Monthly Archive: November 2008

holidaze

Zero point Zero

Thats the number of trick or treaters we had on Halloween night!  ZERO POINT ZERO!

5lbs of candy to give and not one doorbell ring.  Zero.Zero

There were 3 reasons why nobody came

– rainy weather. wet all day and even some light rain in the evening

– our block sucks.  Not much participation as far as decorating (ok, we don’t do much either BUT, we did have 3 jack-o-lanterns out front (and 5lbs of candy)  and hardly anyone with a porchlight on.  Mando across the street was decorated all month but dark on Halloween. Party Foul!!!

– Samson – Dog next door barks and barks and barks. Makes alot of people thingk twice before coming down our block.

0.0

night out

Only the Crazy on the Creek Trail

Sometime last Friday Steve and I agreed that we would cancel the Saturday ride if it was raining. Saturday morning arrived, and though it wasn’t raining, it was NASTY! Looked like a storm had just blown through overnight. Street was wet, wind was whipping and skies looking ominus. Got a text from Vandenbusch; “what u think?” I replied back – “no ride for me, very nasty”, then Steve replied “back to sleep”. Ok. All is good. Crawled back into bed with warm cup of coffee and snoozed a bit. A couple hours later, another text comes through…”done counting sheep, meet at courthouse in 20 minutes” The ride was back on!  OY! It was still nasty out but there wasn’t any rain. Yet.  20 minutes later, in full winter riding gear,  met Steve at Starbucks and we began our ride.  We immediatly noticed the ever so rare “reverse headwind”  In otherwords, it was a tailwind heading out and a headwind coming back. A complete opposite of what it usually is. We knew it was going to be a tough ride back.  Little did we know how tough!  Waves were kicking up in the old salt ponds that sidle up to one side of the creek trail.  Never saw anything like that before. I was going to take a picture to show Barb then realized I could take a video!! Not only could I show the waves, but also show (and hear) how windy it was out there!! 
Then the ride back. UGH!  The wind was brutal, and it started raining. We were still 8 miles from home. The rain came in sheets, sideways. With about 5 miles to go I was already soaking wet, fighting the wind and struggling to keep up with Golden Boy, who was pumping away on those peddles like a little kid riding through a nice, long,  rain puddle.  Somehwere along here my eyes started to burn like crazy. I think it was from riding close behind Steve, who was kicking up all sorts of dirt and oils from  the rain slicked path.  That, along with the whipping wind and unrelenting rain made for a torturous ride the rest of the way home. As I pulled into the garage, Barb was on the eleptical machine doing her morning workout. I screamed; ” MY EYES! MY EYES!! I CAN”T SEE!!!” Not really,  but boy did my eyes sting!   After a nice hot shower all was well in the world and the ride didn’t seem that bad after all. HA!

friends

Red Tie Gala

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Red Tie Gala is a biennial event that enjoys the distinct reputation of being a highly successful fundraiser that is also an evening of fun, glamour, celebrities, culinary delights and libations and festive entertainment. Join the social event that has become one of the most popular evening galas in the city.

This event benefits the Little Sisters of the Poor in San Francisco, an organization that has been housing, caring for and serving the elderly poor of San Francisco.

Does it get any better than this?  I can’t imagine.  Barb and I,  dressed to the nines,  with our good friends, enjoying a once in a lifetime evening up in the city.   The Red Tie Gala is a charity event to benefit the Little Sisters of the Poor in San Francisco. Vicky’s Mom and Dad were very involved in this charity and actually helped start the Red Tie Gala years ago.  Since they have both passed away, Vicky and Steve wanted to keep the tradition alive and were kind and generous enough to invite us and a few  of their friends.  The event is held at Neiman Marcus on Union Square. The store is closed to public and set up for a party.  Live band on every floor,  big band to rock and roll. Food and drink from the best restaurants in the city.    

We picked up the Downings and head to the city.  Steve and Vicky had a room booked at the St. Francis and were hosting a pre-gala reception. They had a great room on the 8th floor that looked out over Union Square and the hustle bustle of the city. We could even see the crowd gathered at the entrance to Neiman Marcus across the way. After a cocktail and a few pictures, we headed over to the Gala.  The best way to describe this event is – a different party on every floor.  Right when we walked in, we see Elvis singing and people mingling.  Up the escalator.  Next floor, 20 piece orchestra playing all the oldies from the rat pack.  Even a couple of showgirls in full regalia.  Up again, Rock and Roll baby!!   Great band with go-go girls to boot!  We settled here for a while,  had a drink and sampled some of the food. Everywhere you looked there were tables setup where we  sampled appetizers from most of San Francisco’s finest restaurants.  There were also drink stations. Vodka bar, gin bar, tequila bar, plus a full service bar on every floor.   It was so much fun.  We danced  the night away and had a great time.

