Mother’s Day 2025

After spending Saturday getting the downstairs organized and put back together, we focused on cleaning up the deck on Sunday. With the kitchen remodel under way over the last three plus months, we have left the deck in disarry. We made a trip to the shed for summer boxes and rugs. We are planning to start doing some entertaining in the coming weeks.

To celebrate Mother's Day, I took Sharon to dinner at Allora. It is one of her favorite Sacramento restaurants.

I had the four course menu with the wine pairing including: KINGFISH CRUDO [ARUGULA SALSA VERDE, CASTELVETRANO OLIVE, PISTACHIO]; CAVATELLI [WILD MUSHROOMS, PEA SHOOT PESTO, PARMESAN, GREMOLATA], and; ZABUTON [CHERMOULA, FINGERLING POTATO, ARTICHOKE, BROCCOLINI, LABNEH]. Zabuton is a steak sourced from the chunk primal. It was very good.

Sharon had the three course menu with wine pairing including: COPPA DI TESTA [DELTA ASPARAGUS, BLACK TRUFFLE, CURED EGG, RICOTTA SALATA, BLACK GARLIC], and; BLACK COD [BUTTERNUT SQUASH HUMMUS, ROASTED VEGETABLES, AGED BALSAMIC]. We both had MIGLIACCIO [STRAWBERRY, CREME FRAICHE, SEMOLINA, RICOTTA] for dessert.

On the way home from the restaurant, we called Drew. He had called while we were having dinner. Jack called just as I was going out the door to walk Tiber and talked to Sharon.

2024 Mother's Day Weekend - Day #3

Sleeping late at the Mark Hopkins, Sharon and I packed up the room. We walked to Le Marais Bakery. We bought a number of croissants and a couple of coffees.

From there, we walked to Jack's apartment. We got a chance to eat and hang out with him for about an hour before he had to head off to work. Jack had given Sharon a very nice Owl Mother's Day card and a bouquet of tulips for Mother's Day when we got there on Friday.

We walked back to the Mark Hopkins, grabbed our bags and checked out. It was a fairly easy drive back to Sacramento. With stops at Whole Foods and to pick Tiber up at Best Friends, we were home in Carmichael just after 2:30 pm.

Although I overcooked the steaks, we finished the day with a nice dinner of filet migon, baked potatoes and stir fried vegetables. We watched Maya Rudolph host Saturday Night Live.

Mother's Day 2023

Up early, I drove to the city to pick up Jack and bring him home for Mother's Day. Taking Fair Oaks to Watt to 50 to 80, it took me an hour and thirty-nine minutes to get to his apartment. With a stop for gas and food, it took an hour and fifty-three minutes to get home.

The plan for the day was to play golf at Ancil Hoffman. We had a 12:28 pm tee time.


I was pretty happy with my round. I shot a fairly honest 104. For about the third time in the last couple of years, I have switched my chipping style. Jack can bomb his drives; he hit one about 290 yards on the par four 15th hole. Although not as hot as last Labor Day, it was warm.

One of my goals after I retire is to take some more lessons at Golftec. I feel like this round was something that I could build on!

The three us finished the day with dinner at Ella Dining Room and Bar. Sharon and I had dinner there for Valentine's Day. For starters, Sharon and I had TUNA CRUDO [WHITE ASPARAGUS, YELLOW TOMATO, TONNATO, BASIL OIL], while Jack had a STRAWBERRY FENNEL SALAD [BABY RED ROMAINE, WHIPPED CRÈME FRAÎCHE, QUINOA, BEE POLLEN, TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE]. For the entree, Jack and I had WOOD FIRED BEEF TENDERLOIN [THYME ROASTED MUSHROOMS, CARAMELIZED CIPOLLINI ONIONS, BORDELAISE, BLUE CHEESE BUTTER]. It was very good. Sharon had CRISPY HALF CHICKEN [SCALLOPED POTATO, BRAISED GREENS, ROASTED CHICKEN JUS] for her entree. For dessert, Sharon and Jack had CARROT CAKE [MASCARPONE MOUSSE, CARROT CARAMEL, ORANGE-PASSIONFRUIT SORBET], while I had a CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CRUNCH BAR [COFFEE INFUSED DULCEY MOUSSE, BOURBON CHANTILLY].

