North Beach, San Francisco

When I first arrived in the Bay Area, back in 1958, I recall taking a weekend drive over the Bay Bridge (25 cents each way) to San Francsico looking for North Beach. I figured it was on the water, right? With, perhaps, a beach? What did I know?
Anyway, here's a pic from www.pbase.com that illustrates the beauty of North Beach, as well as the importance of the SFFD - all those buildings are made of wood!

Even in Iran

Publius Pundit - Blogging the democratic revolution is a great link for the womens' movement in Iran. It's difficult to understand on many levels.
For instance:
Is democracy possible in Iran?
Does this have anything to do with W's policies?
Are the women demonstrators of Iran cuter than those of Lebanon?
This last question may be the most important. Consider:

Iran:


vs. Beirut:

It's almost as interesting politically as it is scenically. And I like that.

Cream, cream, cream

Our visit to England a few years ago introduced us to clotted cream - a delicious sweet concoction oft used at breakfast. Couldn't find it anywhere here upon our return; internet, sure, but that seemed a bit too much. Yesterday, at Andronico's in Walnut Creek:

TA DAH!



I was duly impressed.

Should I be surprised?

So I learn today that 87% of drivers consider themselves above average in driving skills. Should I worry about the remaining 13%? Who's in that Volvo station wagon with the bumper stickers next to me?
Considering. . .

Baby Names

The Baby Name Wizard's NameVoyager is an absolutely fascinating, historical, fun deal on so many levels. Type in your name, look for your decade of birth, and see if your parents were trendy or atypical. Type in your enemy's name. . . Type in your best friend's name. . . (Warning: works best for European/North American names.) Go to the home page for info on the author and the book. (HT: www.freakonomics.com)

Yard Work

On Location With Rick Lee: Yard Work
Click to see. These pix are to cheer up any reader who is fatigued with Spring yard pruning. Here's a teaser:

Memorial Day 2005

Lots of thanks to be given.

(H.T. AP photo)

Elizabeth leaves her mark

Been absent for quite a while. Lost an entire hard drive and had to start over again. Not fun.
Anyway, we were pouring some hardscape (paths, patios, steps) this morning and arranged for Elizabeth, 5 weeks old, to drop by and sign at the appropriate place.


and, here's the startling result:

We all kinda like that!

Z!

Wine Tasting at HiltonHouse last Saturday. 10 experienced tasters. All California Zinfandels from grapes grown in Amador County around the city of Plymouth, Shenandoah appellation. The very interesting result was that the winner, "Z" zinfandel from Massoni Ranch, scored an unbelievable 12 points. 10 points would have meant that all of us rated it the best of the wines tasted. 12 points is unheard of from this group. Anyway, if you have $30 to splurge with, we heartily recommend it. Check the web site for some background at Jeff Runquist Winery .

Let History Note & Long Remember

On this date, on the course at the Diablo Hills Golf, Spa, and Yacht Club in Walnut Creek, at approximately 2:30 PDT, under sunny skies, with a 12 mph wind from the left, at the 106-yard 3d hole and in the presence of George, Kevin, and Ian, MIEKO K. WINNACKER, using a #9 fairway wood and a Wilson Jack Long 1 with a logo of SandalWood, in Hawaii, ball, hit a hole-in-one! May the Golf Gods Be Praised!

After An Eventful Week

It's always nice to take a deep breath, and view matters with some perspective:



That's an historical marker from the Sonoma Valley (HT: pbase.com)

Friend of All, Enemy of None

Happy Easter

Chrenkoff

We do, of course, attempt to avoid too much of politics in here. An exception, however, must be made for this item from Down Under. Please see the Chrenkoff observation.

Half the Population of Lebanon

Looks like the citizens of Beirut have picked up a trick from Memorial Stadium:



UPDATE (1700 Monday): Thanks to www.powerlineblog.com :



And we hope this is more like Poland than it is Tiannamen Square. I'm encouraged.

AskOxford: the free online dictionary resource from OUP

Today, several disparate observations:

First, the Word of the Day: Obambulate. To wander somewhat aimlessly. This from AskOxford: the free online dictionary resource from OUP which is a really neat site. Want to discover the origin of "dressed to the nines?" Go to this place. (They don't know either!) Want to discover the word for a collective of fleas? (There is none.) (Apes are a troop, but you knew that, didn't you?) Go to this place. It's fun.

