Celebration on Grandma's patio with requisite french table linens in place. We used paper plates, but with real silver.

I cannot say enough about Grandma Stewart. She always makes me feel like her real grand-daughter. She is a gracious, elegant woman with old-world class, sensibility, manners, and charm. At the age of 90 she is always impeccably dressed in a blazer with skirt. Meals at home require any one of her excellent collection of batik print tablecloths picked up on yearly trips to France, and, yes, good silver. To this day she insists on the things that bring her pleasure and joy, regardless of how impractical they may be for everyone else involved. 

I want to share some photos of Grandma’s home because this is the home of someone who knows what they enjoy and places no limits on that. Just about every room in the house is done in signature blue or green, with vintage floral or damask wallpapers. Little vases and knick-knacks from travels and friends sit along every window ledge and shelf, each with a story. Framed art abounds in every corner, many pieces painted by Grandma herself. Visiting Grandma Stewart’s home is an experience. She will part with nothing, and so the home is packed with mementos, catalogs, photos, you name it, spanning the decades. It is a child’s dream, full of color and objects, rooms, closets, basement, all filled with things to discover and marvel at. 

The photos below are from the living room where the family convenes after dinner, or where friends who drop by are invited to sit for pleasant conversation. The folding card table is generally always in place, with spare chairs nearby for post-supper card games. The game is always rummy and Grandma ALWAYS wins, usually by a margin of a 100 points or so.

A spare sitting room sits between the living room and the dining room for spill over during larger gatherings, plus more space for all of grandma’s treasured things. This sofa is often a quiet place to sit when one needs respite from the boisterous family gatherings.

The dining room is so very important. This is the place where everyone reliably gathers for grace and a good meal. Table settings are a chance for creativity and enjoying newness in a familiar place. Grandma continues to sit at the head of the table.

An upstairs bedroom goes softer and paler with creamy moldings, dreamy paper, and french chair in yellow quilted fabric. Waking up in this room is like waking up in a spring garden. Something about the wallpaper is mesmerizing to me. I never tired of gazing at it.

What I realized is that Grandma posseses the heart of an artist. As we sat outside on a beautiful cloudless day she said, “The sky is so bright that if you put that color on a canvas it would look gaudy. I know because I’ve tried.” Her approach to life is immediate and sensory and sensitive. She continues to put energy into what to wear to lunch or how the table is set, because to her that is as essential to her definition of life as breathing.

You’d never know it, but this photo has no meat in it. This is an authentic Philly cheese steak done vegetarian. I loved it! Who said vegetarian food has to be organic, macrobiotic, health food? Gianna’s Grille on 6th Street, right off of South Street does a whole array of vegetarian hoagies and pizzas. Vegan friendly options abound as well. Here’s Michael in Gianna’s.

While on South Street I went to Garland of Letters, a new age bookstore that I can never pass up. I’ve been going there for years and I think it’s kind of an institution on South Street. I picked up the classic, The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer this time.

Across the street from Garland of Letters is a scene more typical of South Street, including the pick up truck with some youngsters from New Jersey cruising the strip:

Driving back to NJ I got some quick shots from the car too. An old Philly neighborhood.

The Ben Franklin bridge. This will always be my favorite bridge. It is so familiar but I always associate it with a certain level of adventure, as I used to drive in with gal pals from high school on Friday nights.

All things internet have been my obsession of late. I got an iphone. I’ve been lurking on maplewoodonline more than ever (my hometown board). I just joined facebook. And now I resurrect the blog. In large part because a wise person just informed me that I was doing too much “waiting” on things to be perfect. This page needs to be redesigned, I need to add about five dozen cool blogs to the blog roll, and come up with a better name than uma’s living blog, but it doesn’t mean I can’t write. So I will. Stay tuned…

The “nature shock” was eased by a stream of familiar and loved faces of friends and family who now live and thrive in the Bay Area. This in itself lead to another juxtaposition. Seeing people from my past led me to consider how I’ve changed, from where to where I’ve been. And yet, something about exploring a new geography and having new experiences always leads us to consider where else we might be going, doesn’t it? If we are open to the newness then our sense of possibility expands and then the direction of our lives changes. It’s one of those laws of the universe I’ve recently become aware of. Take for example this blog! I was feeling so verbose about all the things I experienced on my vacation and no outlet for it all. And then towards the end of our trip we met with two friends who are now world-class bloggers and a light bulb went off in my head! I had been wanting to establish a newsletter as part of my new business, but the logistics of printing and mailing had led me to postpone it. The blog was the answer! Plus there was the added benefit that Michael got to have so much fun doing the technical stuff to set it up. I want to thank Janna and Brooke (the bloggers) and everyone else we saw on the visit. Here are my props to all the friends and family we reconnected with in San Francisco:

Ravi, my brother. Thank you for spending so much time with us when you have so much else going on in your life right now! I love that I got to hear about the extent of your creativity.

Katie, Michael’s cousin. You are a brilliant grad student, and we love your politics and appreciate the depth of your thinking on the critical issues. We’re so proud!

Sanjay and Janna. We can’t thank you enough for letting us stay at your place and for taking us to Muir Woods. Sanjay you are forever my hero because you are so positive, easy to talk to, and fun to be around. I’ve learned so much from you. Janna, you are one of the most perceptive people I have met, and your photos and writing on your blog are proof of that!

Brooke and Lian. Thank you for hanging at the Marina with us and Brooke, my mom loved the photo of us you posted on the blog! You are both so dedicated to the work you do and you have our highest respect.

Charles and Dawn. You are such gracious hosts. Thank you! We loved the shoreline of Santa Cruz, the yummy meal you made for us, and the chance to reminisce the good old days. You are our mentors in so many ways. I’m always telling people to use cloth napkins instead of paper and that washing dishes is not so hard even if you’re having lots of guests. You both walk the talk in every aspect of your lives.

Sheila and Jordan. You define generosity and have the amazing ability to make people feel as if you are grateful for them being guests in your beautiful home. Sheila, I still do idolize you because you are warm, open, can converse with anyone at any level, and you have unassuming confidence. Jordan, you are the perfect match to my dear friend and we are so happy to have spent time with you.

To all our friends and family, be well, and read more about our San Francisco “experience” in upcoming posts.