Andre's first dip in the Pacific Ocean

After nearly a year in California, Andre finally ventured into our frigid ocean waters. This was in late April, just before his 32nd birthday. Santa Cruz hit record high temperatures, as reported by the Sentinel on 4/21/09:

"SIZZLING TEMPERATURES TRASH RECORDS ACROSS THE STATE by Donna Jones

Off the charts. That's what forecasters said as soaring temperatures shattered records throughout California, including one wet more than a century ago in Santa Cruz..." The article went on to say that the previous high for this day was 88 degrees, back in 1899. So, on Monday when temperatures soared to 96 degrees, Andre, Daniel and I rode our bikes down to the beach.

Daniel was sleepy, so we laid our blanket down in the shade of the cliffs and Daniel promptly took a nap. Meanwhile, Andre and I ventured toward the water. I've lived in Santa Cruz since 1980 and have probably only gotten into the ocean water a handful of times. I've heard that our currents come down from Alaska, which explains why the water is so cold compared to San Diego beaches where the currents come up from Mexico. Even in 96-degree weather, the cold water was shocking at first, but gradually we got used to it (or completely numb).

I was so thrilled to Andre taking on the waves and having fun, just like a child. I remember when I first met him and he was too terrified of sharks to go into the ocean. There was just one downside to the day -- I got too bold with my photography until a huge wave knocked me and the camera down. I recovered, with only bloody knees, but the Canon Powershot was a goner. Luckily, the memory card still functioned, so you can enjoy these photos.

April 23, 2009: Andre's 32nd Birthday

Andre enjoyed two birthday parties on April 23, with his ESL class and at home.

Our friend Sunashi helps Andre display his birthday cake. Stephanie and Sage watch as Andre tries to blow out the sparkling candles.


Two pairs of sisters anxiously await their piece of cake and ice cream. While the adults talked inside, the girls went outside to practice their cheers.



Andre's doves take turns on the nest. Soon we should have two little baby doves.


On April 23, 2009 Andre celebrated his 32nd birthday at school with his ESL class and at home with our friends. His teacher Peggy made her special birthday cake and I showed up at the end to take pictures of him with his classmates. He's now in Level 5, which is the highest level at Santa Cruz Adult School, and will graduate in mid-June.

After class, I took Andre and his friend Orly from Ecuador to pick up his birthday present -- a pair of doves and a large cage -- without telling him where we were going or why. The woman who sold me the birds was just as excited as I was to see his reaction. This way he got to pick out his own pair -- a tan male and a white female. The seller delivered the cage in her truck and Andre got busy setting up their new home on our front porch. It's so nice to hear the doves cooing all the time.

I knew Andre would love to have doves because he talks often about the ones he raised in Haiti. Starting out with one pair, after two years he had 27 doves. Then one night someone stole them all. I could tell that he really loved his doves and missed them. I'm really impressed by his knowledge of these birds and their habits and the good care he gives them.

We invited Orly to come by for dinner that night. What Andre didn't know was I'd invited about a dozen other friends. I'd dropped off a big salmon with our friend Nancy so she could bake it at her house. Otherwise, Andre might have gotten suspicious. I just made the pasta and salad at home and bought a cake at my favorite bakery.

It was a really great group of friends, representing several countries: Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Mexico, El Salvador, the U.S. and of course, our token Haitian. Spanish was the uniting language, and much of the conversation centered around our variations of Spanish and the food eaten in each country. The Oaxacans (from Southern Mexico) won the prize for the strangest food: fried grasshoppers.

Last year I flew to Dominican Republic for Andre's 31st birthday because his fiance visa had been delayed. Two years ago, I was in California on his birthday, so I wired money to some friends so they could make a dinner and buy him a cake. But this was the first time we could be together in the U.S. on his birthday. I look forward to celebrating many more together.

Our Appointment with USCIS

PHOTO CAPTION: Here I am with the two big binders of documents and evidence that we took to the appointment with Immigration. Mainly, our interviewer just wanted to see our passports, California driver's licenses, and my 2008 taxes. He seemed very happy that I'd brought a copy for him to keep.

At Andre's suggestion, we arrived at the USCIS (formerly INS) office in San Jose at 7:30 a.m., an hour before our appointment. I carried binders full of documentation and evidence of the validity of our marriage. We were both dressed professionally, as if we were defending a court case.

After going through security at the entrance (including the usual removal of shoes), we were directed upstairs. The security guard upstairs told us to drop our appointment letter in a basket. To our surprise, five minutes later our names were called.

Our interviewer was really nice. He didn't seem to need much convincing that our case was legitimate. In fact, he apologized a few times for the questions he asked, stating it was just part of his job. I'd been warned that they might take us in separate rooms and ask us very personal questions, even about our sex life. But instead, he spoke to both of us together.

