Friday, September 18, 2009

Hearst Castle

The Neptune Pools at Hearst Castle (source of this month's blog banner)


Gate decorated with whimsical little heads


Dan is dwarfed by the dining room fireplace


Thursday, September 17, 2009

Hiking in Mt. Diablo

Attempting to create shade just below the peak of Mt. Diablo


Winded but determined, Dan pushes forward

Walking up Telegraph Hill

With Chai at "Tcho" shop


We did not see any wild parrots on Telegraph Hill, but thoroughly enjoyed the greenery in this stairs-only San Francisco neighborhood, not accessible by street


Dan C. takes in the beauty

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

San Francisco Ferry Terminal

Beautiful Saturday morning at the farmers market


On the pier near us, someone caught a small shark, while a vigilant pigeon watched o'er



Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Yummy Foods Thus Far

Something we hadn't thought about is that 3+ weeks on the road means a lot of restaurant meals. We have gotten better about sharing main courses and have cut back on dessert.

Some of our favorites have been:
  • The hand carved roast beef sandwich at Hofbrau of the Albatross in Morro Bay, CA
  • Caramel corn from Cleveland
  • The lattes at Vic's in Boulder
  • The cole slaw at Yank Rin dim sum in San Francisco (I had never had cole slaw at dim sum but it was great)
  • This pretzel-chocolate-toffee candy at the Ferry Terminal in San Francisco
  • The Hyatt in Lake Tahoe can mix a decent sidecar (after our two years in Jordan - we know that bartending is a skill)
  • And top of the list would be the cilantro steak sauce Chai made us and the shrimp-polenta appetizer that David cooked

Tahoe and Oakland

Chai at Lake Tahoe


These abandoned chairs on the Tahoe beach were perfect for a photo


With "Little" Margaret


Shauna and Charlotte


Mark and Charlotte in their new house!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Walking on the Moon in Idaho

Highway 26 across Idaho was perhaps the most desolate yet.
No coincidence this is the location of EBR1, the world's first atomic power plant.


Craters of the Moon park in Idaho


The ocean of lava flows are beautiful to look at, but were devastating to the early pioneers' wagon wheels. Later settlers were advised to use nearby landmarks to avoid the area altogether.