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I’ve been in Las Vegas this week attending the CES Government conference, and Jeff flew to join me for the weekend. I’ve been meaning to post some shots of hotel windows and various other Vegas stuff, but the days are long and my will is weak. So, stay tuned…

In the meantime, against my better judgement, I’m posting this moody self portrait, taken after a particularly long day.

Sadly, the tree in front our house was damaged during the storm Friday. The gale-force winds twisted one of the three primary limbs, creating a huge split. We’ve stabilized the limb for the moment, but it looks like a third of the tree will have to come down 🙁

Seeking beauty in the rain-soaked city, I ventured out Sunday afternoon. The backlit gray skies set off the graffiti blues. Later, I drove out to Ocean Beach to see the dramatic storm-driven waves. Unfortunately, my photos of the gigantic waves looked like splashes in a kiddie pool…so, I stuck with some photos of the ocean wall.

The rain and wind subsided over night and we even had some sun break through the heavy gray skies. But that was short lived…heavy rains are on their way back. So, I ventured up to the store for breakfast items. Along the way, I passed large downed limbs, and a huge tree that had uprooted and fallen into the road. The store was packed…it was as if a blizzard was forecast…reminded me of winters on the east coast 🙂

So, as I post this, the rains have returned, and we’ve even heard some thunder…a rarity for San Francisco. Fingers crossed that we don’t join the thousands of Northern Californians without power.

It was one thing to be awakened in the middle of the night by high winds and waves of rain rattling the windows of our house. But it was another thing altogether to arrive in the office this morning and hear the building “creaking” from the 70-mph gusts of wind. I’m up on the 33rd floor in a building designed to sway in an earthquake. Still, its quite unsettling to walk through quiet hallways and hear the walls and ceilings moving…loudly.

A belated Happy New Year, fearless readers. The stress and hassles of holiday travel have faded, replaced by fond memories of friends and family.

We spent a fun Christmas in Muskegon. A beautiful tree. A freshly-fallen white Christmas. A brisk walk in the snow. And games of Mexican Train Dominoes that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. (If you haven’t played Mexican Train, then you simply MUST visit us and try it out…its addictive 🙂

We took a drive across Michigan to visit with friends north of Detroit. Jeff’s friends Matt and Lisa hosted a festive dinner party…complete with spontaneous guitar jams and expressive games on the Wii.

We returned to San Francisco on Monday and hosted small New Year’s Eve party with some of our close SF friends. A fantastic way to close out an amazing year.