new cup

Point Reyes..

i've been to the Tamales Bay Oyster Company more than a handful of times, and one thing i really love about it is that it showcases the Bay Area perfectly. everyone from all corners and social groupings pass through for an afternoon picnic at some point. i don't know if there are certain days or holidays that showcase certain populations, but i do know i've seen a little bit of everything that exists here in the Bay. 

and the people who come through for an afternoon in the sun do so in the vibrant style that is all their own. more often than not we fall into someone's party. whether they're sharing some homemade cake, their own favorite steak marinade, or shots of whisky dribbling from an oyster shell, its always a good (if at least interesting) time..

<3

Point Reyes

i think we've been here before... ahhh what can i say? it's a favorite spot for locals :*) it is a bit of a drive from San Francisco (1+ hours?), but the drive is lovely and the destination is, well, *sigh*

yeah :*) 

...

midnight gardens..

<3

midnight gardens

i wore a velour cape!

the velour cape was my Aunt's. she's the Aunt who, even when too sick to eat, will still cook up a feast for her family. she made a birthday cake for us to drunkenly fall into (yes, she made the eggnog from scratch too!). Nanny. 

she gave me the cape at Christmas some years back. my mom was horrified when I couldn't stop giggling, but i was in love with it. its just that, well, its a velour cape! how can you not giggle? it kind of tickles to put it on - and yes it is a classic piece, straight out of the '50s - and makes you giddy just looking at it. so soft, so comfortable, and yet so proper in a way I'd like to be more often, all the while tickling you!

last night i celebrated a big round number. i did it with a dear dear friend, at a San Francisco institution (when in Rome..!), Quince. of course i wore Nanny's cape. afterall, we were dining at a rather posh spot, and Nanny would have enjoyed poo-pooing at all the delightful gastronomic paintings and sculptures presented. all 7 courses of them!

hiramasa crudo
royal osetra caviar, sea urchin, pomelo and fennel
Riesling Kabinett Feinherb, Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg, Mosel, Germany 2010

white asparagus
steelhead, quail egg and mustard ice cream
Grüner Veltliner, Gritsch, “Kalmuck,” Wachau, Austria 2010 

isle of skye blue lobster fagotelli
martin’s green asparagus and tarragon
St. Aubin “Le Banc,” Pierre Yves Colin-Morey, Burgundy, France 2010

“carnaroli risotto”
smoked ham hock, english pea, mint and pecorino cheese
Rosat Ull de Llebre, Castellroig, Penedès, Spain 2010

devil’s gulch ranch rabbit
artichoke, wild nettle, taggiasche olive and pancetta
Bourgogne Rouge, Robert Groffi er, Burgundy, France 2007

watson farm spring lamb
green garlic, yellowfoot mushroom, young onion, fava beans and their greens
“Rocks and Gravel,” Edmunds St. John, Dry Creek Valley, California 2010

passion fruit consommé
pickled kumquat and mango-chili sorbet

tainori chocolate tart
milk chocolate ganache, crispy caramel rice and praline ice cream
Mas Amiel, 10 Ans D’ânge, Maury, Languedoc-Russillon, France   

mignardis

<3

happy birthday to me!

goofy feet!

aaaand i'm back! 

hi there :*) i finally fixed that computer situation. things are all good, i'm connected, catching up and all..

fun fact: turns out i'm goofy foot! yeahhhh, all that time offline meant i got out and read books, spent time in the sun, and after-hours-socializing like a good girl. between beers and shots last night, i confirmed i am, in fact, goofy foot. (this is something i was told many years ago, whilst attempting to snowboard in PA, on ice.. ha!) just gotta be sure i follow-up with more lessons soon, while this sh*t is still fresh and in the front of my head ;*)

kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast..!

 

 

wall, haight

technical difficulties

or: the irony of living in beautiful Silicon Valley [area]

soooo my Dell laptop finally broke down. no surprise there. dude, it's a Dell. *_* actually, it was a free Dell. and thanks to my parents - both computer engineers - who trained me from a time before i could even write, i kept that thing going for 7 years. but this week its broken, and what's one week?

one long damn week! i have no access to Hulu, limited access to Netflix (god bless you roomie with your blue-ray hook-up!!!), its really damn difficult to enjoy my gossip / fashion / photography blogs on my ridiculously slow smart-phone. i like to enjoy my morning news with tea and fruit. this is  i m p o s s i b l e   on a teeny tiny screen that has no regard to the size of my thumbs (which are perfect, thank you!).

