Paper-work once More...

Nothing worth reporting after I finished work, the drive home on the I-880 Overpass towards Emeryville is always a great view to enjoy.

Container cranes form the Port of Oakland, water-treatment-plant in the foreground...

Diving down to get back to I-80 with a great view to Emeryville's commercial growth!!!

July 22nd, 2009 it's a Wednesday!!! A Solar-Eclipse somewhere but not here!!!

This morning I got captured by the computer again... it is always the same... If I don't get out of the house by 9 it might never happen at all, for work that is!!!
So I get busy writing a e-mail for the August First Celebration that I end up organizing the ast few years, that's easy, I made a Facebook Event and mailed it to all Swiss or wanna be Swiss I know in the Bay Area. The uploading the photos form the Camping-trip and other useless things.
I been meaning to go to Costco for some time, I think it is today... off I go, I got the list and I'm already drooling for the hot-dog there.
After that it's time for an official lunch at home... whatever cavity the hot-dog hasn't filled gets filled now!!!

Where am I gonna go with all this paper???

The paper-work for lots of shitty jobs ahead!!!

Sleep right Through...

I have my cleaning appointment at Dr. Dirocco's office. Laura, the hygienist is scrubbing my teeth for almost an hour, unfortunately I have to walk away with another appointment for the Doctor to see my progress on gum-loss, or whatever it is what he is looking for. I guess I should have been better with flossing and perioaiding, but I was not, so I have to deal with it and get my act together. Now I go in 2 weeks and have Dr. Dirocco evaluate my situation.

After listening to all the music while sitting on the dentist-chair I have to go to Safeway to buy some Pie-crusts, and Berkeley Bowl to buy some breakfast stuff. Back home I turn the Pie-crusts into 2 Plum-pies and the spree at Berkeley Bowl got me invited to Thierry's Bastille Day party at his house, so one Pie is already dedicated for that, Stuart joins me for that adventure and we have a great time hanging out in the backyard of the Roule's. A lot of friends I haven't seen for a long time, was specially happy to see Barbara, it seams like we never are on the same Yoga schedule anymore, but also lots of fun to see faces I went to Burning Man with. Also interesting was to meet Elizabeth's boyfriend, what's his name again, Renaldo, or some like that. I just heard about him when I was visiting Yasmina a couple of days ago, she mentioned him and that Elizabeth is back together with him. And here he is, passing his phone over to me to talk to Elizabeth on the other end, she is in Boston working, but I have such a hard time understanding here because that phone is too loud.
The peak experiance is that Thierry bought some Moroccan Sausages that are consumed in France during their National Day celebration by the ton. These Merquez Sausages really awakened memories of some 14th of July party in Paris way when back. Stuffed into a piece of French-bread with some mustard, ohh so good!!!
But unfortunately we can't party until the end, I made a previous plan with my neighbor Eva to watch this long awaited movie. Stuart and Andreas, could not wait to watch the movie "The Big Picture".
For me it was an okay movie, would never see it again, and are glad to be done with!!!

July 15th a Wednesday not like any other one!!!

Today I have this long commute down the street to Ledan and Michael's house, they need a flood-light installed that comes on with a motion-detector no big deal, except that in the end the sensor does not work really well, will see down the road, but it is always a thing I have with these things... I don't really like them. But anyway, it was fun to get to know Michael better, he is learning Farsi because his wife Ledan is Iranian. There are tags on all the furniture and things that say what this is called in Farsi, I should do the same for my Mandarin. After the job is over he is paying me with a check that I will forward to my friend Jennifer Lighty who is in a bit of financial dilemma and I commute back up the street to my house. Stuart has lunch waiting and we have some rice with the leftover Coq-au-vin, still a delight!!! Beer with that helped to get me right into a napping stage and 3 o'clock slipped right by while I was out in the land of dreams...

A Day under the Sun

After getting out from the crawl-space and all that fun I was done for today, I've had it!!!
Off I go to get some Coffee and a Muffin and visit my friend Denise. I had to take a shower first before we hung out together and chatted with Water to drink and a Salad to eat.
By the time I got home it was almost bedtime.

Tuesday July 14th... Happy Bastille Day, Vive la France!!!

Back to work at the San Anselmo job, this morning is foggy and cold, what a weather, passing by a thermometer-display in Richmond along 580, it shows 71° F and it is 9:20. After work on my way home the same display shows 82°F and now it is 1:40 now you also might think of what a short day at work that was, and yes you;'re right, I had to get done what I got done and then out of there.