I got Sharon a Ceramic Caviar Beaded Bracelet from Lagos. For the second year in a row, I failed to get a picture of Jack and Sharon at dinner!

Mother's Day 2022

Sunday morning, Sharon and I made a run to the dump (one of her favorite things!?!). We stopped at Lowe's for some plants on the way home. Drew called Sharon to wish her happy Mother's Day as we were heading home from Lowe's.

Jack rolled back from the bay area in the middle of the day. Sharon's brother Tom wandered over about 3 pm. Rather than a relaxing afternoon, Jack and I spent some time dealing with some drama with Tiber.

Like two years ago, I made veal piccata for dinner with angel hair pasta and green beans. I don't feel like it turned out as well as before. I get stressed when I try to make a more ambitious meal... After all of the drama with Tiber and the anxiety pulling together the dinner, we had a nice relaxing dinner. I always enjoy Tom's company.

For presents, I got Sharon a Honeybee Statement Necklace from Julie Vos. Jack got her a succulent garden and a card.

[Note to self], I should have taken a picture of Sharon and Jack!

2021 Sea Ranch - Day 4

Everyone was moving very slow on Sunday morning. I eventually made a late breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon.

After breakfast, Sharon, Holly and I walked south along the bluffs to the Walk On Beach. We walked across the beach before looping back to the house.

Holly, Van and Sharon decided to head to the driving range to hit a couple of buckets of balls. Afterwards, they went to the Surf Market to get steaks and oysters for dinner. I went out for a run. I covered 4.75 miles in just over an hour. Staying away from the bluffs to get out of the wind, I ran through the meadows and up to Deerfield. Looping back, I ran through the Monarch Glenn Intrepetive Trail.

We spent the afternoon exploring Sea Ranch. We stopped at the Chapel. From there, we drove by the house that we are renting for Father's Day and the house that Holly and Van are renting in September. Our last stop was the San Andreas Fault Intrepetive Trail. I really enjoy this short hike; it is the third time we have walked the trail in the last year. After the short hike, we swung by lodge and the condominiums.

Van and I made a Mother's Day dinner. I barbecued oysters and baked potatoes. Van cooked the streaks sous vide. Sharon spent some time on the phone with both Drew and Jack, while Holly had calls from all three of her children.

We finished the day watching Saturday Night Live hosted by Elon Musk and then Bill Marr on the AppleTV. It was almost 11:30 pm by the time we crashed...

Mother's Day 2020

It is an odd time. The pandemic and the resulting shelter in place orders have disrupted several plans. We should be going to Georgetown this coming week for Jack's graduation from college and then on to South Africa on vacation. The disarray and uncertainty are creating an increasing number of strains.

After a short morning walk with Tiber (it was chilly), I cooked Sharon breakfast. I made an asparagus, tomato and bacon omelette.

We have a roomba that we use downstairs; it is very effective. Sharon wanted to supplement this by getting a robot mop for Mother's Day. After doing some research, we punted on the idea. None of the robot mops seemed very effective. Instead, She settled on wanting a Bissel Crosswave. It was delivered on Sunday morning just as we were finishing breakfast.

In the afternoon, I went to OBO' to pick up a Beet Salad [pistachio, basil, parmesan, balsamic] and an Elderflower Gimlet [vodka, st-germain, elderflower syrup, lime, mint]. For dinner, Sharon picked out a veal piccata recipe. We went to Corti Bros on Saturday morning to get the veal. I made the veal piccata with angel hair pasta and green beans. In spite of my trepidation during the preparation, the meal seemed to be a big hit with both Jack and Sharon.

