Goat Rock

A cool day today... we headed west to the coast for a change of scenery and we found Goat Rock state beach. Picnic lunch and a look at the harbor seals....

Fruitfilled walk

You cannot walk around the neighborhood for long before encountering various offerings of fruit - apple trees with fallen apples littered around the base, blackberry bushes sprawling over rustic fences, cherry trees, plumot trees, yellow plums... we went out for a walk this morning and came back with a bag full of blackberries. The boys crunching on a freshly picked apple as they walked along.

A slower pace

Welcome to Guerneville...a land of friendly faces and slower paces. Here are some pix of the house and neighborhood.

Exterior:



Interior





River view:

The Lennans have left San Francisco

We started the day riding the cable cars to end of line and then back up to Nob Hill. Cable car museum was closed so another cable car ride back to the wharf. The boys (esp. Connor) loved hanging off the sides as the car made it precarious journey up & down great inclines of the city.

A trip to Boudin for some freshly baked bread in the shape of alligator and turtle. Leaving the city by way of Lombard street & the Golden Gate bridge...Kyle says "I think I should have an x-ray so I can find out if I left my heart in San Francisco."

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Boudin bread tour (thursday)

Yum!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Cable car naught

We bought a one day muni pass and took the #30 bus to the exploratorium. Despite my peaceful presence, I was hated by the bus driver. My first offense was called out when my size 10 feet where (not) in the way of a wheelchaired passenger attempting to exit. Imagine my horror when the feisty bus driver got out of her seat and said "mam,your feet are going to be in the way ... Stand up and move outta the way." A few stops later an apparently I am the one in the way again ..."mam you are going to hafta move...those seats (plural...mind you not just my seat) are reserved for the handicapped and elderly!" I get up and move to the back of the bus all the while thinking of the irony. And next stop was end of line. We arrive to the exploritorium which is actually set in a quite breathtaking place. Much better that the science museum...spent a few hours in there having a lot of fun.

The plan was to take the bus back to Van Ness and walk up Lombard street to Kyle's delight and my cardic exhaustion.  Then take the cable car to Nob Hill and walk back to the Cable Car Museum. But after having a few full cars pass us by, we walked down Lombard back to the hotel...and wouldn't you know it...it was happy hour. We talked to so folks in from Austria who were on there way to San Diego tomorrow. Then had a bakery tour at  Boudiin's followed by dinner. Back at the hotel now and feeling very tired.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Best view of the city

What a great day today was!

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The rock

If you a looking for nourishment before heading to Pelican Island look no further than Denny's in Holiday Inn at fisherman's wharf. But wait...I know what you are thinking "but aren't you staying at the Best Western?" to which I ask: yah but what's your point? After an over-priced meal, we made a bee line to pier 33. Already the lines were immence! We fell in line and after a family photo in front of a cheery Alcatraz backdrop and other frivolous delays we were ready to board. After arriving we were kept captive for many minutes until the vessel was empty. From there we went trudged the incline to start our audio tour. Having last been when docents lead the tour, a flash of competiveness overcame me as I pressed play before arriving at the "begin audio tour" sign. Ahead of the pack, allowed me to assimilate and imagine time & place a bit better. Haunting imagery such as being in solidary confinement was especially enhanced by my lead. Later, I ventured outside and when doing so paused my recording thusly allowing others to pass. If you haven't been on this tour for a few years, then plan onit next visit ( be sure to book more than a week in advance in summer).

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Moments in Monterey

So it was decided by unanimous vote to go to the aquarium. Crowded but manageable we toured the Outer Bay - otters, jellies, and seahorses. Watching otters warms the heart, watching jellies puts you in a calm hypnotic trance, and watching seahorses kinda puts you a bit off balance.  Holy mackaral schools swimming with oversized tuna, an assortment of reef sharks, hammerheads, swell sharks, and a shimmery close-knit group of sardines fill a large tank making you feel quite small. Across the skywalk to the Ocean's End.  The Kelp Forest towers two stories high...the kelp and fish nessled within sway with the current; another exhibit bringing about a meditative state. A peek at the penguin during feeding time and then outside to view kids "diving" in the great tidepools. Exiting the aquarium we realize how many hours we spent touring and quickly realize we are perfectly poised for rush hour traffic as we make our approach to San Francisco.


Here now in the Best Western Tuscan which despite its name doesn't have a drop of ghetto to it. Laying on the bed listening to city noises, drinking a glass of wine while Tom serenades me with his guitar and the boys occupy themselves in the ajoining room. The sky begins to dim and it is time to get out and experience the city. Its time for a wardrobe change and an exit stage left.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Technology abound

Test of blogging via email with image attachment. This is a pix of the room @ Staybridge.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A little bit ghetto

(To the tune Your Song) It's a little bit ghetto...this feeling inside...the Staybridge Hotel in Santa Barbara...can't easily hide. It didn't take much money...and its the best room they could do. Their gift was their room (yeah) and room 314 is for you. And you can tell everybody...this is your suite...it may be quite ghetto...but who can compete? I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I charged you $130...how wonderful it was to sleep in my world.

Hey it was a room OK and without intense scrutiny (this is where I play the ignorance is bliss card), it was clean. I just wish their web site didn't play it up so much...completely remodeled rooms!! There must have been some major ghetto going on there before. Took a couple quick pix of the luxury digs which I'll attempt to post later through some feat of technical prowess (palmpre only seems to want to upload to facebook and photobucket). Not that it bothered me when Tom commented "no dead body there" after lifting up the bedskirt. And who doesn't enjoy the view of a kitchenette from bed? And what's not to love about a soothing hum of an ancient refrigerator to induce a deeply relaxing meditative state conducive for sleep?

Today we are enroute to San Francisco...with perhaps a stop in Monterey.

Vacation 2009 ... First thoughts

Bllogging via my PalmPre as we travel 70 MPH on the 78 freeway. The plan is to stay in Santa Barbara tonight. And head the rest of the way to San Francisco tomorrow. Alcatraz on Thursday.

But enough of future stuff...I bet you would rather hear about what is happening now. Still on the 78...sweet home alabama playing on the XM satellite radio...sun still high in the sky. It will be making its desent soon enough and hopefully aftet our dramatic transition northward on the 5. A car in front of us is practicing random acts of breaking apparently piloted by Dr.Slow.

Had my first monkey arms endeavor of the trip...reaching back to recover a dropped electronic device for the boys. This won't be the last time but at least I won't have to climb over the seats to provide in flight food service to young children as I did in years past.

I cringe as the boys discover the Its peanut butter jelly song and procees to play it back at an annoying decible level. Tom throws a concerning look over his ahoulder as he reaches for his ear buds. Probably illegal to drive with them in but he is also travelling well above the speed limitt.

Las Pulgas Road already...awwww the great spanse called Camp Pendleton. Traffic is light but we still need to pass OC and contend with LA.

Tanks to the right ... Pacific ocean to the left.

Time to charge the ol battery to get ready for the next installment.

A New Post for 2009

Hello World!