The Wild Dani Archives

The last hurrah as Two

2008-11-14T12:09:00.000-08:00

There isn't much time now until baby comes! Allegra and I have decided to take a few little day trips to enjoy our last few weekends as a twosome. We went to Marin Headlands because leggy craved some fog, and we certainly got some. It was nice and drizzly and foggy and twilight. A beautiful day. If you go, take the low trail along the edge of the cliffs by the furthest parking lot.

2008-08-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

With everything happening in life lately, I havent been taking many pictures or blogging! But leggy created this pics for me on some yearbook website, and they made me giggle. hopefully you will too.

We marrieds!

2008-06-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

We went to the alameda county clerks' office this past friday and tied the (legal) knot!
There were two homo couples in line ahead of us, and the energy was high and festive!
(until we had to sit there for an hour waiting for our judge to marry us!)

We got married by the "marriage commissioner" who happened to be a lady with a judges' robe and motorcycle boots! (in the club, perhaps?) It did seem unusual and sweet that after performing our ceremony, she asked to take a picture of us. We are making history, folks!

My coworker Ann made us an amazing cake and bought us the most beautiful bouquets. A most unexpected surprise! It just made our ceremony so special.

We honeymooned in Gurneville, CA by the russian river. The weather was iffy, so we spent some time in the redwoods at Armstrong Woods. An amazing place, 3 miles outside of gurneville.

This is me and Colonel Armstrong, a 1400 year old tree.

This is the place on the river where we got our own little funky cabin, complete with private deck and kitchen!

Tragedy on the Lake

2008-06-10T16:00:00.001-07:00

This weekend my parents came to visit and we spent a lot of time on wonderful lake Merritt! We were hanging out at the bird preserve when we saw it: the first duckling of the season. Allegra and I had been waiting for a long time to see this little guy. He was adorable.

I hunted around the preserve to find another but he was the only one. The problem was, he seemed all alone. No parental ducks would claim him. He chirped for help but no one came!

And then it happened.
Almost before I realized it, the Evil Seagull appeared.

Sure you may think they are innocuous seabirds, but they have an evil agenda.

They eat ducklings.

And before I knew it, I was watching this sweet duckling being crushed and swallowed up by the seagull. It was really violent. I surprised myself at how disturbed I was.
And then there were no more ducklings.
My dad said, thats just nature. But argh! That was horrible.

they just call it Twang

2008-04-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

This is Twang, the newest incarnation of my dad and his pals' musical talents.
They recently played McKenna's on the bay in Long Beach, a real classy joint.

Notice the nice photoshop job Dad did. Very professional looking with the "enhancements".

The band gets ready to play. Yes, they turn off the TV when they played.

Dad really sung his heart out this night. It was magical! I only regret the sound clips i tried to record on my camera did not come out; otherwise, you could experience the magic too!

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing in chilly southern california. An Excellent trip, thanks to Mom who planned the whole thing. Good work all around parents!

cataract creek

2008-03-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

In Marin there is some amazing hiking a few miles out of the town of Fairfax. The entire trail is straight uphill, but there is waterfall after waterfall the whole way!

The entire trail is also shaded (which you are thankful for since it is so demanding) and culminates in a beautiful meadow where you can lunch at picnic tables and use the questionable latrine.

Definitely a must see.

famous people like allegra and jesus

2008-03-29T17:51:00.001-07:00

Easter weekend we were graced with Allegra's Dad and Debbie's presence. They bought us this wonderful kitchen island! It is my new favorite thing. We can play
(mini) ping pong on it.

Allegra's mug is now on a billboard in SF at Valencia and Market streets. Its like 20 ft tall, just her face!

Another Easter brings another hunky jesus contest! This was the best year yet, with the inevitable win by "fewest clothes jesus."But I always hope cross-carrying jesus will win.

Hiking in East Bay Hills

2008-03-29T17:45:00.001-07:00

We have been exploring our new neighborhood, including some amazing hiking just a few miles away in the hills. We went to Chabot regional park (although we thought we were in redwood) and saw some huge cows, really close up (too nervous to get out the camera for that). Andy wanted to pet them. I said no.

Its a really goregous spot, and at the top, there are some great views.

home sweet oakland

2008-03-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Look mom! new house pictures!

This is my new beautiful kitchen! notice the dishwasher!