We finished the day watching two more episodes of season eight of Survivor.

Mother's Day 2019

Still feeling under the weather and trying to get back on my feet, I did some shopping in the early afternoon. Sharon and Tom rolled back from the retreat in the afternoon. It really turned out to be a lost weekend for me.

I made dinner for Mother's day. I barbecued some ribeye steaks, baked a couple of potatoes and cooked some broccoli.

For a Mother's Day gift, I got her a cologne collection from Jo Malone. She shopped at this store and bought some cologne when we were in Lond0n.

We finished the day watching the super-sized penultimate episode of Game of Thrones. While Weiss and Benioff may be moving towards Martin's intended ending, the transformation of the dragon queen into the bad king seems to ring a little false. My guess is that we will never see Martin's version of the ending...

Mother's Day 2018

With Jack home from college on Saturday, we had a very nice Mother's Day. Sharon, Tiber and I started the morning with a three mile loop around Ancil Hoffman.

After getting cleaned up, Sharon, Jack and I headed to Arden Hills for a Mother's Day brunch. I am not sure exactly what I expected, but this event exceeded my expectations. They set up a very nice buffet in one of the banquet rooms. The room was nicely decorated. If we keep the club membership, this is an event that I would consider doing again; Sharon and I talked about going for Father's Day.

After brunch, we headed to the St. Mary's cemetery to put some flowers on Sharon's mom's grave. I was surprised at the number of people at the cemetery. Lots of people leaving flowers and even some large groups picnicking.

In the late afternoon, we planted some additional plants in the front of the house. We finished the day with barbecued steaks and corn and green beans.

Mother's Day 2017

A busy day... Sharon, Tiber and I started our day with a three mile loop around Ancil Hoffman Park. Afterwards, I made fried eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast.

Getting cleaned up, we headed to the Palladio Luxe theater in Folsom. We saw an early showing of Snatched. When I started looking for tickets on Thursday, most of the shows of Snatched were almost sold out at this theater. After some discussion on Friday night, we ended up buying tickets in the front row [A3, A4]. Sharon really enjoyed the movie! It was a good Mother's Day movie.

From there, we headed to the Arden Fair Mall. Last year, Sharon bought me an Apple Watch for Father's Day. Sharon finally decided she wanted one. I returned the favor and bought her an Apple Watch for Mother's Day this year.

Sharon's brother Tom came over for dinner. We finished the day with a great dinner of rack of lamb, squash and tomatoes.

Mother's Day 2016

Sunday morning, we went to brunch at Matteo's. Sharon and I had a crab eggs benedict, while Jack had a breakfast burger.

We ran into the Kesslers with their dog; Sharon and I worked with Mary at the Western Farm Credit Bank. [Note to self], we could bring Tiber with us when we eat on the patio at Matteos...

Sharon spent the afternoon shopping at the Arden Fair Mall.

Using some recipes from Sharon's brother Tim, I fixed a successful dinner of marinated cornish game hens, pancetta wrapped asparagus bundles and baked rice. Morgan joined us for dinner. I have really enjoyed having Morgan so close over the last year.

We finished the day with presents and dessert. Presents included: a Georgetown flag; a Georgetown license plate frame; and Paul McCartney tickets. In the homemade Mother's Day cards, we included pictures of Jack's graduation from preschool. Dessert was a lemon cake that I picked up at Whole Foods. Sharon got Morgan some socks as a birthday present.

All in all, it was a very successful Mother's Day!

Back from Reno [Mother's Day 2015]

We packed up and were out of the hotel by 8:30 am and on the road back to the valley by 8:45 am. After stopping at the house, Jack and I took Bridget back to Elk Grove. Although I was a little under the weather, it was a nice quick trip to Reno [less than 24 hours!]. I really enjoyed getting a chance to see Drew.

For Mother's Day, Sharon wanted me to take her shopping. We had a drink and hors d'oeuvres at Seasons 52. Afterwards, she shopped at Black and White. This didn't work out quite the way she envisioned. I need to have a better plan for next year.

