BUC PRIDE BABY

These pictures may or may not have been taken on the 4th of December. Taken in our friends' back yard. It was 72. degrees.

One thing we can confirm, however, is that Aaron has some serious Buc Pride. And speaking of? Someone just may have made the decision to retire. HOW EXCITED ARE WE? Very....VERY excited. Now P&D can take real vacations!

Summertime in the Town

Since we've been outside, running around in our amazingly perfect "summer" weather rather than blogging, AND have been insanely busy the last three weeks, a photo blog this will be...

Gone are the foggy mornings of August. We went out for a quick ride on Saturday and this was the view from the base of Grizzly Peak. The camera phone doesn't quite capture the eerie, other-worldly nature of the fog but this gives you an idea. It totally looks like a rainforest.

Also? In case you don't believe me that they use goats to sculpt the Oakland Hills and cut down on the fire hazard? Here they are. In all their glory. Actually, their guard dog must have been neglecting his duties on Saturday morning because one poor little lonely goat was wandering around Tunnel Road, outside of his gate, trying desperately to get back in to hang with his friends. In a moment of weakness, I thought about trying to pick him up and put him back inside but realized I would probably end up rolling down the hill before I caught him.

Last weekend, we finally made the trek to San Diego to visit Michael, Anna's brother. Unfortunately, before we went, spent a LOT of time going back and forth between airports and home last Thursday and Friday. On Thursday, after we had arrived at SFO, gone through security, and were enjoying the ever-impressive food brought to us by Legends Sports Bar in the horrendous Terminal 1, our flight was cancelled due to the giant power outage in San Diego. We barted back to O-town and were able to fly out the next night...We had a great time with Michael as our tour guide and can't wait to go back. Here he is, looking like quite the beach bum strolling along Mission Beach in perfect, 75 degree sunshine.

Michael wooed us with one of his favorite hang-outs, the Aero Club. Now, it may not look like much from the outside, but I can assure you that the selection of West Coast IPA's (including Sculpin on tap!!!) was quite impressive. Not only that, but Aaron had the good fortune of spending nearly a half-hour choosing a whiskey from their BOUND bible of whiskey choices. It was pretty fantastic. We were the only patrons that particular hour, and the pool tables were enticing, but we tore ourselves away to go to the beach.

Since Michael and his girlfriend were both working the Vikings/Chargers game (sad for MN), on Sunday, we headed up the coast to La Jolla, where they happened to be having their 81st Annual open swim contest. People of all ages were competing and I had to restrain Aaron from jumping in right along with them (and the seals). The little dots on the left hand side of the picture are the swimmers. He did, however, get to go swimming that afternoon when we made our way to the beach at Coronado.

La Jolla is stunning and the weather was gorgeous. As I said, we cannot wait to go back. It has everything: ocean, cliffs, beaches, amazing views, all wrapped up in perfect weather.



Aaron also got to enjoy plenty of fish tacos, amazing IPA's, aaaaaaand, OYSTER SHOOTERS. I didn't even know these things existed. I live a sheltered life.

Oyster, horseradish, cocktail sauce, and a squeeze of lemon with vodka on top...

This weekend was jam-packed with excitement. First off was a Friday night with BCSM who is here visiting from the great Minneapple and directing a show with a local opera company. He brought along his leading tenor, who was, shall we say, skeptical about spending a night in Oakland. :) It was great to see them both and everyone made it home safely...

Saturday, Aaron had planned a food pilgrimage to Yountville to visit Thomas Keller's restaurant, Addendum, with our friend who we lovingly call "Short Arms." They starts serving boxed lunches of fried chicken or barbecue at 11:00 am Thursday-Saturday. They only sell 200 boxes and by the time ours arrived at 11:20, 100 had already been sold. Crazy. I can't attest to the quality of the chicken but I can tell you how delicious the cornbread was. Aaron was also quite pleased with the drink selections, which included purple Crush. The picnic tables were set in the backyard of Ad Hoc and surrounded by their gardens which provide most of the produce for the restaurant's service. So, so beautiful.

