Yearly Archives: 2005

We made our annual trek to foggy Fresno so that we could take part in the very serious business of overindulging with the Hunter clan. Mass quantities of Christmas cookies and candies were consumed along with numerous bottles of wine and champagne before dinner. Later, we searched for and easily found extreme Christmas lighting displays despite fog as thick as Dorothy’s crab chowder. On Christmas morning, a couple hundred gifts were exchanged, and when the smoke cleared, I emerged the big winner with by far the most gifts received. Hmm… I wonder why that happened? I guess it’s to show appreciation for all of the flattering pictures I have posted on my site over the years. :)

In my opinion, the best gift is something consumable. Thanks Grant and Sandy, Ali and Neil for the perfect gifts! Oh – and the ergonomic mouse pad is way cool too! Amazingly comfortable. My wrist never felt better! ;-) Highly recommended!

(Yes, we’ve begun to open gifts early because we don’t think they’ll all fit in the car for the annual trip to Fabulous Fresno.)

While the rest of the country shivers under a blanket of heavy snow, thedude and Kelly attended the season’s first holiday party in 68 degree weather. The venue for this year’s food and wine extravaganza was the beautiful Asian Art Museum. The company provided what seemed like hundreds of tantalizing food options – everything from prime rib to sushi. There were several bars set up throughout the museum so that we never needed to be without a drink while strolling the galleries. We were treated to a spirited performance by the San Francisco Taiko Drummers and even a couple of lion dancers. I will tell you one thing – Affymetrix holiday parties are not to be missed!

If all that wasn’t enough, Affymetrix got a reduced rate on rooms at the Fairmont Hotel. So, we decided to stay at the world-class hotel, where we enjoyed this awesome view of the city and $10 bottled water. (Oops! Kelly, get out of the mini-bar!)

I was the “official” photographer for the event, so I worked hard to get pictures of as many people as I could, but with 600 guests and three hours to work, I missed many more photos than I would have liked to. Oh well, at least I managed to get a few shots of some Very Important People.

Just so that you don’t think folks in California are lacking in the Christmas spirit department, I offer the following images from Thompson Avenue in Alameda.

If you’re into this sort of Christmas insanity, you’ll probably enjoy this totally whacked Christmas video – once. After that it’s just weird. (Windows only – 5 megabytes.)

Kelly had the inspired idea to spend this holiday at the nearby Pelican Inn. We decided to make a day of it by taking the scenic route – through the city and with a stop at Muir Beach along the way. As we watched the beautiful sunset, we reflected on how much we have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!