’ two years in a row. Yay Lucy! I think you’ve found your game!

We go out to our garden, and check for snails on various plants, esp. the lemon tree. We pick our contenders. After watering the racetrack, we place the snails in a line with a goal in mind, usually the top of a nearby pot. And they’re off!

Racing snails is similar to cats…they take naps, go the wrong way, turn around a lot. So it can be quite exciting…you never can tell who will win.

Lucy put on a cat show last night. She made a podium out of some boxes, and the three of us judged the cats. Since there was a tie, madame had the deciding vote on the winners.

Here is the winners circle…little grey checked kitten won first prize, followed by yellow kitten and Jiji. Notably absent was…