Waterfalls, stairways, and finally a sunny day

Friday we went for a hike on a trail around Alpine Reservoir .   We got there by driving through Fairfax, and then up some of the mountains.   We think that Mt. Tam is on the other side.  We took the Catarack Trail path , and walked almost all of it, through steep inclines, rustic steps, and narrow paths. It was an incline of 800 feet in .8 miles. Quite strenuous, but very beautiful waterfalls, and yes we had sunshine. Because of all the rain, the water in the hills is quite high. The reservoir at Nicasia is probably 10 feet higher than it was three weeks ago, and water is flowing all over the place, including down the drive in the front of our condo.

 It was nice go be out in dry weather.

We went to Il Dolce Vita in Petaluma for taste of wine, each of ordered a flight, Dan, Italian and Pat , Sonoma. We then went home and watched a horrible video, Tropic Thunder. I thought it was horrible. I couldn't even fall asleep it was so bad, I haven't slept well in three nights, because the dog keeps getting me up every two to three hours. He is much better and we are looking forward to tapering him off of the steroids.  Dan






Saturday we spent a nice sunny day in San Francisco, we took the ferry from Larkspur Landing to the Ferry building, where a Farmers Market is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It is filled with local farmers, and quite an active place. We then took a walk that was in Pat's book on Stairways. ( "Stairway Walks in San Francisco" by Adah Bakalinsky) Once again it was up and down, and we had a great hike.  We walked around Nob Hill, near the Mark Hopkins  and Huntington Park.  One of the spots on the hike was the Grace Cathedral, where they have a labyrinth.    There are rules to walking the Labyrith, you start on the outside and work your way in.   As you walk in, you begin to shed and release tension, to quiet your mind and open your heart.  In the center, you may stay to pray or meditate, or to receive guidance.   As you leave the way you entered, you feel strength and clarity.   Or so it is said.   We actually made a mistake and didn't start at the right place, plus we kept walking into each other, so I can't say we felt any of that!   But I enjoyed the center.

Lest you think we are getting too "New Age-y California Style", we later  ate lunch at Tommy's Joynt which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. I had a Corned Beef sandwich and Pat had a Roast Beef sandwich. It was excellent and reasonably priced. A true San Francisco Dive that has not changed since it was opened in 1947, which was a good year for beginnings. We then took the bus back to the Ferry Building and took the Ferry back to Larkspur. Dan

Our friends, the Kesler's came by our condo, with David and Elias, David's son for a short visit.  It was so great to see them, they had gone to Mt. Tam today, and we were all glad we were able to hook up.   Elias is almost the same age as Isaac, and a real cutie. Pat

Activities for the Mind and Spirit or "Yield for the Present"

We went to Book Passages in the afternoon to hear Thomas Friedman speak. It was, mobbed, but we managed to find a spot. He was really good--his presentation was merely his upcoming Sunday column, but he spent most of his time answering questions, good questions, I might add. He is more enjoyable in person than I thought he'd be, as he had a sense of humor, was clever, and of course, very intelligent and thoughtful. He mentioned that he does like Obama's economic and energy policies, thinks he's doing the right and necessary things. I thought that was great, and significant. He doesn't like his Afghanistan policies, however. One thing he said a was that we went to Afghanistan to get rid of the TERRORISTS, while we went to Iraq to get rid of TERRORISM. I found that to be a very important statement. He is afraid that Obama is confusing that. Interesting.

By the way,  he is describing the huge deficit in the above picture, he is NOT describing other things!   (perhaps some of you received the recent humorous email that's been going around contrasting Bush's and Obama's!)

Of course he talked about the economy, and again, likes what Obama is doing, couldn't make any other suggestions, other than to say the answers are "the banks, the banks, the banks", even though it isn't fair. Fairness isn't going to solve the problem, so we better get over it.

Later that night, we went back to Spirit Rock. This was a 2 hour workshop for therapists about the use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy in conjunction with Mindfulness and Humility Training to work with anxiety and anger in our clients. It was led by a Ph.D from Stanford, named Shani Robins.   He is also the founder of the Wisdom Therapy Institute.  He explained some of CBT's approach, as a successful means of lessening the degree of anxiety or anger, and then using the other training as a way towards resolution. I liked his theory a lot. CBT provides tools to deal with the degree of anxiety and anger, then, mindfulness helps us to stay in the present, which also lowers the level of anxiety. The Humility training helps us to transcend the ego, to see ourselves in connection with others and the whole universe. It focuses on gratitude and loving kindness.

I did really enjoy what he said, although I sort of put it together myself, as I didn't feel he presented it that well, or that he was all that challenging. He never really engaged the participants, though he tried. I want to learn more about Mindfulness, and Humility, and I think this may be a goal of mine this coming year. I was disappointed that he didn't mention more about that, he was too academic. We did start out with a guided meditation, but to be honest, I think that Dan and I do a better one. Still, I really enjoy going to this center, might want to return one more time. The sign on the way in, by the way, says, "YIELD TO THE PRESENT."

I think this may elicit some comments from our followers, and I hope it does, but I am struggling with the concepts I have learned here so far. It's a different approach than the therapy I have done, but I have done some of these same things without naming it. In same cases, it is very similar. Both Dan and I have done hypnosis, with guided imagery, and this creates an alpha state similar to meditation. My bias is quite entrenched in me, so in many ways, it actually interferes with this approach. I feel like I need to be challenged a little more in this area. On the other hand, I love the idea of expanding the spiritual, of transcending the ego, and certainly, of staying in the moment. Years ago, I had done a "gratitude journal" suggested in a book I had read called "Simple Abundance" and it truly helped me see things differently. Also, having survived a life threatening illness and procedure certainly helped me understand Mindfulness, staying in the present, and gratitude, but it's easy to forget those important lessens.

