Oakland - Leigh's Home Town
We're now in Oakland, California, at Leigh's parents' home in the house where Leigh grew up. A few words summarize this past week on our "Mixed Plate" sabbatical: eating, relatives, friends, driving, and bridges.
Leigh was having brunch with friends last Sunday and I worshiped by myself (for the first time in a long time) at Oakland City Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational church in Oakland. The worshiping community was wonderfully diverse, with folks of Euro-American, African American, Asian, and Latino backgrounds.
It was fun for Leigh to get together with her whole immediate family -- her parents from Oakland, sister from Atlanta, and brother from the Bay Area. The cousins on Leigh's side had a great time hanging out (above)!
My (John's) parents flew in from Cincinnati, Ohio, to stay with Leigh's parents, and we've enjoyed lots of time eating, talking, walking, and laughing together. My mom and dad have been using Ancestry.com to explore our family history, and they brought their new discoveries with them to Oakland to share with me. I am a mix of German, Austrian, Czech, English, Dutch, Irish, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian ancestry. It's been fun to look at pictures of grandparents, great-grandparents, and relatives from years ago and to tell family stories.
Leigh's dad led us on a walking tour of Chinatown, San Francisco, where he was born and raised. (Leigh was born there, too.) Paul's parents immigrated from China to San Francisco, and theirs is a story of perseverance, strength, and resilience in the face of challenges. The Chinatown YMCA was hugely significant for him (and other boys his age) in childhood -- it was a place to find community, learning activities, caring adults, and showers -- and he still connects with a group of childhood friends he met at the Y.
We were so happy to connect with our niece Rachel and cousin Isaac (two pictures above) and cousin Cameron with his girlfriend Beatrice (just above). Rachel, Isaac, and Cameron are all working in the Bay Area -- so cool to see them!
In our couple weeks in the Bay Area, Leigh has reconnected also with some college friends.
Our kids loved Fairyland in Oakland!
The San Francisco skyline at sunset. We're getting used to crossing the long bridges and dealing with lots of traffic as we drive all over the Bay Area.
Cousins spending time together!
Family elders on the beach...
Leigh was having brunch with friends last Sunday and I worshiped by myself (for the first time in a long time) at Oakland City Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational church in Oakland. The worshiping community was wonderfully diverse, with folks of Euro-American, African American, Asian, and Latino backgrounds.
It was fun for Leigh to get together with her whole immediate family -- her parents from Oakland, sister from Atlanta, and brother from the Bay Area. The cousins on Leigh's side had a great time hanging out (above)!
My (John's) parents flew in from Cincinnati, Ohio, to stay with Leigh's parents, and we've enjoyed lots of time eating, talking, walking, and laughing together. My mom and dad have been using Ancestry.com to explore our family history, and they brought their new discoveries with them to Oakland to share with me. I am a mix of German, Austrian, Czech, English, Dutch, Irish, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian ancestry. It's been fun to look at pictures of grandparents, great-grandparents, and relatives from years ago and to tell family stories.
Leigh's dad led us on a walking tour of Chinatown, San Francisco, where he was born and raised. (Leigh was born there, too.) Paul's parents immigrated from China to San Francisco, and theirs is a story of perseverance, strength, and resilience in the face of challenges. The Chinatown YMCA was hugely significant for him (and other boys his age) in childhood -- it was a place to find community, learning activities, caring adults, and showers -- and he still connects with a group of childhood friends he met at the Y.
We were so happy to connect with our niece Rachel and cousin Isaac (two pictures above) and cousin Cameron with his girlfriend Beatrice (just above). Rachel, Isaac, and Cameron are all working in the Bay Area -- so cool to see them!
In our couple weeks in the Bay Area, Leigh has reconnected also with some college friends.
Our kids loved Fairyland in Oakland!
The San Francisco skyline at sunset. We're getting used to crossing the long bridges and dealing with lots of traffic as we drive all over the Bay Area.
Cousins spending time together!
Family elders on the beach...
this is so impressive the family is so rich with
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Rich indeed...you said it ted/billie
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