It’s mid-February, and there’s still no snow in the mountains. It is, however, warm enough to sail. I sometimes lament the lack of seasons, but today I learned to make the most of it. Our friends rented a boat from Spinnaker Sailing, and told us to show up at 10am at Pier 40. We took BART over, got supplies at the ferry building, and set off for adventure. I’ve taken a dunk in the Charles on a few previous sailing trips, so I was glad we had an experienced captain. The weather was perfect, the sun came out, and the wind held steady. Went under the Bay Bridge and around Alcatraz island, getting a great view of the city, the bridges, and a few friendly sea lions. Had a great time drinking mimosas in the sun; not skiing, but still a pretty solid weekend.
Category: California Page 10 of 12
Here we come
Backdating this post a bit, but figured I should put all my #occupy media together.
Much more at 99PercentMedia, a site I helped build to aggregate and curate content from the movement.
Andy is here for the weekend, and we decided to make it a horse-based visit. Yesterday we went to Golden Gate Fields, where the races were interspersed with with the Weiner Nationals. Those little dogs ran their hearts out, including one who was on wheels. But for me, the betting ended up being the bigger attraction. I learned what I could from the program, and then put $20 and decided to have some fun. My first bet was a winner, which set a dangerous precedent. Two hours, a double Bloody Mary and a few Heinekins later, and my $20 had turned into $37. Of course the winnings didn’t cover the drink prices or the entry fee, but I’ll definitely be back on a Dollar Sunday, when the transaction costs are lower.
After a night out at downtown Oakland’s hippest bars, we woke bleary eyed and headed north to Point Reyes for further horsing. Ruth had bought a Yelpon for half-priced horseback riding, and so we played cowboy and cowgirl for a morning. My horse, Polly, was a little lazy, but we formed a bond and I didn’t nudge her too hard in the ribs to start a trot. After a two hour ride, we took our saddle sore selves to the shore for an oyster extravaganza. Turns out Andy doesn’t like oysters, so I had to double up on the 50 we bought. I was happy to oblige.
A friend needed last-minute house sitting over the holiday weekend, and so Ruth, Laika and I took a short vacation in the South Bay. The house was lovely, the cats dismissive, and the hot-tub inviting.
Hiked in the hills, got stuck in traffic on CA-17, and visited the aquarium in Monterey. The normally reticent giant octopus came out of his corner, and the sea turtle showed off for the cameras. The otters were not so cooperative.
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Turtle!
Went strawberry picking by the sea, boardwalk walking in Santa Cruz, and screaming up and down a hydraulically powered tower.
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Double Shot
Returned to Oakland to watch the fireworks from our roof, only to find it padlocked and a stern sign warning trespassers of eviction. Instead, we climbed out onto the fire escape with our neighbors, and watched from the side of the building instead. Still, I’ll miss our lovely “upyard”. Ruth may need to practice her lock picking skills.