A day to celebrate!

Eight months later and...(again, this is not a delayed baby announcement), as of today I finally managed to pay off all medical expenses for my shoulder injury!  It may seem a little pathetic that its taken this long, but these not so little bills stacked up mighty high atop the already bothersome pile of monthly bills which rudely require payment.  Getting one step farther from debt is a delightful feeling!  Happy June 30th.

Even Lola basks in the glory of paying off medical bills

Lodi and back

All set in our Hyundai midsized SUV rental, an unexpected upgrade when we switched rental car companies, and ready to explore the bounty of Lodi, CA we hit the freeway around 11 AM on Saturday.  Along the way we saw some wind farms, (my favorite) some un-recognizable agriculture, dry grass covered rolling hills and of course the ever present development complete with big box strip malls.

Needing some sustenance for our big day in Lodi we went to Bon Appetit, a well rated, local sandwich shop, and enjoyed a tasty lunch before checking into our hotel.   Checked in and with plenty of time to spare until the wedding we started our Lodi tour by driving about an 1/8th of a mile down the road to where most of the wedding guests were staying.  Pool side, surrounded by Rutgers buddies and family we came across the groom. We chatted for a while and when we asked what there was to do in town, I was a bit disappointed by the grimly serious "nothing" response.  Back to the hotel we went. After scanning the channels and settling for some boring re-run we watched a little TV before I could no longer take the boredom.  It was drive time!  Back in the car we headed into town.  We drove down one massive main street, through a few nice, platonic neighborhoods before finally finding a Pleasantville-esque center of town complete with antique stores out the yin yang and not a bar in sight.  We walked into a few uninspiring shops before making our way back to the hotel.  I hate to sound like I'm picking on Lodi, but this iconic suburbia truly seems like a place where a kid could start up a drug addiction just to have something to do.

 At 6 pm Ms. Molly Jones, now Mrs. Molly Campbell, walked down the isle to be with her bridegroom.  Yeah weddings!!  Following the ceremony, as the bridal party headed off for pictures, we wandered into the "cellars" to enjoy a few appetizers and drinks.  We mingled a bit then settled down at our table where we caught up with Rutgers friends and met new pals.  The evening was a little chilly especially for those of used to desert temps, but we enjoyed the company of our table-mates as we endured the gusts of chilly wind. After toasts, cake and a bouquet toss we boogied down for a few songs before making our way to Molly's parent's pizza shop for a few slices, and a little beer with fellow guests.

 Sunday we didn't have anything scheduled until much later in the day so we opted to check out Muir Wood, just North East of San Francisco.  Ascending the twisty roads we soon found ourselves driving in the fog bank and watching the fog whip across the open roads between the low points of the tree topped hills. We then made a twisty descent into Muir Woods and were lucky enough to find a parking spot along the road not too far from the official park.  I enjoy living in Arizona, but this trip made me realize just how much I appreciate greenery, moisture in the air, and trees, trees, trees.  Yes, we have trees in Arizona, but they just don't compare to the redwoods of Muir Woods. Since many, if not all, of the longer paths were closed we sauntered along the tourist loop, snapping too many pictures, before starting our drive back to Alameda. 

                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                    Later in the evening we met up with Tyler in Oakland to check out his awesome new place and enjoy some burgers and beer at Cato.  The atmosphere was interesting, a very diverse and hip Oakland scene, the food/beer was tasty and it was a treat to spend a little time catching up with Tyler.  Tyler is currently training for his first Ironman taking place this August in Canada.  Go Tyler Go!!

 We spent our final day in the bay area, lounging at home, watching Larry the box turtle feast on snails before roaming the backyard, fighting with car rental providers and hanging out in the airport waiting for our plane which was delayed for 2 hours due "mechanical problems".  Thankfully that big metal beast got us home safe and sound and we were able to pick up Mr. Jackson from his vacation home in Scottsdale. We had a lovely trip, but as always, its good to be home. (Note the bone dry desert viewed from the plane window and understand why I miss the greenery)

Off to a wedding -first stop SF

Making a break from the desert for a few days and headed to a wedding in Lodi, CA Jonathan and I flew into Oakland airport Thursday evening.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate an 1.5 hour direct flight home after living on the East coast for about 9 years.

