Lisa Warns

What is the difference between timber and lumber? Well of course you never yell "LUMBER!" when you are cutting down a tree.
Timber is the trees after they have been cut.
Lumber is the processed timber such as beams, boards, etc.

A few weeks ago, Danny and I went to Mexico. I'll have something up soon.

Veteran's Day was a beautiful day in the Bay Area (photo is from Mono Lake area back in May, no snow in Berkeley). I went for another grueling bike ride. I didn't know it was going to be grueling. It started off as a lovely, scenic ride on a paved trail. Then my friend and I continued beyond the pavement... The views over the bay were jaw-dropping. We were in the Berkeley Hills in Wildcat Canyon Park. We started to get to some serious descents - according to the bike trails guide book this was to be expected. But then we were off our bikes more than on. Hill after hill we were walking our bikes down impossibly steep trails. I could barely hike this trail let alone bike down it. I guess it would be similar to biking down Hoover Dam but the dam would at least be paved! We were tempted to hitch a ride out of there with ebparks rangers but we pressed on. We finally got to a fun, manageable downhill part. Weeeeeeee!!!! What a rush!
Then the canyon part. A very nice wooded section. Then of course, when you go down, you have to go back up (that is if you've parked in the lot on the ridge). You see the problem was, I misread the the guide book and thought the entire loop trail was only 11 miles. Plus the elevation graph was misleading. I didn't think it was so much up and down. Now we had to go all the way back up. We met the coach for the Berkeley girls mountain biking team and he directed us to a trail that was not as steep. I really appreciated that since at this point my quads were crying. The coach Jeremiah offered to drive us up to our parking lot but we were determined to finish this 4-hour + journey. He had one energy bar which we split and gulped down. All this biking without even having lunch beforehand! The good news is we did it. What an adventure! Next time - shuttle car at the bottom of the hill! Overall, I was impressed with all the open space. The quiet and the views were amazing. It is hard to believe that the congestion of Berkeley is near this beautiful natural respite. Afterwards, we headed to the Gourmet Ghetto on Shattuck for a delicious pizza at the Cheeseboard. It was so good and the lemonade was so refreshing.

...the thankful heart...will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings. - Henry Ward Beecher

The wild storm that hit California yesterday kept me in my office. I did not go out for a lunch break. Power was on and off. After about the fifth time logging on, I decided I needed a break and braved the storm to go to Cafe Keluna a block away for some tea. The wind was ferocious and the rain pelting. It was okay though, I was safe. Unfortunately, early that morning, the storm was not so kind to one of our city employees. She was killed in a head-on collision on Hwy. 1. just north of Devil's Slide. Marilyn, the secretary in the engineering dept., was killed instantly from her injuries. The other driver was going too fast for conditions.

Well folks, this Pacifica cool coast resident and veteran of Chicago winters found herself again out of her natural habitat. This time I was biking in extreme heat in Folsom, CA. Does that count as "Extreme Biking?" Anyway, Danny and I escaped for a few days to Folsom, CA to partake in the beautiful bike trails that follow the American River. We biked the loop around Lake Natoma which is part of the American River only dammed on both ends (Folsom Dam and Nimbus Dam). The weather was gorgeous but it was hot. Danny's bike odometer/timer/thermometer gadget thingy read 95 degrees. We appreciated every little scrap of shade. I even found a park with sprinklers going (tsk! during a drought!) that I ran through to cool off. The ride was lots of fun with no intense hills. Afterwards, I got my core temp down with the help of some delicious lemonade at Karen's Bakery and Cafe in Folsom. Delicious sandwiches and salads. My watermelon salad was excellent and Danny had a corn salad with cherry tomatoes. So good!
Also, very helpful staff at the Bicycles Plus bike shop in Folsom.
Canoeing - we rented a canoe from the Cal State Aquatic Center and took a lovely paddle up Lake Natoma. Again it was hot but I was able to get some shade along shore for part of the trip. Danny was on limited paddling due to his shoulder injury. We can't wait to go back for both biking and canoeing.

