:: BerDerp™ ::

Finally to wrap up this series.. just some random view points along the way..

this is Bixby Bridge.. you have undoubtedly seen this in numerous TV commercials

don’t see this mail box line-up much

this is Ragged Point..

Cat-O-Nine tails on the coast

this is Pfeiffer State Beach… a very famous beach that Ansel Adams was known to have photographed a few times

On the tail end of my trip, after cruising to Avila Beach (and being thoroughly unimpressed — maybe because of too much construction going on–especially after lounging in Cayucos and Morro Bay) I made a pit-stop into SLO primarily just to see the Mission of San Luis Obispo. This is one of California’s oldest mission’s; the 5th one constructed in the state in 1772. I didn’t go inside or stay that long, as I knew I had a long drive ahead of me on Hwy-1.

Morro Bay finds itself situated on the Mid-Coastal range of California, 1/2 way in between SF and LA. In the mid-16th century, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stumbled upon 1 of 9 rock formations along the coast (which some say is the Gibraltar of the West) and named it Morro Rock … which got it’s name because he thought it looked like the head of a Moor. Ok. But it’s also Spanish for pebble. While considered a sacred site by the Chumash Indians, but also served as an important navigational tool for hundreds of years. Today it’s illegal to climb, except for the Chumash who are allowed to do this once a year for their annual Solstice. The area surrounding this rock was completely surrounded by water, until they filled the northern area with material from the rock itself to make the harbor. Now a working fishing village, is now home to some unique shops and great food & desserts down the Embarcadero of Morro Bay business waterfront. There was this taffy shop with 60 different items, I took a peek but held out and didn’t partake! Eh!

this place Giovanni’s has fresh food, right on the Embcadero, and I get the sense that it’s a huge local favorite. A lady in the line (who was originally a Bay Area native herself) said it’s always like this, get either the fish & chips or the clam chowder. I was headed for the C.C. mayne!

the working fishing dock was cool, but I didn’t get to see any hauls coming in.

only a few of these guys present, but weren’t phased at all by all the activity around them.

Cayucos , which is the first town above Morro Bay, is considered one of the last remaining true California-style beach towns. This coastal village, whose name is basically fishing canoe in Spanish, situates itself as a prime port originally established in 1867. Around that time there was a weekly stage that passed from San Luis Obispo to San Simeon, and its small pier now originally a docking point for steamers. But alas a storm finally destroyed the main pier, and the rise of automobiles left it off to the side to remain this nestled gem on the Mid-Coastal range. Drop in to Cayucos.. the locals were friendly & the seafood I had was fresh.

..I almost wish I had stayed there…

The drive along California’s Highway 1 is a curvy, scenic, and memorable stretch of road that snakes it’s way up and down the California coast line. The fact that this highway covers almost 550 miles, built right after the decade of the automobile circa 1934 and features some of the most beautiful coastline in the country, eventually led to it being designated as the “All-American Road”.

During my drive I discovered some small towns that we’ll take a look at. Starting with the smallest: Harmony, CA

With a population of 18, and nothing more to the “Business District” of town concentrated in a tiny area on one dead end street… life here moves pret-t-t-t-t-t-ty slow.

A dairy community that was formed over a 100 years ago by Swiss immigrants. What eventually led to a family feud and a shooting death, the community called a truce and the town was renamed to Harmony. Blink going too fast on Highway-1 and you just might miss it.

This post office is still operational though…

I took some time off this past weekend but had some delays getting out of the Bay area. However, early this morning, I grabbed another ZipCar and took off for a mini-two-day vacation. My first stop was about 5 miles North of San Simeon at a very intriguing place called the Hearst Castle, former summer home of the publishing tycoon
William Randolph Hearst.

I originally visited this fascinating location several years ago, and was really looking forward to seeing it again. Maybe the tours are a little rushed (105 minutes), there are 5 total, and some of the house is slightly boring, but overall it’s just an amazing and completely remarkable place that he constructed over the span of 20 something years. Mr. Hearst didn’t exactly play by the rules of modern art collectors when he was amassing many of the objects seen there today. Clearly there were no questions asked when he was receiving Egyptian sarcophagi, friezes from Greece, Italian ceiling panelling from the 12th century, church pews from 16th century England, etc.

Let’s begin:

the Neptune Pool is undoubtedly the most identifiable trademark of the Hearst Castle, and rightfully so. It’s total baller

furthermore, there is an indoor pool as well where the bottom is completely comprised of golden 1″ mosaic inlay.

