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: