The Bay Area has seen some very interesting weather in the last few weeks. We’ve seen way more than average rainfall and below normal temperatures. I’ve been feeing bad about not getting out to shoot some pictures of the snow, the rainbows or gorgeous fluffy clouds we so rarely see in the Bay Area. Well,…
Category: Bay Area
Sushi, Scharffen Berger and Soizic
What a day! I don’t think we’ve had a day like this since the last time Jim and Wendy visited. We started with lunch at Tachibana – the best sushi bar in the east bay. From there, we toured the fragrant Scharffen Berger chocolate factory and sampled numerous luscious super-dark chocolates. Later that evening, we…
1000 Foot Warehouse
This morning my neighbors and I toured a huge warehouse on the Oakland estuary. The building is something like 1000 feet long. I have never seen so much cotton in one place. The Ninth Avenue Terminal will be almost entirely demolished to make way for a massive 3100 unit housing development. I’m probably the only…
Hooked on Night Photgraphy
It’s not that I prefer shooting at night. I’m shooting so many long exposures because it’s dark when I get off work these days. That’s not all bad though. These really are fun to shoot digitally – much easier than it would have been back in the days of analog photography. Kelly works on the…
Oakland’s Most Recognizable Feature Creature?
car•go•saur•us (kar’go-sôr’əs) n. Large quadruped with long, flexible neck. Frequents shoreline areas, often in groups. Eats continuously when hungry. Can consume all the cargo in a container ship in less than a day.
Oakland Skyline Panorama
I took this panorama last night from the rooftop. While I was setting up to take the shot, three or four motorcycle cops swooped in and closed the freeway! You can see their red and blue strobe lights in the foreground. Some of my neighbors and I like this image so much that we’re going…
Cliff House Sunset
Inspired by our recent trip to Cliff House with my ol’ pal Steve, I decided to take Kelly to the same spot for a bloody mary and a few oysters on the half-shell. It turned out to be one of those rare super-clear days in the bay area. It was easy to see the Farallon…
Steve Wynd 2005
The title of this entry hints at the fact that I see my first friend in California way too little. Steve and I had an awesome time revisiting our old haunts in the foggy Sunset District. We both concluded – again – that there’s no place like San Francisco – the number one tourist destination…
Art and Soul in Oakland
Oakland’s Art and Soul Festival takes place this weekend. Our city streets are blocked off and stages are setup throughout the downtown area. We ran into our excellent friend Julie, and watched performances by Carbon Leaf and Aimee Mann at the KFOG stage. Both were very good. We decided not to hang around for Blues…
A Diverse Dinner with Friends
Last night’s dinner at Chris and Ben’s was awesome, as usual. This evening was made extra-special because dinner was sort of a potluck. We had Thai curried duck, Tandoori chicken and good old American potato salad and apple pie for dessert. Despite the fact that my pictures are excusively of women, I can assure you…
Sams Anchor Cafe, Tiburon
We trekked out to Tiburon this afternoon for a tasty brunch at Sam’s Anchor Cafe. It was one of those perfect California days – warm sun and cool breeze. We scored a scenic table on the marina and agreed unanimously that the food was fabulous. The calamari was some of the best I’ve ever tasted….
Tubin’ the Delta and Pasta on the Rocks
Yesterday’s trip to the delta was a blast. We took ten year old Olive, one of our most favorite neighbors along for the ride. We met Jeff and Wendy, Henry and Mary, Hillary and Michelle at their campsite, and headed out to the delta. The girls hit the water with gusto. Of course, that game…
A Walk in the Wild
One of our favorite events of the year is Oakland Zoo’s wonderful Walk in the Wild. Their anual fundraiser features food, wine and beer from dozens of local merchants – and get this, because they serve alcohol – children are not allowed. Woo-hoo! What a perfect way to see the zoo and get some practice…
Haircut and Dinner
Kelly shows off her cute new haircut during our trip to the city on the always enjoyable Oakland-San Francisco Ferry. Destination – One Market. My lamb dish was fabulous, as were all of the appetizers and the desserts. Everyone liked the unique chick pea fries with garlic aioli, too. The restaurant offers a $29 prix…
Home is Where the Hardware Is
Andrew and Barbara still have a lot of work to do, but they have come a l-o-n-g way on the road to making their new house into a home. Their beloved neon casts a warm glow into the living room – definitely a “good sign”. The walls and ceilings have been patched and sport a…
I Missed One
I was looking at my Carnaval pictures again, and came across this shot. I’m not entirely sure what this guy is supposed to be. A mosquito? Some sort of green and red fish-thing? (Probably a mosquito, I guess… Ideas?) I do love the shot, though. He seems to be having such a great time… 🙂…
Later That Night…
We dined on some of the best barbequed oysters I’ve ever tasted at Tom’s cool pad. Spectacular view, fabulous oysters. Thanks for a lovely evening, Tom and Julie!
