Category: night out

We’ve been here! We’ve been doing stuff! Life has been going on!!

I have just let jimsjoint slide.

Today one of the 5 people that would ever read this scolded me for not posting more. 

So here we are. 

Today is a lazy day. Barb is sleeping off getting two teeth pulled this morning.  One was a gold crown! We’re rich!!

Barb somehow got to like this young country star named Ella Langley. We’ve been listening to her on the Google Machine for a while. When I heard she was coming to town I snagged a couple of tickets. The show was last week. We had a good old time. I must say that from what I could tell we could have been and maybe were the oldest ones there. Definitely a way younger crowd. Either way it was fun. The picture is us at the Vystar Arena. Everbank Stadium in the background where the Jags play

I had big plans when we moved to the beach. Eating plans that is. When we were looking to buy a place in Jacksonville Beach,  I couldn’t help but notice all of the eating establishments that were not only walking distance from our house but also all up and down the beach from us. We were going to explore the beach scene, eat at all the local restaurants and settle in to the vibe. 

Then COVID. Restaurants closed,  people hunkered down. We were on lockdown!  

It was Cory that came up with the idea doing a bestie bar.  We still wanted to hang out but still maintain social distance.  Cory had seen someone else with this idea so we agreed to do it. 

Saw some fence pieces, install some hinges chains and hooks and you’ve got yourself a handy dandy neighborly bar!  We even installed a dinner bell to call everyone for dinner!  Cory did it all and it turned out to be a lifesaver during the pandemic.  It was our little hangout spot. Simple dinners. Fancy dinner, or just drinks and apps. Most times all of us. Sometimes just Cory and I. We had our bestie bar inaugural dinner and from there we ate drank and socialized ourselves through the pandemic.

The great thing about the bestie bar is being able to lend stuff back forth. “Hey Maria can I borrow a cup of sugar?”  “Sure, I’ll put it on the bestie”  “Hey Jim I left some homemade cookies on the bestie bar for you!”  “Ada left her (almost everything) over here. I’ll put it on the Bestie”

And finally, the best thing about the bestie bar is hanging our with my bestie!

I love this picture. Although its not great quality, it shows Barb in her happy place. We had been talking and dreaming about a place at the beach. This picture is the first time we went to the beach after closing on our house.  

We always went to the Russian River for our family vacations back in the day. It used to be the place where mom and dad hung out in their younger days. I guess by the time I was born, the river had changed into a family place.  Its funny the stuff you remember. The old cabins that we rented for the week were old and dusty, up small canyons away from the river. A cube of butter in an empty fridge,  Tree swings outside,  playing ball and going to the river. Bro Mike jumping off a bridge into the water and almost breaking his back because the water was so shallow.  Canoe rides and the river boat rides. Frozen milkshake bars at the snack bar. The footbridge to the beach at Rio nido. In “town” there was a town square with a big bonfire pit and a second floor bandstand that looked out over the square. Dick Crest and his orchestra use to play there.   At the end of his show he use to throw handfuls of candy into the crowd. Every kid in the place used to scramble to get the candy. I think I was a bit too young to partake in this but did do it at least once and remember getting scraped knees and little candy. My  big brothers shared their loot with me. The after show bonfire seemed so huge! My first roasted marshmallow was at the Rio Nido bonfire. The hunt for a perfect roasting stick took place around the cabin the first day we were there.  Here are a couple of pictures. Bro John helping me out of a canoe at the river, and little Jimmy laying on a raft. If the Flaherty boys ever get skin cancer it will be from these hot summer days at the river.  Great times!

So last time we camped at Dairy Glen we scheduled it around the blue moon. At that camp out we agreed that a 4th of July camp out might be pretty cool. To be able to watch fireworks all around the bay, just a few steps (or peddle strokes) from our camp site.

As mentioned before, Coyote Hills park is nestled right up against the bay right here in Fremont. We booked the 4th and the 5th and were ready to go.

We set up camp early (around 2pm) on the 4th and were ready to relax and enjoy. John brought golf balls and clubs so we set up a little 3-hole, par 10 course in the glen. All rough, no greens. Just try to hit the bucket or the traffic cone we set up to be the “hole”.  Also got the horse shoe pit set up early. Dinner the first night was on us. Sausage Fest!!! Garlic sausage, hot links and hot dogs with home made (extra bacon!) beans, along with a freshly made salad. All GOOD!!