I have lunch at home, heating-up more leftovers and make an omelet out of it, another happy meal.

Facebooking sure take way too much time away from life...

Or does it add richness to my social-life???

3 pm rolls around and I'm busy doing a hole lot of nothing...

Envying Stuart who knows even better how to do even more of nothing!!!

The Battle of Paper & Keyboard...

There are so many more plums to be picked off the tree in my backyard... what to do with all of them, Jam, Pies, Cobblers, what else??? I pick some more and store them in my downstairs refrigerator for future use. Marc is coming back from his hometown adventures, showing off fabolus pictures from high above in the Berkeley Hills looking toward San Francisco, the weather has been strange this afternoon, clouds that we don't get to see a whole lot, kind of like rain-clouds, but it never rains here until the winter-time. But the cloud-build-up progressed anyway.
Eva joins us from up the street to hang out with us and have dinner as soon as Stuart is back form his adventures and starts cooking. By now it is really strange outside and it does start raining, well, not really raining like in other places, just fat drops coming down at a very slow rate. I love the smell that gets emitted by the water hitting the ground, not really sure what happens but it spreads a very distinctive flavor. For some reason I go outside to enjoy the few falling drops and see this most amazing rainbow in front of the Berkeley Hills. I call Eva and Marc to have a look too, it is almost amazing to see this play of light.

The setting sun is shining below the clouds into the rain and produces this amazing sight...

I spliced this rainbow, but it is not very good still you'll get the feeling!!!

Even Marc gets excited and whips out his camera and produces yet another level of enjoyment...

It's funny how these things come together, but here we are like kids on the street admiring natures play!!!

Talking about kids, next thing is that a mother with her kids shows-up and we take her picture too...

Marc took also some photos of the family, they live in the next block, just like Eva!!!

Now it's time to continue with the program...

We're having Bar-B-Qued burned chicken, some Tomato/Basil/Mozzarella Salad, grilled Veggies and Goat-cheese for dinner!!!

Andres, Eva's husband, shows up just in time for dessert...

That make the party complete!!!

Sunday, July 12th... my Dad's 75th birthday... Alles Guety zu dim Geburtsdaag, Heinz!!! Also Mark Watrous-Heyliger, I know, what a name, wishing you the best too

Today is sleeping-in on the program, and I did, boy I can't even remember the last time I slept that late, but it feels soo good. And as soon as I'm up the kitchen gets busy again Stuart has this idea to have a nice brunch here at the house just the 3 guys excuse me Scooby, I know we're four guys, okay.

Brunch out on the Patio don't know where the 4th guy is...

Another delicious meal prepared by Chef Stuart of the Burnett Kitchen Association!!!

The the afternoon goes on, Marc heads out for more adventures and I hit the computer to do paper-work and picture editing and writing fun stuff.

3 o'clock catches me right here at my temporary desk, battling paper and keyboard...

Fill-up that Fridge...

This was more than a power-nap, I'd call it sleeping in the afternoon, and it is hard to wake-up again, but I have to because the action is starting now. Somehow Rosa the Cleaning-specialist and her Daughter are long gone, the house smells of freshly released Chlorine and Annelise is coming over soon. Drinks,is what's the start, but that will turn into dinner. It gets even better when the phone rings and Marc Sobers calls, a friend from Lafayette, Louisiana. He's on it's way to Berkeley, and so I offer him to stay at my house. There is a bit of a sad story behind that, Marc planed this trip for some time, he told me when I saw him in April about his plan, then connected with him via Facebook and followed him when he left Lafayette to go to New Mexico, Arizona into Utah. Now, last night his car broke down and today he abandoned it in Fallon, Nevada, and is driving a rental car, cutting his trip short, instead of going from Reno to Northern California, then come here, along the coast, he's now on I-80 straight to the Bay Area. By now Annelise and I are on drink #2 and she calls Sally Hicks to join us while we start cooking some dinner. Then it all comes together. Sally showes-up dinner is served and Marc getts here just in time to eat. It's a party now.

Friday evening action with Annelise, Sally and Marc...

From Drinks to a full blown Meal in a few hours!!!

Then the ladies went home, while Marc and I went to Eagles Hall in Alameda to see who else is there he knows... we got there so late we didn't even had to pay!!!

Saturday July 11th

I get home after yoga-class, Marc is about ready to head out in to his "old" world. He was raised here and lived in Berkeley until the 70s then back a few times. But the last time he was here in the Bay Area is about 9 years ago, so he is all ready to go and explore his old neighborhoods.
I get busy with things around the house or on the computer and then go shopping at the Berkeley Bowl West, my new favorite grocery-store, walking distance from my house!!!