Our bedroom has super high ceilings and tons of light.

The bathrooms (yes thats 2!) are immaculate!
Now everyone has to come visit because we have room for guests!

xmas 2007

2008-01-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

We had a very eventful christmas this year... A quick trip to southern california and then back to SF to hang out with Leggy's mom. It was really nice to spend the holidays together!

There are some twisted people in southern california. This house celebrated the holidays by putting this convincing dummy up. My mom walked by and almost tried to save the guy.

Burnt christmas trees abound in san francisco; someone bothered to drag this one all the way to the palace of fine arts to burn it.

We had a great time with Leggy's mom, and took her to see some sights.

My cousins and niece at my dad's house.

Matt came to Christmas eve and it was great. Looks like Matt is about two feet taller than grandma now.

point bonita light house

2008-01-05T12:42:00.001-08:00

If you have never been to the point bonita lighthouse near Marin Headlands, you should really go. The lighthouse is rather old and the rickety suspension bridge that leads to it is so questionable, they only let two people on it at a time! The view of the bay and the golden gate is gorgeous from here. And the trip over the bridge really gets your heart pumping. Don't look down.

This is Andy at the end of our hike at the lighthouse.

Marin Headlands

2007-12-31T12:44:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago Andy and I went hiking in Marin headlands. There is an amazing trail up a hill where all sorts of old military junk is slowly decaying.

The view of the backside of the golden gate is pretty amazing with the green hillside.
A few rooms were built into the hillside to be hidden from the enemy, covered over by dirt and grass. Over the years they've collapsed in on themselves, but some tunnels are still visible.

Some old gun batteries also dot the hillside.

The best part of the hike was an abandoned missile site at the top of the hill. There are all sorts of abandoned buildings with weird pipes and electricity boxes. In the middle a huge elevated concrete platform has begun to collapse sideways. awesome.

There was some amazing grafitti as well. My favorite read "911 was an inside job!".

My Fair Sutro

2007-12-16T11:10:00.001-08:00

A few weekends ago Allegra and I went to the beach to see the destruction from the recent oil spill.
The sand was an odd black color.

On our way back we stopped by Twin Peaks, which we had never been to before. It has amazing 360 degree views of the city, including our favorite local landmark, the Sutro Tower.

Death Valley Part II (or, I Shouldn't Be Alive)

2007-12-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

So I liked that weird show on Discovery Channel, "I shouldn't be Alive" about stupid tourists naively making potentially fatal mistakes out in the wilderness. Well this day was one of those days. We intended to go to Keene Wonder Mine (a strenuous multiple hour hike).

The day began innocently enough.

After scaling a several thousand foot mountain, checking out some caves (I stayed cautiously outside), and seeing some awesome old mining equiptment, we had a great idea.

Instead of dealing with a grueling downhill hike, lets take the ravine (potential flash flood zone) back to the parking lot. We saw other hikers down there.
So we frolicked in the ravine. All sorts of cool mining carts and old miner detritus was down there. It was a treasure trove of goodies.

Andy was beside himself with all the mining carts.

And then, amongst amazing natural marble slides, we discover our folly. After about 5 hours of hiking, we encounter a dead end. a 30 foot drop.

Needless to say my pictures end here. We hightailed it out of there (it was close to dark) and my joints were screaming by the time we made it back to the car. Thank god for no twisted ankles. No one would have found us, we were that remote. Turns out our hikers we saw in the ravine had repelling equipment and were pros. Go figure.

Did I mention I Passed!

2007-12-03T13:58:00.000-08:00

I just passed the first of my LCSW tests. WOOHOO! The next will be harder, but I am halfway to my license. What a good feeling!

Death Valley part I

2007-11-21T19:11:00.001-08:00

Since I'm probably not going anywhere fun for awhile, I will subject you to lots of pictures of death valley. Also, it is hard not to take amazing pictures there.
Rhyolite is a Nevada ghost town, which is the only place to ever mine Rhyolite, an (apparently) useless mineral.

Despite its ghostiness, you can still reach out and touch someone there. I think. Lord knows my cell didnt get reception the entire weekend.

Rhyolite is strange because it has crumbling CONCRETE buildings. the same shade as the dirt and rock.

The concrete ruins were alongside buildings with found rock masonry.

