Easter Saturday

It was drizzling when I got up, so I didn't walk Kimball. Showered and dressed, had breakfast, then left to get the 10:04 bus to Santa Barbara. Carolyn and Betty picked me up at the County Courthouse and whisked me to Lyric Lane. Niece Francine, her Charlie, two of their three boys, and brother Frank got there shortly after.
It was a pretty good--if sometimes sobering--day. For a time, Betty, Frank, and I sat in the living room chatting, while the kids gathered here and there and the other adults were in the family room. Maybe it couldn't be called "chatting," though; it was more like trying to carry on a conversation with two strangers.
Frank is sadly diminished. Because I hadn't seen him in a year, only chatting with him for short periods on the phone, that came as a sad surprise.  After some initial animation, he tended to sit silently, staring into space. He did respond to questions and even offered some comments without prompting, but with a kind of zombie deadpan-ness. Betty was the exact opposite. If Frank was often silent and seemingly uninterested, she talked on and on, always with some anecdote that featured her as the star.   
I sat with them for about twenty minutes, then excused myself and left for the family room, telling  Carolyn and the others that I wanted to switch to the adult area. They understood and we talked over my siblings' situations, especially Frank's. He still lives alone in his own house and I'm not sure how feasible that is.
At lunchtime, Carolyn took orders for burritos and we all ate. After, she suggested a walk at the shore area, where a street fair was going on. I was dying to get up and walk and enthusiastically agreed to go. So did Francine, the rest declined, and off we went.
This was great fun. We parked and took off at a brisk pace through downtown Santa Barbara. No matter what else it is, SB is a beautiful city. The buildings are wonderfully well-built and well-kept and, it seems to me, are evocative of an earlier, maybe more elegant time. State Street were roped off for blocks and there were lots of activities going on. Virtually all the restaurants and stores were full of people. I love strolling through street fairs--not sure why, maybe because it's a thrill to walk in the street--and went about a mile down to the harbor and the pier. Here, Carolyn took us to an upstairs, outdoor wine place. I've been there before and like it a lot; the views of the harbor and ocean beyond are breathtaking.
Francine bought a bottle of red and we had our wine and talked and talked. I continue to marvel at the intelligence and vigor of these woman; we're quite a family. Stayed about an hour, I guess, then strolled back.
We all mixed and mingled, then it was time for me to get back to town for the Ventura bus. Carolyn took me to the transit center and I boarded, got to Ventura, then took the city bus home. Didn't get in until 8:30, but that was okay.
I had intended to call the Access Van to go to Ellen's this morning, but I was too late when I did, so I'll drive over. That means I won't have anything to drink, but that's okay.