After being back from the "bowl" it's time to fill that fridge with fresh goodies...

Heavy Whip Cream for future Plum-pies!!!

Dreaming away...

Buried in boiling pots with jam and hot water to keep the jars sterile, cutting more plums, stirring in all that sugar into the boiling plum-sauce, and make sure the jars I finished get cleaned and marked. It's an operation, a mess, and fun. In the end I had 22 jars of Plum-jam. 12 low-sugar and 8 regulars. The cleaning-up is when the fun stops. Stuart walks into the house at the right moment, when all is done, clean, clean and safe!!! It 10 at night by the time we sit down and again have some more leftover Chinese food, I tell you that one dinner at Eric's in the city fed Stuart and I a few times.

Friday, July 10th... yuuhoo it's Friday!!!

First I have to fill-up my van with Diesel, then get materials for the job in San Anselmo and then I have to drive out there too, over the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge to 101 North through downtown San Rafael onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd to San Anselmo. I get there all ready to do some damage, I mean some work but thee is the team that is installing the counter-top, a stone one, that means I can't really do anything in the kitchen the fumes of the glue are strong in the air. I look at the fire-place where I have to install a receptacle  but that looks like a difficult task right now and so I decide to scratch this day off and head back to Berkeley instead. I return some of the Under-Cabinet Lights I bough too many off at Laner and ordered the rope-lights on-line instead. Ate some lunch while getting some other things done on the computer then my eyes roll inwards and I better lay down...

By 3 o'clock I'm deep in the land of dreams...

Late Lunch special...

A quick run to Costco to buy lots of sugar also made me buy one of their Hot Dogs, so I spend 12 dollars for lunch, that is a dog and 20 pounds of sugar. On the way home I also stopped at a Office Depot to buy a new notebook for my Job-site-notes. I'm ready to get jobs again!!!

Wednesday, July 8th... it;s time to get serious!!!

At nine I'm back at the "Storytelling-style" house to get some of the wiring figured out, lots of time I have to crawl into the underbelly of the house a big mess and lots of dirt but necessary to make sense out of it all. I get a few more lights to work and the others figures out but need more time to get it to work. Not today though... It's time to get home to shower and have some lunch!

A late lunch by myself...

Having leftover Chinese made into an omelet, no beer today!!!

Lunch with Stuart...

The Last evening of the yoga retreat is somewhat different. Much quieter than the previous night. Poor Dan finally returned from the dead, poor guy just had a wee bit too much to drink.
The dinner was made out of leftovers from all the other meals, enough for the 5 of us, that's for sure.
The last soak in the hot-tub, accompanied by Ann Marie was kind of interesting, first a facial with salts and oils then a body massage... no, no not what your thinking, just nice and gentle. For sure we ruined the water with all the salts and oils, but it felt great!!!

Monday July 6th... what back to the "real" world???

Yep, a short yoga class, just 3 guys, Tina and Ann Marie wimped out. Then the last meal, cleaning up the place and back on the road, driving the windy road back to Cloverdale and on 101 south.
Somewhere the Honda passed its 293'000 mile-mark and I was home just in time for a late lunch with Stuart.

The drive back over the mountains to Boonville...

25 Miles of beautiful mountain-road, with lots of turns, ups, and downs!!!

It's 3 o'clock, time for lunch back at the Burnett Ranch, before the "real" life hits me.

Having a welcome-lunch with Stuart...

And a beer with that!!!

Cruising the Web...

My mission is to be caught-up with all this blogging before I let everybody know that I'm officially back in Berkeley, but that is kind of hard. I got home a few days earlier than anticipated. now I'm sitting here, all day so far, plowing though notes and pictures to relive my trip.
Stuart, is offering to cook-up a meal for the two of us, sadly i don't remember what we ended-up eating, but knowing Stuart, it was good!!!

Tuesday, june 30th... What else besides blogging will I do to day???
Today's Birthday: Jessica Bailey, Hope you have a wonderful time in Montreal!!!