This mine outside Big Pine was surrounded by weird white powdery rock. Several collapsed shacks and all kinds of machinery and tin cans were about. Oh yeah, this was several miles down a dirt road (and hours from civilization, we were about to find out)

If there is one ubiquitous sign of miners, its discarded, rusty tin cans.

Desert Landscapes

2007-11-17T17:47:00.001-08:00

I have too many wonderful pictures from our recent trip to Death Valley to begin to tell the amazing story. So instead I am posting a few desert landscape pictures. You would think the desert all looks the same, but this is far from truth. It boggles the mind to think all these pictures came from the same place. You go around one mountain, and suddenly, everything has changed.

Oh yeah, and the skyscapes are just as varied in the desert too.

4 year anniversary--To Santa Cruz!

2007-11-05T21:27:00.001-08:00

This past weekend Leggy and I went to Santa Cruz to celebrate our four year anniversary.
We stayed at the luxurious Econo Lodge and did it up, tourist style.

The weather was amazing, as we frolicked on the beach, went on rides at the boardwalk, and cruised west cliff drive.

We topped off the trip with a visit to the Tech Museum, which now has BODYWORLDS 2 on exhibit. We spent an hour gawking at the (more often than not) ridiculously posed skinned cadavers. It is macabre and fascinating! I'll never look at my own body quite the same way; its kind of disturbing to see how fragile all our fleshy parts are.

I'm sad to see our summer go; it was the best one ever.

Hiking in East Bay Hills

2007-11-05T20:42:00.001-08:00

A couple weeks ago I went hiking in the East Bay Hills. At Joquin Miller Park near Chabot space center has some amazing trees and views of the bay.

This is an easy trail, so its great to take visitors or parents. I highly recommend it!

Going to the chapel

2007-10-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my cousin got married on a caraval cruise ship. Everyone got all dressed up!

Grandma got down on the dance floor!

Allegra looked gorgeous, of course.

Who are these guys?

While I was down I also got to see my brother and meet his girlfriend. It was really great to see him, he looks great!

Rained Out

2007-09-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

We went back to the Tahoe National Forest to explore some more ghost towns a few weeks ago.

While exploring a different area near the Yuba River (in the rain), we found Bullards' Bar Reservoir.

This picture does not do justice how amazing the fog looked rising from the mountains.

(Not) Suprisingly, no one was out for watersports in the rain. Lucky for us, because the reservoir was an amazing emerald color and perfectly still.

Andy in the mist

French Corral had one notable building, but was a less-than impressive ghost town.

Bridgeport, however, contained the longest single span covered bridge in the US. Bridgeport also had several adorable deer families chillin' in the grasses.

The highlight of our trip, after a sleepless night in the rain in a tent, was the Fruit Jar Pickers of Rough and Ready, California. An amazing ensemble band, they accept everyone and encourage everyone to sing their folksy standards (especially the old folks in the audience). 20 musicians showed up this particular sunday, including 3 mandolins, 3 banjos, one washboards, and a homemade standup base.

Another great trip! Thanks for driving Andy!

oh Boca!

2007-09-19T19:13:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we went to Boca Raton to visit Allegra's family. I have seen few more beautiful beaches. The sand is perfectly white and soft, and the water was 89 degrees.

This is what we spent most of the weekend doing. Quite relaxing.

The clouds in Boca were amazing too. This one looked a little like a dog.

The family took grandpa to Murikami Gardens for a visit. It was a huge Japanese garden with a bonsai section, a rock garden, bamboo, and lizards.

This picture is especially cute. I think grandpa had a good time.

When I think of Boca Homes, I think of Palm trees and hedges. A well manicured hedge is a sign of status here.

Goodbye Boca. I miss you already.

Good Form, Bad Form

2007-09-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

For my birthday I received this amazing vintage dress form from Madeline and Andy. I was quite surprised they found it. Here I am seeing it for the first time.

(I've already used the form in one alteration project! Thanks guys!)

Right before the form came along Allegra and I attended the summer of love concert in Speedway Meadow in golden gate park. It was insane how many people were there. It was over 40,000 I think. Here is a part of the view from above on a hill.

The only place you could even walk was about a mile from the stage. We could barely see it.

With all those people, there were lots of specialty causes with booths. This one was giving out
t-shirts. The script of the roving booth members went like this:
"Hey, do you want a free T Shirt?"
"Sure. What do I have to do?"
"Just wear this all day and promote hepatitis awareness!"
"sure, ok." (puts on T shirt over Tye Dyed clothing).