One more thing about this. I don't know if this will help you readers, but all of us are reacting to the economic disaster we are facing. Friedman talked about it today, and I mentioned it at the workshop. Though neither speaker had a "solution", both gave a helpful focus--Friedman said we need the banks, banks, banks, and the psychologist said we truly need to deal with the anxiety it produces by using Mindfulness, and yes, Humility Training. I feel quite anxious about the situation, as you all do, I am sure. I am truly trying to stay in the moment, to look outside at the flowering trees (you may have to look at the glistening snow!) to take a deep breathe and say that at this moment, I am HERE. I have love, warmth, safety and beauty.

Pat

Later, when I was taking Gus for a walk (yes, he can take a walk again) I noticed some wild iris, about to bloom, and also some Calla Lilies.  it reminded me of my favorite poem/haiku:

Dead my old fine hopes,

and dry my dreaming.

But!  

Still!

Iris, Blue Each Spring.

An Udderly Whale of Great Day, Deer

Another break in the rain, though not according to the weather. We hopped in the car and drove out to Point Reyes. We've been there before, but we never seemed to get as far as the Lighthouse, so today, we did. It was spectacular! The weather was perfect, sunny with clouds, but clear. On the way to the Lighthouse, there are many historical farms, that must have been homesteaded here in the 1850's. They are working dairy farms, with cows all over the place, including the road. We also saw deer all over the hilly pastures. But we saw many, many cows. At one point, Dan honked at them, as they were blocking the road, and they politely got over to the side so we could pass. He thanked them as we moved on, and they nodded.

We went to the Lighthouse, saw spectacular ocean vistas and waves, and actually saw the spouts of several whales! We were surprised, we didn't think we'd really see the whales. The Farallon Islands were fairly near, which is where the whale spotting trips go. There is a stairway to the Lighthouse, which was fortunately closed, because there was no way I would want to go down it, it is "equivalent to walking 30 stories." The vista was beautiful!

We then went to Cliff Beach where we saw Elephant Seals. They are beginning to leave on their journey north, but have had their babies, and waiting around a few more days or weeks. The babies were making a racket, wanting milk from their mommies! We had seen Elephant Whales years ago, at Ano Nuevo when they were mating, and this is one of the most fascinating places we've seen, but this was also really cool today.

We then stopped at South Beach, and saw huge waves coming into shore, so dramatic and forceful! This was really a wonderful day.

On the way home, we stopped at Point Reyes Station where the Cowgirl Creamery is, and we bought some of their cheese, as well as some Point Reyes Blue Cheese. Lest you be envious, don't be, it is NOT cheaper to buy it there! But we felt that we had probably met the cow that it came from.

A great day.

Pat

Time for Another Quiz

Well, it's time for another quiz, just so we keep you on your toes, and actually get some comments.   We are thinking no one is reading this anymore, as we have totally bored everyone to tears!

Anyway, here's today's quiz.   Dan is always asking, when people mention Third World Countries, "are there any SECOND world countries, you never hear about them."  So that is his question, which he has wondered for a long time.

We actually know the answer, as when we went out to dinner weeks ago with Jay and Lindsey at Aziza (see ***below) Jay looked it up on his trusty  IPhone.  (are YOU reading this, Ruth?)

So, he found out the answer, and thensome.

Do you know the answer?

*** The chef at Aziza was on Iron Chef America Sunday night, march 1st, and won the challenge!

Screw the Rain, I gotta Have a Stairway Walk! What Would Helen Mirren Say?

We took Gus to the vet this morning, and she was delighted with his progress! He is doing great, and we can start the prednisone taper, carefully. We are so happy, for Gus, and for the potential for some sleep now for us. I realized later that I had a mood change, I felt carefree, and thought perhaps this is relief about Gus.

We then saw a break in the light rain, and headed for Mill Valley for some stairway walks. These are Pat's obsession, as you all know, and she couldn't stand it any longer. It wasn't raining when we began, or, I should say, UNTIL we began, but it was a light rain, and the stairways were short. They were both in Mill Valley, hidden away, and really nice ones. We have a map of all the stairways and paths of Mill Valley, there are about 352, and no, I am not going to do all of them. The map also talks about the importance of the stairways; they are mostly all the old paths, by-ways and short cuts throughout the town, and the way for the townspeople of old to get around to the main roads, as it's so hilly there. It also mentions how important these paths are as an evacuation route in the event of a fire, or other disasters. So they really have a purpose.

The first one was called, the "Bernard Steps"! (this is my maiden name, if you all didn't know) So of course, we did that one, and Gus actually came with us. This was charming, as it was fairly narrow with railroad ties, I think. But what was unique were the little things on the side all the way up, that people must have left. I am including a picture of a few There were just things, like small Xmas stocking, a little Buzz Lightyear figure, ornaments, sayings, gnomes, etc.

The second walk was the "Madrona Walk." It was near the first one, and connected by a dead end street. It was completely different, but interesting in itself as it was hedged by bamboo trees. In one of the trees near the bottom, there was a stuffed Panda bear with an umbrella, sitting in his bamboo tree. As I was taking his picture, the owner of the house came up the steps. His name was Darryl, and he was so nice and friendly that I took his picture too. He told us that he had actually built these steps, which are brick. He gave us lots of history and information, and then asked us about Michigan, as he has to make a trip to Allen Park soon. So these cool things happen so often on these walks, and I find so much more than I expected.

I do like the stairway walks in San Francisco better, as they are longer, more involved, and one will lead to another around an entire neighborhood. It is so much fun to explore this way, and if the rain continues, I will just bring an umbrella, and be careful of it being slippery.

