Walking for 5 hours

After leaving Asilomar I camped in the garlic capital .... the early morning view was spectacular.

Today I was headed for Marin county to take care of some accounting but that did not pan out... sooo ... back across the Golden Gate into the city.... San Frnacisco here we come. There is something charming about the city.

Baron rode his bike over the bridge to meet me in Mill Valley. We loaded his bike into the van and he drove us back into the city. We actually found a parking spot within a few blocks.

It was good to see the old neoghborhoods again.... always interesting for the outsider... maybe boring for the local residents

We hiked around the local neighborhoods on Saturday then went to the museum on Sunday. Lots of people there and long lines. We did not take mycamera because they told us no pictures in the special event today... King Tut's display... Baron's camera we took... along with the dead battery. We walked around there for hours and then walked home. Later in the afternoon we walked to the beach... of course. The beach is actually close at hand (maybe 30 min or so)

How many times do you think the Golden Gate Bridge has been photographed? ... who cares... it is still a beautiful sight. We took the dog along... she loves to chare the tenis ball on the beach... AND she even jumped in the water after it.... but we did not jump in the water.. we're chickens :-)

continueing on we decided to look for a house for me

Hey...up thee... maybe one of those

That looks like a nice street .... and a good neighborhood... lets wander around up there

Hmmmm ... but then again... maybe I should look elsewhere... someone told me that this was the highest [riced nneighborhood in San Francisco

Guess I'll ;eave town and look somewhere else for now

Workshop Ends with Plein air

After an intense week of 3 painting seesions per day (over 9 hours per day) we ended the week with a plein air demo on the ocean front. It was a fine day to be on the beach and climb on the rocks.
Craig is a very accomplished artist........  http://www.craigzart.com/......

You will notice that we had a mellow sunset the day before .... then after the demo I toured South Monterey Bay area up to Sunset Beach... where I almost spent the night :-)

Thanks to Barnes and noble   (and Borders) I have been able to get on line while on the road. Asilomar had WiFi on the grounds

We all had a great time at the workshop ... much work...much fun... big time learning and many new friends

First Evening at Asilomar

At the Craig Nelson 5 day workshop the first evening we got started right off with a 2 hour session. Everyday will be morning, afternoon and evening painting sessions.
Here are the models for the first day and my study.

This is where I like to be

Leaving early for an exciting ventures is something I like to do.... so yesterday I left Sonoma County and headed south. In the early evening I landed in Sand City. Like a well trained bird dog I headed right for Borders. Who knows how I found it within one minute of leaving the freeway ... Highway 1. Borders offers lounge chairs and free Wi-Fi (eats if you like the menu and the price). Staking out a spot I settled in figuring I'd be there until closing (11pm). It was comfortable, warm and the net connection was good. What more could we ask for. ...... and there were several other homeless folks hanging out carrying on a lively conversation.
After camping for the night I continued on to Asilomar State Park and Conference center. Quite a place. http://www.visitasilomar.com/

Arriving many hours early I scoped out the joint, found the Wi-Fi connection and then headed out for the beach. This is a better place to relax and connect to the net than Borders..... but Borders and the Sonoma County Library are good too..not complaints there.... this is just better

Always look for the winding trails over the snad dunes .... doens't it just make you want to wander over there and see what's over the dune?

One of the locals told me that we are having unseaonalbly warm weather here now .... now that does not make me unhappy in the least. It is soooooo nice here. A great change from Reno or even Sonoma County.

Typical California coast ... I love those rocky clifts and crashing waves. .... makes my heart feel good

I always take pictures of the gulls. They are so interesting.

This is the crashing surf that Florida wishes they had other than the hurricane driven storms. I could sit and listen to this all day.

To the south and north there was the misty fog so often found on the coast making a dramatic scene out of a clump of trees

This is just the start of my week ... it's going to be a good one.

After all these years

It has been so long that I can not remember when there was occassion that I needed a tow.... now I need 2 tows........
Here you see my new  Dodge Springter heading for the tow company's garage. I drove in ok. it started up the next day..ok...... then it sat for a couple days in some very cold weather.. hmmmm guess what... it never started again. AAA came to fecth it and haul it down to Andy's place for some TLC. I had a flat once just east of Dallas on the freeway.... AAA come and fixed that... other than that I just can not remember a breackdown so serious that I needed a tow truck.
After AAA came for the dodge I took the Ford out to return some Ice melting salt to Home Depot. i was thinking as I motored down So Virginia street .... "my how good this old ford Aerostar has been to me... It simply hums along and never misses a beat.... about that time the engine came to a deadening stop... a big red light came on the dash that said "check engine" ... hmmm... an electrical failure...dang.... and they just hauled away the dogdge Sprinter. I pushed the Ford into the parking lot of the local Firestone garage with the help of a kind stranger...... not that the traffic would even slow down for a couple of blocks pushing a disabled vehicle across the Northbound lane.... what the hell... we need to get home frome work... or something.. ahhh yes... the dodge is in Sparks.. the Ford is broken down on South Virginia St.... I might as well walk home from here... it will do me some good.... it's anly about 4 miles. A cool crisp night. All the lights of south reno  and a crisp winter sky... a good night for a walk.
When I finally arrived home to Bear's suit my cheeks were rosy and I felt good... time for a little wine from the Alexander Valley area of Northern California, a little raw cheeze, a couple small pieces of beef balagna and a couple crackers. A very relazsing way to begin the evening. Following that snack was raw veggies covered with first pressed virgin oilive oil and a little balsamic vinegar. Now I need to get back to sorting the clothes and figuring which I can take with me to Santa Rosa.
How am I going to get there... another story