Second, I suspect that the use of lentils in restaurants has increased exponentially in the past decade. The reasons? They're pretty, they have nice, neutral color, they're bland, accept any sauce, and they're filling. So, if you're the haut chef preparing an artistic main course for the photographer as well as the diner, you are surely tempted to use lentils as a base on the plate under the fish or chicken.
This observation occurred to me at a lentil luncheon high on a mountain overlooking Saratoga. Check out www.mountainwinery.com to see where we were. Paul Masson started this winery in 1852 which, by California standards, is ancient. Curiously, they were allowed to stay in business during prohibition. An absolutely beautiful setting and yes, once again, I didn't pay.

Air Brushed History

From Thursday's "Belmont Club"
"It Never Existed"
According to the Telegraph, French authorities have airbrushed the cigarette out of John Paul Sarte's photograph.
France's National Library has airbrushed Jean-Paul Sartre's trademark cigarette out of a poster of the chain-smoking philosopher to avoid prosecution under an anti-tobacco law. ...
The library's president, Jean-Noël Jeanneney, confirmed that the cigarette had been discreetly smudged to comply with the 1991 loi Evin - a law banning tobacco advertising - but also so as not to frighten away potential sponsors from the exhibition, which opened yesterday.
The practice of historical revisionism, which was a central theme to George Orwell's 1984, was extensively practiced by Joseph Stalin. The NewsMuseum documents the "before and after" photographs of Lenin with Leon Trotsky, among others, redacted from the image. But what if -- hypothetically now -- the NewsMuseum were in fact the forgery; what if Trotsky was digitally inserted into the picture. How would I know?
Here's Jean Paul:




Let's see, now. FDR never smoked as President. Edward R Murrow never smoked as Correspondent. And Ted Kennedy never drank in Chappaquidick. What else can we fix while we're at it, hmmm???

Prima Ristorante

It's perhaps a bit early to choose a favorite, so let's just say that for consistently interesting dining in a comfortable setting in our new town of Walnut Creek, we're recommending Prima Ristorante Welcome . I have not been disappointed here.

I recommend the Italian cured meats for an appetizer and "tonight's special" for the main course. It's always a standout.

Interesting sidelight. One dinner a year or two ago found me asking the maitre d' hotel why he served olive oil with the bread (delicious bread, by the way) but no vinegar, unlike so many Italian restaurants in the Bay Area. He glanced at the bottle of wine on our table, looked at me, and said "why would you want to spoil your wine with bad wine?" I had no answer.

So go. Be pampered. Enjoy your meal. And be prepared to spend $50 per. Valet parking.
(I know, I know. I've also tried Ruth's Chris Steak and it's $60! Next time, I'll report on Hubcaps hamburger stand, or the Original Mel's on North Main. I'm running out of friends who will treat me to dinner.)

Burp!

That's Mt. St. Helens in Oregon this afternoon:




UPDATE: We bless the blogosphere because, eventually, all misstatements are corrected. On 22 March, "Anonymous" generously pointed out that Mt. St. Helens is still located in Washington State, not Oregon as implied above. (The photo might have been taken from Northern Oregon, I guess.) Soribouthat.

Really Long Haul

Fun today at noon when the Port of Oakland's new toys finally squeezed under the Golden Gate and then the Bay Bride. These babies are 240 ft. tall, cost about $8M each, and lift 65 tons with ease.
They had puttered around Point Reyes for almost a week awaiting calm seas, low tides, and little traffic. Today at noon these forces all turned positive and in came the Zhen Hua 1, decks almost awash, with myriad tugboats alongside and helicopters swarming around like bees.



They cleared the Golden Gate by about 20 ft., and the Bay Bridge by about 60 inches, helped significantly when all traffic was prevented from entering onto the span, thus raising it by almost 12 inches. I really admire the folks who sat down and figured all this out before they wrote the order for the Chinese steel plant to manufacture these guys. Waytogo!

Philately

The eagle (er, oak tree?) has landed

Bing Crosby Restaurant & Piano Bar

Well, we finally planned far enough ahead to secure a table for four last week at the new hot spot in WC, namely, Bing Crosby Restaurant & Piano Bar, and I have to admit that I was somewhat surprised, pleasantly enough, at what we found.

I had been there before for cocktails a few weeks earlier and had asked to see a menu. It listed pretty standard fare, meat and fish, with appetizers that were unexceptional for the setting, so I was prepared not to be impressed.

The restaurant is in a former bookstore/sports equipment/whatever building at the South end of Broadway Plaza where it meets South Main across from the old Coop. It has been lavishly renovated with lots and lots of dark wood, a piano player (live) playing '30's songs, huge portraits from Crosby's career, etc. etc. etc. The valet parking in front is staffed by college kids in golf knickers, argyle socks, and golf caps. (OK, just kidding about the knickers.) It's attractive in a somewhat overwhelming way, but hell, they welcome anyone with a reservation and a credit card.