I shoulda got one for Andy.

Jug Bands and Birthday

2007-09-02T10:27:00.001-07:00

We went to the Jug Band festival last weekend in Golden Gate Park. The music was quite funny and they played stand-up bases, guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, and, of course, various jugs. This man had attached a plastic jug to a harness around his neck to musically multi-task.

This gentleman was quite adept at, well, playing his cheeks. If you didn't already know, jug bands went through a revival in the 1960's, and apparently, recently again. The musicians are amazingly talented and the lyrics alternately irreverent and bluesy.
__________________________________________________________________

This weekend was my birthday party! It was a small affair, but lots of fun. We went to Il Pirata for some patio eats and drinks.

Yeah! Anna came and I was so glad.

Madeline tells a story, demonstratively.

All in all, a wonderful night. If you're looking for an uncrowded, outside venue for a party, check this place out!

Beaching

2007-09-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

We've been going to the beach a lot lately. Not in two years had we really ventured here to Ocean Beach, which is about 4 miles from our house.

But we were to discover that the beach seems really polluted. Why all this weird foam?

And dead birds?

Well despite the obvious issues, we have chosen to try and enjoy the beach anyway. There is nothing like putting the feet into the ocean on a sunny day!

sushi

2007-08-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

When faced with the last sushi rolls on the plate, Allegra eats the outside and I eat the inside. This is a metaphor for us.

I visit Orange County

2007-08-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I visited my family in orange county. It was actually warm there, as opposed to foggy SF, and we took full advantage. We went swimming at Grandma's house and hung out there. She looks great!

(Allegra is actuallt standing on a stair here). You can tell where I get my height problems from, although grandma has lost about 6 inches due to osteoporosis.

I love this picture.

We also visited my mom's new lab, which was my sister's old bedroom. It is now full of teeth-making machinery.

My mom told us, with everyone bleaching the hell out of their teeth these days, they had to invent new (unnatural) colors of porcelain to match people's toilet bowl colored teeth.

My mom is hard-core, here with her gold-casting machinery.

We also spend a day at the beautiful Huntington Beach coast, with picturesque power plant in the background.

Allegra and I went swimming in the ocean for the first time ever together. What fun!

Taylor comes to San Francisco!

2007-08-21T21:10:00.001-07:00

My amazing niece came to San Francisco last week. We had a blast.

She experimented with some new foods, and ate at some of my favorite restaurants.

Sea Lions at pier 39 are always a must-see for out of towners.

She brought good weather along, and we had some of the clearest days of the summer.

Shelly, her grandma, made this wonderful trip possible. Thank you Shelly! We had a great time together, and it was truly a pleasure to see my niece. I wish we could spend more time together!

Jerry Day

2007-08-21T21:02:00.001-07:00

Did I mention we went to Jerry Day when Allegra's mom visited? Apparently Jerry Garcia grew up in the Excelsior in San Francisco, and every year they celebrate him in MacLaren Park with a jam band concert. Amazing. Never seen so much tie dye in my life!

Spit Upon

2007-08-15T22:08:00.001-07:00

Allegra and I were walking down the stairs to the church street muni station when, to our surprise, a man standing at the top of the stairs spit towards (on) us. It was very startling. His aim was bad, lucky for us, but it really disturbed me. We looked straight at the guy trying to discern what it was that caused him to do it. He looked at us like nothing had happened. Weird.

More to come soon.

Muir Woods

2007-08-04T21:10:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went to Muir Woods with Allegra's mom. In an ambitious move, we take Muni the the Ferry Building, The Ferry to Sausalito, the Shuttle to Muir Woods. Then reverse. We stumbled to dinner 7 hours later.

The ferry to saulsalito goes by Angel Island there, and by the backside of alcatraz on the way home. Very cool.

.Allegra got tired.

Some redwoods in muir woods are up to 225 feet high, 14 feet around.

Allegra's mom was a real trooper throughout the marathon day.

As we returned we watched the fog approach on our heels. Amazing.

Fun at Funston

2007-07-25T19:39:00.001-07:00

This weekend we made a trip to Fort Funston, just south of Ocean Beach in Daly City.

Like a lot of the Batteries on the coast of SF, the huge guns it once housed were never used.

