According to weather expert Chris, The San Francisco Bay Area was the coldest spot in the US this Fourth of July, with the possible exception of a few locations in Alaska. Along with temperatures in the 50′s came the famous fog, which obliterated any hope of seeing any fireworks. Oh well… We did get to meet Ben’s lovely sister and two children on their first ever visit to the States. Welcome!

Things just keep getting better and better in the Jack London District. It’s been a long time coming, but it seems almost every week, there’s a new and exciting business opening in the area. Last night we dined at a new restaurant two blocks away – Encuentro. The 100% vegetarian menu was 100% delicious. And prices are reasonable. Highly recommended.

This afternoon, a neighbor informed us of the latest addition to the ‘hood – Cerruti Cellars Tasting Room. Just three blocks away, and the wines are great. So convenient, it’s dangerous. We’re already trying to think of some excuse for having a party in the beautifully remodeled space. See you there!

As always, a great time. Fabulous food and friends!

I managed to get only a few in-focus shots in the pitch darkness at Tom and Julie’s. :)

Kelly’s birthday party invitation received mixed reviews. Some missed the reference to 2007 word of the year — w00t! Most seemed to recognized the layout based loosely on WIRED magazine. Others questioned our choice of photo. For us it was easy – we chose it because she has a glass of champagne in each hand. :)

After Kelly put some sparkly Christmas stuff in the bathroom, we enjoyed an absolutely splendid afternoon in Jack London Square. We wish you all a wonderful holiday.

What are you thankful for this year?

Before and after.

On the second day of Matt & Kerry’s visit, we drove down past the scenic Bixby Bridge through Big Sur and on to our destination – lunch at the Post Ranch Inn. The overcast skies didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for this teriffic lunch. I’m getting hungry thinking about that pork chop.

Bailey and Oscar tied the knot this weekend at a lovely ceremony. Luckily, they hired a professional photographer, which left me free to concentrate on the fun and the pretty girls!

See the rest of the pictures here, or if you would like an easy way to download them to your computer or have photographic prints made, view them in my Picasa web album. (Hint, for best results, install Picasa on your machine.)

Andrew and I tasted a dozen Whisky’s last night at a nice event sponsored by the Whisky Shop. The tasting was held at the swanky E & O Trading Company, which means that in addition to the delicious spirits, we had fabulous food as well.

If you get the chance, I highly recommend you attend a whisky tasting next time you see one. I’ve been to three now, and they are always fun and informative.

thedude and Kelly celebrated the day with a non-traditional Easter brunch at the Claremont Hotel. We raised a toast to the U.S. Navy for rescuing Captain Phillips unharmed.

This was also a chance to experiment with my new Canon G10, which so far is wonderful to shoot with, and produces amazing images for a camera of its size. I think I’ll be using this new camera a lot.

It’s official! Last night over dinner with a group of friends who have all been to Burma several times, we decided that we’re really gonna do it. We’re planning a November trip to Burma! Everyone in the group is very excited – and even a bit jealous of our budding travel plans. Their enthusiasm has a lot to do with why we decided to do it. But the main reason we feel comfortable about the idea is because we have now had dinner twice with our guide-to-be on the trip – William Myatwunna. William totally charmed us with his warm smile and polite good-nature. He is also the best tour guide in all of Burma. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Conde Nast magazine recently picked William’s Good News Travels as one of of the top 128 travel specialists in the world!

Interested in traveling to Burma? I’d suggest you book with William soon. He’s about to become very busy!

The gang enjoys free beer on Friday at the Linden Street Brewery. I’d say you should check it out, but it’s already become too popular.

UPDATE: I just checked the web site, and it seems this will be the last free Friday for a while. Sorry you missed it!