Down the coast...

Our trip south this weekend took us along some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. If you don't believe me, just dig up an old copy of National Geographic Traveler with its "50 Places of a Lifetime" list.

The weather Saturday was mostly sunny, with just enough clouds to make the light interesting. We stopped along the way at some of the cool scenic spots. This was Matthew's first visit, so he got the full treatment. And we made it to our destination in Cambria for a nice sunset.







All of our rain (see James...I worked it in) has definitely made for some unusual greens along the coast. And fortunately, we did not have any closures due to landslides. But one not-so-pretty artifact from all the rain was an abundance of poison oak. Unfortunately, Jeff drew the short straw and seems to have picked up a couple of nasty patches. Just makes you stronger, right?

Competition...

I got a glimpse of the future last night. I received another email from Russia, but it was clearly further along in the story than where we were. And this one named another man :(

Nevertheless, the plot thickens. In today's episode, we learn of Elena's true desires: money for a visa. This one is great, even if it refers to someone else.

My dear Banty. I hasten to write to you the letter. My girlfriend informed me what probably to make the visa for 10 days. She talked with familiar in Moscow and he agreed to help. I mean can soon go to you. Do you you want it? It is necessary to solve a financial problem only. As soon as I shall have the sufficient sum of money for trip I shall necessarily write to you the letter with the data when and where it will be necessary to you to meet me. Ok? I cannot believe that I shall soon see you and I can touch you. It so raises :). Weather here magnificent. I am happy that at last my dream comes true. I love you mine sunny.

I wonder if she will write back to me back where we left off last time, or if she will continue where this letter places us. Tune in next time.

Signed, mine sunny.

Too tired to type...

Well, the good news is that we've returned from a very nice road trip along the California coast. But the rain (and some pesky allergy medication) has me drained. So, perhaps just a couple of snapshots from our trip before dinner.

The main destination for our trip was Hearst Castle in San Simeon. William Randolph Hearst's architect literally cobbled this building together from and around Hearst's broad collection of antiques. Most of the ceilings, doors, and fireplaces are transported from Europe. The rooms are filled with antiques ranging from a few hundred to a thousand years old. Hearst was insatiable, and his architect placated him by changing plans as she went along to match whatever new acquisition Hearst had made.

Here are a couple of hints of the style of the building and its interior. I've got many more photos to show as I work on them.



But like I said...I'm tired. So, I leave you with an elephant seal. I like to think he is yawning with me, but he was probably making a funny belching sound.

Total eclipse...

Jeff and I are headed off for a road trip today. We're driving south with his nephew Matt, who is here for spring break. The sun has been darting in and out today, so hopefully it will provide for some dramatic pictures as we drive through Big Sur. Our destination is Cambria and nearby Hearst Castle.

So, until we return, I leave you with the latest from Russia. Enjoy.

How are you? Do you saw an eclipse of the sun? I for the first time could see it. It is very beautiful. Weather here warm. It cheers up as well as your letters. But I should tell to you that now I not always can write to you. Because I should save money. I need in purchase of new clothes and other things. All that is necessary for the girl to look beautifully. :) As soon as I shall have money I shall write to you letters. Ok? I cannot write to you everyday. I hope you you will understand me. Thanks that you understand me. When I write letters to you I feel a strange inclination to you. What is it? Love? I cannot understand. Probably this attraction was thought up to each other with destiny. :) Or the spring so strongly operates on us. I like you. I send you my photo. By the way today and I for the first time do not know my birthday as I shall celebrate it. :)

I think Elena was drinking today, because this letter seems to ramble more than the rest. Still, the affection is clear. You just can't make this stuff up.

Have a good weekend.

A candy store for the evil impulse...

I'm always amazed what I can learn over lunch. Today, I was surfing MSNBC.com and ran across a headline that is sure to draw clicks: "Kosher cell phones ring up growth". Who could resist?

It would seem that multi-function cell phones are under fire from religious groups as tools bringing sex ("and other worldly temptations") into the community. A magazine was even quoted calling cell phones "a candy store for the evil impulse"! So, an ambitious Israeli subsidiary of Motorola has been working with Orthodox leaders to develop a phone that is simply a phone and has a carefully managed list of blocked numbers (incoming and outgoing). An interesting idea.

Personally, if they would just squelch the explosion of annoying ring tones, then I'm on board with it :) Vibrate only? Probably not.

I'll stop when SHE stops...

Blame Mother Nature for all this rain talk. Yesterday, San Francisco set a new all-time record for rainy days in March. Thursday was our 24th day this month with rainfall, beating the old March record of 23 rainy days set in 1904. The rain today, will make it 25 days.

'Things that like rain' for $100...

