Road Trip! Day 3

Today's plan starts with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In a word - awesome. We got there early which is key. We toured most of it in about 3 hours - not nearly enough time - and when we left, the line was very long.

We began by watching the feeding of the "Outer Bay" which is their big tank with sharks, sun fish, tuna and dorado - which we all know as Mahi-Mahi. From there, we went to lunch....

Another unbelievable exhibit was the Jellyfish exhibit - "Jellies as living art."

Unfortunately, we did not have time to stick around for Al Gore's movie "An Inconvenient Truth," we were devastated. So we hopped in our gas-guzzling SUV and worked hard on increasing our carbon imbalance.

We headed for Santa Cruz to visit the stomping grounds of Fern Benson. We headed straight for the boardwalk to see the roller coasters and other fervor - unfortunately, all of the parking lots were full. After 45 minutes of trying - we bailed and headed for the Mission Santa Cruz. Probably the smallest of all of the Missions, it was fun to see.

Before going on this trip, I purchased a portable GPS navigation system that has guided us very well. Both in the car and on foot!

Off to San Francisco!

New Book edited by Gabor

Wanted to let you know that Gabor has a new book entitled, "Slavery, Resistance, Freedom" which he has dedicated to dad, and mentions Emily in the acknowledgements. Click here to go to the Amazon link.


Here is the last page of acknowledgements. It will magically expand if you click on it.

"From Budapest to Gettysburg"

Jon, Emily, and Anne found their way to Pennsylvania to see the premiere of Jake Boritt's documentary about his father, Gabor Boritt. Fortunately, Jon had the presence of mind to write up the experience and post it on his blog. It's so beautifully expressed that I don't have anything to add at this point, but would highly recommend you read it yourself, as the post is also a lovely tribute to my dad and a project he loved to support. Click here to read Jon's blog from 7/2/07

Road Trip! - Day 2

Having survived the cold weather (it was 85 degrees at home when we left) we began day two with the agenda of a tour of Hearst Castle and cruising up the coast through Big Sur and into Monterey. A recurring theme as we travel up the coast is to visit Missions along El Camino del Mar - this was one of the major themes in 4th grade.

When we arrived at Hearst Castle, it was just above the fog level.

Our tour guide looked like Anderson Cooper of CNN. He and Andy became best friends and he made Andy his assistant. Andy kept asking lots of questions - in the Kemp fashion. Our favorite questions had to do with the wars & battles at the "Castle."

The pools were Andrew's favorite - I have to admit that I liked them alot too.

This was the first time there for all of us. Great fun.

From there, we headed up the coast a bit to see the elephant seals. There were a bunch of them - these are the males - just laying around on the beach.

We jetted up the coast and had lunch at Lucia Lodge in Big Sur. A neat little restaurant & lodge right on the cliffs - Jenny was a little nervous but it was a beautiful day and great food.

With a couple of stops along the way we made our way to the Mission in Carmel where Father Serra is interred. A beautiful little Mission.

Now we are in Monterey - dinner in Fisherman's Wharf and on to the Aquarium tomorrow.

Road Trip! - Day 1

Well, we made it - we are off on our road trip that meanders through California along the coast up to Fort Bragg and then down through Sacramento, the gold country and finally, Yosemite.

Day one was a travel day - stopping for lunch in Santa Barbara and arriving at our hotel in Cambria - just a few miles shy of San Simeon and Hearst Castle - our first stop tomorrow. I had read that there was a good skimboarding spot in Cambria and it turns out that our hotel was just down the street.

Two problems with this...one, Cambria has been socked in with fog for months - temperature was about 57 degrees and the water was chilly even with Andy's wet suit. He lasted about 20 minutes and we headed directly for the jacuzzi at the hotel to warm him up. Nice beach though, good little skim spot.

On to Hearst Castle tomorrow.

T, J & A

Our Trip to the Stanley Cup...

98 games later. since the first week in october i’ve been attending game after game, sitting in section 321, row a, seat 11, next to kristin in seat 12, and our new friend mike (dr. hockey man) in seat 10. learning players, the new nhl rules, and becoming apart of something i

never imagined possible. seeing the new uniforms (not owned by disney anymore) and watching them destroy teams in the preseason, i knew they were going to be good. now the season is over, and the ducks have won the oldest trophy in professional sports, the stanley cup. these men became household names and all our conversations were overcome with ideas about how far they would go and who they would play. through many injuries, growing beards, lots of traffic, and my mom becoming obsessed, we witnessed the greatest achievement ever. all because disney made a little movie with gordon bombay and charlie conway about some kids who played hockey in minnesota... Only the olympics with grandpa can come close to what we have experienced in anaheim, and im sure if he was around he would of been sitting right next to me at the final games. Ive never understood people who followed sports, but this year we all, my friends and family, became part of something huge. and with the ups and very few downs, we finally got to listen to "we are the champions" and actually appreciate it for being more then just a great song. Im not quite sure if this will ever be topped... Ive posted all of the pictures from Game 5 and the Celebration Rally on my site so you can view all of them. http://www.web.mac.com/xpdonahue

Hummels drive to northern lands....

AnneAmandaRobStMarys.jpg, originally uploaded by akhummel.

First stop on the Hummel drive was St. Mary's College to see Amanda on her second to last day of freshman year. Next year she will be at San Francisco University, so we caught her at St. Mary's not a minute too soon! Lots of laughs, delicious lunch, and a tour of the dorm room.

