Saturday, June 17, 2017

Proud parents

Hubby and I have returned from California which is why my internet access was limited. We attended our son Matthew's defense of his thesis for his PhD in Chemistry from Stanford University.  
 He passed and celebrated with some champagne....
 and some cake.
That night we went to dinner at a steakhouse that had this menu for him.
They also treated him to dessert!
We are so very proud of him. 
He will be moving to PA to work as a Chemist for a major pharmaceutical company.

This was a fairly quick trip as work and family obligations prevented a longer vacation. We did get some sight-seeing in though. On our first day we visited Loma Prieta Winery. This vineyard is in the mountains. You drive along a winding two lane road. At one point, half of the road was blocked by construction cones as the upward lane had collapsed down the mountain. 

 Aren't the views beautiful.

We enjoyed a tasting followed by a bottle of chardonnay.

The view from the vineyard was beautiful, but the drive had me on edge the whole way up. I sat in the back seat on the way down the mountain and didn't look out the windows.

On our second day we visited the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA. You can read the story of this house here, it is quite fascinating. You aren't allowed to take pictures in the house, but you can take photos of the gardens and of the outside of the house.

The fountains were pretty.
 My two favorite guys.
This topiary will be pretty when she is covered with ivy. 

The following day was my son's defense which I highlighted at the beginning of this post. On our last day we visited parts of Stanford University which I will update in my next post.

 I managed to stitch a little bit of my Prairie Schooler Santa on the plane. 
 I had a great view of the Rocky Mountains.

I am joining Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching. On Monday I will join the Stitchery Link Party at Super Mom - No Cape. I will be working on Baker Beach this weekend. Pop on over to these sites to see what other bloggers are stitching.

 Thanks for stopping by!
Posted by

14 comments:

  1. RJJune 17, 2017 at 5:15 PM

    Cathie what an amazing accomplishment! Congratulations to your son on a job well done. I know you and your husband must be so proud of his accomplishments and rightfully so.
    We used to live in California so I know how pretty the areas are that you got to visit. And glad to see you even got some stitching in during your trip. Did they let you stitch on the plane? RJ@stitching friends forever

    ReplyDelete
  2. mamasmercantileJune 17, 2017 at 7:07 PM

    You have every reason to be proud, congratulations to your son. Hard work well rewarded.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TiffstitchJune 17, 2017 at 9:27 PM

    Huge congratulations for such an accomplishment! Great photos and so glad you could be there for him.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Needled MomJune 17, 2017 at 11:22 PM

    What a thrill it must have been for you. Congratulations to him. That is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lilly's MomJune 18, 2017 at 3:05 AM

    Congrats to your son for this wonderful accomplishment! Looks like you had a fabulous trip. We're having a big heat wave here in SoCal. Enjoy your weekend, Pat

    ReplyDelete
  6. MaryJune 18, 2017 at 6:47 AM

    Congratulations to your son on a major accomplishment! How nice that you were able to celebrate with him and you must be thrilled that he is moving closer to home. Lovely photos of the California countryside. HOw did you get the scissors on the plane?

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Cozy QuilterJune 18, 2017 at 9:47 AM

    Congrats to all of you! The sun shine and blue skies were celebrating with you. When does he start his new job? I think I remember you saying that Baker Beach is for him. Santa is coming along nicely.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Quilter KathyJune 18, 2017 at 10:16 AM

    A huge accomplishment indeed!
    So glad you fit in some stitching time!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Goofin' Off Around the BlockJune 18, 2017 at 12:27 PM

    What a huge accomplishment for your son! It looks like you had a fantastic trip. Thanks for sharing all of your lovely pictures. --Andrea

    ReplyDelete
  10. karenJune 18, 2017 at 5:27 PM

    congratulations to you son! and to you, he will be c l o s e and that is wonderful. My son in law is trying to get a position over on the east coast now that his santa barbara post doc is nearing to an end. I pray every single day.

    ReplyDelete
  11. RobinJune 18, 2017 at 5:30 PM

    Congratulations! One of my son's got his Ph.D in Medicinal Chemistry so I know it's no small feat. Glad you were able to be with him for his special day.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Deb @ Frugal Little BungalowJune 18, 2017 at 6:56 PM

    Congratulations to your son ; of course you are proud as can be! Love the family photos and the shots of your trip :)

    I am in PA :) South of Pittsburgh

    ReplyDelete
  13. SuperMomNoCapeJune 19, 2017 at 4:41 PM

    What a wonderful moment for you to share with your son! Sending along my congratulations!

    Even a little progress while stitching is good. :)

    I didn't know they allowed you to have needles, scissors and the like on planes. That's good to know, as hubby and I are planning a trip for this winter sometime that will require many hours on a plane.

    Thanks so much for linking up to last week's Stitchery Link Party and for the link back. Aloha hugs!

    ReplyDelete
  14. diamondcJune 20, 2017 at 1:03 PM

    Cathie: Congratulations to Matthew, what a great accomplishment.
    I wish him luck in the future.
    Beautiful vacation photos, I am so happy you had fun.

    Blessings
    Catherine

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comments! I love to hear from you.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)