Muy Bonita...

In pleasant contract with Saturday's cool foggy weather, today was brilliant from start to finish. Sure, you could quibble with the slight lingering haze, but that's for glass-half-full types.

We ventured across the Golden Bate Bridge and into the Marin Headlands to visit a craggy piece of land that sticks out into the entrance of the Bay. Firmly atop this sliver of rock is the Point Bonita lighthouse. Built in 1855, this lighthouse was originally accessed via a natural rocky path, which eroded away. In 1954, a suspension bridge (below) was constructed. Today, the Park Service tightly controls foot traffic over this creaky bridge...only two people are allowed on the bridge at once...which can lead to some queues at both ends.


After our visit to Point Bonita, we drove into Sausalito for lunch at our favorite waterfront restaurant--Paradise Cove. We got a perfect table right on the water, looking out at the sailboats.

On the drive home, I spotted this rickety old VW van being carried home to roost in San Francisco.

I also had to share this shot of Matthew catching a cat nap as we sat in a tiny bit of bridge traffic.

Ick...

I was reading my favorite travel magazine--Conde Nast Traveler--on the flight home from San Diego yesterday. One side-bar in particular caught my attention...some preparation notes from a famous restaurant in Montreal where the chef takes great pride in creating unique dishes using every part of the pig...and I mean EVERY part. Here are my three favorite preparations:

1. Head: "Saw top off skull; remove brains; rinse brains under cold running water for three hours. Poach brains. Boil head until meat leaves bone. Cut off ears; peel skin off tongue. Press ears for 12 hours, then dehydrate for 6 more in 100 degree oven. Use liquid to cook meatballs and beans. Fry in pork fat.meatballs and beans. Fry in pork fat. Serve tongue, head meat, and diced skin with meatballs, beans, and fried ears."

2. Tail: "Cook, wrapped in caul fat, and stuff with foie gras."

3. Brains: "Scramble with eggs into a dripping, creamy omelet."

Mmmmmm, mmmmmmm, good! That's good pig. (I had chicken for dinner last night.)

Crisis over...

I'm pleased to say that an afternoon cat nap and a complimentary glass of wine at the Hilton HHonors evening reception cured my crankiness. Back to being Happy John :)

[Update: I've come to a sad realization. After I posted this entry, my headache returned, so I cried uncle and ran downstairs to the Hilton gift shop. I bought Excedrin and a Starbucks Doubleshot. One (or both) of these totally erased my headache. Hmmm, since I didn't have a latte this morning (recall the forgotten wallet), can someone say caffeine withdrawal. Sigh, I hope not...I only have one silly latte in the morning...its one of my daily pleasures.

Also, James requested a happy photo to reflect my improved mood. I don't have photos from St. Michaels on my laptop...so how about a Bay to Breakers pic with a Stranger getting goosed by another Stranger.]

Cranky pants...

Dateline: Mission Valley, San Diego...I have a splitting headache and am officially grumpy. This is in spite of good client meetings, refreshing drinks with friend Rob, and amazing Southern California weather. Unfortunately, I also left my wallet in the hotel this morning, so I haven't eaten...room service is on the way. In the meantime...here is the lovely hill behind the Hilton.

Buying time with a smile...

What better way to ask your loyal readers' forgiveness for slow posts than to send in my nephew Benjamin with his adorable smile. These shots are from the fantastic family weekend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I've got some amazing shots (including a dramatic lightening show)...but you have to be patient...more business travel in the meantime :(

OK, well...after looking through my pictures and Jeff's, I've decided that I like Jeff's pics of Benjamin better. Anyway...Hi Ben :)

More jelly please...

I got a couple of requests for pictures of jellyfish sans people. Unfortunately, I didn't take too many of those, but I think these came out nicely.

A fantastic long weekend...

On Sunday, Jeff and I took Matthew down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to meet up with our friend Paolo, who had driven up from LA. It seems that the rest of Northern California had the same idea. Monterey was a zoo, with screaming children everywhere. Nevertheless, it was fun to see Paolo. The aquarium is pretty darn fantastic as well...particularly the popular jellyfish wing.

Hog Butcher to the World...

Yes, today I flew to Chicago, and since the "Windy City" seemed a bit pedestrian for a blog title, I looked for a more colorful nickname for my host city. ("Gem of the Prairie" was out after I had to sit in *!#*!+#@ traffic on the way from the airport!) Still, tonight's hotel window photo could very well be the most picturesque yet. I'm at the Hilton Suites with a beautiful room overlooking Lake Michigan. Not too shabby.

This evening, my buddy and coworker Steve scoped out a new restaurant for us: aigredoux. I had a fantastic heirloom tomato and goat cheese appetizer, followed by a buttery shrimp accompanied by a flavorful lemon-Parmesan risotto. Desert was a mouth-watering sticky toffee cake.

To wind down tonight, I was having fun looking at some of the more bizarre photos from Bay to Breakers. For example...this guy. I mean, in any ORDINARY situation, a man dressed in a caveman outfit carrying a video camera would be downright CREEPY.

I love these next two photos. These two guys had rigged up a rickshaw out of an old leather chair. At this point in the race, they had pulled this thing almost five miles. Then...tragedy. Standing along the route, we heard this incredible POP, like someone had set off a large firecracker. Well...it was a tire blowout. And these guys trudged on, with 2.5 miles still to go!


This is a fun photo. The sexy bee women, closely followed by a very un-sexy naked/fat costume. Great juxtaposition.

And finally, for sheer lunacy...a bee and a banana wrestling for control of a football...as they roll down a hill in the park.

It doesn't get stranger than this...

Today, some 60,000 runners, walkers, and drinkers took to the streets of San Francisco for the 96th annual Bay to Breakers. The route crosses our 7-mile wide city from the shadow of the Bay Bridge, through Golden Gate Park, and finishing along the Great Highway at Ocean Beach.

So, for today's post, I present a cross-section of the wacky walkers as they passed through the Park. These die-hard striders dress in everything...and nothing...a true Only in San Francisco event. The seeded runners began at 8am...and the inebriated walkers were still making their way past 2pm. This is basically a city-wide block party.

I tried to trim the photos down to just a few, but really, these were just too fun. Enjoy.