Our wonderful wetlands - and Mothball Fleet?

Across the Delta from Concord is the city of Benecia. On the shores of Benecia is Suisun Bay, where the National Reserve Defense Fleet is moored. We call it the Mothball Fleet.

Here are some links to get some history and local color stories. There is even a video, located here.

But, I digress. There was another point to this, but before we get to that, here is a picture:



It was a really beautiful day, and we were coming home from Sacramento when Kevin thought we should stop and take a look. He's been a bit fascinated by that odd looking tan thing with the square back. Here's a closer look....



When I was growing up in Long Beach, Howard Hughes was a name that was often discussed. For good or bad, the man made history. One of his "engineering marvels" was brought to Long Beach a couple of years after we had moved to Orange County. It was called the Spruce Goose, the plane made of wood. Well, in Suisun Bay is another of this marvels, the Hughes Mining Barge.

The story of CIA Project Jennifer is an interesting one from the Cold War. I would invite to look at all the links I have posted this time. It is an fascinating bit of history, and it's literally in my back yard!

An excursion to the shore

I really needed to take a trip out the coast. I needed to see the ocean - feel the sea spray on my face - breathe in the air. I told Kevin we were going for a drive and off we went. It was good to be behind the wheel for a trip longer than the usual drive to work or the grocery store.

We headed down to Half Moon Bay. We haven't been there is quite a few years. It was nice to walk around down town. There were some nice little shops - even a yarn store! There were some empty store fronts. I found this ironic:



Didn't they violate their own request?

There were a few murals around town, but it was rare to see one actually in progress:



After we had seen what there was to see - and the stores were closing as it was 5 pm - we headed over to the beach and decided to talk a walk. We started on the beach and ended up on the paved path. But, as you can see, it was a beautiful day:



Doggies in the surf, horses with riders on the shore.

We also saw quite a few pelicans - all of them in the air! We saw at least half a dozen groups/flocks fly by.



We ended our day in Half Moon Bay at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.



We enjoyed our tasters. Instead of ordering full meals, we ordered appetizers which consisted of the Fresh Seafood Sampler and the Fried Seafood Sampler. The Fresh Seafood Sampler was excellent! Is consisted of Ceviche of fresh fish, Bay shrimp, lime juice, cilantro and spices from the Yucatan. A wonderful raw Ahi was also served that was nicely seasoned. This was served with a mango salsa, fried won tons and tortilla chips. I would highly recommend this sampler and look forward to trying it again should we have the opportunity to go back. The Fried Seafood Sampler consisted of Calamari (tender, not chewy), Beer Battered Mahi Mahi (good, but I prefer Halibut or Cod) and deep fried oysters. I have never liked oysters, and thought this might be a good way to try them in a different presentation. I still don't understand why people like oysters. Ugh.

Of the tasters, I would say we enjoyed the Sandy Beach Hefe the most. Close behind was the Mavericks Amber Ale and Pillar Point Pale Ale. As usual, the IPA was too bitter for our taste.

Another great brew experience. At least we know where to go when we're down on that part of the coast!

A Wench meets a Harlot

I was pleased and surprised to find out that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee was going to be withing driving range. She was doing a book signing at Copperfield Books in Santa Rosa. She is promoting her new book Free Range Knitter. Janet and Barbara, two of my knitting friends from my Wednesday night SNB were going, and I was able to tag along. We also had another knitter from Porterville join us, Jasmine. Janet offered to drive and we had a wonderful day.



This was the line outside the store waiting to get seated. I had not pre-purchased my book, so I didn't have a reserved seat, but Jasmin and Gigi from the Knitmore Girls Podcast were there, and we had attended the Cat Bordhi class together. They had an extra ticket and they gave it to me! Score! Awesome! They were recording some comments for their podcast, so I may hear myself in the podosphere.



Here is a shot of the crowd. It is hard to tell that there were close to 200 people there that day.



And here she is - the Yarn Harlot - actually reading from her book, which she says is something she hasn't done before.

She was funny and amazing and completely worth the trip to see her. She had a lot of great things to say, and many things to think about, especially how knitting is perceived in the bigger world. For all the work that we do, and the level of expertise we achieve, it's still viewed as a hobby and not an art form. One of the many reasons that knitting, and it my mind most of the other hand crafts, is not taken seriously.

She also said that the knitters she meets are some of the most amazing, smart and creative women that she has known. I would have to agree.

After waiting in line for what seemed forever to get my book signed, I also got this picture, thanks to Barbara:



Proof I met the Harlot. Her t-shirt says "I'm kind of a knitting Superhero. I want to be her when I grow up.

I can also be seen in a picture she took at Copperfield and it's on her blog for October 6th. Imagine, I'm on the Yarn Harlot's blog, along with several hundred others!

