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This past weekend was simply perfect. Warm, sunny days with some evening fog to keep things interesting. So, we decided to take advantage and drive the coast…both directions.

On Saturday, we drove south. Down through Woodside (waving at our friend Brooks’ old house), weaving south along Skyline Boulevard and the coastal ridge. We had lunch in sleepy Ben Lomond, and walked across the Felton Covered Bridge (the tallest in the country). Down through the redwoods to Santa Cruz. Up Rt. 1 along the coast…stopping to watch the windsurfers, the flowers, and the Pigeon Point lighthouse. Up the coast to Half Moon Bay and then back home.

Sunday, we drove north. Up through the small towns of Marin County. Out to the coast and to Point Reyes National Seashore…still one of our favorite spots in the Bay Area. We picked up sandwiches in Inverness and ate them on a ridge overlooking the Tule Elk and the brilliant coast line. Walked along one of the secluded (but certainly not deserted) beaches. We returned to SF in time to catch the setting sun as it lit up the Golden Gate Bridge from an overlook in the Presidio.

Fantastic.

Enjoy these fun “fake” panoramics. I thought this might be a fun way to showcase the variety of sights we spotted this weekend.

This photo is from a sidewalk menu board for a Financial District German eatery. I suppose that if you’re going to target the knuckle-eaters of the city, then drawing attention to the gargantuan size of your knuckles is a good idea. Certainly caught my eye 🙂

So yes, Friday evening started on a humorous note and turned into a full-fledged fine evening.

I began the evening having wine with coworkers at a wine bar in Embarcadero 2. The specific name of the wine bar escapes me, but I’m sure it had “wine bar” in it. Regardless, I had a fine glass of wine, chatted with my good friends at work, and well-wished a departing colleague.

Afterwards, I headed South of Market to Paragon to join Jeff at a happy hour with his friend Jeff (yes…this could get confusing). We spent a few delightful hours at Paragon talking with The Other Jeff, his wife, and some of his close friends. Topics ranged from wandering the streets of Venice, to the importance of urban architecture, to the lack of earthquake preparedness by us non-natives. We had a REALLY fun time…I felt like I had known these folks for years.

When the happy hour dissolved around 10pm, Jeff and I walked to a nearby SOMA restaurant/lounge called Sutra. We had not been before, but the hip decor, creative menu, and ultra-lounge soundtrack intrigued us. We sat at a table in the spacious lounge area…perfect spot for people watching. The waitress described the menu as “Asian-French fusion”…sure…why not. Basically, another small- and large-plate restaurant with a variety of exotic flavors (and prices to match). Nevertheless, Jeff and I both thoroughly enjoyed our dishes…I had a Kobe flank steak with a sesame-garlic-something-or-other dipping sauce…Jeff had a lemongrass chicken hotpot. We’ll go back and try more.

Most of you know that I’m not a big time video game player by any stretch. But Jeff and I have an Xbox that we turn to occasionally for some mindless diversion. I’m quite particular about the type of game that I will play, and we’ve bought some that the whole world loves, but we just don’t get into.

Above all, I like to reward creativity and FUN. I love whimsy 🙂

So, it should be no surprise that I’m just mad about the latest Star Wars + LEGO blend. How could that NOT be fun? Its not a hard game. Its not an intense first-person shooter. Its just the original Star Wars trilogy built out of LEGOs!! And frankly, its addictive fun. So…many thanks to dear Jeff in Seattle for sending this along for Christmas.

I took these quick shots, because I’m having a blast playing the game this evening while Jeff slaves away downstairs trying to get ahead before he flies off to China next week for work.

Call me odd [wait for it], but does the name “Constant Comment” evoke thoughts of that taste you get in your mouth after a good belch…that little reminder of your last meal?

I’ve tried this tea, and it’s fine. But once is enough.

Yes, I do realize that I still owe more photos from Paris. Yes, I’m killing time. Yes, my ruminations on tea names is less interesting than Notre Dame or Versailles.

*URP* (Excuse me.)

Well, the good news is that this weekend was delightful. The sun shined brightly both Saturday and Sunday, and it even got warm today. Today was also my first allergy day of the year…and it was a doozy. Yes, the garden looked all pretty with fresh buds, but there was a definitely dark side…and it was dusted with yellow pollen.

Still, a couple of Jeff’s orchids were just bursting with blooms. (I misted this one with the hose…just a little artistic license.)

Jeff spent most of the day in the garden, while I assembled our new wine rack, tidied the basement a bit, and completed our lightwell with a deep-blue planter. While Jeff was out back, he was visited by a cat from some neighboring yard. (He liked Jeff…he did NOT like me.)

On Saturday, we ventured over to Crissy Field for a lunch in the sunshine and a walk along the shore. I thought this photo of some of the zillion boats out this weekend might make Curt smile. Although, if you look closely enough, you’ll notice that these boats aren’t actually moving. In fact, they were drifting backwards as the tide exited the Bay. I’m sure a good breeze came along eventually.