Saturday, May 31, 2008

Candle and Cross from Liz and Clancy's wedding

Candle+Cross

I'll leave all the wedding pictures -- the rings, the presents, the cakes, the dresses, the tuxes, etc etc etc to the professionals.

I did like the juxtaposition in this one.

Friday, May 30, 2008

OKC Memorial

OKC Memorial

We visited the OKC Memorial (former site of the Murrah Federal Building, which was bombed in April of 1995).

The chairs in the field represent the casualties and are arranged by the floor they were on at the time of the bombing. The smaller chairs represent children (from the day care center).

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Wedding sparklies

sparklies

My niece is getting married on Saturday. She and her matron of honor were working on her cake topper, and had a bunch of sparklies out. When they were done, and were packing up the glimmers into their various shapes and sizes, I snapped this one.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Views of Oklahoma City...

Waterfalls at the fairgrounds

Waterfall at the Fairgrounds

The Paseo

The Paseo

Paseo water pump

A street side water spigot

Milk Jug Building - cropped

The milk jug building

Monday, May 26, 2008

Road Trip -- Day 3

Big Cross

In Groom, Texas, the Knights of Columbus have erected what they claim to be the "Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere" (it isn't - there is one in Illinois that is 8 feet larger).

After there, we passed through Shamrock, TX, where we ran smack-dab into a nasty thunderstorm. Our first clue that we might be in trouble were these "Biscuit" clouds

Biscuit Clouds

These are indications of immense instability aloft. Then we hit the heavy stuff. Marble-sized hail smashing down on the rental car making us feel like we were being crushed

Hail

But, we made it. I write this from the comfort of my mom's living room. The rest of the week will be scenes of Oklahoma City and Texas.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Road trip -- Day 2

2 state lines

Arizona Line

New Mexico Line

Several million dead bugs on the windshield

Bug

and 673 miles today.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

YIKES!!!

yikesgas.jpg

Ok, I usually drive a Scion xB. It has a 10 gallon tank, and I've been paying about $3.95 / gal, so my average fillup is between $30 and $35

So, now we are on a long distance car trip to my niece's wedding in Oklahoma City. We've rented a Chrysler Pacifica for the trip.

The first stop (in Bakersfield) yielded this...

It's going to be a long, expensive trip...

Ziggy -- a day late...

Ziggy-cutie

In all the hubub of getting ready for the trip, I forgot to post yesterday. Here is yesterday's picture....

Thursday, May 22, 2008

A Dream Dinner

Thai Fusion Shrimp

Caryn and I had a session at Dream Dinners tonight.

For the uninitiated, Dream Dinners is an establishment which gives people the opportunity to pre-prepare delicious entrees. They have a number of stations, each of which has the ingredients and recipe to build the entree. You bag all of the marinades, rubs, sauces, etc, then drop them in the freezer with instructions for finishing the meal.

The food includes such delicacies as Sweet Cedar BBQ Chicken, Marinated Pork Roast with Apricot Sauce, and Mango Glazed Indian Salmon. This is Thai Fusion Shrimp. As their website says, "Red and green bell peppers add flavor and color to this unique shrimp dinner with orange and peanut overtones."

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Talented flying...

fire-5-20-08018 - closeup

More from yesterday's fire. This pilot made several trips between the marina and the fire summit. Given how windy it was, this guy was a real pilot's pilot.

Here, he's paused while the tanker is making his run.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Three days of heat, and then ...

3 days of heat, then ...

So what happens when the bay area is hit with 3 consecutive days of high heat (at least, high heat for San Francisco)?

The marine layer rolls in...

Friday, May 16, 2008

Home of the "Crack Wings"...

Home of the Crack Wing

Remember a few years ago, when the Chinese authorities found out that a dumpling house in BFC (just like BFE, but replace "Egypt" with "China") was adding opium to the dumplings. When they arrested the owner and closed down the restaurant, the people in the town damn near rioted.

Tucked away in the Inner Sunset (11th and Irving, to be exact), sits this little Chinese restaurant. This is a *real* Chinese place -- you have to ask for an English menu, and they have to look for it when you do.

Among their delicacies is a wonderful little treat called the "Dry Fried Chicken Wings". Anyone who has ever eaten in this place knows this menu item as "Crack Wings".

Crispy and sweet, and ever so slightly spicy, you will want more and more.

And if the San Francisco authorities ever determine that they really do have crack in the recipe, I'll be among the rioters.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

The REAL crookedest street....

The REAL crookedest street

Back in December, I posted a picture of the famous "Crooked Street" (Lombard) and I mentioned that it is not, in fact, the crookedest street in San Francisco.

That distinction falls to Vermont Street between 19th and 21st.

The reason you don't hear a lot about Vermont is that there is no vantage point where you can see the whole street. This view is the beginning of the 8 curves.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The "Dead" house...

Dead House

In 1967, members of the Greatful Dead lived in this house in the Haight Ashbury section of San Francisco.