Had a chicken salad sandwich for lunch yesterday while watching "free-range" chickens wander the streets of Fair Oaks, CA - not an everyday occurance. The chickens (mainly roosters) roam freely around the small plaza of Fair Oaks Village. It's love or hate among the residents. Personally, I can relate to the folks who are awakened at 3am by crowing roosters. Brings back memories of that small fishing village in Mexico with too many roosters. Here's an archive story from the LA Times: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/12/BABT14KP77.DTL
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road in Fair Oaks?
A: Because it can.

Q: What do you call a spa for chickens?
A: The Pampered Pullet

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great summer!

Finally, I upgraded to a better bike. My old bike was great - I had it for 19 years but it needed a major overhaul. It was almost in the "klunker" category. I decided to get a nice Trek 6000, hardtail with disc brakes and 27 gears. I love it. Don't think my old Diamondback would have made yesterday's ride (see previous post). The Cookie Monster bike bell has made the transition to the new bike.

Saturday, August 29 - Went on a guided bike ride along the ridge above the Crystal Springs Resevoir with my friend Kathy. Holy Cow was it hot! Part of me was hoping the guide would cancel the ride. It had to be 105. Friday, I was in Millbrae (very close to Crystal Springs) and it was 104. It was 101 in Pacifica. You read that correctly. Cold, blustery Fog City Pacifica got up to 101!
Meanwhile back on the ridge, we were biking through an oven. The group did 13 miles, not much in distance but boy howdy the hills!! Up and down too many times. Very scenic what I could see through the waterfall of sweat pouring off my head. This ride was more advanced than I was ready for and it was not "level most of the way" like the guide said beforehand. This ride went through San Francisco Water District land and ironically, not a drop of water was available. Bring your own water - lots! At the end (yes, we made it, barely), we felt good that we stuck it out. Full disclosure: Kathy and I sat out the last mile before the turnaround point. We were exhibiting symptoms of heat exhaustion, so we sat in the shade and waited for the rest of the group to get back from the turnaround.
After the ride, we couldn't get to Half Moon Bay fast enough for a cold, cold beer. Today, I am rehydrating.

Friday night Danny and I saw Huey Lewis perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Thanks to my friend Johnnie Bamont who was playing in the horn section, we were on the guest list with all access passes. It was a calm, clear evening -perfect to enjoy the show at this outdoor venue. Still glad I brought a blanket! The band was great, really pumped up. Their music brings so much joy to the fans. People still go wild for them after all these years. They did some nice a capella harmonies. Also, the daughter of drummer Bill Gibson sang beautifully on "Cruisin" - she is only 18 but has an amazing voice. After the show, I got to meet Huey and Bill Gibson and his daughter Olivia. Really had a fun time! 

The reason Sarah Palin resigned as governor of Alaska is because she is taking time off to hike the Appalachian Trail!!

I have not posted since May. Work has been so busy and June is crazy at Parks and Rec.