I cooked lamb chops on the rotisserie with mashed potatoes and green beans for Mother's Day dinner.

Mother's Day 2014

Like four years ago when she went to Kevin's graduation, Sharon spent the weekend in Gonzaga at Eric's graduation. I picked her and Kevin up at the airport late Sunday evening. Jack and I got her Mother's Day cards and an orchid.

Mother's Day 2013

Mother's Day morning, I made omelets for breakfast. We gave Sharon a roomba for Mother's Day; both she and Jack were fascinated by it. Afterwards, I dropped Sharon at Bannister Park with her bike. She did a 20 mile ride, while I spent the rest of the morning shopping.

We invited the Tom Frames and Jim over for dinner. With some help from the boys, I barbecued steaks. Dinner included the steaks, baked potatoes, spinach soufflé and salad. The group finished the evening watching the finale of Survivor: Caramoan.

2102 Mother's Day

A wide ranging Mother's day. I made huevos rancheros for breakfast. Afterwards, Sharon and I went for a 3.5 plus mile run/walk around Ancil Hoffman Park. We actually explored a number of places and sections of trail that I had not been yet. Originally, Sharon had wanted to do a long bike ride, but felt too sore after her boot camp.

After getting cleaned up, we headed out to Roseville to shop for Jack's graduation present and then to Pavilions for Sharon's Mother's day present. She wanted to pick out a frying pan from William Sonomas. Sharon and I had a drink and an appetizer at Piattis before heading home.

We finished the day barbecuing some lamb chops for dinner.

2011 Mother's Day Redux

With Sharon scrambling to pack and get to the airport to fly to Atlanta, I made her huevos rancheros for Mother's Day breakfast.

Mother's Day 2011

Last year, Sharon was gone on Mother's Day weekend to Spokane for Kevin's graduation from Gonzaga University. This year, Sharon is traveling on Mother's Day to Atlanta for a conference. As a result, we celebrated Mother's Day on Saturday.

In the afternoon, Sharon had me work in the Northwest corner of the yard; she is planning to put a mediation garden there. Afterwards, we barbecued steaks. For presents, Jack and I got her a Jawbone bluetooth and some cappuccino cups. Jack picked out a cute card that played a quote from the Office.

After dinner, Sharon and Jack rented Step Brothers on the AppleTV.

We got her some flowers that included Calla Lilies. It turned out that Calla Lilies were a favorite of her mother. I am going to try and remember to include them in future Mother's Day bouquets.

Iron Man 2

With Sharon in Spokane for Kevin's graduation from Gonzaga on Mother's Day, Jack and I went to see an early show of Iron Man 2 at the IMAX.

It is not as good as the original. Part of the problem lies in the fact that the visuals are not as original the second time around. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the movie. I almost always get a kick out of watching Robert Downey Jr. Mickey Rourke is also interesting as the villian. It is hard for me to connect Rourke with the actor that he was 15 to 20 years ago. Seeing Rourke in this film reminded me that I need to go back and see him in The Wrestler.

Mother's Day 2009

We celebrated Mother's Day with the Sanborn's and the Cunningham's at the Cunningham's house. We spent the afternoon in the pool and the hot tub. John barbecued chicken and tri-tip for an early dinner. The three boys had a great time.

Mother's Day 2008

We went to Sharon's brother Tom's house to celebrate Mother's day. In addition to Tom's family, the group include her brother Tim's family, her mom and Jim Dunn. We had fourteen people around the table for dinner.

The dads made dinner, including barbecued Salmon, roasted vegetables and rice. My contribution was a Blackberry-Cabernet Coulis from a recipe that Sharon had picked out.

Jack had a great afternoon playing baseball, bocce and marco polo with his cousins.

Mother's Day 2008 pic #1

Mother's Day 2008 pic #1, originally uploaded by heringermr.