Still, no "real" food in the house to even make myself a muessly, more Peanut-butter and Jelly and a piece of bread I find in the fridge. Tea and back to the computer, I have too many things I want to write about, too many pictures i took to share with you all, it's really difficult to keep it somewhat short, not like now where I'm at the end of my fabulous adventures. I'm ready to go again to collect more, but first I have to get myself ready to go for a hike with Eva, my neighbor, friend and Scooby-care-taker. Eva took care of my little friend here, after Flint and Jessica went back to India. It's such a bummer that I could not see them one more time before they had to leave. Jessica is Australian, even though merit to an American, she still just gets a 3 month Visa. Too bad. Anyway, it was Eva who came by once a day to check on Scooby, made sure he had a bite to eat and and few moments of attention. Thank you for that Eva.

It's 3 o'clock and I'm rounding-up Mr. Scoob so we can have a moment in front of the camera...

As he is getting older his black fur is turning more and more into the brown/red color!!!

Typing away...

I just got out of the shower, that 4 hour mountain-bike-ride in Marin whipped my butt some serious. I also cleaned myself before the shower with Rubbing Alcohol to get rid of the Poison Oak stuff I might have come in contact with. I don't wont the same thing happen to me again like in January when I got this rash from the Poison Oak. Anyway, I have to make a coffee first, I can't think, straight...
I also had to take a nap, I'm feeling a bit fresher and all anxious to finish writing about all my adventures I had coming back from Wisconsin through Montana to home. I better work on that as soon as possible to get it done with, otherwise...
I sort out the pictures, edit them in Photoshop and then upload to the Picasa Album, I try to read my own writing in my note-book and with a map at hand recreate the journey. Stuart got back home form his weekend trip in Portola Valley, and we catch-up on each others lives a bit, it's way past midnight when I finally can't keep my eyes open any longer...

Monday, June29th... What??? Already Monday again!!!
Today is the Birthday of... Moto, a.k.a. Sharon Sikora from New Orleans!!!

I don't really have any food in the house yet, so breakfast consists of a few Peanut-butter with some Apricot-jam on toasted Bread, with just some black tea, I'm not ready yet to make my Chai-tea. I'm writing the blog, answer some e-mails, a few blurbs on Facebook and more snacking. By the time it's one o'clock I'm starving and I make one of my killer omelets, with whatever I find in the fridge, there are the sausages I brought back from the trip, never opened them yet, then I find a semi shriffeled-up peppers, 2 carrots, italian broccoli, and a few other things all together fried to perfection and then add the whipped eggs, turn over and top it with cheese... bingo, I've got myself a meal... I can make it until 3 o'clock!!!
back to writing, and dreaming of all the great things that happen to me...

It's already 3 o'clock, still trying to find my bearings...

Just got Dropped off...

First glimpse of Mt. Shasta way over there in California!!!

Here I am, in the car since quarter to ten this morning, a wee bit tired but also kind of excited to be back in California soon. The upper Lake Klamath is appearing on my right, it's a beautiful day, hot yet a cool mountain-breeze that keeps this landscape from overheating. US-97 skirts the town of Klamath Falls and after that it's pristine view of the land up here. Mountains, valleys, fields, forests, roads, and train-tracks.

Upper Klamath Lake, Inspection Station, closer to Mt. Shasta, a guy driving on the railed road...

Finally back in California, at the inspection-station the guy ask me about Fruits or Vegetables!!!

California the Golden State!

More of this fertile land, and as soon as you water it, it grows...

And of corse every mile a better view of Mt. Shasta!!!



Mount Shasta, 14'162 ft, and it's little Sister the Shastina Cone, 12'330 ft...

A stop at a Scenic Vista-point gives me this clear view to enjoy for a few minutes before hopping back into the car and go!!!

Right at the town of Weed, US-97 is the ending and drops me right onto I-5. It's five o'clock and I'm tired and I'm hungry, ready for a Burger with Fries since days now what is going on. I know this diner chain along this interstate, lets see if I see a sign of a diner near me.

An hour later I'm sitting at the counter of the Black Bear Diner here in the town of Shasta...

This place is so family that even my mom has a cup hanging at the counter, and boy that Burger is sooo goood!!!

Back on the interstate, plowing through miles. Beautiful Mount Shasta is now behind me and I get the first vistas of Lake Shasta now. Last year I came back the same route and the whole way when I was driving back from Sisters, OR the air was thick with smog form wildfires everywhere. Also the mountain was almost stripped of its snow and ice-cap, the lake I've never seen so empty, it was alarming how the world looked like. Today it is all different, even the lake has much more water, still lots to go but it is hard to recover a reservoir once it has been that empty and last winter did not produce enough water to fill it. The recreational activety on the lake though scares me a bit. There was one mount that protruded out of the lake and is connected to the shore by this hump. The whole place was filled with pick-up trucks and cars, almost all the way to the water. Jet-skies, motor-boats, and house-boats are filling the water-surface. I sometimes stop at a spot I know to jump in for a cool-off, but this does not wanna make me even go near this lake.