After we were seated, Karen, "The Captain", introduced herself and, studying our individual attires, asked if we would prefer black napkins to the white ones that were on the table. Right away I knew that something was up (and I wondered how you advertise for a "captain." "Wanted, attractive friendly young lady to exchange napkins in upscale restaurant"?)

The food presentation was exceptional. The snapper in crusted potato skin turned out to be the entire fish, head and tail, and our Korean guest loved it. Beef rib roast was delicious and the mashed potatoes would feed six. My veal in lemon-caper sauce was very good and the roasted polenta and tomatoes were in the form of a vertical shishkebab. Presentations were uniformly original, thoughtful, and a delight to the eye and to the palette.

We enjoyed it a lot, and would return with the slightest excuse.

Noisy, and a bit crowded. Country Club casual. Expensive ($50 w/wine & tip). Recommended.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President:



Another portrait, and a moving slice of history are at www.powerline.com.

It's cold and rainy outside, and it promises to stay that way all week. And this is a blog, right? So...


Just a little light-hearted needling.

I guess that this is appropriate, since it's 0400 in Birmingham and 1000 in Guam:

Okay, finally. Dinner last night in Danville CA at Bridges
http://www.bridgesdanville.com/restaurant/main.html
A bit of chill and rain, so the patio was not in play (too bad, but I'll return in the summer since I love that patio.)
The restaurant is located on Church Street downtown, on the site of the old Iron Wok that we visited often when we were living on Corwin Drive in Alamo.
The chef is Kevin Gin, and the theme is California, decorative, fusion whatever. Basically, good food, well prepared, and delightfully presented. We ordered roast pork, Atlantic salmon, and scampi.
Update: The pork was listed as a Kurobuta standing rib pork roast. Neat!
I thought that the food was excellent. The service was friendly and attentive.
Our wine was a 2003 Rosenblum zinfandel. Rather too fruity for some of us, but I thought it was appropriate to the food.
Expensive. $45-50/person. Save it for a special occasion. But, they have a annex on the property called "Amber." It's less pricey and open for lunch. I'll try that one next time.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President! (February is definitely a good month for distinguished people.)

The Corner on National Review Online

The Corner on National Review Online has presented us with today's word(s) as in:

"LOGOPHILE [John Derbyshire]
A reader has actually emailed in to thank me for having used the word "equiponderant" on nationwide TV yesterday. You are welcome, Ma'am. I only wish I could match the achievement of the late great Samuel Johnson, Ll.D., who, in one of his "Rambler" essays, used the words "adscititious" and "equiponderant" BOTH IN THE SAME SENTENCE. "

I do sort of like the word "adscititious". Meaning not essential to the essence of something. Sort of like the sesame seeds on a hamburger bun.

Concerning the Big News from across the Pond about Prince Charles and the enticing Camilla, I note the following from Jonah Goldberg's dad in "The Corner" www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp

This reminds me that if the Windsors during World War One hadn't changed their dynastic name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the necktie knot would be known as the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha knot.

Ah yes, during the confusion of WW I and with some distrust of all things German, King George V dropped his original family name and adopted the more politically correct "Windsor." Can you imagine struggling to tie a double-saxe-coburg-gotha knot every morning on the way to work?

In any case, our best wishes to the happy couple.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President.
Okay. Enough of (oxymoron) political science! Next time, dining!

Wine tasting last night. Inexpensive in bottles (Smoking Loon Merlot $6/750 ml.) vs. really inexpensive in vacuum boxes (Black Box Sonoma Cy Merlot $16/4 liters). 3 of each type. Interestingly, at least to traditionalists, both types came out about the same. Also interestingly, they all were drinkable but, to say the least, unremarkable.
Dinner featured cassoulet, a product of two loving, careful days of preparation. May I say "Behold!" one more time?

In the spirit of reconciliation on this cold January Sunday, we present a recent photograph of two candidates for the Office of President of The United States (POTUS). One of them is at the rostrum, speaking; the other, somewhat hidden by a large Texas head covering, appears slightly unhappy. Too bad.

Mieko and her colleague, Francoise, have been quite busy for the last few months, getting something ready for the Spring Selling Season. You'll have to ask her for the details, but here's a hint:

Every four years, on the 20th of January. . .Behold!