As I said, Hearst himself was fond of various arts and culture he saw during his travels; here we see 2 images of sarcophagus: the closed one is one of only few known closed top sarcophagus in the world

close up another sarchopagus, but not a closed lid

Italian marble sculpture outside Casa Del Mar

it’s one thing to enjoy a view, but it’s another to completely OWN the entire view,, and at one point when the Hearst family owned over 200,000 acres, that’s exactly what they had.. as far as you could see — they owned it

the interior of the house was so big, that sometimes visiting guests could obviously get a little turned around. No worries, just pick up any of the phones that were available on site — this lit up a switch board that an onsite operator had and they could pinpoint the guests location and send a house staff-person to fetch them.

There is something I have enjoyed about photographing rails lately.. I don’t know what it is.. I particularly like the linear effect I suppose.

NO! not these kind of rails!

This morning as a friend of mine stopped by to say good-bye before she headed back home – it dawned on me that exactly one year ago we had been gallavanting together in Bali. We had both ventured down to JKT for a friends wedding. It’s been a challenging past year for me in many ways, but also one of the best years that I have had in quite some time; personally, emotionally, financially and career wise.

I desperately need a vacation, having not been out of the city since January, and although some of my ideal vacation spots still await me — I am fixated and very meditative that a year ago I was in a very beautiful and tranquil spot — experiencing some raw forms of humanity that I still think about to this day.

I really hope to visit this amazing island and it’s people again very soon.

traditional mask in Ubud

motobikes stream and buzz constantly through the streets of Kuta

local gas station

rice fields in Bali

no explanation needed here

curious local

Tonight I had the opportunity to partake in definitely the most unique, interesting, and possibly best sushi dinners I have eaten in this city. My friend & I had wanted to go to Ebisu, but it was closed. drats. So we started perusing a couple of sites to get ideas of what & where to eat. We spotted this listing for a place called Kabuto in the Outer Richmond. The name of the spot had a familiar ring to it — and I realized as we walked up I had always seen long lines here. Now I know why. The sushi there is ridiculous. However, the most stand out item was at the very end. A menu selection called 1849 Oyster. Presumably named for the gold flake that was positioned on top. Consisting of Sea Urchin (Uni), raw quail egg, and oyster, tobiko, then topped with the gold flake. At first sight, I won’t lie — I was rather alarmed, petrified and rattled all at the same time. Now aside from your undeniable reproach that you are feeling right now, all those feelings I had before I ate this item, vanished immediately after eating it. At first it was the ocean all at once on the palate. However, the contrasting flavors of the Uni, raw egg, and oyster appeared one by one.

all I can say is “daaYyYummm”

Currently at MarketStreet Gallery the Altered Barbie exhibit is in full swing. Most of the actual morphed pieces are over at AgeSong Gallery on 580 Hayes Street

The exhibit is a pretty quick whirl-wind of Barbie themes that your sister would have never accumulated in her day. My favorites are probably Biker Barbie and KISS Barbie. Speaking of KISS, apparently it’s the Demon’s birthday this Sunday, and he will be at Infineon celebrating

This past Sunday when it seemed like it was going to be incontestably cloudy in the city, I decided to make a dash for a charming city across the bay, and only a ferry ride away. Sausalito is full of rich history and has some interesting characters; it has long been known for prestigious individuals, but also staked its claim with early pioneers taking up nest there.

The ferry ride is only $14 for round trip, and its a quick jump over. Either that or deal with bridge traffic. But why when you can just lounge out on the deck of one of the boats and then let the afternoon slide away at Scoma’s while nursing a fine aged glass of Macallan.

I’ve been rather busy lately (what else is new).. but after the Sneaker Pimps exhibit you see below, I wound up trekking it over to White Walls Gallery to catch a glimpse of the new Jeremy Fish exhibit.

