Logan's Roadhouse

On Sunrise blvd, in Citrus Heights, CA. It's a typical chain with a theme, but the same food you find anywhere else.

Jeune de jupe

In Walnut Creek, trendy boutique of clothes I'd never wear.

Maggie Moo's Ice Cream

in Walnut Creek. Sugar fest.

pita pit

In roseville, This place reminded me of marge simpsons fallafel business.

Great Indian Restaurant

on Geary in SF went here for lunch buffet.

Urban Ore

Huge Warehouse store of reclaimed items in Berkeley, Ca

Del Sol restaurant - Menlo Park

Museum of Dispersia

In SF

Squirrels Cafe in Lafayette, Ca

Delta Meadows State Park

near Walnut Grove, CA

Salades de Provence

West Covina, CA

Spirit Halloween store on Harding Blvd.

Though technically, I think I've been at this location when it was an ACE hardware...

INTERPOL concert

At the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 10/20/07

Bagel Shop

in Dublin. Yum.

Coyote Hills Regional Park

In Fremont & Fullerton, Ca I think this must be a big birding spot, I went here for a class on Bay-friendly gardening put on by Alameda county. There were a lot of people there with binoculars and cameras though, and I saw probably 15 different birds and I wasn't even looking! Worth the trip. Check out their website for hours of operation and bring $5 for parking. You can also bike through on the paths that meander through the park as well.
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
They also do nature hike on the second Saturday of every month http://www.coyotehills.org/artman/publish/article_13.shtml

I guess they are under pressure to give up some land to build (guess what...) houses. check out there blog here:

Genesis concert

Genesis Concert

I've been to the HP paviollion before, but never to see Genesis!

They were pretty good, even from way up at the tippy-top of the venue...

Margie's Diner

in San Luis Obisbo, CA with Ryan, Becky, her mom, her mom's boyfriend, and the Fire Pig of The Sea!

Apple Farm Hotel and Restaurant

Went here for a car show

Tara and peter's new house

This time I actually went into their new house which they got the keys for today.

The Weakerthan's Concert

at Slims - I'm pretty sure I've been here, I think it was for a My Life With The Thrill Kill Cult show that my friend Matt R. was touring with, but I'm not 100% sure...Why isn't there a place where you can look up who played where and with who?

This concert was not that great, while I really love the Weakerthans and they themselves put on a good and interesting show (funny interludes...) the opening act stunk, and really did not do her job of building us up for the Weakerthans.

Hayward Community Garden

In Hayward, Obviously. This large, community garden has smaller plots you can "lease" for the year. I went here for a Bay-Friendly Gardening class on year-round edible gardening. I was a half-hour late because my directions sucked, but the info I got once I was there was pretty good. If I lived in Hayward, and didn't have my own yard, I'd totally sign up for a plot of land here.

Tommy's Donuts

In Hayward, CA. Yum.

Klamath Falls, OR

Redding, Ca

The Sundial Bridge

Suprise Valley, CA

Crater Lake

View from the Watchtower

Crater Lake National park is on the east side of Oregon near Klamath Falls.

Tara & Peter's New Housing complex

A photo of the model...

Sinbad's Restaurant, San Francisco

THe food was not good, but the ambiance is worth a visit to the bar (eat somewhere else first)

Acalanes Ridge Open Space Preserve, Walnut Creek

I live right near here, but have never gone on this trail. It connects to Briones, I didn't make it that far, but the trail up acalanes was good, you go through a cow pasture, and there is one particular hill they all seem to like, Jamie dubbed it "Poo Mountain," for obvios reasons. She also shared her theory that cows are insidious.

Central Park - Fremont, Ca

I went to the community center at this park for a gardening class. The park itself is very nice, it's got a large lake, lots of geese, and when I pulled up, there was a Thai Chi session going on in one of the pavillions.

Farmer's Markets

Danville and Walnut Creek

Sunnyvale Municipal Golf Course

I went here in a foursome, at 10:49am on a Sunday. It was $115 for two players with a cart. The course itself was nice, but I'm dinging the place a star for booking us right in front of a "tournament" of crabby old bitches, and having the balls to come out and tell us to "pick up the pace" after a hole and a half of play because we were holding up the "tournament."

mangosteen

Mangosteen Restaurant

Larkin st. SF

Skipolinis Pizza

Walnut Creek.

Tomasinas

Pleasanton, CA. Went here with the fam to celebrate the fact that my sister and her husband signed their life away to a housing developer, and are waiting to see if the bank will approve it. THe food was good, I had Blackberry Salmon, Someone else had chicken parmasean they didn't think it was the best. but I liked my salmon, it came on a piece of polenta, and had cooked veggies. everyone else got pasta, they seemed to enjoy it. This place is pricey.

Nauvlet's in Concord

I've been to the Nauvlet's in Pleasant Hill, which is a plant nursery, they have a good selection, and generally healthy plants, but they are a tad more expensive than your local Wal-mart or Target. I thought I'd check out the location in Concord, to see if it was different. It's pretty much the smae as the one in Pleasant Hill, the sections are arranged slightly different, but they've done a good job of branding their company and stores.

Ruby's Cafe

Ruby's Cafe
6233 Hollis St
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 601-0622

Coffee shop on Valencia

Called the Marsh. It was far less crowded than the uber-popular place down the block, and relaxing and quiet like a coffee shop should be. They also didn't kick us out after they closed.

back-posting on it's way

I have so many new places to post! but I can't do it all in one day so I'll be back-dating some posts. Keep watching!

White Sands National Monument

This place is neat.