As the sun started to set we had to decide where we were going to watch fireworks from. Either hike up to the top of Nike Hill, or ride our bikes out the levee road to the “bus stop” where we always take our break when we ride out there. We figured if we rode to the bus stop we could watch the fireworks directly across the bay in Redwood City. So thats what we did. John, Steve, Barb, Michelle and I rode out there with headlamps and headlights lit. Enjoyed some beautiful views and waited the few short minutes for the fireworks to begin. It was really cool! We watched the fireworks shows from Foster City, Great America, Shoreline Amphitheater and could even see the rockets red glare all the way up in San Francisco!! I have to also mention the TON of illegal fireworks going off in Fremont Union City and Newark.  It was an experience!

Sat around the campfire the rest of the night watching the random sky rockets and listening to the constant rumble of explosions from all over.  Bombs bursting in air and all that!

A windy night but up early for a Vandy cooked breakfast. Egg, sausage and bacon breakfast burritos and OJ. Life is good. Since we were soooo close to home (less than 3 miles!!),  I went home and took a shower!! All day friday was just fun stuff. Riding our bikes, doing coasting contests down the various hills, “golfing”, horse shoes and plenty of eat drink and be merry!

Friday night was dinner ala Downing. Great Mexican meal with carne asada, pollo, beans, salsa and all the fixings. Yummers!  Took another short after dinner ride out to one of the overlooks to the bay. After dark and when all the girls had gone home to sleep in their beds, it was just the three guys hanging around the camp fire. Quality time!

Did get to see some wildlife. There was  turkey that flew in every afternoon to drink water from the faucet in the camp ground.  Late Friday night we say both a fox and two skunks nosing around the cooking table we had set up. They didn’t seem too afraid of us.

The weather cooperated big time! The heat wave that gripped the bay area subsided on the 4th. It started to get windy late evening on the 4th. Steve’s tent looked like it was blowing on the side of Mt. Everest! I had a nice spot where it was somewhat shielded from the wind. He moved his tent for the next night but it ended up being very calm.  When we woke up on the 5th we could not believe how windy it still was. It blew all day until the sun went down, then stopped completely!

Up early Saturday morning and got ready to head home. Packed up all our stuff, cleaned the camp ground and were home by 9:30am!!

Turns out there is a webcam on Venice beach that shows part of the trail that Kelly rides her bike on.  I had told Kelly that one of these days we should see if we could see her as she rides by sometime. She called us today and told us to be on the lookout.  So we pulled up the link to the Sidewalk Cafe beach cam  and talked to her on the phone as she made her way down from the Santa Monica pier.  With Google maps on one screen and the webcam on the other, Kelly point out landmarks and we were able to tell her when she was getting close. You could tell that the camera was mounted on the roof and had a wide shot of the beach and path. We could see that there were street vendors set up so that was our landmark. We told Kelly to look for the big blue umbrella laying on its side. Sure enough , she rode up on and we saw her REAL TIME!  It was pretty cool. She was finally able to figure out where the camera was and we had a good laugh over it.  That’s her standing in the middle of the trail.  Nice to see you Kelly Girl!!

How great is it it live in the San Francisco Bay Area? Pretty pretty great!

The Plan. Check into the Parc 55 hotel in downtown SF. Have a nice dinner then walk to the Warfield for  the Bryan Adams  8pm show.

We arrived at Ron and Marie’s in Pleasanton, then immediately headed to a local bar to start the festivities. Check in wasn’t until 3pm so we did have a little time to kill.  Cruised over the bay bridge and into the city right around check in time.  Beautiful room on the 26th floor looking out over downtown and Union Square.

Dinner and drinks downstairs at the Cityhouse, then the short 2 block walk to the Warfield. Seats were great.  In the balcony but dead center to the stage.

Bryan Adams was GREAT!   The name of the tour was the “bare bones” tour, and now I know why.  The show consisted of Bryan with his acoustic guitar and harmonica and one other guy on a piano. What a great concert!  To see ANYONE at the Warfield is pretty cool considering the history of the place. To see someone we’ve never seen before with our besties (who are huge fans and have seen Bryan many times) made it even more special. After the 3 hour show it was the short walk back to the hotel for a night cap and goodnites.

Next morning was lazy morning.  11am room service breakfast at Ron and Marie’s across the hall.  Checked out at noon then did a mini driving tour of the city before we parked in North Beach and walked off breakfast. One quick bloody mary at the North Beach bar before we headed back over the bridge to reality.