After I took this picture, 2 more people walked down the street behind me with cameras to take basically the same pic. There is no indication that this house has any special history, but Dead Heads are a dedicated lot, and lots of them treat 710 Ashbury as a shrine.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mom's Day Present

Moms day gift

My most incredible darling wife Caryn, for those of you who don't know her, is an avid scrapbooker. Her scrapbooks, cards, etc are works of art, and she loves doing it.

One of her big Mother's Day presents was a Cricut personal electronic cutter. This device allows you to cut shapes (aka Die Cuts) of letters, animals, trees, etc, on the paper of your choosing. It's a big thing in the scrapbooking world.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Slap on the cuffs -- an illegal picture...

An illegal shot

Caryn and I went to see a matinée of "Cats" today at the Paramount in Oakland.

For those of you who haven't seen Cats, during the intermission between the acts, one of the characters (Old Deuteronomy) stays on the stage, relatively still, for the duration of the intermission.

I know, you aren't supposed to do it, but I looked up and snapped a picture on my camera phone. Granted, it's not a very good shot, but...

Here are some other scenes from our trip to Oakland:

At the BART Station

Us at the BART station about to buy our tickets for home

The Doors at the Paramount

The fresco over the door at the Paramount

The Marquee

The Marquee at the Paramount

Friday, May 9, 2008

Tired Mr. Ziggy -- CGC!!

Sucked into the couch

He's tired because he's been working hard the last couple of days.

Ziggy has earned his AKC Canine Good Citizen award!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Say "Hello" to My Little Friend...

IMG00366.jpg

Apologies to Mr. Paccino ...

I had to bend down behind a server rack to plug in a server, and when I stood up, I caught a cable management assembly with my cheek.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Monday, May 5, 2008

Breakthrough day

Caryn had some pretty substantial breakthroughs with Arnie today. She got him outside, without having to box him up and force him into the dog run. Then she got him to come in without boxing him back up.

While he was out she got a couple of great shots of him:

Dog in Bushes

I like the composition of this one. The focus on the leaves, the light patterns on the fuzzy dog, etc. Very nice -- good job babe!

Then, there is this fantastic closeup:

Arnie close

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Foggy day at Pigeon Point

Pigeon Point

After I dropped Caryn off at a National Scrapbooking Day crop, the doggies and I took a drive south about 40 miles to the Pigeon Point lighthouse.

Didn't I see this flag on a Daffy Duck Cartoon?

Earth Flag

At the Thoreau Center at the Presidio, they fly this earth flag.

It reminds me of a "Duck Dodgers" Daffy Duck cartoon (see the pic below).

Thursday, May 1, 2008

May Theme Day -- Numbers

Coit Tower Art Work

In the lobby of Coit Tower is this amazing mural -- it covers the entire lobby all the way around. This is the keystone/signature point.

There are 181 blogs participating in this month's theme day of "Numbers". Please take the time to visit some...

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants
Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Arradon, France by Alice, Aspen (CO), USA by IamMBB, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Avignon, France by Nathalie, Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Bucharest, Romania by Malpraxis, Budapest, Hungary by agrajag, Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine, Busan, Korea South by iamnbinb, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chesapeake Daily Photo (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Chicago (IL), USA by Focused Light, Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Cologne, Germany by April11, Concordia Sagittaria, Italy by Patrizia, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Dallas (TX), USA by turtle, Darmstadt, Germany by Elsch, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Evry, France by Olivier, Forks (WA), USA by Mary, Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hong Kong, Hong Kong by Rachel A., Hyde, UK by Gerald, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Ioannina, Greece by Christos-Ioanna, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Ham, London, UK by Mo, Mainz, Germany by JB, Malaga, Spain by Paula, Manila, Philippines by Heyokity, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Marseille, France by Alex, Medan, Indonesia by KT, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Melbourne, Australia by John, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Minsk, Belarus by Olga, Misawa, Japan by misawa mama, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Montpellier, France by Marie, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Nancy, France by yoshi, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by Ming the Merciless, New York City (NY), USA by • Eliane •, Newport News (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, North Hampton (NH), USA by Amy, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Ocean Township (NJ), USA by Josy, Omsk, Russia by Nataly, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Oslo, Norway by Lothiane, Owasso (OK), USA by Jennifer, Paderborn, Germany by Soemchen, Paris, France by Eric, Pasadena (CA), USA by Petrea, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Penang, Malaysia by Maltelda, Perth, Australia by Elevation7, Phoenix (AZ), USA by Cheryl, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Rabaul, Papua New Guinea by Jules, Ramsey, Isle of Man by babooshka, Riga, Latvia by Riga Images, Rollag, Norway by Stormel, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Diego (CA), USA by Zentmrs, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, San Francisco (CA), USA by Louis la Vache, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Seoul, South Korea by Phil, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stanwood (WA), USA by MaryBeth, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Suffolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Julie, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Tel-Aviv, Israel by Olga, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Torun, Poland by Glenn, Torun, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Turin, Italy by Livio, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Vichy, France by Delphsnl, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Virginia Beach (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by Rachel, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Williamsburg (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,

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