I hope I can see her again someday. If you have the chance to meet her - do it!

Not knitting related

There are those who visit for knitting, and there are those that don't. This is for the latter.

I've been going through some stuff that I'm trying to work out. Real world-upside-down stuff. So if my posts are a still shallow with content, it's because I'm feeling a little fragile right now. One day at a time, right?

I took this picture at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the weekend Chris and his daughter were here. I moved the prisms around until I got an effect that I liked. I was happy that the camera picked it up. I like how the colors layer and intersect. I thought it was kind of cool.

What do you think?

Memorable Moments

There are few times that you get to see this view.



Taken from the Bank of the West building in San Francisco. Pity my reflection popped up. I thought I had adjusted sufficiently. I was waiting for a follow up session after having passed the first stage of interviews and testing with a financial planning company. Seriously, if you had a camera and saw this view, wouldn't you want to take a picture of it?

Saturday Night Movie

I regret that with all good intention, there is no Saturday Night Movie this week. We went to an REM concert tonight, and youtube.com will not cooperate and let my post my snippet. Poop. Sorry.

So, here are a couple of pictures. They had two opening acts, and we missed the first one. This picture is of Modest Mouse.



They were ok - must be that I'm getting old. The picture does show the stage at the venue, which was the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley, donated by William Randolph Hearst in 1903, I think. Very cool, except for the concrete seats.

Here is REM.



For the distance and the lighting, it's a little crappy, but at least I can say we were there.

The videos were ok, considering I took them with our Canon Powershot, which is a 6 megapixel camera. If only I could have snuck in the video camera. Oh well.

Memories

One of the last times we took our dog Heidi for a hike, this is what we got to see. This was taken at the Black Diamond Mines, part of the East Bay Regional Parks District in East Contra Costa County. In other words, it's over the hill from where I live. We were out there a few times with the dogs and hiked the trails - while the cows stared at us. Heidi was alway pretty good about staying close. She never ran off, but once her nose got the scent of something, she would stay at a spot for-ev-er appreciating and exploring all the subtle nuances. In other words, she dug in and wouldn't move. Fen had ADD and would have bounded off to try to intimidate the cows. He stayed on his leash.

I miss the hikes, though without a dog it's doesn't seem as purposeful. We saw a lot of beautiful landscape on these outings. Sundays just aren't the same anymore.

A combined post

It was quite late when I got home last night. Had a late afternoon meeting far from home and office, and my boss dropped me off at one of the ferry docks so that I could make my way home.

I picked up the ferry at the Larkspur port, north of San Francisco and within site of San Quentin prison. San Quentin is where California's Death Row is located. When someone is subjected to the death penalty, this is where it - and the protests - take place. It's been a few years since the last one. What amazes me is that the original structure is a beautiful piece of architecture, and the views are some of the best on the Bay. No wonder so many people want to see this facility closed. The real estate, and subsequent property taxes, would be quite a boon.

This was my first time on a ferry here in the US. This is a common form of transportation in Norway, especially Northern Norway where I have spent the majority of my time overseas. It's been a few years since I was on the Bay, and I have never been out there at night. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

With the sun setting as I was waiting to board, it took on an almost magical feeling. Because it was twilight, when we were pulling away from the dock and moving into the Bay, it made me feel like I was back in Norway. Of course, playing some Norwegian folk music on my iPod probably helped create that mood. I was thinking of what I would blog about and how the experience restored some peace to my mind. I love the ocean. It has always had a restorative effect for me. I don't get to see it much, even though I pass under the Bay twice a day. I miss the smell and the sound of waves. It was chilly due to the wind, but it felt good. It was a much needed balm to my soul, after the last week or so. I need to remember that this is a viable option for me to get out on the water every now and again. Also, there's a great pub that serves good beer and food at Larkspur Landing. I believe there is also a yarn store within walking distance. I'm going to have to check that out sometime.

We pulled into San Francisco about 40 minutes or so after having left Larkspur. I stopped to take a quick shot of the boat.



It's a little hard to see because it was so dark.

I decided that I would have a quick bite to eat before getting on the train to head home. I thought this shot was pretty cool.



I had dinner at Ferry Plaza Seafood. I highly recommend the shrimp salad. It was wonderful! I also stopped at the bookstore and took a look around before heading out.

It is the first time I can say that I traveled by car, boat and train in one day. In fact, it was within 3 hours.

As to my Friday update - alas, I finished two separate socks, but not a pair. Amazingly, I have nothing to show off this week. Next week will be a different story.

Memories

Sunset out at Point Reyes. One of the reasons that I am happy to be a native Californian.