The most prying questions were about our age and racial differences, if these were a problem for us. I got to quote my friend Karen who said I needed a younger man to keep up with all my energy. He asked me the race of my first husband, who is Guamanian. He asked Andre if he saw an opportunity to come to the U.S. when he met me in Santo Domingo. Actually, Andre had thought we might live together in Buenos Aires or Europe or Canada. He wasn't that excited about the U.S., but he's enjoying his life in Santa Cruz.

My favorite question was: "Have you ever been involved in terrorist activities?" I asked him if anyone ever says yes to that question. He kind of smirked and said, "No comment." He also asked a lot of questions about the situation in Haiti and if Andre had ever been involved in killing or hurting other people. I think Andre's family locked themselves in at home whenever there was rioting in the streets. They don't get involved at all.

The interviewer didn't ask to see hardly any of the documents I'd brought. And we had everything he asked for. So it was better to be overprepared. He enjoyed looking at our wedding album and then I handed him a stack of photos of us on our honeymoon and on our trips around California and Las Vegas. He pulled out the ones he wanted to include in our file. He especially liked the ones of me with Andre's family in Brooklyn, the ones where his aunt is always hugging me.

He told us that our case was approved and Andre should be receiving his green card for conditional residency within 30 days. He explained that Andre's residency won't be permanent until we come back in two years and do another interview. His status in the U.S. is dependent on our marriage surviving two more years. When I got home, I called American Airlines since I have enough frequent flyer miles saved for one of our tickets. We might go in June.

It was 8:30, the time of our original appointment, when we left the building. Right away Andre said, "oh good, I can still go to my ESL class." I had hoped to spend the day in San Jose, going out for breakfast to celebrate, followed by the science museum. But I admire his devotion to his English studies, so back to Santa Cruz and our daily routine we went.

Not an April Fool

This space reserved for my birthday blog. Please come back in a day or two to see it.

Marching along in 2009

March featured some nice weather after such a rainy February. As usual, Andre and I rode our bikes along West Cliff Drive and checked out the tide pools at Natural Bridges State Beach.
My friend Annie, a restaurant reviewer for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, invited Andre and me to eat lunch at The Greek -- super delicious -- and our friend Wendy was our server. I always enjoy reading Annie's reviews, but it's even more fun when I was there. This is the second time I've had the pleasure.

Luis Valdez, one of my major heroes, spoke at the Mello Center in Watsonville to a packed house. The high school kids who were putting on his play Zoot Suit were on hand to strut their stuff and dance some boogie woogie and swing. The mayor of Watsonville honored Luis with a plaque and lots of admiration. The talk was featured on local television.


My friend Cat brought her daughters Kelsey and Olivia over to California from Maui for their spring break. I had the pleasure of having Kelsey one evening, so we invited another friend of Maya's, Fiona, and went bowling (Andre's 2nd time). The next day we picked up big sister Olivia at her sleepover and then grabbed more of Maya's friends, Mason and Larisa, for a fun time at the Boardwalk. You can see Andre flying high.

News Flash: Andre has his driver's license

February 11, 2009 was the 11th anniversary of the finalization of Maya's adoption. It was also the second anniversary of her memorial party. And it's also the day that Andre got his driver's license. Mostly he still drives with me because generally we go together when we're taking the car. But in case it's raining, he can now drive himself to Adult School for ESL class. Or he can drive up to UCSC at night to work out in the gym by himself if I can't go.

So, WATCH OUT WORLD! There's another Haitian behind the wheel.

February 2009

We had a really mild winter this year -- until February. Then it rained and rained. Andre finally got a taste of cold, wet weather. Between storms, we rode bikes along West Cliff Drive, one of our favorite things to do together.



Feb. 1 was Xochiquetzal's first birthday. She's Sergio and Griselda's fourth child.

Here's Xochi getting a birthday kiss from their new pup Carmelita. One of the neighbors brought her little baby boy over. Andre couldn't resist asking to hold him.

I spotted their hands together and couldn't resist getting a close-up. We celebrated Valentine's Day by taking Andre bowling for the first time. He scored a decent 79 and 75, with several strikes and gutter balls. I hadn't bowled in a long time either and scored 87 and 96, but I used to average about 120.

Anyone who knows me, knows that Luis Valdez, director of Zoot Suit and La Bamba, is one of my heroes. He's teaching a class at UCSC on Chicano theater with his son Kinan who now runs El Teatro Campesino. The Chicano Latino Resource Center sponsored an informal talk with Luis and Kinan. That's Luis with his wife Lupe and Rosie Cabrera, the director of the Chicano Center.

I've been friends with Erica (above right) since we were housemates in the mid-1980s. She invited Andre and me to watch her hula group, which participated in the Dance Around the World show. I didn't get any photos of Erica's hula dance because I was videotaping, but I did get a few shots of other performers.