Later, we returned to Boca, a restaurant nearby that we really enjoy. On Tuesday nights, they have a happy hour in which you can get appetizers and a bottle of wine half price. They have excellent wines and excellent food, so we have been enjoying this.

We later went to a theater in San Rafael that is part of the California Film Institute where they have film festivals. This festival is "Almost British", and the film tonight was "The Age of Consent", a 1968 film with James Mason filmed in the Great Barrier Reef off of Queensland with a 35 mm. camera. The female lead was Helen Mirren, in her first film role. She was nude in quite a bit of it, by the way, and we wondered what she'd think of that now. The movie was really pretty corny, but it was fun. http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0063991/

It was practically sold out, we actually got the last 2 seats. San Rafael is quite lively, as once again, people get out and do stuff all the time.

Another Long and Winding Road to Memory, and a Unique Meal

This was a slow morning, doing laundry, errands, reading, jazzercizing, etc. Later on, we were going to meet Gloria and Mike, our Ann Arbor neighbor's sister and brother-in-law, in Yountville at Thomas Keller's unique restaurant, "Ad Hoc."

Dan wanted to try to find an old friend's place in Napa beforehand, so we left early to do that. This was where his friend from his Flint days, Mark had lived. Mark was a legend, a little man full of life and love and energy. Wherever he went, a party and fun followed. Mark moved out here in the late 70's, lived in a cottage in the hills above Napa. He died 21 years ago, while driving home in the steep, treacherous curves up the road to his house. I, Pat, met him once, but he is legendary.

Dan had been to his house, and thought he could remember where it was, but of course, that was about 30 years ago, and Napa has changed quite a bit. I finally texted Ruth, and she answered, good girl that she is! (she also is in love with her I-Phone and I think they are never parted) Anyway, we found the right road, went up it a ways, but didn't have time to explore more, and it was pretty far out.

We then met our friends for dinner at Ad Hoc.

I had eaten there, with them, last year, and really enjoyed it, and Dan did this year. There is a set menu, and that is what you eat. It's a Thomas Keller restaurant, so everything of course was excellent. They serve you the food in the cooking containers family style. The meal was Prime Rib, Clam Chowder, a Cheese course, and Pecan bars for desert. www.adhocrestaurant.com

Finally! Biking in Tiburon, New Friends , More Rain, and Another Move

Well, it is warming up and is dry and sunny. We were happy about that. We took a bike ride in the afternoon, in Tiburon. There is a really nice, paved, flat bike ride through the lovely town of Tiburon, right on the water. It goes all the way to Mill Valley; we biked along about 5-6 miles, it was really nice. The view is so beautiful from Tiburon. We had recently read that the ferry ride from Tiburon to Fisherman's Wharf is considered the 2nd most beautiful ferry ride in the world, according to the Travelers Writers Ass'n. (I can't remember what is first, I think it's in Hong Kong or Australia) Great to get outside and bike!

Later, we met another couple for dinner. Marcia is a woman I had met last year at Jazzercize, and had coffee with a few times. When I wrote her that I was returning, she said it would be hard to see me as she had been diagnosed with Lymphoma a few months before, and was undergoing chemotherapy. She emailed me earlier this week that she was in remission, and was therefore able to start her autologous bone marrow transplant soon, and would like to meet for lunch. So we had lunch today, then wanted our husbands to meet, so we had dinner together too. They are very nice, and of course, it's quite a coincidence that she is having a bmt. She found it helpful to talk to me, and we really bonded over this, of course. She starts the procedure on Monday. It's quite different than mine, though the recovery and the drugs they use are similar. We are wishing her the very best. Pat

Saturday, Jason and Lindsey made their final move. We went to Alameda to help, and then did some exploring of East Bay area, going through the tunnel to Orinda, then found some interesting things in Point Richmond. We then hung out at the condo.

Sunday, was the Sunday movie club in SFO. The movie was "The Black Balloon". It was a very realistic portrayal of family dynamics when a child with severe autism is part of the family. Acting was good, and the story line was real. The writer of the film grew up with 2 autistic brothers in her own family, so it was part auto-biographical. Toni Collette is starring in it, and we love her. We would both recommend it. On the way to the movie my windshield wiper broke. Try to find an auto parts store in the middle of San Francisco! It took a while, but we found one. It was a two minute fix, once I got the new blade. We then did our grocery shopping, and hung out at the condo.

Gus continues to improve and is still peeing incredible amounts every couple of hours. I think he and Pat are having a contest, and he is winning. I have been playing around with Twitter, and trying to figure out what use it is Twitter is an online thing. I've been hearing about it, and Scott Simon had Daniel Schorr sign up for it, so I thought it might be interesting. So far I don't quite get it. I know how to navigate it but I am searching for the usefullness of it for me.

Dan

Photo Update

I just realized that most of the pictures we have posted on Picasa were unlisted, and so you couldn't see them. I changed that, so now hundreds of new pictures are available for your viewing pleasure.

http://picasaweb.google.com/danklim1

Gus is Better

Gus is better! We got many comments and concerns about our doggie, so I thought I should tell you all that he is better. He is active, cheerful, begging for food again, and, most importantly, his paws are better. Jim VB sent some info too, including the theory that it can be exacerbated by a new environment or the sun. Well, it isn't the sun, we haven't had much, but it is  definitely a different environment out here.
He is on steroids, which is perking him up, and also, making him pee incredibly amounts! And, waking us up early in the morning to let him out. But he's better, and at least he's waking us up and not peeing all over the condo.

The above is of Dan putting the cream on his paws to keep them moist and soft.  The other is a picture of his paw that has improved, before there was a lot more white on it which is not good.

I am sure you are all thrilled by these shots!

