California!

Hello to all of our new friends in California and Nevada.  It was great to meet so many friendly (at least on the surface) people.  I wanted to write something because some of you indicated you had read this blog and enjoyed it very much...I made up that last part.  

We had a wonderful, jam-packed two weeks in the San Francisco area, staying with my son Gandolf (not his real name) and his lovely bride Brunhilda.
They live on the happy little island of Alameda.  The island is a terrible place to live.  The crime rate is high, drugs prevalent, prostitution rampant, indications of rats, skateboarding out-of-control etc. Just my kind of place.  We're thinking of buying a place there and opening a Bed and Breakfast. Special rates for all of our friends.

After seeing the Island we saw some of the sights of San Francisco.  Instead of driving over, we took the ferry.  This was a beautiful way to approach SF.  You pass right under the Bay Bridge, have a great view of Alcatraz and the other surrounding land forms around the Bay.  The view of the City is breathtaking...and not in the Seinfeld kind-a-way.
 Unlike most, to me the tourist attractions and souvenir shops are less interesting.  I like the buildings and infra-structure; The people and what they do and how they live. I have a Minor in Sociology.  I'm kind of a combination of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mr. Rogers.  The one store that appeals to me is Frank's Hardware.  It has models of ships and other nautical items as well as clothes and fishing supplies. Get down there and see it Kevin and Jordan.  

We met our son's co-workers as we toured the lab in which he works; Adam, Kelly, Jordan, Ophelia and Chen Yi Moon.  It was a pleasure to meet you. The Lab is fantastic!  What a place to work.  Hey, as I write this- it is "Meat Day". I hope you all are involved in some great science and discoveries.  

I'm not going to cover everything.  We did go to Lake Tahoe and Reno.  The motel was very nice and the hot springs invigorating.  We saw a black bear...I think they go number 2 in the woods, trees, rocks, clouds and sky.  Many images have been stored away.  

One thing Brooke and I have in common is "Junking."  Any thrift store, garage sale or estate sale will do.  We brought back a few treasures.  The coolest of which is an old Variflex skate board. Second coolest is an action figure of Sigmund Freud. When we got home it was very late and our old mini-van was waiting for us with a flat tire. Thanks for the wonderful vacation.