Thanks to Marie and Ron for a great GREAT weekend!!

The plan:  the normal 8am ride with the boys. Last ride of winter –  Super moon –  high tide ride with the boys!  We had hopes of seeing a monster high tide that would lap up at the creek trail.

Since most rides these days are “weather permitting”, we weren’t going to go if  it was raining.  We’ve got caught in a couple of down pours before and its no fun.

Woke up this morning, looked out the window, the backyard was wet but it wasn’t raining.  First thing I did was check the CBS5 hi-def doppler.  Things did not look promising.  Doppler showed no rain over  Fremont but some green and yellow cells lingering over the bay. Looked like the yellow cells  were heading our way,  but it also looked like we could  “thread the needle” and dodge the rain.   Either way, I sent the following text  at 7:19 am :  hi def doppler shows more rain coming. ride later this afternoon maybe. Unless you want to go for it.

So Vandy is at spring training so I know he’s out.

 Joe Camello wisely texts back :  no its going to come down pretty good. take a picture.tempted but will pay for it according to forecast.

Now  John Downing, the man I consider the more “sane” one of the group, shot back:   No wind. I wanna. You?

Here is where I could have suggested we wait until later or cancel all together. Instead I text:

OK!!!!

The ride out was actually kind of nice.    Our goal was to make it to the end of the trail, check out the tide, and high tail it back home.  Somewhere past mile marker nine going out to the bay, John says, “hey we’re flying!”  Sure enough, we had a great tailwind pushing us out.  When you ride with the wind, sometimes you get in the “vortex” where,  the wind is blowing like crazy, but its eerily calm and quiet.  Because for a certain time, you  match the same speed and direction of the wind. Its very cool.  The last little bend before the end of the trail turned the tail wind into a cross wind, and we knew that it would be a long haul home. But still, no rain!

We took a very  quick break at the end of the trail.  Saw snow in the hills behind Mission Peak and white caps blowing  in the old salt pond. Oh, and not- so- high a high tide.  After a couple of quick pictures it was back in the saddle for the long peddle home. A mile into our ride back, the head wind was brutal,  and the rain started to come down.  Hard.  We made a quick decision to bail on the creek trail and take the short cut home.  Through Coyote Hills, over to Ardenwood farm, and up and over the freeway to Cabrillo.  It was raining so much and the wind was blowing so hard that we took a 15 minute refuge in the doorway of the Coyote Hills visitor center. It was weird because both John and I were already soaked from head to toe. My legs were red like a lobster. But in that doorway of the visitor center, out of the wind and rain, It  felt warm!  Almost good. That’s how frigging cold I was!!  Another look at the hi-def doppler (this time on my droid)  showed that the storm was passing. We waited another five minutes and sure enough  the rain stopped.  It was still a cold and windy five miles back to the house, and another mile or so further for John Downing. But at least it wasn’t raining!   Needless to say it was one of the more memorable rides in recent memory, and after a nice long hot tub soak and shower, it really didn’t seem that bad at all!!

Note- the pictures above were taken  BEFORE the rains came.

I guess this is one we can check off the bucket list. Saw Paul McCartney in concert Saturday night in the city, outdoors at ATT park.  A great concert was the topper to a great day. Barb and Marie were already in the city seeing Wicked. We all hopped on BART with the plan to meet for dinner near the park.

All the pieces fell perfectly into place. Barb and Marie waited in line to get into the the old Acme Chop House, which is the full service restaurant at the park.  By the time we all got there, the line was still long, but we got to stroll right on in, like rock stars!   The place was packed but the girls had cocktails and barstools  waiting for us. Now we had to try to find a table. BINGO!  Not there 5 minutes and we were all sitting down, having a drink and ordering dinner and watching the Giants finally win a game on TV.   The concert was supposed to start at 7:30. by 7:15 we didnt have our food but the waitress plied us with free shots and appetizers. WOOHOO!!  All was good because when we finally finished and strolled into the park, found our seats it was 8;15 and the show hadn’t even started!

But at 8:30 the show started, and what a show it was. First of all, its a BEATLE!!!  Second, its San Fransisco!  3 hours and 39 songs later, all 40,000 of us shuffled out and onto the streets of the city. We walked 2 miles to BART and barely caught the last jammed packed  train to the east bay, did a last minute transfer in Oakland and caught  the last train to Pleasanton!

 Are we golden or what?!?!?

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!