A long and winding road to Mendocino and Zin Goes the Strings of My Heart

First I want to let people know that I changed some settings on the BLOG so that it might be easier to leave comments. We do enjoy hearing from people, so please try again. You should be able to leave a comment without registering as a follower. If you do register as a follower, you will get updates when we make changes, some people like that, others find it annoying. It is up to you.


Wednesday we had more rain, so we decided to take a trip up to Mendocino. It was a great drive. The road wound through moss covered huge Oak trees that looked spooky in the foggy day. Then, it wove through huge Redwood trees for about 50 miles.

When we got to the coast, it was spectacular, even though it was cloudy. The town of Booneville is surrounded by wineries, and we stopped at one tasting room, where we found a great Zinfadel at Zina Hyde Cunningham. We did a short tasting then headed to Mendocino.

The town of Mendocino was surprising to me. It is a cross between a New England village and an Old West town. The usual mix of clothing stores, art, and other Yuppie stuff was there, but few if any chain stores. Another unusual aspect was several water towers with wooden tanks that seem to gather rain water. http://www.mendocinoguide.com/

Pat found a staircase to the Ocean and had to walk it. It was a spectacular coastline. We bought a pair of binoculars at a discount binocular store, just in case we saw some whales. Got a pair of Nikon binoculars for $39. We then headed up to Fort Bragg. I have to admit I got a little confused and was thinking of Fort Bragg NC, not California, so i was expecting an Army base, either open or closed. Not so, it was a kind of sprawl town, with some California Victorian aspects to it. It looks better on the web site than it does in reality. http://www.fortbragg.com/.

We then stopped at one of our favorite stops, Healdsburg. It's a great place with a town square and shops restaurants etc. We ate at Zin restaurant. The restaurant was recommended by Paul G. We liked it a lot. Pat ordered the Chicken and Dumplings BluePlate special, and I ordered the Pork Chop. Both were excellent; the chicken was fork tender, in a wonderful sauce, and the pork chop was applewood smoked, tender and flavorful. We bought a bottle of Forchini wine, 2005, Proprietors Reserve. It is a Sonoma Zin of course, and really enjoyed it. See, we are turning into Northern Californians with our growing wine obsession.

www.zinrestaurant.com

You can see all the pictures on our Picasa web albums.

We returned to Novato in the rain. Water is still coming down from the hills.

Dan

  

Dan

Fairly Bad News, Very Good News and a California Bike ride

Before I write anymore, we've heard that some of you readers are having trouble posting comments. Please let us know, we love the comments! Either just keep trying, or email either one of us the comments, and we'll cut and paste them if we can. Dan thinks it's a problem with the blogger server, so please, keep the comments coming.

So yes, Gus does have Pemphigus, or so the vet thinks. We don't know the nature of how the disease will hit him yet, if it'll just be an occasional flareup or what, or how bad, we'll know that as time goes by. (we thank Becky, by the way, Dan's cousin, who told us her mother has this and it is pretty controllable--Becky, forgive me, i need to add that your mother is not a canine!----humans get this disease too!)She gave him a shot of prednisone, as well as some pills, and we'll see if that works. If it does, it's controllable at least. We aren't going to biopsy it further at this point, we'll see how it goes. It is very upsetting; though this is hopefully controllable, it reminds us that he IS going to 9, and is getting to be "an older " dog. Argh, I hate the thought of it and this starting, but it's all part of it. Hopefully, we'll be able to control this for a long time. We didn't want to put a collar on him to stop him from licking and chewing the paws, so instead, the vet suggested we buy him some socks. We think they are kinder than the booties, and he seems to tolerate them. But yes, he does look funny.

We took our first bike ride beforehand, there is a bike path near us that ends up in San Rafael. It was a really nice path, but I decided it was so typically California, as it had beautiful wetlands on one side of it, and the freeway on the other! (I know, Ruth, do the one in Tiburon---that is next, I made Dan promise!---it's finally warm enough and dry enough to go out.

Later, we drove to the East Bay because Lindsey and Jason had honored us by asking us if we wanted to go to their ultrasound appointment, to see the sonogram of their baby. We gladly said yes. We drove out early, checked out some other possible places to stay in the East Bay (Hercules and Pinole) and were not impressed. We then drove up into the Berkeley Hills, which I had found last year and took a few stairway walks. I was eager to show this part of Berkeley to Dan, and he too found it amazing.
The streets are so narrow and steep that trucks and vans have to take alternative roads, the views are amazing, and the houses are beautiful and old. We found a golf course that we are excited to play, in Tilden Park. And yes, we found a short stairway walk, Bret Harte Lane. I did not know that Bret Harte lived there, in fact, I have to google it to find that out, unless someone out there tells me why a pathway is named after him.

We then went to the ultrasound appointment, and it was a thrill. Dan had never even seen any ultrasound before, so he was fascinated. Everything is o.k., and great, and Jay and Lindsey were grinning away afterwards, so very happy that everything is AOK. We were so thrilled, i wanted to hold the baby! And Yes , it is definately a boy! I thought Jay and Lindsey looked like such typical expectant parents in the waiting room.

Sunset Movers and Sunset Boulevard

Dan came home later on friday, and I picked him up in Larkspur, as he took the "Marin Airporter". (Yes, Jim and Laura, he did, and he thought it was a good idea) Before I got him, I stopped in at this terrific bookstore named Book Passages to get an up to date speakers program. I happened upon this lovely, Scottish brogue reading aloud, and realized there was an author speaking. It turned out to be Val McDermid, a Scottish msytery writer I have never heard of, but she sounded really good. I was so happy to discover (hopefully) a new mystery writer. Have any of you ever heard of her or read her books? She signed my book, and a small group of us talked about the mystery writers we like. She mentioned Steig Larsson, whom we just discovered, and several others, who are Scandanian and Italian. (She agrees with you Per, about Henning Mankell, that he is very good, but so dark and depressive) She talked about her small village on the Scotland-England border, North Umberland, and how the kooky villagers give her all the inspiration she needs for her characters. so this was very enjoyable.


