thank you, Senator DiFi

Well, actually her husband, Richard Blum, gets credit for the five new bison
babies in Golden Gate Park. These one year olds are joining the five "old lady"
(ahem) bison and I've been watching videos ~ easier than building sand balls
at Crissy Field. They separate them for awhile and of course your intrepid
blogger will go out for a visit very soon. I need a good park walk.

the perils of voting early

Voting by mail is so easy and I can always think better in the quiet of
the kitchen. This year was a lesson. My candidate, Mayor Pete, dropped
out right before our Primary today. Tom and Amy too ~ what will happen
to all these votes? Drat.

women celebrate friendship

Marsha, Hostess and Pamela

Marsha, Pamela and Larissa

Yes, it was a huge success in a warm and loving pot lucky way. Annabelle
wanted to be the center of attention and so she was, even though she is
not pictured here. I served my ONE easy pasta vegetable dish in the
new Salvation Army china bowls and we all had a delightful time. We
four were part of the museum retail crew ~ bonding as we sold post
cards and bitched about our bosses and the customers.

solid gold camaro

I walked the nabe after cleaning house all day and was rewarded by this
on 24th Street. Cars are still a big deal in the Latino community, but
this one wasn't part of a car parade ~ just parked quietly, waiting for
me to wander by and take a few photos for my blog. Rewarded.

retire from work, not from life

Here is a man at Crissy Field demonstrating how he makes the sand balls.
We didn't ask WHY he makes them, but one does wonder. Then again, I
don't want anyone asking me how I spend my free time. This beautiful
weather is over for a few days and we will return to winter.

sleezy mcMillionaires

I recommend this documentary on HBO. The McDonald's monopoly scam
and the FBI and all sorts of strange characters. Great fun to watch when
you land on GO. And as an aside, is there ANY state weirder than Florida?

feeling fit (pretty much)

This blog helps me research my past. I joined 24 Lite seven years ago!
Amazing. I'm trying to get back to going three times a week, but so
far, if I go twice, I'm pleased. Biking, lifting, reading, people watching...

out on the town...

Happy Birthday, Pat!

...and home by 8:30pm. Neti, Jeannine and I celebrated Pat's birthday
at Orexi where they have those giant white beans and luscious lamb,
ocotpus, squid, zucchini fritters and warm pita bread. We had a
delightful time and too much good food.

historic Wigtown ~ now what? Where?

I was delighted to find that I had not donated our giant Atlas after Bill
died, when I gave away so many books. Diary of a Bookseller is a fun
read, not beautifully written by any means, but the author (and second
hand bookstore owner) travels to London and Ireland and all over
Scotland from his home base in Wigtown. That is in Southwest Scotland,
not far from Galloway and Dumfries. In fact bookseller and a friend sailed
over to Ireland ~ so close, I was happy to discover when I did a little
old fashioned research last night. No wonder all the old Railway guides
and books sell so well in The Book Shop in Wigtown. Our hefty old Atlas
was used often when we were young, in the pre-computer days and
I returned it to an easy to find spot again. Welcome back.

from tapes to computer

The Blogmaid's techie niece, Jade, came to pick up the tapes of Husbando
yesterday and she texted me the above to let me know it is all going
well. Meanwhile, I organized the remaining tapes and eighty-two is
the grand total. So now I know what digitalize means and Jade will
hand me a flash drive filled with my Bill when this is all finished. I know
I will be sad all over again when I finish the final tape, but right now
it feels so good to finally get moving on this project.

they have come a long way

It used to take an entire day, ten or so years ago, when we first started
using TurboTax. Yesterday I was done in two hours. It helps to live
a simple life financially, but now they just make everything so easy.
And my philosophy is that if I make a mistake, so what?

protecting the West Coast

cannons, not drones

school group gets some history

part of a string of lighthouses on the coast

Fort Point is at the very end of the Crissy Field walk and yesterday was the
first time I had been inside. They are actively preserving this again and
offer free tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Built in the 1860's, it was
part of the coastal defense system and the lighthouse guided ships until
the GG Bridge was completed in 1934. You can see the bridge directly
above the lighthouse in the bottom photo. And yes, there is a gift store
inside, so you know this is really happening.

Friday feel good story

A 62 year old woman and her husband live in a small town in Germany and
they have been building wheel chair ramps all over using Legos and glue.
My mother and Husbando were both in chairs before they died and life
gets so complicated and difficult trying to maneuver around because even
the smallest curb is a challenge. So today we salute this Lego ingenuity.

monstrously successful

for the March book club

good old Perry's

I got to select the restaurant as well as the Frankenstein book, so we met
at Perry's on the Embarcadero. We all had a delightful few hours eating
too much and pondering Mary Shelley and her creation. For next month
we have something close to my heart, The Diary of a Bookseller,  and
Dancing Jen will love it since it all happens in Scotland. This is the
non-fiction book Libby presented to me and so far, so good.

I did it!

I spend a lot of $$$$ with Amazon for my LindaKindle4. In the past I
tried to download books from the public library, to no avail. But yesterday I
followed the very easy instructions using the Libby app and my handy SF
Library Card and now how happy and proud am I? Very.

rushing to finish

I selected Frankenstein for book club because I had never read it. It
is NOT an easy read, but it is beautiful and I'm delighted that I have
it here and I'm on page 78.  The monster has learned to read. Book
Club is tomorrow ~ I still work on deadlines because I am a creature
too, of habit. This is how we did it in college and in my working
life. "Now when is this due? OK, tomorrow, I will get it done."
I do not like this about myself and I should have worked it out after
retirement. So now I must hurry and read, read, read...

one busy Sunday

This is a little 3x4" tile that Neti brought me from Hawaii. We went to
the Great Plotniks for dinner last night and had a delightful time. In
the morning I brunched with Joe and Pamela at Zuni and we forgot
(what?) to get our traditional photo. This morning is foggy and I am
a bit too, but dog feeding will clear everything up.

off she goes...

Here we are with the Blogmaid yesterday when CC retrieved her car. First
we walked and talked, of course. Came home and my g.d. packed up and
headed to Napa about 2pm. She is a tidy creature and I only had to put
a few things back in their rightful places. Thanks again to the Blogmaid
family for the long term driveway parking ~ life and car saver!

tickets and a walk

Giant Dugout store at the Jewel

House boating for the sturdy few

Yesterday I left CC at home to decompress after Peru while Ginger and I
bought our Giants tickets (mostly cheap, except for the Cubs and the Dodgers,
which we declined). Then we took that lovely walk around the canal (part
of the Bay?) to see the houseboats (pictured here) and once again wondered
what life would be like to dwell in and on a moving object permanently. It
would be a great location, but how to bring in groceries after a Costco
spree? And would Annabelle be a happy cat on a houseboat?

the grand one returns!

Behold my new table cloth from Peru, a gift from CC who flew into
SF yesterday.  She had a safe and splendid time hiking all over, taking
long bus rides and staying in $6 a night hostels. I was down at St.
Anthony's, but she has house keys and by the time we met up she
was showered, had a bite to eat and done her laundry. Tomorrow we
retrieve her car from the Blogmaid's driveway. Today I will ask to
see phone photos. I caught Annabelle eating a flower out of CC's
journal yesterday ~ not nice hostess behavior.