THEN, we had the greatest adventure of all on Sunday...climbing Mt. Tam. Our friend from Marin has been dying to get us over there and we finally had the perfect day for it. You can't really call yourself a biker out here until you have climbed both Mt. Tam and Mt. Diablo. One down, one to go. We left Sunday morning, threw our gear in the cars and the four of us drove on over to the other side of the bay. The ride included about 4,400 feet of climbing in a little over 20 miles, a lot of descending, and Aaron putting the rest of us to shame as he raced up the hills while we suffered behind him. The first climb of the day was hot, hot, hot but as we descended into the woods, rolled around the bend, we came upon this.

Alpine Dam is one of the Marin County reservoirs and literally takes your breath away as you leave the dry, golden hills behind and come upon this giant body of water surround by redwoods. Great place to stop for a breather, but there was more suffering to be done.

The second big climb of the day was MUCH more challenging (well, for everyone by Aaron). Fortunately, it was mostly in the trees so it wasn't quite as hot. The climb was looooong and tough, but the view from the top was totally worth it...

That is Stinson Beach down below. We hiked the Dipsea Trail on Labor Day weekend, which starts in Stinson Beach, and we couldn't even SEE the ocean when we got to the top. It was completely covered by a giant, puffy blanket of fog (it is pretty weird when you climb above the fog and find yourself in glorious sunshine). On the rare days that it is this clear, you have a 360 degree view of the ocean, the bay, and the city. Gorgeous. We were so pleased to finally be there that we even indulged our friends with a photo, complete with nerd gear (but a great free advertisement for our bike shop!).

We decided not to continue on to the rollers since everyone was hot and out of water so we climbed, descended, climbed, and descended our way back to Fairfax. Everyone made it back, safe and sound, and we parked the trusty steeds at, where else? The burrito shop.

Our friend's parents live in Fairfax and we were lucky enough to enjoy said burritos alongside their pool before taking a dip to cool off. It was a fantastic day and we can't wait to go back and suffer some more. We are very, very fortunate to live in such a beautiful place and to have met such generous friends in such a short period of time.

Last but not least, when we returned from San Diego last week, Short Arms brought over a PALATE of tomatoes, zucchinis, and peppers from her sister's garden. We spent every night last week trying to figure out what the heck to do with them all. We made tomato chutney, tomato sauce, roasted tomatoes, zucchini scones, zucchini marmalade, enchilada sauce...and we still have 2 bags of peppers and 2 giant zucchinis in the refrigerator. Ideas, anyone? 

Well, it's begun...

The first successful attempt at home

The search for the perfect Negroni. Although, it hasn't just begun...it's basically been going on since we moved. The Bay Area has a love affair with classic cocktails. Now, while this isn't exclusive to the Bay Area (as we Minneapolites well know), the love affair with the Negroni definitely is. Sazeracs, Manhattans, Side cars, any good bartender knows how to make one. But I cannot tell you how many times I asked a bartender in MPLS for a Negroni and was met with a blank stare (or a scowl, thinking I had just asked for something TOTALLY offensive).

In SF/O-town? Errybody knows how to make a Negroni. Feels like home. And ERRYBODY claims that theirs is THE BEST. It should be simple, right? Equal parts dry gin, campari, and vermouth with a lovely twist of orange. But ladies and gentleman, I am here to tell you that it is NOT simple. And the ingredients make all the difference. Gin varies from bartender to bartender...some preferring the floral, herbaceous gins, some preferring the hot, steely gins. But the deciding factor? The vermouth. And I am also here to tell you that you should never, ever, ever make a Negroni again without using Carpano Antico vermouth. It is divine. By itself, with a splash of soda, or in a cocktail it puts all other vermouths to shame.

While I've found several bartenders who know how to tailor a lovely drink, perhaps none did it better than our friend, Michael, of Tony's Pizza Napoletana, who carved a lovely twist of orange to adorn my Negroni (on the rocks, which is a rare choice in SF), lit it on fire, and tenderly placed it on the edge of the cocktail. When we asked him why he lit it on fire, expecting some sort of poetic answer about the perfume of the orange delicately adorning the liquor, he laughed and explained that he did it "because it's sexy"...Perfect. This town.