Water

Water is fascinating to me. It falls from the sky in droplets, flakes and mist. It freezes and forms glaciers, icicles, frost and black ice. The earth is 2/3rd's water, and we are comprised of it and need to exist. It can be fresh or salty. The colors it takes in nature are varied and breathtaking. But what gets me is this...



The morning sun as seen through my windshield. This ice formed from the overnight dew.

Amazing.

Golden State Warriors

I have never been to a professional Basketball game in my life. Tonight that changed.



We went to the Oracle Arena in Oakland and watched a game been the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings.



Thankfully, the home team won. It was very interesting, but the play calling was a challenge, and we couldn't really understand the Arena announcer. The entertainment was fun, but they really had nothing at "half-time", which I guess is just something I'm used to from Football.

So far, we've seen the 49'er's, the A's, the Saber Cats (arena football) and now the Warriors. That pretty much just leaves two - the Raiders (no way in hell I'm going to one of their games - LA was enough for me) and the Giants. These tickets came to us via Kevin's office, which is always a nice benefit.

I did bring some knitting with me. You can certainly knit at the game, just nothing that requires too much attention. Good to know for the future!

Favorite's

On the trail to Kehoe Beach, Pt. Reyes Station.

Every once in a while when I take that "special" shot, even I have to say "damn, did I take that"? I totally love this one.

Oh what a beautiful morning

You know, sometimes the day can start out pretty nice.....



Sunrises - one of my favorite things.

The beginning and the end of the work day

It has been cold and a little rainy. You know it's really cold when we get snow on Mt. Diablo.



Sunrise over Diablo. Not a bad way to start my work day. I took this from the bus plaza at North Concord BART. It was pretty quiet here today. A lot of people got the holiday off. But if I want to get paid, I have to go to work. The wonderful life of an independent contractor.

Now, on my way home, it's a different story.



At the end of the work day, I make my way to BART. This is what I see while I am waiting for the train. I'm sorry - shouldn't this be called First Blood or something? Is this midlife crisis, part 2? I feel like I should have big hair, big shirt, big belt, leggings, major makeup and elf boots. Why on earth, at the age of 58, would he decide to do another Rambo movie? Two generations have been born since the first one came out. When I first saw the poster , I figured someone else was picking up the franchise. Nope. The trailer hasn't been in broad release. He certainly isn't the Italian Stallion anymore. Ugh, that took to me to place I didn't want to go. Visions of Ron Jeremy just popped into my head. Bad ju-ju, very, very bad.

Now Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones or Bruce Willis in Die Hard, that's a different story. Oh, that's better. I have the Indiana Jones theme running through my head now. Take that, Ron Jeremy! Yippee-ki-yay............

An Evening In Berkeley

There are those rare occasions that we venture out from out humble squalor and actually interact with other humans socially. It's rare, but it happens. In this instance, it was my husband's co-workers and we went to Berkeley for dinner and a lecture (not the boring kind).

Dinner was at the Pyramid Brewery. I have never been, which is funny, because I love micro-brews and there is a Pyramid Brewery in Walnut Creek as well. I worked in downtown Walnut Creek for over 5 years, and the Brewery was less than 5 minutes from my office. Not a lot of good excuses for this one.



I wonder if they give tours? I requested the tasters, and there were 5. A nice range, from malty to hoppy, light to full bodied. I liked the Hefe Weizen best. I usually lean towards the dark beers, but this just had a nice, complex palate. I'd like to go back - and I only have to go to Walnut Creek to do that!

Ok, the main point of the evening. We went to Zellerbach Hall, on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley (commonly referred to as "Cal") and enjoyed this:


Visit their site at Discovery Channel.


Our view of them was this:



It was still fun, though. We got to see some video that Discovery said was not appropriate for airing (it was about farting). I learned some new things about the show, and the guys. Jamie has a degree in Russian Studies and was a charter boat captain. Adam did not graduate from college, and worked at ILM (Industrial Light and Magic - the Holy Grail to all Star Wars and tech geeks). Their experiences were very interesting and they took a lot of questions from the audience, mostly kids.

It was a great evening. On a way home we stopped for Ben & Jerry's. That just about made it perfect.

Norway Day 2007

This was the 15th year that Norway Day has celebrated Norwegian Heritage and Culture in San Francisco. Held the first weekend in May, I have attended quite a few. This year, all in all, was ok.

It was a beautiful day, clear and warm. The State Secretary of Norway, Liv Monica Stubholt, opened the festival.



The Board President, Arne Morkemo, can be seen in the background.

Held at Herbst Pavillion at Fort Mason, it's pretty much decorated the same year after year.



Unfortunately, the venue doesn't have the best acoustics or staging for showing films. However, they do try very hard to bring variety. There were food demonstrations...