It was amazingly foggy but still warm. We got down to the beach and put our toes in the water.

Allegra took amazing shots as always. I got in trouble for going too close to the cliffs as lifeguards were practicing cliff climbing rescues. Ironic.

There were hang-gliders riding the drafts off the cliffs like birds. Amazing.

Deciphering The Varney Code, Day Two

2007-07-20T20:08:00.001-07:00

There were so many ghost towns on our trip, it seems only right to post twice. The entire weekend I imagined what it would be like to live out here, in these tiny towns all over the countryside. Everyone we asked for directions or camping suggestions said "I don't really know, because I live 40 (50, 60) miles from here." I guess that sums it up: living here means a LOT of driving.

These two were taken in sheep ranch. These small towns often have very literal names. We did see some, sorry looking, sheep.

In Chinese Camp, Allegra, Andy and I did some (minor) trespassing. It was too tempting.

But mostly, we could just go and see things up close. This metal door had actual chinese characters written in the dust.

Nature has been reclaiming these houses for years.

Knight's ferry is the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi.

With the roof gone, you really have an amazing view.

Deciphering The Varney Code

2007-07-17T18:15:00.001-07:00

Part One.

Over this past weekend, Andy, Leggy, and I set out ghost-towning throughout Amador and Calaveras Counties. We took along Andy's trusty Philip Varney Book, "Ghost Towns Of Northern California". I think we ended up seeing 8 or 9 of them!

Many of these ghost towns were, naturally, mining and pioneer towns.

We came across several towns with (much to Allegra and Andy's chagrin) populations!!

They are very proud of their fiddles in fiddletown.

Everyone was so friendly in these towns of 100, or 200 people. I can't figure out if they were bored, suspicious of us strange city kids, or really nice. Maybe all three.

Some of the most interesting things were not in Varney's book. This house by Mokulmne (Moe-Kew-Lum-Nay) River was in shambles, abandoned to rot by the hiway. There were innumerable old barns barely standing in empty fields of dry grass.

The old buildings are in the middle of nowhere, and protected by barbed wire.

This mine in Jackson, CA, was close to the Argonaut mine, site of the worst mining disaster in California. In the Argonaut Mine, 47 miners were trapped in the fire almost a mile below ground. None survived.

This wheel helped haul hundreds of tons of mining debris over a large hill. It was almost entirely made of wood.

The oldest surviving buildings were mostly made of natural stones as bricks. These were the only buildings not to have gone up in flames.

to be continued, Day two.

The End of San Francisco

2007-07-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

We stumbled upon Fort Miley while hiking around the Sutros and Lands' End this weekend. The trail is amazing and goes all along the coast of San Francisco, with an amazing view of the back of the golden gate. Unfortunately my camera batteries ran out at Fort Miley, but Allegra lent me some of her excellent pics.

Fort Miley has all kinds of nooks and crannies and stairways and doors. It also has an amazing picnic area. Too bad its probably always freezing cold.

Some urban modeling by Allegra and Andy.

Unexpectedly we came across an amazing labyrinth. Andy and I tried to do it, but I got bored and didn't finish it. I think thats bad luck or something.

There were some beautiful wildflowers by Land's End Beach.

Carnivorous Plants Here We Come!

2007-07-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

Even though we would rather be swimming, since it is freezing in San Francisco, we went to the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park.

The structure itself is amazing, and the flowers inside even more so. And warmer than outside!

The carnivorous plant exhibit is pretty cool; we saw some varieties I had never seen. If you want to purchase some (they just require distilled water) go to Plant It Earth on Market near sanchez.

America the Beautiful Barbeque Party

2007-07-05T20:00:00.002-07:00

Julia and Jesse threw a wonderful 4th of July party at their house.

There was much modeling and dancing all day.

And a general sharing of talents. Andy has been working on this one.

And drinking,

And of course, a BBQ.
A wonderful holiday.

We Conquer Black Diamond Mines

2007-07-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Black Diamond Mines, we have returned. And we are prepared this time (and its not so hot). We will conquer you! Discover your secrets! Eat lots of PB&J!

So prepared are we, in fact, that Andy brought a neck kerchief, to keep his neck from sunburn. It was wiley, however, and kept falling off, or blowing into his face.

This is the offending sign that sent us off course last time. Vandals!

We are triumphant! We have found the elusive tunnel that we missed last time.
Allegra models her new REI backpack.

