The French Dinner

Last weekend, we hosted an intimate dinner for six at HiltonHouse. Mieko used ideas that she had picked up last month in France. It was a five-course dinner and it lasted for four hours! Mieko was pleased, and we hope our guests were, also.
This was just one of the appetizer plates:

The main course was large, unshelled shrimp. We think that the shells may add taste during the cooking process. The zucchini is from the Farm, and the shrimp are from the New Shrimp Farm (just kidding!):

A good time was had by all.

Aussies Have Talent!

Tommy Emmanuel is pretty damned good.

Ain't No Bugs On Me

We notice that our Big Brother up on top has illustrated a smoky sunset. Pshaw. That's nothing. Here's a snap of a smoky sunrise! If you squint really tight, that's Mt. Diablo to the right of the bright orange thingy.

Lament The Printed Page

***UPDATEOn Thursday, the City of Oakland announced that they would try to find a "public/private" way to save de Lauer's***

Things sure happen fast, sometimes. The printed page is definitely on the way out, thanks to the Internet and the many new, efficient ways of transmitting information.


My all-time favorite newsstand, de Lauer's in downtown Oakland, is closing. Too much cost, not enough income. This place was open 24/7/365, not even closing for Christmas! Where else could you find yesterday's edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch? Where else, indeed.


And this follows the news earlier this week that Cody's Books of Berkeley is finally closing forever. Cody's was there when I first arrived on the West Coast in the middle of the last century. It changed owners and moved in the last few years, but it was not enough to stay afloat. Just too much Amazon, Borders, Barnes&Noble, etc.

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Similar views from NASA at:

http://www.texasjim.com/NASApix/NASA%20pix.htm

(Cut and Paste)

Try it. You'll like it!

Clouds Like This, We Seldom See

But we were warned about possible thunderstorms and dry lightning. Meanwhile, it was about 100F with a humidity of 8%. 8% is about the humidity inside a kitchen oven preheated to 400 degrees.
Fortunately, the prediction is for a cooler day tomorrow.

Summer Solstice

Friday, 20 June 2008, 11:57 p.m. UTC. (About 7 p.m. here on the West Coast.)

Enjoy!

Is This Not Humorous?

This is from a full-page in this morning's paper:

United Way of the Bay Area salutes this year's winner of the 2007 - 08
Spirit of the Bay Award


for making a difference in people's lives and communities in the Bay Area.

(With gas at $4.59, I can't be the only one who found this funny!)

Fathers Day 2008

This Is Getting Ridiculous!

This is Burj-Dubai, 160+ floors, condos preselling at about $3500/sq.ft.,etc. etc.
I am not convinced that this is what architecture and buildings are all about.

Right Turn Only!

So, this is the intersection of I5 and US101 in Glendale. Astonishing.
I'm guessing that the 101 is on the surface and the 5 is overhead, but what do I know?
(We did this intersection a few months ago at Sarah's wedding, btw)

Barrels!

LOTS of barrels.

"Little Boxes"

The boxes above are from France, not Daly City!
I am reminded, however, of my days just before we jaunted off to Guam.
"Little Boxes" was written by Malvina Reynolds in 1962, a period of questioning. Reynolds, born to a Northern California family of Communists (not a pejorative, in this case) was educated at UCB, and celebrated the times.
Here's Pete Seeger, and her song:

606 Tries, US$6 million, 3 months

There are no computer graphics involved here! Over and over they set, and reset, and reset...until, finally, they got it right!

(And, yes. When they are touched by rainwater, the 2008 windshield wipers really do start working.)

General Motors Downsizes

Sorry. It's a slow Friday.

Proud Of His Work!

Fredric Baur, who invented the Pringle and the iconic Can, died last month in Cincinnati at age 89. He was buried, at his request, in a Pringle Can. Mr. Baur invented the Pringle while at Proctor & Gamble, who introduced the product in 1973.

To answer your unasked question, not it was not a coffin shaped like a Pringle Can. He was cremated, and his ashes were interred in a standard can.

A Visitor On Our Roof

(Click to enlarge.)
It's the bushy-tailed fellow on the right, not the ever-vigilant huron on the left, who was visiting.