Redecorating House
Category Archives: California
Julio Fare visits San Francisco again
On a clear day you can see forever…on Lombard Street…
2013 Xmas in California
2013 December Misc. Pictures and Video
2013 Thanksgiving Dinner
My daughter prepared a mostly vegan meal the day after thanksgiving, which was more convenient for everyone who was not hanging out with their in-laws on Thanksgiving Day this year, which also would have been my father’s birthday.
I paid for the groceries and Alexandra did a lot of the work, with Rob’s help, especially cleaning up. My daughter featured this on her blog prominently and was happy to mention that none of the family or friends who also were able to partake even asked where the meat was because it was so fulfilling and tasty, despite being very healthy.
Rob’s Birthday and first time eating Ethiopian Food
Aquatic Park, Berkeley
Visited my daughter and Jesus with my dogs. We walked from their place to the nearby park, where to my surprise they have water skiing. It’s right next to the busy freeway and close to downtown Berkeley. What a juxtaposition. Our evening followed a visit to Peet’s Coffee on the newly renewed part of 4th Street, which reminds my daughter and me very much of Park Slope, Brooklyn. Later we had dinner at Herbivore, which I had gone to many times on Valencia Street in San Francisco, but never before at their Berkeley location.
Hayward – End of an Era
My whole life I remember that strange cubic building on the hillside like the castle I used to see above us when we lived in rural Catalonia. I thought every town had a hill and a building atop it growing up. The couple of years I grew up in NYC it was of course the World Trade Center that I looked up to from Governor’s Island. It was strange then, to learn that not only did Warren Hall, a landmark I always used to find Hayward with from other parts of the Bay area, was not only in disuse, but it would actually be demolished for lack of seismic safety compliance. A few weeks ago my neighbor told me that inspectors had come to prepare his backup for the anticipated 2.2 Richter Scale shudder they were expecting right by the San Andreas fault. I was skeptical about what he was saying until I realized it was this actual planned collapse he was referring to. He was not from the East Bay so he didn’t know the symbolism that I’ve ascribed to this building, the name of which I didn’t even know until this month. How strange would it be if I was still living in New York and was only to discover of the building implosion upon one of my return visits. This, together with the “Bay Bridge-agedon” they are having this weekend is proof that things really do change in this somewhat sleepy, bedroom-ish community south of Oakland and twenty miles outside of San Francisco.
Lazybear
My friend Roy and I drove back down the coast (although he slept most of the way) to get home from Guerneville, after a loop around Armstrong Woods early in the morning. The dogs have been there several times before, but I always try to find some beach time for them, and this was no exception. This was a new lookout for me. I’m always impressed by the beauty near Bodega Bay, and in Sonoma County, even though Highway 1 is tortuous and treacherous in the best of weather conditions.
Pictures here with me is my friend Ray/Ramon at the closing party for Lazybear. Guerneville vendors usually have clever signage during this event, but this one below was the best one I think I’ve ever seen.
Tour of San Francisco with Mom and Iolanda, stopping by Sebastien and Robert’s house
My Mom’s college friend, Iolanda DeLuca, was visiting from Italy. With my car I was able to cover a lot of ground with them in seeing some of the sites that were challenging for her to see by foot. She wanted very much to see Alamo Square, which I was able to capture at dusk here. We also stopped by Twin Peaks, Union Square and other spots, and went down the curvy part of Lombard Street. Mom and Iolanda are pictures here in my friends’ beautiful sitting room just before having the gorgeously prepared food that they cooked for us.