Jeremy being an SF local I have had the pleasure of seeing his work displayed numerous times here in the Bay. I alway enjoy observing his sheer cutting style.. it’s not hyperrealistic, but it draws in on a sector of my consciousness .. very sublime I think. A cross of macabre-mashup-animal-cerebral-douse in your face

Since I haven’t been posting lately, I feel it’s downright admissable that I throw some other stuff up here tonight…

Let’s take a peek around the city …

a) if you’re sleeping outdoors and it’s chilly, position yourself on top of a street level steam vent

b) an episode of the Journeyman TV show is being filmed in downtown right now

maybe this is ‘Emmy’s ex-boyfriend getting some “Extra” work now

c) if you’re not satisfied with the no-standing-no-laughing-no-cosmopolitan’s-allowed rules of Bourbon & Branch, scoot around back to the library..

d) classic laid-back Rose’s Cafe produces some great oven-roasted dishes

Mid-afternoon yesterday my friend and I decided to trek down to Mountain View to go take in a special occassion. One of only 12 7-11’s in the world that have completely transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart in a PR blitz for the upcoming Simpsons long awaited movie debut. Which has been furiously rumored for years
So down in south bay yesterday, we were able to fully actualize that its been a long time coming:

Apu: I always thought karma was baloney, but now I know it’s not.
Homer: Mmmm, caramel baloney…

The annual Fillmore Street festival is always one of my favorite street festivals here in the city by the bay. Fillmore street has a long, rich, vibrant music history that stretches all the way back to WWII… so many famous people have graced this street with their presence and influence.

Today it is lined with over 200 businesses and each year around this time the city blocks off about 12 blocks along the upper Fillmore area to celebrate different music styles, the arts, and of course food and drinks. Last year I missed it, so this year I made sure I cruised by there and took in some scenery, sounds of brass and good ol’ BBQ on a stiiiiiiiiiiiik.

so.. it’s official. one of the biggest technology items to hit the streets in years was released in stores nationwide about 6 hrs ago, 6pm PDT. So far it has gained a lot of reviews — from the fanboys, the naysayers, and already new product accessories , apps directory search, and its already been gutted. beRderp won’t be getting one anytime soon –as I’m waiting on rev2.0 and am holding out for 3G.

anyways.. I decided Wednesday (and you’ll see by the pics).. that it would be funny to timeline the evolution of the line downtown in front of the Apple store on Stockton st.

so I started Thursday.. and there were already a couple of people there.. the first few guys in line were part of a 4-man team.. with guarantees to get 2 phones per person in line, they were each covered. this first photo was at about 11am.

Then I went back again right after work, and they had moved them on the other side of the sidewalk. At this point the line really hadn’t grown any.

Right after this shot above, I went to see Bob Saget at the Warfield (which by the way, if you ever get a chance to see him live.. DO IT! just don’t take your kids.. he is not the Danny Taylor or twerp you may remember from AFHV).. so at about 10:15pm.. I decided to stroll back over before going to Vessel to see my friend.. the line had grown, and some comic flair had been added.

This morning, right after getting off the bus, as I crossed the street towards the store front, I could see the news vans had already posted up

But the line had grown to 122 at 9:48am. No! I didn’t sit there and count them, but I provided the official time-stamp for an Apple employee who had just taken all their names and a headcount.

…haha! that’s right! the sign DOES say BerDerp! ;)

Definitely the face of the mobile industry has now been altered — which I think is great. Asia and Europe are so far ahead of us in terms of devices, mobile technology, market penetration, and integrated services, it will be good to see the dust and cobwebs shaken up a bit. The rest of 2007 and 2008 are going to be fun times for mobile gadget heads like myself.

Meanwhile today… while everyone was buying iPhone’s or trading their left kidney for one, AT&T was busy plopping down 2.8B in cash for Dobson Communications — who owned Cellular One — which adds another 1.7M users to their subscriber base of about 65M — my gosh they just posted 1.5B in revenue for Q1 2007. Go Ma’Bell

So after a long day running around and then partying at BFD, I actually got up super early to go return my Zipcar and then snap some pics of the 1st SF Gorilla Run .. This is a well established UK event and thus this year something like 200 people donned gorilla costumes and did a 7k trek in the morning hours on Sunday to raise money and awareness for the plight of the gorilla species (or rather what’s left of them).

This morning I spotted the elusive albino gorilla

Elvis gorilla’s

Pirate gorilla’s

Adidas/photographer gorilla

a gang of gorilla’s

Of course at the Start line they had to have something to chase..

so.. this seemed only natural right..?

“…. who who haa haa…”

and they’re off…

of course there were professional gorilla’s and communist gorilla’s

and finally.. even Kong himself made an appearance..

A few weeks ago something emerged from Ocean Beach’s past that hadn’t seen the light of day since 1985 — the shipwreck of King Philip, a clipper ship that ran aground in 1878. American Clipper ships, as they were claimed, “long and lean”, were built to sail from the East Coast, down to South America, around Cape Horn and then to San Francisco. This particular ship apparently didn’t have the best luck, as it had a documented two mutinies in which both times the ship was set on fire.

