Anniversary and Renovations

House construction began on a Monday. The weather and our spirits were both excellent as the crew arrived. Coffee was allocated generously and then the hammering began. It started in the living room and soon spread to the dinning room. 

By this time, we had sold or given away a good deal of our furniture. This proved to be a great idea in that we didn't have quite as much to move about as the shredding of our carpets began.

I've always been curious about what lay beneath the carpets. In my mind, I was hoping a lost treasure map of some sort - or perhaps a rare painting - but alas it was a cement floor with no redeeming find. Yet, as I was recently learned in my dealing to procure a wooden floor, a cement basement layer means one needs to have an "engineered" wood - meaning that it wouldn't be just a wooden floor, but rather a composite of several layers with a final layer of real hard wood as icing. 

The Maa-ma came to visit and I felt bad that her time here would co-incide with construction. But she would be one of the first to see the work in progress and thus she also got a chance to see some of the work completed. She was a real trooper - and threw in her hand to help with packing and moving.

By day four the wood was progressing nicely. We had become pros at packing and moving the furniture. However, it is fatiguing when everything you own is packed into unfamiliar corners. Something as simple as brushing your teeth and finding the toothpaste, the brush, and the space needed to perform the task became a more difficult endeavor. Sleep was harder too as everything was covered in a fine layer of dust, and even the cats ran and hid at the sound of something dropped or a loud sound. 

That said, day 6 began early as all the others. We left to run some errands and made it a point to take our time to avoid the shrill sound of the saw blade and the ubiquitous hammering.

But when we returned, the house was silent and construction was finalized. Mission accomplished no? Not even close. The cleaning began and went on for a week. We had to purchase an entirely new entourage of equipment to dust and sweep.

Our vacuum was the first casualty. This was a Dyson that had finally lost its suction and so we had to run out and grab another. Over time, tranquility returned - albeit slowly. The kitchen was cleaned and we were able to celebrate a home cooked meal. Internet and wi-fi came on-line shortly there after, followed by the TV and netflix etc. Finally, the bedroom was put in order and we got a chance to sleep. 

 

We started getting the furniture back in place. Home once again felt like home. However, nerves were a bit frayed and it was time to do something other than home remodeling. It was time to find balance.

A TIME TO CELEBRATE

It was time to do some celebrating. It was the anniversary of our engagement and thus we headed into the city. We stayed at the Palace Hotel again. We were here for a convention in the past. I love this place. It is an old historical hotel that has a grand entryway and lobby. The rooms have high ceilings and it has windows that one can open.  

 This place reminds me of the places that my step father used to work in. I remember growing up running around in large hallways and finding all the secret passage ways in large hotels like this one.

On arrival to the room we heard someone using our shower. When I went to inspect, it turned out the that pipe above us broke and water was streaming through the vent shaft into our tub.

The hotel put us in another room on a higher floor with a better view and gave us a credit at the restaurant. A half hour later a complementary gift basket and bottle of wine showed up at our door.

They know how to make things better I guess.

Maria had made reservations at a sushi place that she had been craving to check out. So after getting "purdyfied", we headed out to Roka Akor. Its a bit overpriced, but the food was good and the atmosphere was excellent. What was really remarkable was the downstairs bar. The architecture was very impressive and hinted of deja vu. Then I remembered where I had seen this before. This was a near replica of a sushi place that Chase and I had been to in London. It was located near Regent Street in Soho London.  

http://www.rokaakor.com/locations/san-francisco/ 

We finished the night having a night cap at the downstairs restaurant and talking about our plans for the next day.

 In the morning after sleeping in till about ten, we slowly got our things in order and then went for a walk about the town.

 First things first, we headed to Union Square and got some coffee at Emporio Rulli. While it was a bit weak (I personally like Blue Bottle Coffee more) it hit the spot and we strolled about the artwork on display at the square.

Maria then took me to one of her old hang outs. Hotel Phoenix is located in the Tenderloin. Which for those who don't know SF is the sketchy area of San Francisco. As far as "ghettos" go, this one really isn't that bad - but one should still be careful here. Anyway, the hotel had a cool little restaurant and a band / DJ were playing the central courtyard. The music was a combination of lounge and hard house with a tribal African beat thrown in for good measure.