Anyway, enough about Negronis. The point of this post was to tell you about an event we attended a week or so ago. But before we attended the event, we ventured uphill from the Fidi into North Beach to have a Pimm's Cup (BFS, we tip our hats to you!) and a vegan burger (one of the best we've had in town) at 15 Romolo. Aaron knew about this place from his biking buddy at work and it was fantastic. You would NEVER know it was there unless someone told you, and you had to walk off Columbus Avenue, down a side street, and up an alley with a 30% grade to the front door. It is dark, hip, with an old fashioned photo booth in the corner, and plenty of crazies to entertain you in the alley below the open windows. This was our view...

After happy hour, we wandered past all of the North Beach shady ladies (while traipsing down the street to find Coi, which I STILL can't believe is in this neighborhood), and made our way to the main event. Along the way, we couldn't help but admire the city...So pretty, right?

The Transamerica building (aka, Atlantis, aka the Triangle building) is right across the street from Aaron's office.

One of our favorite North Beach restaurants, Comstock Saloon, was hosting a "Whisky Waxing Competition." We went here on Valentine's Day and have a little soft spot for this joint. It was recently named one of Esquire magazine's best bars in America. Can we pick them or can we pick them? The food is good, the cocktails are excellent, and the old-timey character of the place is perfect. That night, they were holding a competition for the best beard or mustache waxing. (WHAT?) The beards and mustaches were accompanied by a barbershop quartet, special cocktails compliments of St. George Spirits in Alameda, and a whole lot of people. Including this guy, who happily posed for our picture while waiting for his moment in the competition spotlight.

I don't think he won, as his offering was fairly meager compared to the other participants, but he was very gentile and happy to let us snap a few shots. Unfortunately, it was a school night and we didn't stay until the end of the competition but we did enjoy the whiskey, tunes, and ridiculous facial hair.

Time to wrap it up with one more little tidbit. In case you were wondering, the weather in the East Bay is WAAAAAAAAAAY better than SF. While it is 70 and sunny over here, the Fidi is cloaked in fog and wind for most of the morning. After a few hours of sun and humanity, the fog rolls in around 5 and the down jackets come out for protection. Most evenings in O-town are sunny until at least 7 and the fog rolls away long before people in SF can come out from under the covers. Thank god we moved over here.

Oh, and Simon is a pretty, pretty princess. Seriously. Our house is his house. His life is hard. His new favorite spot...our pillows.

Another suitcase, another hall...

Another early morning flight out of OAK airport…early as in waiting for a cab at 4:30; a cab that didn’t show up until almost 5 (after 3 calls to the cab company). The only upside of the stress and the 20 minute delay was a complementary cab ride!!! Phew.

Side note: We seem to always be making the worst decisions regarding air travel. Somehow, that singer/audition/find-the-cheapest-flight-possible-regardless-of-time-or-connections mentality hasn’t left our psyche. In an effort to save $50-100 per ticket, we find ourselves on flights with 3 connections, in cabs at 4 am, and unknowingly making a stop at LAX on our way back to Oakland. I’m hoping that the act of writing this down and acknowledging the fact that we don’t have to travel that way anymore will magically eradicate that kind of air travel from our lives.

Anyway, we were travelling to Beaver Creek/Avon by way of Denver for my cousin’s wedding. Their plans for a “small” destination wedding turned into a lovely weekend (and longer for most guests) in the Rocky Mountains for about 50 people. We had sublime weather, sunshine and 80 degrees – HOT by Bay Area standards! After a walk along the river when we finally arrived, here’s where we ate lunch:

One can understand why the servers were so pleasant. If you have to work, this isn’t a bad place to have to do so…

The “towns” all were developed along the Eagle River and are connected by an amazing biking/walking path. We were DYING that we didn’t have our bikes with us. There is actually a bike path next to I-70 almost the entire length from Denver to Vail (and beyond!). Incredible riding. Next time…

We went for a hike Saturday morning and were shocked at how slowly we had to go; the altitude really knocked us out. Any incline, no matter how slight, rendered us out of breath and slowing our pace down. Mr. R needed to stop and freshen up a couple of times with a splash of cold water from the creek. :)

We took the chair lift from Beaver Creek up to about 10,500 feet so these sea dwellers were struggling a bit. Despite our humbling pace, the views were incredible, wildflowers were still blooming, and the smell of the pine trees was invigorating. It was truly awesome. 