Either way, on it’s trek out of the Golden Gate bay, with no cargo, it was swept ashore and basically salvaged for parts and its hulk blown up. Here is a pic of the remains when they surfaced in 1985 — and an artist rendition of what the shipwreck looked like that January in 1878.

I had tried to get pics a week or two ago, and the tide was too high — so needing some fresh air earlier today I strolled out there and got lucky for there not to be a dozen onlookers gawking around the ruins.

Check ’em…

Tonight on my way to a wedding banquet in Chinatown I had the opportunity to capture for you the exact reason why I ALWAYS carry my digi cam on me everywhere I go…. cus U just never know.

Spotted going North on Grant; turning left on Sutter

So it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that there are some geeks at the postal service — and surely it’s no mystery that amongst them therein lies a strong sci-fi following. This manifests itself on to the streets as the USPS celebrates the 30th anniversary of Star Wars by deploying some tricked out mailboxes resembling R2D2. I spotted this one on a corner opposite of Union Square. They aren’t stupid enough to put them somewhere in a dark area where some obsessed fan can steal them.

Perhaps the USPS should just auction them off and then use the $$ to become more efficient.

No this posting isn’t about the famous spot in Dallas–it’s really about mounting a crazy fish on the grill of your VW van

Today the weather was gorgeous in Ocean Beach, so I had to take a stroll to get some fresh air. The windmill you see below is a much recognized symbol of SF’s pacific coastline and I thought it would be cool to take some pictures of this today. Originally built in 1902, at the time was one of the world’s largest South Dutch styled windmills, and then restored many, many years later. Situated in Golden Gate park (which by the way is bigger than Central Park in NYC) this spot is a great area for photoshots

…. that I can’t write anything about… so just … take it in..

well.. it all started 4 years ago as a novel idea to do something different as my ex-coworker and I were both from the Durrrty-Durrty.. and well.. we longed for some down South flava out here in the Bay area.. so the 1st Crawfish ho’ down was born. This past Saturday, we crossed the 4th year mark. It’s gotten bigger and funkier as each year went by.

This year was no exception.. this time last week, the evite listing had grown to close to 200 people coming.. and we had extended the selection of food from last year to include much more catering from Cajun Pacific than the year before. The food breakdown:

• 250 lbs of live squirming crawfish
• Shrimp remoulade
• collards
• mac n cheese
• seafood gumbo
• Chad’s infamously spicy and exceptionally delicious veggie Jambalaya
• Chicken etouffee
• Crawfish beignets
• puffaletta’s (mini-Muffaletta‘s)
• eggplant creole
• crab stuffed mushrooms
• corn bread muffins

and of course.. 4 kegs of good ol’ Miller and PBR (oh yeh, and my boy handed out around a 100 cans of Sofia’s)

The morning started off a total disaster…not only delaying us by a few hours but nearly obliterating the entire chance of the event’s success. SF has some of the most unpredictable weather out there. Wednesday it had been predicted 60% chance of rain — and it only rained till about 930 or 10am. Thursday was 90% chance and it didnt rain at all. Friday? gorgeous!..check. Sunday? of course gorgeous!..check. However…Saturday morning, as Aye~N & I were out at Crissy Field at 830am it was nothing short of brutal. We stood around in full goretex and rain suits waiting on the rain to pass over. Making jokes. Trying to stay calm. I tell you, it was a difficult few hours. I figured I was basically S.O.L. on the $$ I had shelled out which was WAY over a $1000. But around 11am the rain subsided and we got extremely lucky. The numbers started filling out and the day began……

..the night before we CLEANED out Safeway supplies of red potatoes.. and here is Aye~n’s freezer packed with corn

… the weather turned out gorgeous and this 60qt pot of crawfish is ready to GO!

…mmmm steaming crawfish.. and peeps gathered at our custom crawfish eating station

…everyone is diving in.. and look at ’em lined up.. just waiting and salivating for that next batch..

…crawfish and pigeons can have some fun too

… nothing but ‘taters left in this round.. and a local sportin’ his crawdaddiness..

.. i love the taste and the color of the corn set amongst the crawfish

.. I want to thank BunnyChick, Mitch and Becky for contributing to some of the pictures.. and to each and every person that came out and made the 4th annual Crawfish Ho’Down a success. Hope to see “all y’awl’s” out hurrr next year.

I would never condone forcing a belief system down someone’s throat or making fun of their religious or spiritual choices.. but sometimes I do stop and chuckle..