A Good Day to Own a Camera
San Francisco’s Carnaval celebration is an eyeful! Women (and a few men) of all ages, shapes and colors get a chance to cut it loose and strut they stuff – much to the delight of this photographer! Oh my! I had to deal with direct sunlight when shooting these, so I used the camera’s low…
No Escaping the Construction
This shot was taken in a first-floor office here at work. Noise, dust, concrete splattered on the windows – it’s even worse than the constuction at home!
Phase One De-Construction
Barbara and Andrew slogging through the debris on their way to habitability. The house is already a much sunnier, happier place than it was. I can’t wait to see what this talented team will make of it.
Housing in the Bay Area
My dear friends Andrew, Barbara and Ursula are the proud owners of a new home. I recommend you to check in from time to time and follow the story of this house in Oakland. I was shocked and awed when I saw this 1,000 square foot, $360,000 house, and I know you will be too.
Perfect Day for a Trip to the Zoo
Our friend Chris told us last night over mai tai’s at the Conga Lounge that March 11, 2005 was the hottest March 11th ever in the Bay Area. The record-setting 86 degrees surpasses the previous record high of 80 degrees set exactly one year earlier. Forcasters are predicting cooler weather for the rest of the…
Conga Lounge Discovered!
While I’m happy to see that our favorite hangout has been discovered, I do hope that this won’t lead to throngs of patrons at the Conga Lounge.
Our New Favorite Hangout
The Conga Lounge is fast becoming our favorite after-work destination. The delicious and powerful Mai-Tai’s with fresh mint are two bucks cheaper during happy hour wich runs from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. The place has an intimate feeling that we both love. There is always island music playing in the vintage stereo and and a…
Lazy Hazy Easter Sunday
If you can possibly avoid the usual gathering with extended family, it turns out that Easter Sunday is a great day to get things done. We easily made our way up to Mount Diablo to take in a somewhat hazy, but otherwise perfect view, got the car washed and even ate a little salt-and-pepper calamari…
Dinner – on a Bus – with Bagpipes?
Don’t ask. I’m sworn to secrecy.
Dining Out – And Not at Soizic!
Kelly and I did something we rarely do. We ventured beyond our beloved Jack London Square to try a new restaurant. We figured it was about time we used that four-year-old gift certificate. Venezia was nice. The place is decorated to give the feeling of an outdoor Italian cafe.
Tai Chi Under a Big-Ass Tree
Jim is here! His visit coincided with an eleven day record-breaking heat wave. We made the most of it by spending as much time outdoors as possible. Despite thedude’s well-known disdain for nature, we trekked up to Muir Woods where Jim was able to fulfill his wish to practice Tai Chi among the majestic trees….
Fabulous Fun Day!
Wow! What a terrific day! Our dear friends Jeff and Wendy drove up to the bay area all the way from Fresno to test drive a Mini Cooper. (They loved it.) We spent the rest of the day eating, sightseeing and sigh Christmas shopping. Lunch at Jack’s Bistro, cruising past the USS Midway, martinis at…
Another California Disaster
In case you missed this incredible satellite image of the enormous fires raging in Southern California, I’m posting it here. This high resolution image is ~600K in size, and pretty impressive. This and the fire images on tonight’s evening news definitely brought back some memories of the Oakland Hills Fire of 1991. That fire killed…