[Hmmm, oddly enough, just as I started typing this entry, Bruce Hornsby's Mandolin Rain just started playing on my iPod. Coincidence?]

This weekend, Jeff and I checked off another nagging home project--not a big one, but visible. We have spent a lot of time beautifying our front and back yards with a wide variety of plants. Yet, one space has eluded us...until Saturday.

We have a beautiful tree in front of our house, but the previous owners put a weed-like ground cover around it. So Saturday morning, Jeff and I ventured down to a spectacular nursery in Half Moon Bay and found provence lavender, a variety that should grow to a perfect full height and add a nice scent to the front yard. Here are the before and afters.




Now, while we were digging out the old weeds, we uncovered a very wet, very unhappy salamander. My mother would have immediately named him Sammy Salamander. We transported Sammy to a cozy spot in the back yard. But seeing Sammy reminded me of all the salamanders that my brother and I used to collect in our youth. Fun memories.


By the way, the iPod has moved on to a swinging Sinatra tune.

Delving deeper...

This weekend, while was driving around taking pictures, I stopped at an area in China Basin, which is near the SF Giants ballpark. The top picture is the view across the inlet to a dock area where they routinely bring in cruise ships for maintenance.

Anyhow, the concrete area in the foreground has some interesting features, and I have photographed on and around it several times now. Well, Saturday morning, I hit a low tide, and the underbelly of this platform was revealed. The bottom photo was just a quick shot I snapped peering underneath. I was intrigued, until I spotted a homeless man well off to the left. Startled the crap out of me.

I did find it quite ironic that this man was living in the shadow of this cruise ship. But, needless to say, I am NOT poking my nose under THERE again.

And the winner is...none of the above...

Well, I showed some photos to my classmates today. All of the recent urban stuff. And naturally, they went off the list (as artists often do) and selected an image I have NOT posted. So, here is the popular favorite from today.



This semester, in addition to our weekly group critique, we are working on three projects:

1. Next week, we have a nude model, which we haven't done in at least 3 years.
2. We're working on our next group show, which will be in May.
3. And we're putting together a group book of sample images.

Bingo...

Finally. The Russian hook. Scary!!

Good day my dear. I am ok. Today there will be a solar eclipse. People speak that at each solar eclipse there is any grandiose event. I hope this grandiose event there will be the prompt our meeting. What do you think? There can be any rich person many money presents me and I can arrive to you and live with you :) Yes. It is ridiculous. But I the optimist. I love a life. It is fine. I love you.

Oh my. Love?

Illinois Avenue study...

The slice of industrial San Francisco where my camera and I have been spending a bit of time are the stubby streets that poke off Illinois Ave. All of the graffiti images I've posted previously have come from along this route.

I returned in the early morning light both Saturday and Sunday mornings this past weekend. Here are a few of the initial images from these two mornings. More to come, I'm sure.

The little orange man...

I've been accused MANY times of always being a devil's advocate. Perhaps its a fair observation, supported by years of empirical evidence.

Anyhow, I wanted to shout from the hilltops that I finally have a new phone! Yes, the long painful days of impossible-to-understand conversations are (hopefully) behind me. Finally, clients won't avoid my calls, and my mom won't keep asking if there is foghorn in the background.

In doing the upgrade to the Treo 650 from the 600, I had to migrate within Cingular from the "blue network" over to the "orange network". I had heard the horror stories about conversion, and dragged my heels for weeks.

In the end, this went smoothly...so maybe Cingular is learning! I bought the phone at a Cingular store, sat down with the guy for 15 min to fill out forms, and the phone was on the network by the time I rode the elevator back to my office.

My thanks to Curt, for working out the kinks :)

Budding romance...

My Russian wife-to-be wrote me today...still at no prodding from me. For the first time, I think we can see where this is heading. Its the beginning of a "maybe you're the one" angle. So, I've included a few excerpts (the email was longer than normal).

Good day my dear. Today I could find a free time to write to you the letter. Weather at us spring.

I want to tell to you today about my girlfriend. I see her almost every day. We go in a bar in the evening. In a bar we like to play billiards. ... [She] very good person to which can open all secrets. She the true friend and always helps if something will go not so. ... For example I told to her about that that got acquainted with you. She was glad for me.

Only she asked me if I shall want to meet you that as I can leave to you. I could not answer it a question. Because to go in other country it is necessary to find out the person well at first. Now many girls vanish in other countries. With them men get acquainted and invite them to itself. Then girls get in slavery and are compelled to be engaged in prostitution or still something. I do not want it. I believe in real love.

I believe that in my life there will be a person of my dream. He will love me, to give gifts. There can be this the man you? I like you. I should finish the letter. While.

For my money, the best line is the close. "While."

The cost of doing nothing...