Yes, I went in. My first tunnel experience (no flashlight!). Allegra helped lead the way and I made it.

Some rare shade at Star Mine Group Camp.

The Cemetary, with its foriegn cypress trees.

Even 4 hours into our hike, the mood is light.
Amazing marble carvings have survived 140 years of weather.

We have done all we came to do. We are dying for an in and out grilled cheese and fries. Goodbye, Diamond Mines.

2007-06-26T19:06:00.001-07:00

Dani and Allegra's Engagement PARTY! I've never had my name on a banner before.

Lots of wonderful people came. Julia's house was the perfect size!

The decorations and food were amazing. I really appreciated all the thought that went into every little detail.

No one has ever thrown a party for me (or us) and it was indescribably wonderful not to have to worry and just enjoy everything.

We had a wonderful champagne (and beer) toast with so many sweet words. I got all misty.

Allegra looked stunning.

As the night got longer, strange things began happening. this creepy pinata head was worn by many a dancing machine.
If you want to see more engagement party pictures, check out Allegra and Andy's blog

The annual girl fest

2007-06-26T17:15:00.000-07:00

We were all smiling.

The saturday dyke fest continued to get even larger this year! It was so nice to have leggy there with me this year and we just had an entertaining, relaxing afternoon in the park (surrounded by tens of thousands of lesbians).

Almost everyone dressed up in their best homo-wear.

And it was extrememely lucky for me to run into one of my favorite old friends, Heather Pauley!

Oh yeah, there was some weird shit goin on on-stage. We tried to ignore it, but then they all got naked.

FIRE!

2007-06-26T17:10:00.001-07:00

We had a fire scare this weekend. 6am, gay pride parade sunday, a crazy arsonist set fires on two of three floors of our building! We ran like crazy zombies through a hallway of smoke as the fire dept came to put it out. SCARY! Please everyone, consider renter's insurance.

Pride is here

2007-06-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

This scene could only mean one thing...

Dyke March is here.

This is my jacket

2007-06-19T21:39:00.001-07:00

I finally finished my newest sewing project, my black jacket. After some frustration, I actually made it work. It even fits well. This one I am actually going to wear in public. See mom, I can sew!

My weekend in Black Diamond Mines

2007-06-18T19:39:00.001-07:00

After a less than thrilling Staff Retreat this saturday, I was off to Rio Vista California to camp. We ended up randomly at a very crowded campground with children everywhere. But we still managed to have a campfire, chili dogs, and, of course, fun.

Andy began the fire.

Sunday we were off to Collinsville (pop 40) and the Collinsville Cemetary. Suprisingly, it was almost entirely full of Italian names, and those creepy picture headstones.

Like all old neglected cemetaries, vandalism is a problem.

One of the trip highlights was Shirley, who owned the Bird's Landing Tavern. She got to be in a Clint Eastwood movie once, with the Tavern as the setting.
There isn't much out in this countryside, but there is a LOT of wind. PG&E put in these in the last couple years. There are hundreds of them.In Antioch we went to Black Diamond Mines County Park. It is HOT, desolate, barren of trees or much of anything. Being a miner here would have been miserable.

We couldn't find the prospector's tunnel in the hills; Andy was disappointed.But the best was the Hazel-Atlas mine tour! First coal mining, then silica sand (glass) mining. Hundreds of miles of tunnels beneath the hills. They take small groups inside a little ways for a thought-provoking slide show and a chance to poke around the tunnels.

They only let us go in a little ways, but made up for it by giving us jackets (90 degrees outside, 55 inside) and these stylish hats.

When these were coal mines, kids (8 and up) and their fathers labored 10-12 hours daily, 6 days a week. When oil and petroleum replaced coal, they converted the mines to get silica. They blasted these amazing caverns 50 feet long and 30 feet high. They are amazing to see but too dangerous to go inside.

Again, another fun weekend hunting ghost towns and mines. Thanks Andy, good idea!

Campanile (Camp-an-E-lee)!

2007-06-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Clock/Bell Tower at UC Berkeley (circa turn of the century) is of the 3 worlds' largest! It gave us an amazing view of the East Bay and UC Berkeley.

307 Feet up, everything is small....

Twice a day, the campanile guy comes and plays this crazy machine for 45 minutes. There are 61 Bells altogether, of differing sizes.