June was fun though! We did lots of great things. Started the month out seeing the SF Symphony playing Shubert and Berg, conducted by the awesome MTT. It was an excellent performance comparing Shubert and Berg. The Berg pieces were dark and moody. We felt physical relief when the soothing sounds of Shubert came through in the second half.
The next week, a friend took me to my first opera. A full-on SF Opera production of Porgie and Bess. Wow, what a show! At 3 hours and 15 mins. I don't think I could handle one of the longer operas. That's the one thing about opera - it takes twice as long to get your point across because you're singing it and dragging out all the notes and lines. Even though Porgie and Bess was in English, it still helped to have the supertitles. That way you can see how inane some of the lyrics are. To sum it all up, I'd say I like opera music more so than seeing the stage production.
Had my second annual Summer Solstice Art Show in June with a reception on Friday, June 19. Big turnout at the show and the post-reception party at the house.
Pink Martini at Davies Hall - It is hard to categorize the group Pink Martini. They are salsa, Cuban, big band, standards and more, with an orchestra background. Really a wild show and they sounded great in Davies.
Fourth of July - the fun continued as Danny and I kicked off the weekend by seeing the musical Wicked. Loved the costumes, sets and the story. The ending was unexpected but better than what I thought would happen. Supertitles would have been helpful. Now that I've been to the opera, you get spoiled on that feature.
Then July 4 was all about illegal fireworks. Pacifica has a lot of generous people that set off these wonderful, beautiful fireworks. I was at a BBQ about a block away from the most gorgeous display. It was like our own personal show. No need to deal with the SF or Redwood City crowds. No police came by to interrupt the show. A fire truck drove by afterward and honked (their thanks?) and overall it was a great evening, warm and no fog.

Some of my favorite restaurants in the Bay Area:
Nick's Restaurant, Pacifica - classic old-time restaurant, BEST crab salad sandwich, especially good with avocado on it instead of tomato. So good! Full bar and that means martinis for you cocktail people.

Cafe Gibraltar, El Granada - this place is unreal. Mediterranean cuisine and more at its most creative.

More later in another posting...

If you have never been to Mono Lake, it is almost an extraterrestial landscape. The lake is alkaline with these bizarre calcium carbonate formations called tufa. There was no one there when we visited, making it eerier. I really enjoyed the uniqueness of it. It's really hard to describe and I am struggling here.

Ironically, we saw the most people on our trip at the ghost town of Bodie. Bodie was a boom town of 10,000 people in the late 1800s. Almost all the buildings are still there, as are the relics inside. Amazing flashback to the old mining days. I guess I should read the brochure I picked up so I know what I'm talking about.

Grover Hot Springs - we had a great hike up to a beautiful waterfall. We were able to get very close to the raging runoff. What a sight. A woman on the trail said she visited in late summer and the creek was a mere trickle. I'm glad we got to see the power of the Sierra snow melt. After the hike, we dipped into the natural hot springs. The water is pumped into a pool where you can sit and soak. Very nice.

Another road trip filled with fun adventures...
D and I were originally going to go surfing in Mexico but we succumbed to common sense regarding the swinehund flu. It probably would have been no problema but you never know if it is hype. And I don't want to be the one statistic. Anyway, the most dangerous place we went to was the California Academy of Sciences. If we were going to get the flu, swine or otherwise, it would have been there!! Petri dishes walking around all over the place. The new museum is beautiful. The architecture is fanom and the green roof is lovely, especially in the rain. Great view of GG and the still new deYoung. The rainforest is so cool! Butterflies everywhere. It is worth the wait to get in.
Okay so I said something about the Eastern Sierras in my subject line. I'll get to that in a minute. First, I wanted to mention that the water in the ocean is so cold right now. 47 degrees - no wonder I got an ice cream headache the other day when I paddled out. It really made me rue that decision to postpone the Mexico trip. Mexico is all about HOT! Warm water but cold beer.
Okay, the Eastern Sierras. Started out in Truckee. Had a little rain on the way up and for the first 2 days but it was that pleasant light rain that makes everything fresh and green and smell good. We stayed at a LEED-certified hotel called the Cedar House Sport Hotel. Not sure why they call it a sport hotel since there was not a gym or a pool but the hot tub was perfect after our bike rides and hikes. Biked along the Truckee River and boy was it cold! It was 48 degrees, not including the "wind-chill factor" generated by our forward motion. What were we thinking! I guess we were still in Mexico mode. But it was great - we had the trail all to ourselves and we disregarded the Trails Closed signs. We did see a few locals using the trail as well. In Truckee proper, we went into a cool bookstore called the Truckee Book and Bean. Good coffee and tea and tables tucked in among the books. I love bookstores like that. Tattered Cover in Denver is like that only much bigger.