The building adjacent to my work space is totally gutted right now. It’s kinda cool, but also creepy at the same time. Someone said it looks like something out of a movie. I sort of have to agree with them on that one. I also think it looks neat compared to what the final product will be. That’s all..

The streets of SF always have something interesting to bear, something singular and exclusive to divulge. Since graffiti culture is so pervasive here, it’s never unusual to find random images thrown up on sidewalks and building sides that take different avenues of expression from standard bombings . Not to say these artists aren’t talented, but it’s samples like these below that make me chuckle… as I’m walking around the city and I look down and I spot good ol’ Abe or Mr.-I-don’t-get-no-respect himself

Nothing too off the wall or deeply interesting.. but observation is what I do best..
stepping into a cafe on the way to get haircut I notice a turkey shaped piece of bread by scattered flower petals..

Saturday night I catch an evening glimpse of Macy’s design for the upcoming annual flower show, this year titled Imagine India.. You don’t catch a 30′ tall Ganesh facing Union Square every day.

Ocean Beach winds take their tolls on the tree below..

Spring pastel’s are apparent in the local flowers that dot the Great Highway…

even slow weekends have tales to tell..

Although the weather has been really great lately here in the Bay Area the past several days today it was just.. UGhHHHHh.. so miserable commuting here without a car, running errands, pants getting soaked.. I experienced all of these at lunch time and on the way back to the office snapped these pics below.

At least the weather is going to clear up some before my sister gets here. “yeaaaaahhhh”

I’ve been doing lots of cleaning and down-sizing over the past several days and tonight I came across the autograph of none other, best known for his portrayal as local detective Harry Callahan, the venerable Mr. Clint Eastwood.

Several years ago I was with some friends in Tosca Cafe (one of the best bar’s in SF) when Eastwood and Forrest Whitaker came strolling in to put back a few drinks. I forget what they were in town celebrating for, but its not uncommon to have a star-studded crowd at this 40’s style bar: absurdily eclectic, decidedly retro, and just hands-down very San Francisco.

Nevertheless, they were there, and I got his autograph. He was very nice, but still very stark and in that calm character of his. For a guy who has acted in over 60 films, directed over 30, and produced over 20, you don’t have to like the man, but yah gotta respect him.

” Fear lent him wings, as the saying goes …”

— Lt. Morris Schaffer (Where Eagles Dare/1968)

Today as I was on my way through the Presidio to Crissy Field to scope out some stuff for my Crawfish boil that’s coming up, I spotted the Presidio Pet Cemetery that you see here. I had heard about this small plot a few years ago, but had forgotten about it. This resting place has been around for over 50 years, and is the final home for not only dogs and cats, but pigeons, rabbits, macaws, hamsters, goldfish and lizards.

Alot of the markers resemble military style epitaphs, and given that the Presidio was once a military base, it makes sense. There was something really calm about this little area in the park, but it was also right underneath the highway leading to the Golden Gate Bridge.. so you could hear the “tha-thump….tha-thump…..tha-thump..” of the cars passing overhead. At least it wasn’t a thwack over the head like you might receive in some other pet cemeteries… uGh!

Now in some cities it may get you in minor trouble and hassle to have barnyard animals running around. Today I spotted a notably different sighting of a guy out “walking” his pet. A double take was definitely in order. This lamb is only a month old. I would think raising a lamb would be a tremendous responsibility–way more so than rearing a dog — and stink considerably more as well

I was talking to someone today about Indonesian food, I guess particularly since I have been day-dreaming a LOT about travelling again. I told them I would post a few pics of some food related experiences I had while in JKT

The weather here in the Bay has been very warm and pleasurable these past few days—Ocean Beach has been teeming with beach-goers. But what’s really getting me is I’m just craving another vacation so I can check off one of my must-visit spots from my list. This sunset here is just making me reminiscence badly for exotic beach locations such as this snapshot from the beach in front of Kudeta . I will definitely return to this spot one day…. ahhhhhhhh Dreamland how I miss you :(

So far since starting this new job, I’ve been getting more & more used to not working in downtown SF anymore. Although I do miss certain aspects of it, there are things I am growing to like in the Mission. It is definitely a neighborhood full of color and intrigue

HHAHAA. I feel right at home, see…….. ;)

I am not sure how this guy would score but back in da’ Souf’ this might get classified as a Tennessee Waterfall.

bErdERp!

dayyyyuummmm me lovez dem sev chequex.

chA-ching!