to be honest, the Dell has been in fast decline over the past couple months. and i have slowly been acclimating myself to this. less time online - practically none for things like blogs and photography - just get to the few things i seem to have a need for, and then move on to life outside in the real world. actually i was feeling pretty damn good about myself. 'i'm not addicted to technology, i can do just fine without the internet!' pshaw! do you understand how impossible this stupid facebook app is?? i have gone nearly a whole WEEK without really being able to check in. to top it off, i had to learn that Whitney Houston died via text message. *sigh* i really am addicted..

though, i must say this week has been much like a good diet / cleanse /detox (ha! withdrawal from crack?!). because i've had limited access to the 'net, i've had to find other things to do with my time. i have gone outside to be entertained, and taken deep breaths of fresh air. in the early mornings i've done sudoku puzzles while listening to birds outside. i have actually sat with friends and had long conversations. i have also enjoyed the sun while people watching. i've helped a friend repair his bike in the hopes we might take a ride together soon. i've read books, and planned on reading some others i'd forgotten about. and i have enjoyed all of it.

i think i've started to form a healthy separation from this overbearing addiction. today i'm borrowing a friend's laptop to get some things done that i actually need (no really, gotta get that part to fix my car..). the minute i got home i immediately got online only to find myself wondering what i needed to look at. 'oh yeah, that tape for the brake lights.. aaaannnnddd, uh..' *_* once that was taken care of i wandered outside. this week has been freakishly nice - perfect blue skies, mild winter temperatures, plum blossoms in full bloom - and yes, fresh air and sunshine feel amazing!

in another day or so my old computer should be up and running again. within the next week or two a shiny new MacBook Pro will be gracing me with it's presence (thanks to some concerned friends). but until then i'll be out enjoying the sun. and after? while i promise to get more pictures up, i'm also looking forward to some spring bike rides.

<3

sh*t San Franciscans say..

heh, ahhhhhh... yes, even i have said a few ;*)

bubbles, bubbles

ahhhh! :*)

/p>

<3

some old, some new..

happy new year!

..and so it goes ;*)

California Christmas

the day after Christmas we didn't go straight to the beach to test out that surf board. no, the next day we all went up to my friend's ranch and helped groom the vineyard. it was a typical California day - sunny and 65F - and luckily no winter rains were in sight. so we worked for a few hours in the sun and fired up the grill in time for sunset.. 

despite the fact that daytime weather out here is near perfect, once the sun goes down it gets cold. and fast! so we swiftly grilled our steak, and made our way to warmer places. ..and this is where i'm pretty sure i got my most interesting Christmas present :*) we went for drinks and dessert at the Madonna Inn!

so far that i understand, this place has been around for quite a while. back in the 70's there were lions and other large animals on display there. today it looks much like it did back then, but without the animals. even the men's room still has its waterfall-urinal. yep, a waterfall! the women's room looks like a typical ladies', with silk walls, marble sinks and a chandelier. and the men's? a cave with the sound of water constantly running over the rocks, giving one peace of mind and tranquility while he unloads. oh yeah :*) the Madonna Inn, a gaudy pink stage coach stop in the heart of Central California..

<3

holiday doldrums

difficult, difficult, lemon, difficult!

i'm still not finished putting together my holiday gifts. in all fairness, i left some of my 'tools' at a friend's house (scale and thermometer). sooo, as usual my holiday gifts will be New Year's gifts. somehow this keeps happening each year. December arrives, so i start planning and getting my presents together. but then (as usual) people end up disappearing - visiting family, planned vacations far and away - pretty much everyone leaves town. so i coast through, avoid crazy holiday consumer-frenzy-pits, and enjoy a relaxing Christmas week/end.

so here i am, in the doldrums of the winter holidays. finding it very difficult to bother baking, assembling, wrapping things up. i also happen to be in the middle of a very long Battlestar Galactica marathon (damn you Netflix). so besides the fact that i don't want to do anything, i've found an amazingly entertaining way of being a complete sloth.

now before you judge me, i should add that i had a lovely Christmas. one in which i spent time with good friends and family, and on the day after i even managed to get outside for some fresh air and exercise..

but first - presents!!!! :*D yep, thats a surfboard. not my surfboard, my friend's new surfboard. and yes :*) i'll likely get to take a ride or three in the coming weeks. wheee!

..still doesn't mean i'm going to start baking yet. maybe tonight, after work.. no one is back 'till next week anyways :*P