We hiked across most of the mountain and then up to a magical little lake at the top of the hill. Horses were tethered, the lake was crystal clear, and we giddily soaked it all in.

The wedding was Saturday afternoon and all of the little wedding guests took the chair lift up the mountain and gathered in the little knoll - even my 84-year old Grandma, who was a total trooper (and the star of the show – everyone loved her!). The ceremony was beautiful, peaceful, and it was genuinely moving and inspiring to hear the words Matt and Eric chose to express their commitment and love for each other. 

The happy couple, along with Grams and brother Charlie (on the R, aka, Thor)

The rest of the celebration was fantastic – held at the beautiful Westin resort with a patio overlooking the river, fabulous vegetarian food, and bountiful cocktails. In fact, my pet cocktail, prosecco and campari, was quite a hit and soon champagne flutes found their way into MANY guests’ hands…

After brunch with everyone the next morning, we decided to head out early on our drive back to Denver. Well, we thought it was early, except that the 2-hour trip turned into a 4-hour trip because of the ridiculous traffic on I-70. It was totally aggravating and we eventually pulled off onto the frontage road and navigated the back roads of I-70 (BCSM, I was VERY happy I had my smart phone!). Fortunately, despite the traffic, and the ridiculous set up of the Denver airport (SERIOUSLY – WHO PLANNED THAT PLACE???) we returned our rental car, made it through security, and found our gate just in time to order some sad take-out at Rock Bottom and enjoy a beer while we were waiting. Apparently, several of the other guests missed their flight because of the traffic. Boo.

We wished we had planned to spend more time away but we had to get back for a very important event…more on that next time...

And in case you were wondering what Simon was up to while we were away? You guessed it...as always, holding down the fort, working hard, and earning his keep...

Worst. Bloggers. Ever.

Yikes. Apparently, we can't even keep up with blogging once a month. Well, after all the flack we received during our adventures in the Midwest, we better get moving...

Speaking of, we COULDN'T move while we were in the Midwest because it was SO. HOT. As many California natives have warned us...California makes you soft. So soft, in fact, that doing anything besides existing in 120 degree heat index seems completely impossible. We had a fabulous time squeezing in visits with family and friends every minute of our week in Minnesota and Iowa but WOW were we happy to leave that heat. Sorry, folks.

What we did return to, however, was August in the East Bay. We were very familiar with the fog patterns of SF and we threw our heads back and laughed each day as the fog rolled into the city while we enjoyed beautiful, sunny evenings in the Town. Weeeellll, apparently August has a different plan for our hood. Most nights, the fog rolls on in around 6 pm and covers the base of the hills like a shroud. It hangs around in the morning, sometimes until noon or so, until the sun FINALLY breaks through and the afternoon skies are bright blue.

When you get up at 6 to go for a ride, it could be 4 am. The light is dim, the air is heavy and wet, so you pull on your screamin' yellow jacket, put on your (full fingered - these wimps are COLD!) gloves, and get on your bike...headed for the hills. And then, the coolest thing happens. You are riding through the mist, your glasses wet, suffering, head hanging, and then...Boom. You're in the middle of glorious sunshine, cloudless, blue skies, with a blanket of fog down below. It is awesome. These pictures don't totally capture the sensation but you can see the fog blanketing the base of the hills. It's totally worth the climb. Even if your legs don't think so. 

Yeah, that is NOT the bay, that is the fog...

Road to nowhere?

We've re-committed ourselves to exploring more of the city. It's hard to do when our weather/biking in the East Bay is so much better on the weekends BUT the City is pretty awesome and there is so much to do. Last weekend, we trekked into the city to the very end of the infamous N-Judah MUNI line (seriously, ask anyone who lives here and they'll have a story about this line breaking down). At the end of the line is...THE PACIFIC OCEAN. We still have a hard time actually believing that we live so close to the ocean. Off you jump of the MUNI, cross the Great Highway and there you are. Sand dunes and all.

But beware, apparently the waves can be a little dangerous. Nothing like getting right to the point.