After getting our music kick in, we headed over to the Asian Art Museum for the Persian Exhibit.

 This was a no go as we only had a few minutes till closing, but we did get a chance to see the farmer's market next door. Maria LOVES these things and takes such delight and finding the right ingredients to her next gourmet creation.

She also loves to find fruit which I've never heard about and gets me to eat them.

Well that all said, we made back to Marin Co. Tomorrow is back to work. What an incredible weekend!

By the way - we are getting close to heading out to Portland. We need some suggestions for road trip music for the ride up there.

House in Transition

The house is a total mess. We are about to get hard wood floors on Monday and we have sold most of our furniture and everything else has been packed into any available space in the house. I find this really stressful. Home is no longer home when everything is under construction. Luckily I have the time off so I don't need to include work into the equation. 

For the time being, we are still planning on road tripping up the 101 to Porland OR next month. The month after my cousin is having his engagement party in New York. We will post pics as this happens. One thing is for sure - after this week, I'm going to really need a good vacation. 

Steep Ravine / Matt Davis Trail - Marin Co.

Ok the weather turned overcast and rainy - the type of weather that usually makes people feel depressed and grumpy. I love having a break from the bright and sunny every once in a while. Coming from the Midwest, I miss the thunderstorms and lighting. We packed up the gear (those of you who have seen that one episode of Portlandia will understand that last line the best - google " Portlandia Gear") and headed up through Mill Valley up to Panoramic Highway to the Pan Toll Ranger Station.

Its not that difficult once you've done it a few times, but for those of you who have not come to this location from Mill Valley - I'd recommend stopping and asking for directions. Bring some cash with you - the parking is $8 - but I'm sure that is about to go up.

When we got there, there was a bunch of people filling up the parking lot in a California style tailgate party - lots of wine and crackers and cheese etc. . .

We started down Steep Ravine trail and made it past the ladder to Stinson Beach - here we stopped and had some food and a beer at the Sand Dollar restaurant. Granted the food isn't exactly the best - but the beer was excellent and the people who work there are really sweet.

Making our way near the Stinson Beach Fire Dept, we made our way up past the community center to the start of the Matt Davis trail. Its difficult to find and you really need to keep your eyes open for the trail head.

Then the uphill switch backs begin as you ascend through a series of ecosystems to the open expanses above. This is actually one of my favorite hikes in the sunshine, but for the first time, I was doing it in a heavy fog / cloud bank. The clouds gave the forest an erie but ethereal glow. At times the moisture would accumulate under the trees and it would begin to rain on you - just under the tree.

The hike itself is about 5-6 hours depending on your speed (and how long you stop for beer). However, its definitely worth it in the rain or sunshine. 

Now its time to start planning our trip up to Portland, OR!

Angel Island - San Francisco Bay

Angle Island is marked with history. It was here in 1775 that the Spaniards landed when the San Francisco Bay was first discovered by the Europeans. The Spanish explorers stayed long enough to explore and map the bay before returning to Europe. 

 Getting here is rather easy, albeit expensive. Ferries come in from San Francisco, Tiburon, and even Oakland. As soon as you get off the boat, there is a visitor center and overpriced crappy food to be had. I would recommend bringing your own. BTW, the coffee here really sucks.

 There are tours of the Island - which In my opinion is a true waste of time. The best way to explore the island is on foot - its the only way to get to the out-of-the-way hiking loops that give you spectacular views of the bay. There are two civil war and post civil war camps on the island that are worth exploring - granted they are a bit creepy. There is also a civil war canon firing ceremony that occurs by Fort Reynolds.

 This was also considered the Ellis Island of the west coast and was a quarantine area. There are stories of people waiting up to two years for clearance to make it to the main land. - I think if I had to stay on this place for that long I'd easily go nuts

 Take a good camera with you - the photo ops are excellent

 If you have the time, make it a point to go to the summit of the island - the 360 degree views of the island are excellent. Bring a jacket, a hat, sun glasses, and sunscreen - there is little shelter and shade at this point.

The north ridge trail that goes to Mt Livermore from the ferry dock. It is perhaps the best hiking trail on the island - however it is also the most difficult. 

Monterrey

The road trip to Monterrey took us down Highway 1, around the edge of San Francisco and past San Jose. Its a beautiful strip of road that goes along the spine of the San Francisco Peninsula. After going around the southern part of San Jose we joined up with the 101 to avoid downtown and traffic.