Here is a photo from Hilton House recently :)

We've been in the midst of 40 days and nights of rain. It may be prophetic. In any case, when it rains a lot in California, things slide and fall from the top of hills to the bottom. Behold!



Now we're getting thunder and lightning. Blub

Five years it took. Five years of looking, thinking, planning, executing, choosing, guessing, hoping, and sometime praying. But the house is built, we and the cat are esconced therein, and Daruma-san has received his other eyeball.

Behold!

Akemashite omodeto gozaimasu.

On a more serious note, here's a pic from Thailand during the tsunami last weekend. No comment is necessary (unless it's been photoshopped.) Scary.

Update: Turns out it probably is of another event; might even be a Tidal Bore. http://www.newsdesigner.com/archives/000398.php

The weather has been a bit unsettled this week, and promises to continue that way through the New Year's weekend. Too bad. No golf.

However, there are a few compensations. For instance, catch this view from our back yard this morning:

We're still exploring the restaurant environment in our new hometown of Walnut Creek, and last night found a true winner. It's not cheap ($40 w/wine), but it's fascinating.



That's the chef, Kelly Degala above. He's Hawaiian, and he runs a loud, exciting, busy exhibition kitchen at Va de Vi on Mt. Diablo Boulevard. We were without reservations, and so were seated at the counter where we could watch the activities.

The deal here is small plates, bigger than h'ors d'oevres, but smaller than entrees. Lots of choices, myriad influences, and a plethora of tastes. We shared a rib-eye steak, shrimp w/peanut sauce, and pork ribs w/plum sauce. Prefaced with lobster bisque and closed with a four-piece dessert sampler. Wow, it was good.

The counter setting also provides for easy friendship with neighbors. Next to us was Giuseppe Cagnoni from Umbria (next door to Tuscany in central Italy) who imports Italian delicacies, including his family's "Etruria" olive oil. He had just delivered a paper bag with Italian white truffles to Kelly and had him put one on a plate to show Mieko. About 3" by 2", it cost $700. Not bad.

Highly recommended by the mystery restaurant guest (me.) We'll try it again with an old college roommate next week, for lunch this time.

Go to http://www.va-de-vi-bistro.com

Wedding Anniversary Day. Here's a photo we found recently showing George and Mieko at the Tonga Room of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The date is December 28, 1966:




We haven't really changed much, have we?

St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall. Mieko & I were there in 2001 and we shared a plate of fish and chips right here:




Yes, I know that the timing is a bit off, but it looks warm outside, doesn't it?

Merry Christmas and a Very Happy Holiday Season to all from Nut Crik!

Cheers to all the new homes in the Winnacker family!
Here's one from Bromsgrove...(aka MKW's infamous two story brick?)

We could talk about moving, right? It's an exhausting, degrading, unintellectual, boring process. But you knew all that, right? In honor of another traumatic change for the three cats that we have recently been living with, let's look at a satisfied feline:



We'll check in from a new location as soon as possible.

Remember that paper-mache Japanese face that we painted one eye onto about 5 years ago? It's called a daruma. Sort of a promise of good luck in a chosen endeavor. Well, our endeavor was HiltonHouse in Nut Crik, and here is the daruma in place on the window seat, just waiting for his/her second eyeball to be painted in, in less than a week. :-)




And, I just couldn't resist on final photo of the new wind vane. I'm beginning to like that heron:

I just thought that this was a neat padlock photo (hat tip to pbase.com):

OK, back to wine in the foothills. (It's been going down to 25-30F at night up there this week.) (Unusual, but not unheard of.)

Unlike the Napa/Sonoma area, wine tastings in the Gold Country are still free. That's good, and it's good business; makes me want to buy a bottle of wine to take with us.

The smaller wineries are by far the most interesting. Usually just one person serving, often quite knowledgeable, and there are no crowds unless there's a limo or a van out front.

I'm thinking here of Spinetta, Serenidad, Terre Rouge, and Easton. All within 15 minutes of each other off Shenandoah Road in Plymouth. Get a sandwich in town, buy a bottle of wine at the winery, and enjoy a wonderful luncheon picnic. Go now!

Here's a picture of the vineyards on Shenandoah Schoolhouse Road:

Two weeks to go on HiltonHouse, and it looks like maybe we'll be on schedule, although the driveway will lag by about a week. Remember that earlier post about Mieko's cupola? Well, here it is, in place and looking good, although the damned bird appears to have pooped a bit already:



And, even the exterior is beginning to look presentable. If that truck isn't moved pretty soon, I think that I'll claim it.