Friday morning we hopped on the Alameda ferry headed to the city.  By about 9:30 the ever present fog was already burning off which is always a good sign for a day in San Francisco.  We didn't go in with any concrete plans, our biggest priorities were picking up a re-sized anniversary gift and making a stop in Chinatown to try out a much anticipated Chinese food restaurant. Upon debarking we spent a little time checking out the ferry station full of stores we cannot afford and had some burnt coffee and bland pastries.  Certainly not the way I like to start my day, but we were on vacation, no worries. Time to wander.

Not seeing anything that knocked our socks off on display at the SFMOMA we toured the museum store, found plenty to buy but managed to walk out empty handed.  It takes time to build such willpower.  It just so happened that across the street was the famed Yerba Buena Gardens.  We walked about, enjoyed the view, but apparently missed out on a labyrinth in the park.  We have no idea where this was located, but the short snippet in the airline magazine on our trip home mocked us for not seeing it.  Since that our lunch destination was another neighborhood over we started for Chinatown.  The restaurant we were headed for is not listed in any prestigious top 10 lists or even Zagat rated, but, thanks to PBS, after watching a re-run of a 2008 Bay Area Backroads with Martin Yan (Yan can cook, so can you) we knew we had to try Sam Wo's.

The sign blends in with the gazillion other signs in Chinatown, but luckily Jonathan spotted it and made our way in.  The front door leads right to the kitchen which is on the ground floor.  Not knowing where to go we stood for about 30 seconds before getting scolded to go upstairs.  We ascended the tiniest little staircase ever to get to the second of three floors.  A table was pointed out to us, a window table at that, and menus were hastily slapped down before our waitress skittered off.  The room fit a hand full of tables and had to be around 10ft wide by 20 feet long which included a tiny wait station complete with dumbwaiter elevator for food delivery.  The wait for the food wasn't too bad, but this was no rapid/friendly service place. Jonathan ordered a combo noodle dish with a little of everything and I ordered the bbq pork with broccoli dish on flat noodles.  Delicious. Again, this is not award winning cuisine but both dishes were rather tasty, super cheap and undoubtedly would have been fabulous drunk food.  Apparently Sam Wo's is quite popular for meeting this very need and remains open until the wee hours of the morning.

Bellies full and sodium intake accomplished for the next 3 days we again started wandering the city.  On the hunt for a new copy of Atomic Ranch we ended up in a rather nice neighborhood to find an Architectural book store. The two people who apparently worked there were akin to airline attendants click clacking away at the keyboard as if you didn't exist.  Eventually when one acknowledged are surely bothersome presence we learned that they did not carry our lowly Atomic Ranch magazine, then returned with flash like speed to their assertive typing.  To add to the strange factor the "music" playing was darn near silent except for the occasional harp string pluck and a strange noise that can be perfectly replicated by closing one nostril and humming in a strange pitch, ever so gently for about 2 seconds.  Yeah, it was a special place indeed, and on that note, it was time to head home.

Just thinking about that meal makes me a little tired so I'll have to continue with the remainder of our trip tomorrow.  Stay tuned, but keep in mind Credence used the term "stuck" in his song "Stuck in Lodi again" for a reason.

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Call it what it is!

On a daily basis I get an email advertising sales at clothing stores I can't afford.  I can't seem to let go of these stupid emails, which lately have more of a train wreck factor than a must make purchase draw.  This morning I came across one item for sale that blew my mind.  Call it what you will, "Polo dress", this bad boy is a silk moo moo for skinny wealthy women!  I want to know who in their right mind pays full price ($1,075.00) or even the stellar sale price of $644.99 for this kind-of-but-not-really Bohemian, shapeless, silk bag that not even the hungry, slightly confused and bitter model can make look decent.

You know she's annoyed, poor girl starves herself to hustle a moo moo down the runway.  Not cool.