Saturday, we helped Jay and Lindsey move. A familiar activity for us! I told them that we should hire ourselves out, and call ourselves the "Sunset Movers". (play on words about this new movie, "Sunshine Cleaners" about 2 sisters who clean up after dead people---it IS a comedy) We drove around Alameda a bit, and really like it, drove down to the beach. Dan loves their house, as I do, and I did include some pictures. Here is a link for more pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/danklim1/JasonAndLindseySHouse?authkey=ZjZwNMBe4IA#

We came home and then went back to the city to an art gallery opening that our neighbor has recently opened. It was in a very ritzy part of town, on Sacramento in the Marina District. It was fun, quite elegant and interesting to see the people. I wanted to just people watch, but didn't want to be obvious, so I was subtle. We talked to the caterer, a delightful woman from Jordan who is a friend of our neighbor, Philip. It was fun, it was so nice to be included in this.

On sunday, we had Jay and Lindsey and others over to watch the Oscars. It was JJ, (Jay's old roommate), Lars and Kate, and Erin, Nat and Silas, who is 2 and was a really big hit. Everybody loves Silas, he's a doll. He really liked Gus! So we watched the Oscars, sort of, which were pretty boring this year, but it was fun to have a party. Everyone brought a dish, which had to relate to one of the movies. Here's the menu:
SlumDOGS (little hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls)
BodySlamBURGERS (sliders)
PickleSPEARS ( a wrestling move)
German Potato Salad (for the Reader, which takes place in Germany--this movie is a real challenge to cook for!)
Spaghetti ala Mickey Rourke's hair (this was Lars' idea)
Wine (Doubt-the wine and wafer)
Mini-cupcakes with FROSTing, but not from a mix, therefore a NIX)
Indian appetizers and sweets (Erin and Nat brought these from a great Indian place in Berkeley)
Jay and Lindsey were going to make MILKshakes, but didn't, and there was various other food that was just darn good, but not within the theme. I made Lemon Cookies with Lemon filling with fresh meyer lemons from the tree at Jay and Lindsey's new house. (yummy)
It was fun to have them all over, we all enjoyed it.

Poor Gus, Poor Paws

Today is friday, and not a happy day. The weather is nice, Dan is coming home, but Gus has a problem. He has not been walking much for the past few days---we thought it was his arthritis, or the rain, or that he hurt his front paw somehow. But he's not been asking for walks, hasn't been eating, and I noticed that he had been chewing on his paw. We bought him booties for walking, which, though he looks funny and cute in, make me so sad to put on him.
so I finally brought him to a vet today. She turned out to be a wonderful gal, and a very good vet. She is not sure what the problem is. It is possibly a minor problem, an allergy to something that affected ALL FOUR PAWS. Yes, all 4 paws are affected, that's why the poor guy can barely walk! But wait, it might be worse. He might have an auto-immune disease, called "Pemphigus". I haven't looked it up yet, but she just said she hopes it isnt' that. There is treatment for it, but it's predisone, which is not pleasant for a dog. It can shorten their life span, but she was vague about this. We just don't know yet.
It was a very hard appointment because she had to shave his paws to check, since he's so hairy, then she needed to take a blood draw to really check this out. Cleaning and checking the paws took about 1/2 hour, and the attendant was sitting on Gus to keep him from moving. He was his wonderful, patient, stoic self. She then had to clean out his ears, because they have stuff in them, and then clean out his eye, which is runny! (I know that some of this is allergy related, as these happen all the time, but all at once, the poor guy!) I was sitting there comforting him.

She was wonderful with him, kept saying what a wonderful, patient good guy he was. And he was. When she was done, she gave him some treats, and he just wagged his tail and looked happily at her, like normal. We have to bring him back next week to see how all the meds do, to see if it's just allergies and an infection.
I was so thrown; I am usually very stoic, and i was fine in the office. I got out to the car and just choked up, and cried. (my tear ducts don't produce many tears, due to my BMT, so I can't really cry, but I did) I just came back and am sitting here, decompressing, feeling so bad for him. At one point, I was holding his head and hugging him, and I think he was shaking.
she gave him a bunch of meds, which is not good at taking, nor is he eating much, so I stopped at the nearest place near here, which happens to be a Burger King, and I bought him some french fries to hide the pills in! He did like those!

