Hawaii 2010

Good friends, great food, delightful weather, and a free place to stay. We couldn't say "no" and snuck in 1 week in Waikoloa on the Big Island.




We rented a bright blue Mustang convertible. Once we were inside, it made us feel young. (Getting inside and buckling up made us feel a bit old.)

The Mauna Kea opened after about 10 years of earthquake repair in 2008. It more lovely than before. What a treasure!

 The flame tree and the parrots still highlight the lobby view.

Mieko's colleague Vicki and Husband, at brunch, Sunday a.m.

Brunch includes sushi, roast beef, Peking duck, smoked salmon, and 12 deserts.

 The lobby artwork is as before. Almost human.

We snuck in some golf on Waikoloa's Beach Course. Confusion gave us 19 holes, over 7000 yards, and a whole lot of time. Nice course, great conditions, and lots of fun.

And then Mieko insisted on a trip to Honoka'a and a visit to Hula Moon. She has been here before. She has bought stuff here before. They have her sizes.

She bought some more stuff. She is very happy.

The final dinner out was a Sansei, in the Queens Shops at Waikoloa. Half-price on most a la carte items on Sunday and Monday. Excellent abalone (farm raised.)

We had fun.

(click to enlarge)

Gender Equality

From a sideroad somewhere in India.

I can't think of anything to add that won't get me in a whole bunch of trouble.

Gourmet Ghetto

DW1 and I believe that Walnut Creek is overtaking North Berkeley with new, exciting restaurants.

I don't know how to do a review of each one of them that we have tried.

So, now I'll try to import a file from Open Office:

Well, that didn't work. Let's try this:

New Walnut Creek Restaurants

(August 2010)

Sasa
Contemporary fusion Japanese. Good, busy atmosphere. Helpful, friendly service. Foods are varied, interesting, and good. Have gone back.

Shiro
Japanese, South Asia cuisine. Excellent (I was surprised) food with eye- catching presentations. Sushi was great. Lumpia reminded me of Guam. Funky atmosphere. Will definitely go back.

Eleve
Vietnamese fusion. Good imaginative noodle dishes. Open, stylish décor. Will return.

1515
Great décor, good service, excellent small plates of California fusion. Will return.

New China Cafe
California Chinese. No chopsticks. Enticing menu. Familiar Chinese specialties presented in unusual ways. Will return.

VeSu
Stark, tres moderne décor, small plates, beautiful presentations, helpful waitstaff. Food is good. Everything is $1-$2 overpriced, so final bill is high. Probably will return.
 
Just let us know when, and we'll make the reservations. . .

Old Time Pictures

Albuquerque in 1912...a mixture of cultures.

Lincoln Nebraska in the 1940's. I was there, then. Good prices!

Suburban Sprawl

Christoph Gielen photographs new housing developments across the USA. They are not comforting.

Architecture

Well, Frank Gehry's at it again, this time in Las Vegas. The Cleveland Clinic Ruvo Center for Brain Health has opened to its architect's approval.  Under construction, it appeared a bit, well, destroyed:

But Mr. Gehry knew well what he wanted, and he and his staff had compliant computers. The future is here.

I think it's pretty good that I got out when I did.

I don't this today's students spend much time with Sir Bannister Fletcher's efforts, either.

(This might actually have a negative action on my brain.)

Comments cordially invited.

Another Pic from apod.com/

Awesome site with awesome sights.

On Easter Island This Morning

there was a partial eclipse.  The statues watched in silence.

(HT: APOD)

Venetian Macau

Good grief! This is absolutely astounding:

The camera distorts in order to include the breadth of this complex.

Now, here is the Grand Staircase at the center of the Casino:

The entire place provides a mere 10,500,000 sq. ft., 3000 suites, 300 restaurants, etc., etc., etc.
This, and many other pictures, were on page 1 on http://www.twistedsifter.com/ on Tuesday morning. (If you get there late, you will have to dip inside the document.)

This is worth a look, in person.

121 Years.

Baffled on this Fourth

Please watch (12 minutes) this Boston Pops rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812", enjoy the instruments, and connect all this to July 4. Do not mention Russia. Be brief.
 http://www.mediaite.com/online/happy-fourth-watch-the-boston-pops-fireworks-spectacular/

Thanks in advance.

July 4, 2010

"Same swing. Any club"

If you ever wondered what was going through a golfer's mind during his tee shot, consider:

(click to expand)

BLAM! CRASH!

Lighting strikes three of the tallest buildings in Chicago at the same time! from Craig Shimala on Vimeo.

The Abdication of Edward VIII

That's Edward. Not a very dashing sort, but that sure is a neat sword.

He also had a typewriter.

And a hankering for the ladies.

You know the rest of the story.

Summer Solstice 2010

Precisely at 0428 Pacific Daylight Savings Time on Monday 21 June.
Do please enjoy your extended daylight hours.

Concerto for Vuvuzela in B Flat

Here it is, folks. Just grab your vuvu, follow the notes, and you too can be on world-wide television. (At 4:30 a.m. on the West Coast of the USA.)

Or, if you prefer, just copy this warning sign and put it on your TV set:

Summer Fog

I'm thinking that finally we have reached Summer equilibrium. The days are sunny and warm, the late afternoon brings the strong West winds, and the evenings are cooled by the fog over the Bay. Mornings are foggy and cool until about 11:00 a.m.

That's a typical summer. We welcome it.

Flag Day 2010

Monday, June 14 is Flag Day in the United States. So, go fly it!
And the 235th birthday anniversary of the U.S.Army!

The Second Stanza