The bells are as big as a person.

As you ride the elevator up, you notice elevator buttons for 7 floors. I asked the elevator attendant about what else lived in the bell tower. The campanile master has an office. She also said they store lots of bones for the paleontology department. Bells and bones. Go figure.

Bomb, Pickle, Chocolate Factory

2007-06-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

ScharffenBerger Chocolate Factory in Berkeley.

Before they made chocolate, they made bombs here during WWII. The walls, as well as the 30 foot ceilings, are made completely of brick, so if the bombs exploded they wouldn't catch the place on fire. Then Heinz moved in, doing some picklin'. Then it became chocolate heaven!

These are Cacao fruit on the tree. They grow to the size of a football, then you get the seeds out of the inside of the fruit. If they aren't germinated, no chocolate.The beans get roasted, shelled, ground, and then made into chocolate. ScharffenBerger have all kinds of crazy antique chocolate making machines. Pipes run everywhere, carrying the magic along!

They fed us copious amounts of chocolate during this free tour! I highly recommend it when people come to town. Just make reservations, as everyone wants in on the action. And if you're out in the world and see SharffenBerger, try the Nibby bar: Chocolate with little roasted cacao nib pieces mixed in. Yum!!

Fruit Picking (for fun)

2007-06-10T18:11:00.001-07:00

This weekend my mom visited and we picked fruit in the East Bay. Tidrick ranch has cherry trees; apparently Cherry Picking Season is only 2 short weeks of the year. What timing we have.

I am picking cherries from standing on the ground; they fall right off into your hands, perfectly ripe.

Cherry picking ladders are oddly beautiful. I even got on one, high up into a tree, and got a little nervous. But I stayed up there until I got some amazing cherries.

Perfect Cherries.

Peach picking wasn't quite as challenging (no climbing required) so not quite as fun. But the peach cobbler we made that night was amazing.

Engaged and ready to party

2007-06-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

We're having an engagement party, coming up June 23rd. I am very excited (Allegra suggested it, and she doesn't love parties like I do).

Ghost Towning Memorial Day Weekend

2007-06-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

This was the most fun camping trip I have ever been on. Andy took us Ghost Towning in the gold rush country. Dirt roads, mosquitoes, off-road camping, mining towns, and lots of weird historical detritus. Crazy Cemeteries. We almost died hiking to the Yuba River on an insane trail. god it was fun!

Forest City was completely abandoned. Population 40, but no one to be seen.

People left all kinds of things lying around,

cars, snowmobiles, ovens.

Hydraulic mining in Malakoff Diggins ruined the soil, trees, water, and pretty much everything is still screwed up 125 years later. But man, it made for some beautiful scenery. Just not natural.

Kids went to school here a long time ago. There were separate outhouses for girls and boys.

This schoolhouse did not fare so well over the years. We got to go inside and it was really creepy and falling apart.
There was still a stove and an easel tho.

One of the trip highlights was finding a mine Andy and Allegra could go into (I dont do enclosed spaces well). Well, it was really a drainage tunnel, but close enough.

We camped near Woodruff Creek. Appropriately, Andy fell in.

The Yuba River is amazing. It's super cold with run off from the Sierras, but I recommend checking it out. The whole area is really pristine, remote, private.

Allegra Graduates!

2007-05-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Gosh, she's terribly cute with her graduation beret. I had to wear a stupid cap at mine.

School is over!

Everyone was in great spirits.

I went to Arizona for work, and got caught in my very first duststorm. That's right, those are not clouds, but dust. Ew.

World's Fair and Third Street

2007-04-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

An amazing by-product of attending the world's fair was seeing, for the first time, the 3rd street neighborhood. Alternately beautiful and hostile, there was a lot of industrial decay and general desolateness for a neighborhood surrounded by so many people.

But despite the bad weather we had some incredible fun. I mean, this is ART.

William Scott was very sweet. He had more energy than most of us.

finally something to do with my digital pics

2007-04-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

I have decided to post my pic highlights on a blog instead of sending large albums to everyone I know on Snapfish. Since I tend to go overboard, this is probably good for me. And maybe get me to edit my pics a little more.

My dad and linda came to visit this spring. The weather was crappy, but we had a blast, touring the presidio and the tulip garden in golden gate park.

The tulip garden is amazing in the spring, near the beach chalet in golden gate park.