Mustard, Montana, Movies, and Merlot

Yes, it's been a while since we wrote, so we'll catch up now. On tuesday, I brought Dan to the airport for his trip to visit his brother, Jerry, in Montana. I then went over and put down shelf paper in Jay and Lindsey's new house in Alameda! It was really fun, Paula, Lindsey's mom, Lindsey and I were there for a while working, then Jason came over after work. This place is really nice, I'll include pictures some other time, after they move. It's a little Victorian, built in the 1870's, and in wonderful shape, updated, painted and spotless. Great windows and ceilings, and a separate entrance and downstairs big room and bath for visitors. Yeah!
Dan, meanwhile, got stuck in Salt Lake City, of all places. He called Matt, and since it was late, they decided to meet for breakfast the next morning, as Dan's flight was leaving late. So he got to see Matt, that was nice, but he was not very happy with the airlines, long story, just really frustrating.
He got to Montana, and found Jerry so glad to see him, it was really good for him to go. Dan will probably include some pictures later, and write his own words.
I did not do much on wed., I exercised, took care of some email business, then went to a movie, "The International." I love this nearby theater here, they have good movies, seats and popcorn, and many people go alone.
Thursday, I took a walk in the morning--it is finally really nice here! Warm and sunny. In the afternoon, I went into Sonoma to visit the HGTV (www.hgtv.com/dream-home) dream home. It was lovely, please go to the link and look at it. The best parts were the storage and the laundry room and den. The kitchen had two attractively built in pantries that were behind glass curtained doors, so it added to the ambience of the place and also held alot of dishes. I really liked that idea. The dining room was quite large, and had a little sitting area in it too by the window, another idea I really liked. The den had storage for wine in it, and lots of built ins, also a separate entrance. I could do therapy in there and serve my clients wine to help them open up, and they could come and go privately! All the counters were silestone, which seems much more practical and cheaper than granite. Oh, they had a little vineyard out in the backyard, I am including that picture.
While I was waiting for the tour to start, I shopped in Sonoma, and found these really nice prints that I bought! Do you like them? They are colorful, and painted by a local Sonoma artist. The yellow in the prints show the mustard that is growing here rampantly at this time of year, in face, it is the "mustard festival" in Napa right now.
Later, I met Kathleen for dinner in Petaluma. We ate at a cute, little place called Sooze's Wine Bar. There were only about 4 tables in it, and the owner cooks the meals from scratch as you order! We split a wonderful duck breast with a great sauce, and each had a deliciously fresh lobster bisque. It was an enjoyable day, I really had a nice time. Sonoma looks so beautiful today, with the sun out and the green beginning, the flowers beginning to bloom and the yellow of all the mustard!

Rain, rain, go away, and a picture for Inger

Sunday we went to the "Key Cinema Club." They have these in a few cities, such as Washington D.C., St. Louis, and a few others plus San Francisco. This is an organization that you can join, or go as a guest, and they preview movies prior to being released. So you get to see movies, all indies, I think, before they get reviewed or released. Today we saw "Two Lovers" with Joachim Phoenix and Gwenneth Paltrow. Dan did not like the movie at all, Jay sort of liked it, and Paula, Lindsey and I (Pat) did like it, maybe 2 1/2 stars. It's fun to go, you go in the morning, and they are careful to monitor that no one is bringing any equipment to make a copy. Interesting! This is apparently Joachim's last movie, or so he says, but, we'll see. We don't think he'll make it as a rap star, at any rate.
Later, we met Kathleen at a wonderful restaurant in Larkspur called "The Lark Creek Inn." It was great. Kathleen had prime rib, which was served with Yorkshire Pudding, Dan had Sole, and Pat had fried chicken, served with a buttermilk biscuit. This place is really great, I might want to return for a special meal. Lovely atmosphere, great food.
Pat
Monday was a hike in the Golden Gate National Park area, around Sausalito. We were looking for a trail, and when we found it, it was closed, probably do to erosion from the rains. So we took a different trail, which was also acting as a drain from the top of the hills. The 2-3 inches of rain are running down any incline that is present. Driveways, hillsides and paths all act as drains. I can see why there are flood warnings. All the creeks that were dry when we got here last week, are running with water. The rain is supposed to subside tomorrow, with some warming into the 60's and partly sunny. I am going to Montana on Tuesday for a few days to visit my brother Jerry. Weather there is in the 40's and cloudy. I'll be back on Friday.

Dan

The walk was good, strenuous, but so good to be hiking and exploring. When it rains in this coastal area, it is very different than when it rains in Michigan. You can see why it floods! The signs in the Marin Headlands Park were also very strange to us, to watch out for frogs in the road! (did anyone see the movie "Magnolia'?) So we didn't see any frogs, thankfully, as stepping or running over a frog comes close to a nightmare for Pat, but we did see a huge slug on the path. We took it's picture for our Swedish home exchange hostess, Inger, who told us when we visited that she likes all the slugs we saw on walks there. so this one's for you, Inger!

Pat

Sip, Nibble, Sip, and Rain, Sun, Rain

Happy Valentines Day, and Happy Birthday, Matt. Dan bought Pat flowers for the day, so nice! It feels like home.










OK, we're ready for the rain to stop for a while. This area has been in a drought, so the locals are excited that they are finally getting rain. For us, a week is enough already and we are ready for some sun and a little more warmth, though it has been consistently in the high 50's which is quite nice compared to Michigan. The rain has not really slowed us down much, but has just altered some activities.

Friday we went to Sonoma to partake of a wine matching at St. Francis winery. www.stfranciswinery.com. Last year when we were here, (see Pat's blog) we had joined their wine club, and we have received a few shipments of their Artisan series wines. We probably are not going to continue this, as we have since found other high quality wines which we prefer, but part of being in their wine club is a complimentary wine pairing. The way that works is they pair four wines, with four small portions of food. It is interesting to see how the wines and food compliment each other, the rule of thumb is to "sip, nibble, sip." One thing we learned was to eat something prior to enjoying this, as the quantity of food is very small and the quantity of wine is larger than the average pour in a vineyard. We had a great time and then visited two more wineries, Ledson www.ledson.com and Martinelli www.martinelliwinery.com. We found Ledson to be interesting as they offer a very large variety of wines and do not sell outside of the winery. Their tasting rooms are in a mansion that sets off the road near Santa Rosa. Martinelli is located in a very plain, wooden facility. We plan on exploring more of the 122 wineries in Sonoma, so that leaves us 119 to go. Probably won't accomplish that this trip, but it's a nice goal.

Saturday we had more rain showers. We did regular things around the house and stores, then went to a movie. We saw "The Wrestler", which was worth seeing. It is a very different movie. I'd give it 3 out of 4 stars. Pat gives it a 2 1/2.