 

We were going to the Kaiser Conference - something that they set up for all the new partners. They went all out. I can honestly say that this was something that I've been waiting for a long time to go to. 

I'll spare you the details, but the high point was hitting the Monterrey Aquarium. Its one thing to come here and examine the exhibits - which I can easily say are world renown. Its another thing to come here and watch the sun set over the Pacific with a glass of wine in one hand and a plate of sushi in the other.

My friends from work who had made the cut were there with me. We spent the time slowly making our way through the show. Along the way I got a chance to meet and actually shake hands with the C.E.O of kaiser. He seemed like a very down to earth person. Of course I was more in shock of meeting him than anything else. 

That morning we slept in. It sounded like there were two sea lions mating outside our window that night. We got brunch at this cute little place called toro place cafe. I think it was a convert gas station - but a welcome detour and the food was not bad. On the road trip back we hit Salinas - it seems that we always manage to get here once a year. Well perhaps every other year - to go to the Steinbeck museum. I make it a point to buy one book to support the museum. 

Maui

 There are those that love the Island of Maui. They love the delicate juxtaposition of land and sea. They love the beaches, the surfing, the laid back casualness of the small towns. They love the drinks along the pool and late afternoon swims in beautiful water. Etc. . .

I'm not one of them. Don't get me wrong Maui is paradise. There some cool spots and I have a good friend who loves to go there all the time to catch up on her surfing. But I guess that Maria and I are just not into the whole flip flop vacation thing. However, my friend Matt was getting married and so off like a prom dress we went.

 We arrived at the airport and luckily there are direct flights from Oakland here. (The ones from Oakland are cheaper than the ones from SFO as well). Immediately one is aware that Island life is not cheap. I think next time, we should have just rented a car and that would have given us the freedom to do whatever we wanted and would have been more cost effective than getting the shuttles.

It seems that most of the major hotels are located along a strip of hotels along the northwest side of the Island in Kaanapali. On one end of the strip is the Sheraton  -- which is really nice but incredibly expensive and on the other side is the Hyatt -- which a buddy at work mentioned was a bit run down. We stayed at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel. I can only say that this place has likely seen better days, but is cozy.

One of the best things we did every morning was to get up and got for a run along the beach walking path - which isn't very wide (which is why going early in the morning is good to avoid the crowd). Watching the sun rise over the water and seeing the nearby Islands in the distance was truly remarkable.

We did the Road to Hana as well. They told me that its called "divorce road" as all the couples who attempt this marathon trip start of happy, but by the time it ends - are at each others throats. There are a multitude of cute spots to stop and get in pics of the myriad waterfalls. There is some decent hiking as well. Along the way we stopped in a small Town called Paia - which I think will be a cool spot to stop next time we are around this neck of the woods. If they have houses to rent - this might be the perfect place to chill. From what I've been told by Airi (who goes there quite a bit) its this part of the Island that is actually very authentic if you're into the whole surf experience. By journey's end we made our way back and hit Polli's Mexican Restaurant. Food was pretty good - but I was impressed with the hot sauce that they had. We bought a bottle or two of this - but then found out we couldn't bring it on the plane!

http://www.pollismexicanrestaurant.com

It was getting close to the wedding and we had a day to kill. We checked out the local sushi and were totally blown away by how good it was. I guess being on a tiny island surrounded my thousands of miles of ocean has that effect on the seafood. We went shopping afterwards and managed to find this little number for Maria: Not bad if I can say so myself. . . . mee-YOW!

On Wedding day, we got up and managed to get in a 4 mile run. The humidity of the beach can just drain the energy out of you. Matt and his bride Ashley picked out this cute little estate overlooking the Kaanapali beach. The location provided a beautiful sunset and the happy couple was married while the rest of us raided the wine bar.

Like I said before, Maui is not a bad place to go to. For some it is their Mecca. It offers a lot to those who are into surfing, love the beach, and dig the spirit of the Islands. For my money I think I'd take Kauai (which is another entry on to itself). However, by day four I was sick of resort life and getting Island fever. I was ready to get back to San Francisco - my home by the bay. After all, from what I can remember Sinatra didn't write any songs about Maui. ; )