Dinner at Pianeta Ristorante in Truckee was so good. I had the Chicken Marsala and a delicious Tormaresca Neprica red blend from Puglia. Chicken melted in my mouth. Portion size was big so I got to enjoy leftovers the next day in Bridgeport. Not much in the way of dining in Bridgeport so I really appreciated it!
Our drive around west and south Lake Tahoe was beautiful. No traffic as it is the off season. The shoulder season...
We hiked down to the Viking House on Emerald Bay. Straight down for a mile. It was very pretty down at the waterfront. The hike back up was tough but the rain helped refresh us. At @ 6300', us seabirds were still acclimating to the elevation. Speaking of seabirds, did you know that 80% of the seagulls we see at the beach were hatched on Mono Lake?
Mono Lake was just as weird as I expected. We walked along the water's edge and got a close look at the tufa formations made of calcium carbonate.
Next post I will cover more on Mono, Bodie ghost town and Grover Hot Springs. More later...


 

Back from a weekend in Sonoma and boy am I full! We had some fantastic meals. Our Friday night dinner was at Carneros, located in Sonoma at the Lodge at Sonoma. I don't know why they call it a lodge since there is no skiing or national parks nearby but I digress. At Carneros, http://www.thelodgeatsonoma.com/sonoma-valley-restaurants.html we started out with the risotto fritters which were delicious and Danny is already planning on recreating them. Then I had the filet mignon and those of you who know I rarely eat steak (and don't eat steak rarely) you are probably wondering why. Why? Because it was there. Grass-fed, organic, local Sonoma beef served with the best mashed potatoes and nearby Delta asparagus. I was in heaven. Fortunately, Danny was there too and he was enjoying the game hen. The wines were outstanding. I had a Pelligrini zin "eight cousins" and Danny doesn't remember what he had except that it tasted nice and the tanins didn't assault his gums. That's all that really matters, isn't it?

On Saturday night we went to La Salette, a Portugese restaurant right off the plaza. http://www.lasalette-restaurant.com What a treat! Everything from the fresh, hot roll to the mussels right down to the Portugese cookie at the end was so good! I highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the Sonoma area.
More later on our Sonoma weekend...

It was hard to stay indoors on Saturday since it was so beautiful outside - warm sunshine, clear skies - but the conference was worth it. Gorgeous views from the Skyline College campus. After the keynote speaker read from her book, I attended a fun poetry workshop and wrote a few poems. Maybe I will post. The afternoon session was about travel writing. I love to write about my own trips but it is hard to get "that catch" that lures the reader in.

Well somehow the entire month of February whizzed past and I without a single posting.
Highlights from February 2009:

• Winterfest gathering with friends in Redding. Stopped at the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. for a flight of beer samples and boy was I flying. After I landed (after spending a lot of time in the gift shop and walking around the brewery, I resumed my journey to Redding (Danny still had to drive).
• Saw lots of birds, including 2 bald eagles, an American bittern, golden eagles, a very wet perigrine falcon, green ibis and more!! at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge just south of Williams, CA.
• I don't remember anything else...

Greetings! This past weekend was filled with incredible live music and I didn't even have to leave Pacifica!! On Saturday, I saw jazzman John Worley and Bari Bari. Straight Ahead Jazz. Worley plays the trumpet, sounds like warm massage oil. Bari Bari is a group of three that play the baritone sax. I have never seen three bari saxes at the same time.

On Sunday, an afternoon recital was performed at the Spindrift Theater by violinist Kay Stern and pianist Joan Nagano. The recital was a fundraiser for the local theater group, the Spindrift Players. The program featured a heavenly sonata by Pergolesi, Paganini's Cantabile in D Major, lots of fun Gershwin tunes, Jewish dances by Lavry and a sonata by Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg. The acoustics in that little theater were perfect. The Weber piano sounded great.