I moved to San Francisco seven years ago next month. Ever since I moved, I can remember seeing a neon sign for a restaurant called "The Patio", which is located in a central location that I pass a few times a week.

I remember this restaurant NOT for the great food and NOT for the amazing ambiance, but for the mere fact that is has never opened in the entire time I've been here. It has remained in EXACTLY the state you see in the picture below.

Now, being a man who cares less about important things and more about curiosities, I took this photo, and decided to answer my long running question: "How much money does it cost to operate this neon sign?"

The good news, as I discovered is that neon signs are extremely efficient. "The average neon sign only consumes about 0.8 amps. This equates to about 96 watts (about equal to a single lightbulb). Average cost to operate your neon sign is only about 20 cents per day (if you operate it 24 hours per day)." Therefore, this sign has cost the owner of this space only about $500 for the seven years!

Another website quoted about $3.25/month to operate a neon "OPEN" sign 24x7. That's about $275 for seven years. "The Patio" is twice as many letters, so perhaps we're back in the $500 range for seven years.

I'm surprised and impressed...and I've lost my loyal blog readers after paragraph 3. Did I mention it is raining again today?

A skewed view of gardens...

I think Jeff did a nice job selecting the best of our photos from the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show this weekend. The range of displays was truly amazing and gave us a TON of good ideas. Sooooo, as I am want to do, I have delved into our photo scraps and chosen a few oddities for my blog.

So we begin at the beginning. The event was at the Historic Cow Palace, which really looks like a big blimp hangar. It was built in 1941.

In addition to about 20 artistic installation gardens, the show includes an endless display of products for sale, including my absolute favorite. (Yes James...I worked rain into THIS blog entry too!)

At this point, since its past my bedtime, I'm just going to let the remaining pictures speak for themselves. All of these come from the installation gardens themselves. As you will see, the range of themes is quite broad. (Don't miss the little people of Stonehenge below..."so you're building a henge are you?")

Morning drive...

More and more, my morning route to work follows a slower, winding path along the waterfront. Frankly, I can sit behind other cars on the freeway anytime, and my path less traveled fills my head with photos yet to be taken. This morning, I stopped at a new spot, and took some quick shots that may turn into something. A nice moody b&w across the bay, and a couple more shots for my graffiti series.

Success...

Well, persistence has its perks. With blogger, its all about trying the same procedure at different times of day, loading files in different orders, and perhaps changing from boxers to briefs. I don't know. Tonight, these pictures loaded.

So, above are Michele and Rob...as promised. (Smile, Robbie, your name is in lights!) And below, is a shot of the "Living Room" of the W in San Diego.

Best spam ever...

Well, two fun updates here. One is an update from Elena. I think she misses me...young love in Spring :) Yes, she wrote today:

Greetings my dear. I am sorry that did not write to you for a longtime. Where I go to Internet - cafe to write to you letters all computers broke. The manager of it cafe told that it was a virus. So I probably cannot read your letters which you to me sent. Weather here good. The sun shines. Pleasure on soul. How are you? I hope spring came at you in the country? Write.

But the best spam of the day goes to somebody from somewhere. I don't know more, because I don't speak whatever the language is. So yes, an entire email--a full page of water cooler fun, I'm sure--but written as such: שמאל דוגמת שמעון פרס

Blogger hates me...

So, I have delayed posting the riveting tales of my trip to San Diego, because I wanted to post a couple of simple photos to illustrate. Well, the photos won't load. And I'm giving up.

So, you will just have to imagine the whimsical nautical theme of the W San Diego. And you'll just have to take my word that Jeff's dear friend Rob joined my co-worker Michele and me for $11 mojitos.

Without photos, the trip is fairly ordinary, to be honest. The flights were on time and uneventful. The W hotel was hip, but still just a place to sleep...albeit with cool bath products and beach ball pillows on the bed. And Starbucks in San Diego tastes very much like Starbucks in San Francisco.

All in all, a very nice, quick business trip with time for laughs.

Oh, I DID notice an interesting new item in the in-flight SkyMall catalog. No, it wasn't the Harry Potter wand or the Batman money clip (please). It was the doggy steps that caught my eye. If you recall, I ran across the deal of the century on As Seen on TV Doggy Steps--two for $39. Well these same steps (ok, same LOOKING) were $79.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Just a friendly tip from your favorite thrifty shopper :)

Fire good...

Our fireplace is without a doubt, the BEST addition we have made to our home...hands down. And days like today remind us.

First day of spring? I don't think so. Yes, the rains returned...again. Sigh. (Not that anyone ELSE is enjoying spring: Tuesday in Muskegon 35F, Richmond 39F, Washington 36F, New York 42F. Makes our 52F seem like a heat wave!)

So, tonight, it was Buster's turn to curl up by the fire and dream of that elusive sunbeam.