Tag Archives: Meg McCollister

Two Gentlemen of Sonoma

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A few weekends back we went to see the play Two Gentlemen of Sonoma (a “play” on Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona). Our friends Neal and Maxene were both involved with the production (Neal played General Vallejo, the Duke character, and Maxene was the stage manager). The stage was set for Shakespeare at the Adobe, and it was a beautiful place, just east of Petaluma and set under Sonoma Mountain. We haven’t had a chance to tour it yet, so we were very excited to see the grounds.
The side of the Adobe building was positively beautiful, especially with the setting sun.

We went with our friends, Scott and Katy, and it was such a blast.

There are so many things to see and do here, we never have time to see it all. This gave us a chance to see a little bit of history while enjoying a hilarious piece of artistic expression. This version of Shakespeare’s play was adapted by Director Lucas McClure and it was absolutely wonderful. The show was to benefit the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. We will definitely keep this theatre group in mind for future outings!

For Aunt Kathie

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Aunt Kathie is Lily and Cousteau’s “Aunt” in Kansas City. Kathie is a greyhound rescuer, REGAP volunteer, and foster mom. She was Lily’s foster mom before we adopted her, and she has since adopted the name “Aunt Kathie” since she sat for our kiddos often when we lived in Kansas City.

Well, Lily and Cousteau have been running around the house “naked” lately (meaning, without their collars), and Aunt Kathie wasn’t very happy about that. SO, being the good mommy that I am, I have put their collars back on.

Aunt Kathie, this one’s for you!

For those of you who are not familiar with greyhounds, they are absolutely the sweetest and most loving dogs I’ve ever known. They have very difficult lives while in the racing industry, yet still make amazing companions despite their hardships. Please consider rescuing a retired racer. You can visit your local greyhound rescue group, or visit one of the following groups we’ve worked with: Kansas City REGAP www.kcregap.org, and Wine Country Greyhounds www.winecountrygreyhounds.com.

Water, Water Everywhere, in San Francisco Bay….But a precious resource, indeed

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It’s a beautiful part of the world. San Francisco Bay has become our new home this last year, and we’ve loved exploring the area. Last week we took the Larkspur Ferry into the city, and seeing the water and beautiful views reminded me of why I care so much about the health of the environment and protection of our natural resources.

Many of our dinner conversations lately have circled around one of the most precious natural resources: water. With all the water that surrounds us here…the bay, the ocean, the rivers…it is easy to forget how important it is to conserve water. In California, our water bill is by far our highest priced utility. It costs so much because there are so many people in California who draw from a rather limited water supply. It makes me wonder, do people really pay attention to their water usage? When taking a shower, does someone turn on the water and wait 5 minutes for it to get to just the right temperature? What about landscaping. When designing the layout for the front yard, does someone in California choose local plants and landscaping that doesn’t require an excessive amount of water, or lush grass that requires water every other day? These have all been on my mind lately.

I imagine this will be an ongoing discussion for me, so I encourage you to include your thoughts. I am also interested to know how people feel about water usage in different parts of the U.S., or even the world.

I encourage you to take note of the amount of water you use in a day, and see where in your routine you might be able to save a gallon or ten. If everyone made an effort to conserve water, and only use what they needed, surely we could better protect such a precious resource.

They Say it’s Your birthday[1]—Have a good time

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Good morning, Meg.  Happy July 3.  Happy birthday.   My wonderful daughter turns 29 years old today.  She is lovely, full of spunk and energy.  Meg loves taking on projects to make the world a better place and also to make her own world joyful.

This is the first time I haven’t been with you on your birthday.  Oh, my. I bought you presents.  They should arrive promptly today.  But something was missing.  Hmmm, what to do?  There needed to be more.  Something reminiscent of all the birthdays, we have spent together since your original birthday, when you were labeled the fire cracker baby, on July 3, 1983.
So I decided we needed a cake.  A special cake.  A birthday cake with pink hearts and ribbons and “Happy Birthday, Meg” written on its face.
So Meg, since you and Jake are in California, we had to party without you.  So we shared cake with the tennis group.  Terry and the tennis group send birthday greetings:
There was still cake left:
We went to dinner with Sherry and Mike.  They shared the cake and send their love:
By Monday there was just a bit of cake left.  Bob and Barb were delighted to share a piece of cake and to send you birthday greetings:
Aunt Sherry spent the night.  She sends her love and wishes you a wonderful birthday.  But she was too late to get any of the cake:

 Since you weren’t here, we celebrated without you.  Sorry you didn’t get to enjoy the cake.  Is it okay that we celebrated without you?
We all send our love.  Especially me.  Have a great birthday.  I miss you a bunch.  But I know you will have a great day with Jake, Auntie and Tio.  Love you.
Mumsy

[1] The Beetles

The day I met the President

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Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on political organizing, environmental policy, and sustainable living.

If you’ve ever met a sitting President, you know what that day feels like. Whether you voted for him or not, it leaves an impression on you. It may be a handshake, a short conversation, or perhaps you met the President in a completely random setting you never expected, like he was out getting ice cream with his family. For me, it was a handshake and a few words at the airport.

While President Obama was in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, I had the honor of meeting him at the airport. It wasn’t about a campaign. Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to meet the nation’s leader, have him shake your hand and look you in the eye. Not many people get to do that, so I am glad I was given the opportunity.

For me, meeting the President really wasn’t about the politics. It wasn’t about being a Democrat or a Republican. It was about meeting the man in charge, as one of his constituents, and being able to share that experience with others. Well, definitely a cool part about the morning was getting to stand in front of Air Force One. That thing is HUGE!!