I-5 is crossing Lake Shasta, then goes all the way down into the Central Valley, the Fruit-basket of the US...

The sunflowers reach for the last rays while the sun sets at 8:30 behind Snow Mountain!!!

The temperatures are hot here in the valley, the lady at the gas-staton told me that it was supposed to be 108, but some guy told here that his thermometer on the porch showed 115 that is HOT!!! It's getting to be night, a rare moment during my trip that I drive at night, I usually wanna see what I'm driving through, this I have seen many times and I do wane gat back home and sleep in my bed tonight. At quarter past nine I'm driving on I-505 that gets me to I-80 and closes my loop when I left on April 2nd. The windshield gets hammered by bugs, I'm on the road now for 12 hours 628 miles since I left Goldenhell or what ever the name of the town was way up in Washington. The last 50 miles is "Welcome back to the Bay Area". On Interstate 80 the drivers are like Indy race-car drivers, changing lanes, going 80 plus miles an hours and trying to be faster than the other guy, it's good that my exit is coming up. I park in my drive way at ten thirty... it's time for another Trout Slayer while unpacking and getting familiarized with my own home again. I wish I had somebody here to share the beer and stories, but Stuard who is still renting a room in my house is out for the weekend, my neighbor Eva, is out partying and Scooby my cat is just happy to have me back and wants some food now. The best part is to fall asleep in my own bed once again...
Thank you Honda for the pleasant 10'724 miles you've driven me without a single problem other than keeping an eye on the oil-level of the 21 year old engine. It's a miracle-car!!!

Sunday, June 28th A beautiful day in the Bay Area!!!

I set the alarm for 7 I have to get my bike ready for a ride into the mountains of Marin. Tom picks me up at 8, we meet John in El Cerrito, drive over the Richmond Bridge and are at Dennis's house right before 9. A gorgeous morning, cool air, blue sky not a cloud or flake of fog to be seen. Off we go, ride up the Tennessee Valley pass the parking-lot and then climb the first major hill. John and Dennis are not cut out to go that high and they take another turn to get down to Muir Beach to climb the next hill almost to Pantoll Station. Tom and I take a gnarly single-track down to Hwy-1, then up to get to the top of the Diaz Trail, now here is a disappointment, they are redoing the trail and it is closed during construction, well we're a bunch of construction workers lets go and have a look...

A beautiful day to bike, climb one mountain after another...

And enjoy the vistas in every direction!!!

Then we end-up, after a lot of struggling through these "new and improved" trails it's not gonna be the same anymore, scratch that trail of our "fun-to-ride" list, at Muir Beach, form here its a couple of miles on pavement and then the next climb, that's where John and Dennis were on earlier, we hope, other wise these guys be waiting for us forever. This climb is long and lots of sun is beating on us. Right at the top is this section where we ride through these thick redwood-forest. Ahhh cool air and knowing we're almost to the top. A 2.2 mile long tough hill to conquer. Here is where the Coastal Trail is bringing us back down to Hwy-1, the reward of a 2.7 mile long downhill. On hwy-1 it's paved again to get back to Muir Beach, here the Pelican Inn is waiting for us with John and Dennis laying on the front-lawn with a beer in hand. It's time for Tom and I to do the same.

Even though I should eat and drink a lot of water... isn't a good Hefeweizen all in one???


It sure feels good this cold one, but soon I'll be paying for it, climbing out of the Green Gulch!!!

I felt so drunk, could not keep a straight line in this narrow single-track trail bringing us over the top...

To get us back into the Tennessee Valley where the truck is waiting to get us back home!!!

That was a though 4 hour ride, we're all starving and tired. The 3 of us hop back into Tom's truck. Dennis stays back, he is home already, by the time we're on Hwy-101 he might be already flat on the sofa.
We drop John off at his car in El Cerrito and then head to Berkeley to have B.B.Q.ed Ribs or some like that. Everett & Jones is the place for that. I get myself some B.B.Q.ed Chicken sandwich while Tom inhales the Ribs, all is much better now.
Before Tom can drop me off back home we have to go by a lighting store where he has to return and order a few fixtures for his house.

At 3'o'clock I'm unloading bike and gear and say good bye to Tom... and totally forgot to take that picture!!!