Ellen left for work and Mike picked me up at 9:00 and took me to Santa Barbara to their "cottage." I's large and very attractive, with 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, a hot tub, and exotic plantings all around. Beautifully decorated, it has two fireplaces and a well-designed kitchen, with all mod cons, as the classified used to say.
As soon as I walked in, that human dynamo, 5-year-old Vivian, threw herself in my arms shouting, "Nana, my Nana!" What energy and what a personality--Vivian is so active and talkative and creative and fun! I'm always charmed by the fact that she has a distinctive accent--hard to place, but it seems to be a kind of British/Indian hybrid.
After we chatted for a time, Mike and Paula went to the supermarket and I chatted with nanny Vicky and got acquainted with "the other one," my younger adorable granddaughter. What a little doll. Violet is 17 months old and I think may have a more sedate personality than her big sister. I was surprised that she talks as well as she does: One by one, she handled me some little tiles she had been playing with and I said "thank you." Each time, she responded with the same phrase--a little garbled, but clearly "you're welcome."
We had lunch, then Mike, Vivian, and I went to the park, where V. ran off some--but certainly not all--of her excess energy. We then drove to Ellen's and all had a snack, then to E.'s school for the holiday recital.
We spent the first half hour in E.'s third-grade classroom and enjoyed being introduced to her students. We then saw the recital, which was very similar to those in which my own children participated. Went after to a Mexican restaurant for a late dinner. I had a lobster burrito and a Corona with lime--yum!
Home then and I soon went to bed. My arms have improved a lot and not longer itch, but are still slightly swollen.