My very own woody!

Merry Christmas & Happy 2015

Two-faced Cow

 

This just has to make you smile a little bit.

Look carefully. :)

The Closer Inverness

Having spent a few happy days this summer on the Eastern shore of Tomales Bay, mostly scarfing down fresh oysters from the Hog Island Oyster Farm, we decided to vist the Western shore of the Bay. We headed for Inverness, California.

Now, Inverness is not the kind of place you stumble upon when driving somewhere else; it's on a one-way road and you really have to want to go there. Those who do are usually looking for hiking trails and kayaking bayous, or they live there.

Downtown is signified by a slight widening of the two-lane road, a sparsely-planted island in the middle of the road, and a commercial building on each side of the road.

The building on the East is a general store. The one on the West has a post office on the right side, and a restaurant on the left. The restaurant opens for lunch at noon, although most customers show up around 11:30.
                                                                                       
It's called "Saltwater Oyster Depot", and it's rustic on the outside, trendy white on the inside. If you look closely, you'll notice that the roof had to be kicked up to allow for the entry doors...really cute.

A long bar, with coat hooks between the chairs, fills one side. And there are tables, for the cold foggy days that prevail. Outside, there are additional tables and some all-weather banquettes. Also, outdoor toilet rooms (with combination locks: 1-2-7-8.)   

 

We ordered the "Raw Deal" from the menu. One dozen oysters and one glass of Sauvignon Blanc. I had the wine, because I was driving, and we shared the oysters. The three different types of oysters were delicious, as was the onion sauce.

Then we ordered a pizza to share. We chose the Marin County cheese pizza with brussel sprouts and happy-pig bacon. They had no sprouts, so we had mushrooms. The pizza was very good.

Not cheap, but worth the trip. Marin, of course, is a special place, and so is Saltwater. Our fellow guests were suitably dressed in expensive but scruffed up outdoorsy clothes; all the men had beards, and the women salt-and-pepper hair swept back into a bun.

Friends, this is not Walnut Creek; but it's worth the trip.

Inflation? What inflation?

Book Section

Of course.

The McIlhenny Company reigns supreme.

At most of our dining tables while in Japan:

and it was welcomed by some.

Absolutely stunning.

About 5000 pictures make up this timelapse demonstration of the beauty of nature:

http://vimeo.com/98276732

Memorial Day 2014

Consult your funeral director first

After the overload of protein immediately below, I felt the need for a cleansing antidote.

Herewith:

Let us all know how it worked for you.

(Please)

Consult your cardiologist first.

At 705 Divisadero, in San Francisco, we find 4505 Burgers & BBQ, a meat emporium. Their menu looks delicious, of course.
For those of us in the know, however, there are slighty illegal productions that require some memory and imagination skills. They are not on the menu.
Take, for example, the "4505 Big Mac":

The "Mac" refers to that square of fried macoroni and cheese nestled between the top meat patty and the lower cheese square.
US$18! Enjoy

"Exceeded expectations"

A weekend jaunt up North by Northeast found us with another couple on the flat flats of UCD, the University of California, Davis. We were there to attend the late afternoon presentation of "KOKORO" the 3rd annual showcase of Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan, the UCDavis Taiko club. I confess that I wasn't expecting too much.

Freeborn Hall is sort of in the center of the campus. It's a unimposing steel-frame multi-purpose space with a flat floor and a stage. Seating was deployed over about half the floor. At 4:00 pm the Mistress of Ceremonies entered stage right and announced that the performers were not ready quite yet and that lines still existed outside in front of the ticket counter. 50% of the audience had their smartphones out, playing games or something. I was getting less excited.

I should not have worried.

From the moment the lights dimmed and the curtains swung open, the space was completely filled with exuberation, youth, noise, energy, noise, drumming, noise, dancing and more noise. There was also a koto (or zither) and a flute.

The performers were all races and both sexes. They truly worked together as teams Some even sang.

But mostly there was drumming, and it was excellent. Professionally done. I was totally blown away. There are plenty more pix on the web, and I urge you to see them.

For dinner, we had heard that there was a Japanese restaurant in town. I remember my Mother telling me not to try seafood when more than 30 miles from the ocean, but I have learned that times have changed, so we went to try Mikuni. I confess I wasn't expecting too much.

Seating inside and outside (this is Davis after all.) We had a 15 minute wait and then were offered a high table which we eagerly accepted. The menu was Japanese food all right, but with a humorous California twist to most of the items (and college humor on the tee shirts: "I'm majoring in Sushiology.") We ordered a whole bunch of dishes and they arrived nicely spaced in time and all nicely presented. This was turning into a good meal.

Not inexpensive, but impressive. This was Japanese food with a California twist (notice the Jalapeno peppers.) The potstickers were deep fried and delicious. The fish was fresh and delicious. I will return some day.

All in all, a great afternoon and evening in Davis, California. My expectations were definitely exceeded. Thanks to all who made it happen.

2014 Oakland A's

This year is evidencing an encouraging start for the Athletics.

And the team seems to be having fun!

Across the Pond

Boy likes dog. Dog looks surprised.

Somehow, I found this interesting.

Posted without comment

Traffic Engineering

If you can see through the smog, all four streets lead into this intersection, but none leads out. It's an aerial shot taken somewhere in China. The results are as expected, of course, but why?

Your answers are eagerly awaited. :)

Haunting scenes. . .

from unknown sources:

Screen grabs, from Kiev Ukraine, today.

It's only mid-February, but. . .

the Spring flowers don't seem to be paying much attention:

Top, the peach tree from Akiko Hayashi.Then, the camellia and the daffodil.

Dinnertime

For some weird reason, I was captivated by the heating of this can of ravioli:


 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M-YX-r0Ll4

Seahawks vs. Broncos

Someone has to favor the Seattle Seahawks in Sunday's SuperBowl XLVIII, so I shall take that role.
Prediction: Seattle 32; Denver 28

Boeing seems to agree with me:

And, next door in Redmond, someone assembled 7000 Microsoft employees, dressed them in either
blue or white plastic raincoats, and took a picture.

Can you tell that the sun seldom smiles up in the Northwest in January?

What to do on New Year's Day

Be a fireman in Minneapolis

Prepare Japanese New Year's food in the Midlands of England:

 

 

Go swimming off Ocean Beach in San Francisco:

 

Or, perhaps, join with three other people and prepare Japanese food in the East Bay:





 

Happy New Year!