These days with images of skrilla rainin’ down, lambo’s and eschulay’s it’s rare to see the ol’ skool pimp rides floating around town. When you do, it’s these nice special moments that lets you relive for a brief fleeting moment the glory days of mid-20th century ballerz

Today after lunch we were strolling back to work when we stumbled across this mid-1940’s issue Cadillac. I wish the lighting would have been better, but you can get an idea of just how blingin’ this ride was in its day.

Plus you get a passenger for the ride.

Of course you want to pick your babe up in a Caddy instead of these wheels……

Today I took a journey up to Muir Woods, in Marin County. Even though I have been there many times it is always refreshing and breathtaking to take in these gentle giants. Almost feels like an Ewok forest though, with the trees climbing over 350 feet and the forest floor covered in ferns.

The first thing I must say when travelling up to Muir woods, along the highway before you get there, you will encounter the Nut Guy. You must stop and at least get something. The honey roasted almonds and his macadamians are excellent and out-of-this-world. Especially the macadamians…. they literally are like butter and melt in your mouth.

p.s. you may think the cars are parked here just for the view, but they came to see the Nut Guy….. trust me ;)

Muir Woods can often be very crowded, and parking can be a nightmare (especially during long, beautiful or holiday weekends). The admission to the park is $3. There is a tiny cafe there which was great on Saturday because I was fre-e-e-e-e-zing and some coffee came in really handy.

Essentially there is main trail area that does lead to some other longer trails, but for the most part, you will just stay in this main area.

The scent of the redwoods, the sound of the purling brook, and rays of sunlight streaming between the trees is truly a site to behold.

Last night I was introduced to “Deus, Brut des Flandres” by a friend who happens to know the owner of a particularly famous bar in SF. This bar specializes in carrying an assortment of microbreweries that even the most heavy drinker has usually not heard of. But I digress.
What makes Deus so special is the way that it is made.
First it is brewed in Belgium, consisting of very old Trappist origins. Next it is then shipped to France, to undergo a unique and special procedure. The word coming from the owner is that the people in France who assist in the second part of this process actually provide the specially selected yeast that is used by a very famous champagne manufacturer. Once this additional batch of yeast is added, the bottles then undergo a process called riddling; this process has been around for about 200 years. Essentially the bottles are put into racks, at a 45 degree angle, and then consistently turned over a period of time. Traditionally, a good riddler could turn as many 40,000 bottles in a day. As this process continues the angle is increased more and more. Ultimately at the end, the neck of the bottle is frozen and the plug of yeast is removed being pushed out by pressure in the bottle. Once this occurs a few final steps remain before it is finally corked and ready for consumption.

Well, you may be asking.. How does it taste? Delightful, light, and radiantly bubbly. A nice blend of beer and champagne effervescence on the back of the tongue. How much does it cost? $35 for a 750ml bottle. Where can I try this at? I could tell you, but you won’t be able to order it. Only friends of the owner are allowed to order it, or even know about it, as it is not listed on the menu of this bar. Truth be told, only 12 bottles of Dues made it into the states recently, and this bar received 9 of them. Dues is made one 55 gallon barrel at a time. Last night, my krew consumed 2 in one sitting.

Only in the South can you find such a combination as Poboys ‘n’ Chinese under one roof

I thought for this posting I would just show some side streets, southern architecture and how this city also characterizes French-influences.

This is one of the early larger mansions built when only the downtown port areas were initially the main inhabited portions of the city. What does that mean? You were a big-balla-shot-caller if you lived this far away from the water.

Next, take a look at some of my cities oak trees. These giants have been around sometimes as many as 200 years

Downtown view points closely resemble the French architecture of another well known port city 200 miles away

Finally, spots to sip lemonade from and enjoy a slow breeze

For many, many years my mother has been cranking out her famous desserts: blueberry delight, cream cheese pound cake, and banana nut bread to only name a few. One of these highly coveted items is her Poppy Seed bread. Dozens of people have all tried this bread in SF and not one has been able to resist or suppress the urge to go back for more, ask for the recipe, mutter “mmmmmmmmm soooo good” or simply ” oh my gawd… this is delicious”. I keep telling her she should open up shop and start pumping these things out. It makes it really hard to try other poppy seed breads anywhere else because they always pale in comparison to hers.

Today I was here on site, rather than receiving them in the mail in one of her famous care packages, as some loaves came out of the oven.

Behold.. ;)