To the wonderful men in our lives: Happy Father’s Day!

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We have some wonderful men in our lives. Wonderful husbands, brothers, cousins. Most importantly today, we have amazing Dads and Granddads. I feel so lucky to have grown up with such amazing men, who have all loved me, mentored me, and guided me along the way. Mum and I often talk about the importance of “the village” in taking care of the family and helping guide the children as they grow up. Well, I have the BEST village a girl could ask for, and the best group of Dads to go along with it!

Today, tell your Dad how much you love him, and how thankful you are for all the wonderful memories, important lessons, and fabulous times in your life. So, Padre, Pud, Tio, Granddad, Jake, Grandpa, Bob, Bill… Thank you for being so wonderful. You are all amazing Dads, and I’m lucky to have you in my life. I love you all!

Happy Birthday Andrew!!

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28 years ago today, a very special friend was born. Andrew Chappelle has been one of my best friends since 6th grade. It all started out in P.E. class, though I can’t remember how. Pretty soon we were having high school camp outs and driving around like goof balls in the Jeep. In college, Andie flew to KC for a formal at my sorority. Needless to say, we’ve had some wonderful experiences as friends.

I am constantly in awe of my amazing friend. He has spent time working and studying in various places around the world. St. Louis, China, D.C., Doha. I’m pretty sure he even went to Jerusalem at one point, though I never heard the complete story. And even though I rarely get to see his smiling face, I always know I’ll get to see him for a brief moment when we’re both in Kansas City.

So Andiepoo, on your birthday, I want to say Thank You for being such a wonderful friend. Mumsy and I love you dearly. Happy Birthday!

Just another Saturday in Sonoma

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Jake and I finally had a Saturday to ourselves this weekend, so we tried to come up with something wonderful and exciting to do. We were a little too exhausted to go on a new adventure, so instead we decided to do one of our favorite standby activities…head into Sonoma, drink some wine, and eat some truffle fries.

First we stopped at Cline Cellars, where we got married back in May 2010. We finished off our tasting with their Late Harvest Mourvèdre. It was a port-style red, paired with bittersweet chocolate chunks. Absolutely delicious!

After our tasting, we walked around the Cline grounds. We stopped at the fountain near the courtyard where we were married, and then the courtyard itself.

When we left Cline, we headed to downtown Sonoma, where we met our friend John at the Roche Tasting Room. Since we’re members at Roche, we do go there on the occasional Saturday afternoon. Today, we were delighted to see both John and Harry, who are always a joy to be around and very knowledgeable about wine. And of course, the day would not be complete without El Dorado Kitchen’s truffle fries.

Jake was feeling particularly adventurous at this point, so he decided to order a new favorite called a “Moscow Mule.” It has vodka, lime juice and ginger beer, and it is very refreshing. Mostly, I like the fact that it comes in a copper mug, and I thought it made for a great photo.

It was a great afternoon. I think sometimes we work so hard that we need to remember all the wonderful things to do in the area, and all the joys there are to experience. As we walked along the square, I looked over at one point and saw Jake leaning against the wall, happy as a clam. We really do love living here!

Oh, how I love the California coast…

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There is something magical about living near the ocean. Knowing that I can drive a short distance and stare out at the open sea, well, that is one of the reasons I love living here. With everything going on in life, sometimes I just need to clear my head. Somehow staring out at the ocean gives me a sense of peace. It’s like meditating.

These are a few of my favorites from the California coast. We have Bodega Bay, Point Reyes, Muir Beach Outlook, and Stinson Beach. Can you tell which is which? (If not, you can just hover over the picture and a description will pop up.)

There are so many great places to take beautiful photographs here. Who knows what I’ll stumble upon next!

A Day at the Museum: San Francisco’s Legion of Honor

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Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

San Francisco is full of art and culture. Most of our recent visits into the city have been to see the touristy-type attractions. Pier 39. Ghirardelli. Coit Tower. For our visit this past Saturday with Aunt Carol and Uncle John, we opted for the arts. As our Christmas present from them, the four of us planned a day in the city to visit several museums and have a delicious dinner. Our first stop? The Legion of Honor.

The Legion of Honor is one of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It is located in SF’s Lincoln Park overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was built as a gift from Alma de Bretteville Spreckels in the 1920s to commemorate the Californian soldiers who lost their lives fighting in France in World War I. The collection of fine art inside the museum is beautiful, and the architecture of the structure itself is equally magnificent.

As we walked around the inside of the museum, I couldn’t help but think how much it reminded me of the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City. The architecture is very similar, and both have Rodin’s Thinker! The collections ranged from impressionist paintings to Annie Leibovitz’s photography to ancient Roman sculptures. These were a few of my favorites.

My favorite piece of art in the whole museum is a ceiling in one of the exhibit rooms. The detail is incredible. The ceiling was carved from wood in Spain in the late 1400s-early 1500s during the Moorish occupation. It is one of four removed from the original setting in the Palacio de Altimira in Toledo, in the Torrijos region in Spain.

It was a beautiful day at the museum. With our busy lives, it is nice to be reminded of all the beautiful things to see around us. I believe the arts to be an important factor in maintaining the balance in society. It is hard to argue with the importance of the arts, especially when we see such beauty through the eyes of the artists, enlightening us about their fascinating perspectives on the world. In a lot of ways, it helps us look at the world through new eyes, learn how to see something from someone else’s perspective, and have a little more appreciation for our own world.

Once we left the Legion of Honor, heavy in thought, we made our way over to Golden Gate Park to see the de Young museum. But I will save that exciting experience for next time.