Later in the evening we went to Rancho Nicasio. Pat found this place last year, and mentioned it on her blog. It is quite something, out in the countryside of Marin. It is only about 10 miles off of 101, through a very, very curvy road, beyond George Lucas's house, (yes, that George Lucas) and over hills and dales. It is a building that is over 150 years old and has a bar, dance floor, general store and post office . It is an old country bar, complete with moose and deer hanging on the walls. Their Valentine's Day entertainment was a group called the Baguette Quartet. They played old French dancing music. We had a ball. Many people were dressed for the occasion, wearing red, or french cafe clothing, and everyone got up and danced the fox trot, tango, waltz. We met one of the owners, who was sitting at the next table, Jane Brown. She and her husband were with another couple, and we had a very enjoyable evening dancing and talking with them. We plan on going back for more entertainment Check out the web site. www.baguettequartet.org

www.ranchonacsio.com

Birthday Wishes!

Happy Birthday today to 2 inspiring men!  Do you know them both?

Can't control how large the Lincoln picture is, sorry about that.

They are both 200 years old today.

Do you suppose they had ever met?  Does anyone know?

Rodin exhibit

After we met Jason for lunch at Bakesale Betty's in Oakland, we drove to Stanford University in Palo Alto and saw the Rodin exhibit at the Art museum. Pictures are posted on our web album on Picasa. http://picasaweb.google.com/danklim1/CaliforniaFeb2009?feat=directlink

It is quite an impressive collection of Rodin's sculptors. The weather continues to be in the 50's and rain off and on, so indoor activities have been called for, though there are still very enjoyable periods of sunshine. Storms are forecast for the next week, so we'll see what that brings.

California's Most Dangerous Beach and Cows Do Run

We drove up to Bodega Bay and Jenner, and saw the beautiful, rugged, forboding coastline of the Pacific. As we stopped at Goat Rock Beach, we heard the tremendous roar of the waves before we even saw the huge, powerful waves. There were signs up everywhere about how dangerous the beach was, the "most dangerous beach in California." Play the videos to get a sense of it. Yes, it was fairly cold, though not by Michigan standards!
We also found a walk, which does qualify as a stairway walk, as it had stairs! It was quite steep and interesting, so I did get the walk in.

We drove back down Hwy One, through countryside, farmland, and the Tomales Bay. Dan


really liked the drive, and thought
Tomales Bay was an unexpected gem. It was a beautiful and delightful day. We were coming home around 4, and saw cows RUNNING in the pastures as it was evidently feeding time. Pat was quite surprised to see that cows can actually run.

We stopped at the bar in Nicasio to get their entertainment schedule. This bar is out in the middle of nowhere, but claims to get quite a crowd. It's sort of a country bar with gourmet food, we will have to try it.
We ended up at Boca, the local restaurant, where they have a great tuesday Happy Hour--1/2 half all appetizers and half off all bottles of wine. They have an excellent wine selection, as well as Pat's favorite wedge of lettuce salad with blue cheese dressing.

The Spirit Moved Us but We Didn't Fall Down

With apologies to the similar name of a poignant book , I had to entitle this entry that because we went to a Meditation Center last night named "Spirit Rock." We had never been to a meditation before, and this center has beginner meetings on monday nights, taught by renowned teachers.
So, we liked it. It's hard to say more, because it really is all inside us. But here is my favorite quote:
"Even
After
All this time
The sun never says to the earth,

"You owe
Me."

Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole
Sky."
— — شمس الدین محمد حافظ / Shams-al-Din Mohammad Hafez

The next morning when I went downstairs, I looked out the window and noticed the sun shining on the little bird feeder outside the window. I had never really noticed it before!

Pat

Stairways Redux , then Packing Redux, then Baby Makes Three

We drove into the city today. First of all we did the first stairway walk of this journey! I am so happy to be back to this activity. This walk is a brand new one that was in the SF Chronicle . It's at The Presidio, and part of their on-going restoration. It was a beautiful walk, short, but we wandered through the Eucalyptus and Redwood trees. At the top, and on the walk, you could see wonderful views of the bay near Golden Gate bridge. A beautiful walk. We met many people, who were also out to check out the new walk, and everyone gave this an A+.
Later, we went to Jay and Lindsey's to yes, help them pack! Oh yikes, we thought we were done with this, but no, it is ongoing. At least this time it isn't our stuff, it's theirs. We didn't do too much, they were actually pretty organized themselves.
Later, Lindsey managed to open the Hope Chest her mom had been saving for her, and found all these wonderful baby clothes that had been hers and her brother's, from when they lived in Scotland. We had so much fun looking at them all.
We left them fairly early, as they were tired, and came back home. Sigh, a nice day. Pat

Re-connecting

This is out of order, again, but until we figure out how to edit it otherwise, there is nothing to do about it. (and who cares anyway, you are all saying).

On Friday night, we went into the city to meet Jay and Lindsey. We had talked to them, but hadn't seen them yet, as they had been busy working and signing their lease for their new house in Alameda. They will move in at the end of the month.
We went in early on Friday, as there were some destinations that I (Pat) had seen that I wanted to check out. The first was an Art Deco antique store near Russian Hill, named Decorum. It had beautiful antiques in it, really beautiful! It was all Art Deco, alot of it french. But so expensive! Nice to see, a nice shop. How do these places stay open, you have to wonder? How can they make a living with this?

Anyway, we then bolstered our driving courage and drove downtown. We're not really wimps, after all, we drive in Chicago all the time, but the parking in San Francisco is actually the worst. We finally realized we should just bite the bullet and go into a parking garage, and pay the price. We walked to Belden Place, which was described as a small French little enclave in the heart of the city. Well, it was cool, it was a little street off of Post St., but all it had was restaurants. It would be cool to go there for a meal, esp. mussels. An interesting find, but not much else there. We walked around the area for a bit, then headed to Jay and Lindsey's.

