Winding Down...

   Had a great dinner at Hot Basil, billed as authentic Thai food. Though I can't vouch for its authenticity (I'm sure it's worth a trip to Thailand to find out!), their Tiger Cry Beef was indeed so good that it made me want to weep at the table. And the seafood pad Thai was most definitely worth going back for as well. You KNOW it's good if it inspired me to draw it. (I have a soft spot for Tigers anyway.) Now I have my logo for when I open my Thai restaurant in another life...

   Beautiful weather, a short ride on my newly-borrowed bike, a spectacular sunset (which my Blackberry didn't quite capture). A large glass of Riesling which will hopefully knock me out for the count. And hopefully I will wake up refreshed. Dad's coming for a visit tomorrow, bringing Diane and Lindsey—on their way to the Grand Canyon—so it's going to be a very busy weekend, following a very busy week. And followed by a trip of fantastical proportions!

Got A Bike; Now Where's the Mountain?

What's this in the back of my car?

   ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬  Joe and Mary loaned me the mountain bike that their son outgrew, and they brought it to track with them today, and met me in the parking lot for the exchange. I finally finally finally have a bike to try out, before I decide what I want and take the plunge for myself. Super, super excited!!!  ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬

California, here I come!

   The quick summary is that my trip to San Francisco courtesy of Hallmark (thank you sincerely, Hallmark!) was not only great from a work standpoint in building a stronger relationship with our clients and coming away with a better understanding of their needs, but you know me... I never pass up the opportunity to have an adventure. And the trip was fantastic from that standpoint too, to say the least.
   I would like to tell more about the work part of my trip, but assume that it should be kept confidential, so don't let the content of my posts give you the impression that I was goofing off. I took that work very seriously. I goof off on my own time.
   Speaking of that, I hiked 10-12 miles in Muir Woods and felt smallered by the giant Redwoods, biked across the Golden Gate bridge with my buddy Dave, ate some incredible seafood—yes, and sushi—hung out with one of my childhood best friends that I hadn't seen in 12 years, saw a concert, breathed in the fresh sea air, laughed by head off, walked my legs off, ate my own weight in Greek food and ice cream back-to-back in a move that should have killed me, and just generally squeezed every drop of fun out of 3.5 days. It felt longer and shorter than that all at once!
   And as always, I took tons of photos that I'm still in the process of uploading, so scroll down and hit "older posts," and look out for May 4-8 if you'd like to see my shenanigans. (More coming soon!)

Something's fishy in this water...

   Before we took off on the bikes, we purchased water for the trek, which was Dave's idea and possibly one of the best ideas ever, by the way. It tasted soooo good after the uphill climb to the bridge! The bottles were neat, with an image of the famous bridge on the back. But then I got to looking at it and something seemed really familiar.

Way, way too familiar. Let's look closer, shall we?

AHA!!! They must have known we were coming!

I'm Going Going Back Back to Cali Cali

   Today I flew to San Francisco to meet with one of our largest retailers. In order to get a direct flight, Dave and I had to come a day early (darn) and wanted to do something cool. So we hiked up to Pier 39, rented a couple of bikes from Blazing Saddles, and headed toward the most photographed bridge in the world (so I hear). It is a true icon, and though I crossed it by car about 18 years ago (the last time I visited the Bay area—too long ago!), I wanted a more up-close look. And didn't I get it?

the approach

the crossing

the other side

   It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon: sunny, warm and clear. Given that this excursion wasn't pre-planned for today, we were not dressed for it. The sweater I was wearing and the dress shirt Dave was wearing looked pretty funny. But the sweeping views of the city and the bay were well worth the fashion faux pas. The path curved through a large park and then uphill through a wooded area, and then even more uphill on a couple of switchbacks up to the bridge. It kicked our butts a little bit, but we made it. And once on the bridge... wow. It was a nice, long ride with the sun and breeze on our faces and the view was exhilarating.

   Once over the bridge, we curved down a long road leading into Sausalito, flew down the winding hill into town, did a little shopping, and then hopped the ferry to go back to the pier. Had we biked back, that hill going back up out of Sausalito would have been killer. And besides, we were ready to head to Scoma's for a bite and a cold glass of Anchor Steam.

   I was going to do this trek on my own on Friday or Saturday, but was really glad that Dave was game to join me. We had a blast!

   These photos are all from my phone, so I'm eager to download better ones from my camera. What an experience!
   Okay, so the work of my cell camera isn't as good as this image I found online, granted... but it looked just like this in person, I swear!

Christmas in LA: Christmas Eve Day

   Finally the weather cleared up and we were all ready to get outside and have some fun. Eric had the brilliant ideas of biking on the beach path. So we rented some bikes at a little shop right on Venice Beach and were off toward that distant ferris wheel:

Right behind you, Ma!

   Given that I hadn't been on a bike in about 12 years, I was sure I was going to be the first to take a spill. Balancing was easy when you're moving fast, but harder when you slow down suddenly to yield to all the walkers who were not supposed to be on the bike path. Mom was the first one to hit the deck, but she was smiling and laughing the whole time:

   Of course, I attempted to whip out my camera to get a photo of her lying on the ground laughing, and she was too quick. I said, "Wait—wait! Stay down!" But she stood up. And now she will forever remind me of what an insensitive and ungrateful daughter I am, and how this will affect my inheritance.
   Our merry band of bicyclists rode from Venice Beach up to Santa Monica Pier and beyond, 8 miles round-trip:

Eric, Brad and Kelley:

Mom:

Kelley:

   My bike didn't fit me well and was super-awkward. Or perhaps it was just the rider... in any case, riding was a blast and now I definitely need to get my own bike.

   Kelley and Eric decide it's time to head back. Fortunately he knows where the car is:

   Mom, Aunt Martha, Sister Kelley, Cousin Brad and me. 65 & sunny beats a Kansas City Christmas any day!

   We stayed and enjoyed some wine and appetizers 'til the sun set, then drove home to have our gift exchange, since I was leaving Christmas morning. I should sell these photos as postcards!

Now, finally, I can share the gift I created for my Secret Santa recipient, Ms. Martha. I've been planning this thing for months and couldn't wait for her to open it!

   Ta-daah! Some of my nature photography for her house: 2 on canvas and 4 framed (the Maine buoys aren't pictured yet):

Eric had drawn my name and ordered several things that I really wanted from my Amazon wish list. Yay, Christmas!

We had so much fun we couldn't bear to leave...

But this sublime view of the Grand Canyon on the flight home cheered me right up! 

It was a memorable and fun-filled trip. Thanks, family!