Next stop Seattle at the Northwest Folklife Festival where Emily and Claire both flew in to join us. Em is at left. Claire is in her pirate costume, sans hat.

Next was a visit to Paul and Nancy's house in Ft. Bragg. Their home is beautiful and warm and wonderful. And their view, breathtaking....

Lots of wildlife at Paul and Nancy's, including two brand new fawns that came to see us in the morning. Here's one of them. In the second photo you'll see their mom was busy keeping Nancy's flowers neatly trimmed.

We had a great time - lots of stories, a wonderful tour of Mendocino, great dinner, some mishaps with technology.... Thanks, Paul and Nancy, for a first class stay.

Dick and Carolyn's 45th Anniversary

Last night Julianna, Lee, Matt, Gina and I had a suprise dinner for my mom and dad to celebrate their 45th anniversary. They were married on April 15, 1962.

When we set this up a few weeks ago and asked my mom and dad if they would like to come with Gina and me to dinner, my dad pulled me quietly aside to tell me he was flying Julianna and Lee out to suprise my mom. I am sure Annie will post some photos from Suprise #1. Above is a photo of suprise #2 that Joe Tilton sent me. I brought my camera but didn't remember to take any photos (I spent most of the time dancing with Madeline, Amelia and Andrew). I am sure some others will share some in few days.

Tom, Jenny, Andrew, Pat, Paula, and Nancy joined friends of my mom and dad's for a dinner to celebrate our italian heritage. Good fun was had by all. Thanks for joining us.

Eastertide at Game Creek

Emily here, the resident West-to-East transplant...

Although late, here are some photos I took at Jennifer's house with the whole Kemp clan there this past Easter -- which of course included ham sauce, orange rolls, and lively debate (quelle surprise!).

Jacqui Kemp -- now at American University studying International Studies -- joined as well, tasting her first grits (verdict: delicious!) and we met a now-older Colleen, and new baby Thomas (Tom Tom) who appears slightly blurred during his brief foray down to the kitchen.

Therefore, I present -- with apologies that there are not that many, and some are blurred -- except some lovely close ups, thanks to Clare et al. of Jacqui Kemp, Clare Nolan, Colleen Nolan (avec marshmellows), Caitlin Nolan, and Merrill Andrews.

Also, Jimmy & Jonah are planning to come visit at Mount Vernon -- pictures, I'm sure, will follow :)

Two, two, wonderful two!

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Amelia is officially two! So hard to believe. She's a great talker (proof she is a Kemp!), runs around on six-cylinders, and keeps us on our toes.


We're looking forward to starting preschool in the fall, swim lessons this summer, and many chalk drawings, sand castles, and "cozy coupe" drives this spring.




Mom is visiting her Chapel Hill cutie right now - she came for the big birthday celebration. Such a treat!

Check out our blog for photos of the festivities.

Happy Birthday Nancy & Welcome Home Emily

A family gathering at the Hummel house included Pat and Paula and Patrick, Tom and Jenny and Andy, Nancy, Rob and Anne and Emily, Dick and Carolyn, Jon and Gina and Maddie, and Matt. After Matt was inadvertantly left off the guest list, Anne received a phone call from Dick, an email from Carolyn, and another email from Jon - all requesting that Matt be invited. Fortunately, Matt was indeed able to honor us with his presence. Oops - I forget he lives in Santa Monica now...

The occasion was the celebration of Nancy's [insert number here] birthday, as well as a welcoming of Emily to LA after being away for over a year.

One highlight was Miss Maddie's discovery that a bidet can be used for other things than it's intended for.... like it's perfect for washing little hands. Who knew?

Nancy & Amanda in San Francisco

Nancy & Amanda in San Francisco, originally uploaded by akhummel.

For a nice weekend away from the East Bay, Stu (Nancy)
came and picked me (Amanda) up from school and headed
on our adventure to San Francisco. We first stopped
in Sausalito, the adorable town on the other side of
the Golden Gate Bridge for some lunch and then
continued our way to the city. After a full day in
Union Square shopping and exploring, we went down to
Fisherman's Wharf for some great food and (of course) a
Ghiradeli sundae. The next day we had a delicious
breakfast at Mama's ( a MUST for any San Francisco
visitor), drove down Lombard Street, and went over to
the Golden Gate Park. These pictures are those from
the beautiful Japanese Tea Garden inside the park.

New Job for Emily Hummel

GW.jpg, originally uploaded by akhummel.

Hmmm.... Any guesses as to which historical location recruited Emily away from Colonial Williamsburg????

Surprise visitors to new Hummel House

RobAnneJimmy.jpg, originally uploaded by akhummel.

Jimmy was in L.A., speaking at the Rose Bowl, and made a stopover with college friend, Travis, to visit the new Hummel house in Woodland Hills. Travis finally figured out Rob's cell phone in order to capture the moment. The hallway and hallway gate were a big hit. Then Jimmy and Travis continued down Topanga Canyon to visit Jon, Gina, and Miss Maddie in Santa Monica.

Get out the bubble bath!

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Amelia insists on doing things by herself these days. Can you tell we are about to enter the wonderful world of two-year-olds?!
This independence includes making her own lunches. She has yet to eat one of her creations, but she sure enjoys the preparation process.

Anyone hungry?!

Click over to the Brinson Family Blog for more.