We visited with Lindsey, who looks really good. She really does have that pregnancy glow, feels 70% better than when she was in Ann Arbor at Xmas time. When Jay got home, we went to this restaurant named "Aziza". I had been there before. I had taken Jay and Lindsey to it. It's one of their favorite places, and we all wanted to share it with Dan. It's sort of Moroccan-Mediterranean . It is really a beautiful place, many little rooms with couches and curtains. They have a "tasting menu" where the chef decides what he'll be serving you. Yikes, we had so much food! We were stuffed! So delicious! Their version of bisteeka, couscous, lamb shank, hummus, scallops, etc. The picture is from there, and the people in it are just random customers. It is very dark, but I wanted to include it.

We also just found out that the chef from Aziza will be on The Iron Chef on March 1st!

On Saturday night, we had Kathleen over, and we cooked. It was so good to see her again. We had a really nice time. Good to re-connect!

One final comment--the weather. It's been rainy and cool. The rain is off and on, as is the cool. It still isn't snow, and it still isn't cold. it doesn't stop anyone from activity, which is great. We have a hot tub in our complex, which is really nice too. It reminds us of Sweden, actually! The Swedes would call it a "Swedish Beach Day."(are you reading this, Per?) (to understand this fuller, you can check out our blog to Sweden--www.danklim.blogspot.com--and look up 7-6-08)

Musings

The joy that I felt last year is returning. I am trying to analyze it a bit. One thing I realized is that the flavor of this area is different---maybe it's related to the climate, maybe because it's a big city, but there is so much going on! And people get out and do things, not just young people, not just couples, not just "hip' people. I was experiencing this the day we played golf, the movie and then went to the book talk later. There were many people at all these activities, and all kinds of people. I realized when I was out here alone last year, that that is not an anomaly, there are many people doing things alone, and people of all ages. It's like people embrace activity, are curious about life, and used to going out and doing things. I think the climate has something to do with this, but there is a similar flavor up north in Michigan, though not the same degree. Individualism is the norm, and there is acceptance of it. There seems to be less emphasis on appearance, in all it's aspects, and more acceptance of being different, or being your own person. I feel so comfortable with that, as one who has never quite felt that I fit into any group. I don't know if I can word that right, but I think that is part of my feeling of comfort here.
Pat

We waited 4 years to return to Elko and then our only calamity

Oh dear, this will be out of order from our trip, but as I (Pat) am food obsessed, I have to add this.

On the trip from Salt Lake City to Reno we stopped at Elko, Nevada for breakfast.   This has a history for us.  When we drove this journey 4 years ago, we ended up by chance at this restaurant that was the best omelet and breakfast I have ever eaten.  And I am not a breakfast person, so this really was good!  I have thought about this place for years, and was looking forward to returning there on this trip.  Dan of course kept preparing me for the possibility of it not working out, and I of course was determined for it to work out!  (typical of us!)   Of course, we couldn't remember the name of it, only some of the details of where it was and what it looked like inside.    Well, Dan thought he spotted it,  I was very skeptical and unsure that he was right, until I saw the menu, and then Yes! it was the same place!

The omelet was as good as I remembered:  fresh delicate eggs, fresh slices of avocado, crisp bacon, good white cheddar cheese, and slices of hot pepper.   And the biscuits--ummm, homemade, flaky, warm.   

We didn't take any pictures, we were too hungry to think about it since we'd not eaten since we'd left Salt Lake City.  But we did buy a coffee mug!  The name of the place is "The Coffee Mug."     A treasure!

But here's the calamity, the only calamity on the trip out here----the mug broke, as you can see as we completed our travels.     Oh, woe is me!  (but valentine's day is coming, hint, hint, hint to Dan)

Pat

It sometimes rains in Northern California or the new restaurant new chef new food critics.

Well we have had some rain, and it looks like we'll be getting some more. The locals are happy as the area is in a drought and the last time it rained was last February, but it creates a challenge for us. Nevertheless it is not zero, or below zero (that's farenheit) and we are in California. Yesterday we went up to Napa, and had a late lunch at the Napa Grill. It was very nice, though not on the scale of Bouchon's or the French Laundry. We played with the camera a little and shot this short video. Maybe we'll do that a little more. The restaurant had been closed for a month so they could replace the roof, so everything was a little new and disorganized, but very high quality.   They also had a new chef, who delivered our food.   You can see the starter course in the above video.   Pat also had the mini kobe burger, a spring salad, and celery root soup.   Dan had the harvest platter (above) which was quite interesting.  It had coppa ham, salmon tartare, creme fraiche, raisons-on-the-vine, whole grain mustard, marinated olives, fresh honey comb, air cured beef, petit basque, cypress grove's "humboldt fog" and "la caseria" blue cheeses.   The cheeses were excellent, and I record their names so I can remember, and suggest you all try them.

In the morning we searched for the local YMCA to see if there were possibilities there for working out, and found that it was located at Hamilton Field, the former Hamilton Air Force Base. They let us take out a two month membership, so that should be good. They have developed the base very nicely, turning the hangers into businesses and offices. They have also built some new subdivisions and converted some of the old military buildings to housing. Disney has a production location and there are other businesses there. It is pretty cool.

Other than that we have been getting ourselves organized, walking in the neighborhood, and exploring the area. Last night we went to an authors thing at Book Passage in Corte Madera. It was an event Marin read, where everyone in Marin is supposed to read the same book. The event was crowded, so we watched the author on a TV in the coffee shop, It wasn't a good set up so we left. The place was filled with librarians (not that there is anything wrong with librarians, some of my best friends are librarians). The book they are reading is "What is the What" by Dave Eggers. It is about the lost boys of the Sudan. Might be interesting to read.

Dan