The event was wrapping up around 11pm, but the night was not over.  We were invited to an exclusive after party at Alexandria’s, a top the St Francis, hosted by close friends of Vicky’s parents. The St. Francis on Friday night was hopping!  Up to the 32nd floor. WOW.  Sweeping views of the city and the beautiful people  (us among them) enjoying  each others company.  This party was really really REALLY nice.  Like I said, once in a lifetime experience. We were like the Gatsbys!   All good things must come to an end. We said our good-nights sometime after midnight and headed back home to reality. Ahhhhh…..the good life.

……..on to the thanks!!!!!

Thanks to Barb for looking FANTASTIC.  You complete me.  Thanks for not screaming too loud when I stepped on your toes while dancing. 

Special Thanks to Vicky for the invite AND for dressing me.  I looked so good in her dad’s Armani tux that I had to beat the chicks off with a stick.  Even a  Little Sister of the Poor was hitting on me!  Amidst all the fun I did reflect a bit, and hope that I made Peter Brusati proud.

Thanks to John Downing for being the designated driver. Lots of CHP on the way home, but we were golden!

Thanks for looking at the photo album here

We even have incriminating video!

vacation

Pescadero Beach Day

Mid-November,  California.  Sunny Sunday.  Temps forecasting 80’s on the coast.  Time to hit the beach!  Mid morning we were on our way west on route 84 with Marie and Ron.  great cruise out to the coast.  We packed some picnic goodies but also stopped at our favorite market in old town Pescadero.  The Artichoke Garlic Herb Bread at Arcangeli Grocery Company is the best.  THE BEST!  Fresh baked and still warm. A nice big fluffy loaf.  Wonderful herb crust with artichoke hearts baked right into the loaf.  Its worth the drive just to get the bread!  Loaded with a couple loaves we were off to the beach.  Picked a nice spot on our favorite beach and enjoyed a glorious summer Sunday in November.  Spread out our blankets, popped the cork on a bottle (make that two) of bubbly, and had a great picnic lunch.  Spent the rest of the afternoon just kicking back, enjoying the incredible day and each others company. Toward the end of the afternoon the wind started to pick up so we proceeded to the second part of our day.  Cocktail hour (and sunset) at the Moss Beach Distillery. Always love the ride along highway 1.  Coastline shots that people come from around the world to see. We pulled into Moss Beach and tried to get a spot outside on the patio. It was too crowded so we got a cozy table right inside.   We toasted to good times we’ve had and good times yet to come.  We feasted on   Oysters on the half shell , lobster quesadillas, and calamari and watched as the sun set on a great, great day.  LIFE IS GOOD.

animals

Lulu vs Mali

Lulu really is a great cat. Had some real reservations about her when she was a kitten, but ever since she has become an outdoor cat, she has really mellowed.   She is usually out all night and sleeps all day. When I let the dogs out first thing in the morning, Lulu comes running into the house for breakfast, then settles on our bed to sleep the day away.  Now that Mali can jump up on our bed, it is no longer a sanctuary for the little Lu.  There are times when Lulu just can’t take it anymore, and lashes out. Not really, but this videos shows that, even though it looks like vicious attack (Barb noted that lulu’s claws were “out”), nobody is screaming uncle. Just good clean fun! Check out the two quick lefts that Lulu thrws. Lightning fast!

hike

Creek Trail Sunset

Went out for a rare sunset ride yesterday. Packed the headlamp that I used for the Half Dome hike and met with Steve at 4pm. Out the Creek trail to Coyote Hills. Up the ever so steep and long  “dirt heart attack.”   A true ballbuster.  Hit the top of Red Hill Trail right as the sun was sinking behind the coastal range.   Down the hill and out the last 2 miles to the edge of the bay. BEAUTIFUL out there.  Short break then back home with running lights the whole way. Very dark by the time I pulled into the driveway at 6pm.