I didn't write down this gentleman's name, but he was a representative from Norwill, a company that is providing traditional food from Norway. He gave a presentation on cured meat. Mmmm, tasty.

Also, there were several musical presentations, but the National Anthems of Norway and the United States are always performed by the Normanna Chorus.



Also performing this year was Annette Munkeby, an accomplished saxophonist, that performed a number of pieces, including a few by Edvard Grieg. This year is the Centennial anniversary of his death. His pieces were never written to accommodate Saxophone, but Ms. Munkeby's arrangements were quite enjoyable.

There was also a first time presentation of Terje Vigen, a musical based on the poem by Henrik Ibsen. It is a one-man performance, performed by London West End Artist Andrew Bain. This is a minimalist stage production, as there is a film that runs through the performance. Mr. Bain "recites" the poem with the film as the backdrop. The music and arrangement of the poem was quite innovative, but the venue, as stated, is ill prepared for such things. The sun shining through the windows was so bright (yes, I know, rare in SF), it "overexposed" the screen, making the film virtually impossible to see.

The Daughters of Norway, a heritage and culturally society for women of Norwegian descent, had a few booths, and I was able to pick up something we haven't had for 7 years....



This is called Kranse Kake. Made from almonds, it is a "cake" made for festive occasions. It was a big hit when we had it at our wedding. This is a tiny one, but they are so rare to see, I had to have one. Kevin and I "toasted" on anniversary a month early Saturday night. It brought back a lot of good memories.

Just as a side note, I like beer. I like to have Norwegian beer when I attend Norway Day. There are several that are available. I heard they ship it in glass bottles even. However this year we had this:



German beer. Yes, I bought some. Had to have it with my Norwegian hot dog. However, when I bought it, there was a old-timer next to me who "voiced concern" that they were serving beer from "there". He was about the right age to remember what it was like during WWII, and a lot of those folks remember the German occupation only too well. There is some irony that German beer was the only beer available at Norway Day. Maybe I'll send the organizers a brief note reminding them that other options are available, including several micro-brews from San Francisco. I have nothing against German beer, but there are still a large number of attendees that incurred heavy losses during WWII. There is no reason to bring up such painful memories on such a festive occasion.

We also visited Fort Point before we headed home. The view was beautiful...



It's hard to see in this picture, but if you go to the Flickr page, you can blow it up. In the foreground, to the left of the sail boat, is a man in a teak row boat. It was quite a site - a row boat, a sail boat and a cargo ship. The rower didn't go as far as the anchorage, but he was still a site to see.

A post without knitting wouldn't be a post. I started a sock while at Norway Day. I had plenty of opportunities to sit and knit. During the food demonstrations and general musical performances - in other words, not during Terje Vigen - I worked on my Simple Trekking Sock. I was able to get this much finished during the day:



Not too bad. I finished it this morning. Now to cast on the second sock.

Last but not least, what no California commuter ever wants to see:



As seen from the overpass going from Emeryville to the the 24 west. This is the "melted" freeway that collapsed on 4/29/07. Kevin has to deal with it everyday, but luckily he works in Emeryville, so his impact is on the way home, which has been minimal. The bridge construction and repair history in the Bay Area has been dismal. However, it appears they are following the formula of Northridge Quake reconstruction, and the overpass may be repaired in as little as two months. That will be something to see.

That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by!

Welcome!

This is my first attempt at blogging, so I make no guarantees as to whether or not it will be interesting, or funny, or topical. It's something I've wanted to try, so here it is.

One month ago, I started a new job. For the first time since 1996, I have a view of something other than traffic, alley's or a wall. I’m working in the town of Emeryville, of Pixar fame. I am on a floor high enough to have an unobstructed view of the Bay – San Francisco, the Bay and Golden Gate Bridges, Treasure Island and the Marin Headlands. To say it is beautiful is too inadequate. Fortune smiled upon me this time.

This is a new career for me, a drastic change from my old life. It’s actually my 4th change. In my former life, I was an Operations Manager for a Mortgage company. Now I am a staffing consultant. The hours are better and I’m still able to work with a variety of people in a positive way. It’s taking a little getting used to, but I’m always up for a new challenge.

As this blog unfolds, I will be sharing some of the details of my life. Most of it, I have a feeling, will be craft related. Occasionally I might take a foray into politics, or something from the days’ news. I might share some family stuff. When we go somewhere, I might share that too. We’ll have to wait and see.

I have become a great fan of blogs and podcasts. You could say that I have become a little obsessed, even. I’ll probably share that too.

So, again I welcome you to my blog. Please let me know what you think!!




Not the view from my office, but from Vista Point from the Marin side of the bridge.