We walked along Ocean Beach, admired the crazy folks who were parasailing, and couldn't stop talking about how warm it was that day. I think it was maybe 65 (ridiculous, I know). However, the last time we were at Ocean Beach was during an audition trip to SF in December about 5 years ago. We decided to walk most of the length of the city: all the way from the Tenderloin, through the entirety of Golden Gate Park TO THE OCEAN (about 6 miles up and down considerable hills). By the time we got to the ocean, our fingertips were frozen, we were starving, and the Beach Chalet seemed like an oasis (take our word for it, it's not). Needless to say, we couldn't possibly be inspired by the view at that moment. But this time, it was different. The wind was warm and even though the sky was grey, it was beautiful - in much the same way Lake Superior is.

After we tired of the pelicans, we walked back through the park, past the Polo fields (HAVE TO GO TO THERE), and waterfalls, through the Upper Haight and down to the inevitable end of every one of our outings, the Pub. 

We ended up in the Lower Haight after a quick trip to the record store, and quickly made our way to one of the best pubs in town, Toronado. Fantastic craft California IPA's and a fine selection of Belgians; BUT, the best part of it was that they had several bumper stickers on their wall from the infamous Wolski's of Milwaukee, WI. The music was terrible so we ventured across the street to a place that had recently been declared one of the best British pubs in the city, Mad Dog in the Fog. The sun had finally come out and we were enjoying our beers on the patio when we were befriended by two pre-destined Lucas Film employees.

One was a hilarious, outspoken Aussie who quickly helped himself to our chips and the other was a sweet guy from LA who had moved to San Rafael to be a sound producer at his "dream job." Mr. LA told us that sitting on his desk were the Star Wars toys he played with throughout his entire childhood. Of course, Aussie had to do one better. He told us that on top of his parents' wedding cake were none other than...Han Solo and Princess Leia. How could he possibly work anywhere else, right? But the coolest thing they told us was that Lucas still eats at the cafeteria, waits in line just like everyone else, and seems pretty down to earth. He does have an entire ranch in Marin (named Skywalker Ranch) and several roads in that area named accordingly, but...

Someone also felt right at home on this patio when he saw his fellow "Minnesotan" behind him...

No matter where we go, we can't get too far away from the NBA. :)

Speaking of feeling at home, we're pretty much settled into our new place. HGTV is filming some show directly across the street from us so we're thinking maybe we can ask them to come in and redecorate our living room while they're in the Town. We're looking forward to September and October since everyone has told us that is the best weather in the Bay Area. Simon is just looking forward to playing with his toy...per usual.

There's a new kid in town...

Isn't she gorgeous???

She also has a friend...

Simon's more into the sedentary lifestyle...yep, still digging the shoes...after all these years.

Odds and Sods

Sometimes, life is hard, and you just have to bear down and take a nap wherever you can. Even if it's uncomfortable...

We've been busy, folks. Busy with our new, beautiful bikes. Busy with camping in the nether regions of Cali. Busy taking care of our gentlemanly cat. Busy exploring this Windy City. Seriously, we are beginning to think that SF is the REAL Windy City, not Chicago. We've had pretty rotten weather but people keep telling us that it's going to come around. Well, we'll see...

In the meantime...

Anna has been exploring Crissy Field. It is one of the most recently "refurbished" of SF's parks. It is a haven for dog-lovers and despite the wind, has some of the best views of the bay. Please to view Alcatraz, below:


And then there's the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge, framed by the Marin Headlands...some of the best hiking in the immediate area:



Not to mention this:


Oh wait. That's our cat, waiting for his lunch. Yes, we now set Simon's place with a placemat and cloth napkin. Although it seems that we might need a highchair for him...

A couple of weekends ago, our neighbors invited us to go camping at Mt. Diablo State Park. It was truly gorgeous. Not surprisingly, we forgot to take pictures the day we arrived so we unfortunately only have photos of the "morning after." Which means LOTS of fog since we had to leave the park by 10 am. We were only able to do a little hiking but it afforded some pretty fantastic views. And yes...that is FOG...not snow. It is crazy. like a monster creeping up on the hills. We've never seen anything like it...

The little tan line is where we hiked up to take a picture of, um, the fog?

And so, dear readers, we leave you with this. Taken at Red's Java House on Memorial Day Weekend...visited by Anthony Bourdain in his SF episode...where you are challenged by pigeons trying to steal your food, you might find a tasty cheeseburger while you enjoy these views. That is, until the America Cup tears this down and this is no more...