On a road trip across the country, I stopped here on recommendation from someone at the event I was attending (the reason for the road trip) It wasn't on my planned route, and was a little out of the way, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.

There was a highway closure over the white plains bombing site which surrounds the white plains national monument I made it through the road block (can you check ahead of time?) and was able to spend sometime on the drive in the park while I also waited for the highway to re-open.

The drive cost $3 per person (good for 7 days) and is a 8-mile loop that takes you into and through the pasty dunes. There are many places to stop and picnic and you may want to make sure there is some cardboard in your car that you can use to slide down a hot sand dune.

The White Gypsum that the dunes are made of is very unique. Gypsum is usually water soluable and so it doesn't generaly form dune, but because the valley contains the gypsum, and the water sits, the gypsum does not dissolve. Also, only the top few inches of the gypsum dunes are made of loose sand. Rainwater falling on the dunes dissolves some of the gypsum and cements the sand grains together, creating a crude form of plaster of Paris. This makes the white sand dunes easy to walk on.

Amazing transformation as you begin your drive the desert you are already in is pretty desolate and tan, but then it gets even more desolate and bright white from the sandy gypsum

Plant
animals
history
nearby attractions

St. Louis, MO

The Arch.

On Vacation...

Will Update the blog soon with lots of info from road trip

Montrose, CO

This is a great colorado town that reminds me a bit of Durango, lots of old style buildings(some with murals like the photo shows...), not too many new ones. but people who look interesting and who seem to love where they live.

Arches National Park & Moab, UT

This is quite a neat little town out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by beautiful scenery. It's a mecca for mountain bikers. If you go, DO NOT miss a visit to Arches National Park. It's gorgeous. Also, bring a convertible so you can really look at all the scenery as you drive up to the arches.

Eye Doctor

I went to the eye doctor today, this is new both in the fect that it's a physical new locations and that I've never been to the eye doctor before.

Tokyo Police Club Concert

At The Independent in SF (which I have been to before). They played with the minipops and Dappled Cities. They were both OK I'd be curious to hear their next albums. Tokyo Police club was pretty good, but the set was short, and the songs I had not heard before were slower than the one's I had on their EP.

University Falls - Georgetown, CA

I went hiking here with a group of friends. It was a lot of fun. There are swimming ponds and natural waterfalls/slides.

Havana - Restaurant

In Downtown Walnut Creek. We went here with a couple of friends in the area. The food was very good. The bar specializes in mojitos which I don't like, so I didn't try one. The bar was packed.

Peet's Cofee - Dublin CA

I met a friend at Peet's in Dublin of Tassajara road. We also went to Baja Fresh for eating. Driving down Tassajara road from 580 to Peet's made me feel sick. It really is urban sprawl at it's worst. the view of the beautiful hills in the area are completly covered with housing complexes and new strip malls.

Spooner lake hiking/Sand Harbor

Went hiking today on the east side (Nevada side) of Lake Tahoe. We hiked a NV state park trail that goes from spooner lake to Merrit lake (thought we didn't make it all the way to merrit lake), and then afterward went to Lake Tahoe, and spent some time at Sand Harbor, a NV state park on the lake that has a bar, ice cream and snacks and beautiful spots on the lake to hang out at.

Pasta Primavera Too

This is a restaurant Jim and went to for dinner. It was Ok. nothing special.

Talbots

in the Roseville Galeria mall of hwy 80. Never been here before it reminds me of gantos in the sunrise mall in Citrus Heights (closed for many years now). It is basically clothing for older women. I want in with my mom to get a gift certificate for one of her friends who likes their t-shirts.

paradise burger

In Roseville, CA

Pretty good tasting, but definitly not good for you. I liked the Hawaiian Burger.

Police Concert

This show was kind of dissapointing. It would have been better if there weren't so many people who wanted to see them so they could play a small-ish venue. the three-man-jam thing just doesn't keep a 40,000-person crowd going. We had decent seats but the guys on stage were still ants and even the giant screens were small.

FictionPlane and The Fratellis opened for them.

Grayson 900

Restaurant in Berkeley. Went for breakfast. It was OK.

home depot

this weekend I didn't really go anywhere new. I drove up to mt. diable state park, but I didn't get out of the car or go into the park, as there is an entrance fee and I had no cash. so the two things that are new is that I drove up the road to the park, and I went to the Home Deopt in Antioch, which by the way is not as good as some of the other area Home Depots.

Calaveras County Fair

Today I went with Jim and Darla to the Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jumping Jubilee.

Numero Uno taqueria, martinez

I went here for lunch, after my trip to walmart. It looked promising form the outside, but when I stepped, in the place was empty and it felt a little dirty. I oredered a pork soft taco, and got a taco piled with pork, and salsa. while it was very tasty, it was also the greasiest taco I have ever had in my life. it was also kind of pricey. it and a bottle of water was $8+ change.

Yabusaki's Dwight Way Nursery

I pass this place every day on my way home from work, but since they close promptly at 5pm, I have not had an opportunity to check it out. Until today that is. I woke up incredibly early today and had a chance to hit two Berkeley Nurseries before I went to work. One was the East Bay nursery, which I've been to before, but this time I got to stop at Yabusaki's. If I ever need a bonsai, I'm totally coming here. Their Bonsai are gorgeous. Other than that, I will probably not make the effort to wake up early again to come here. This trip I bought four Veggie plants, a cucumber, a watermelon, a zucchini, and a chinese melon I decided to try out. The selection is good but not gigantic like East Bay.

The alley behind Darla's house

I'd never seen it before but she brought us there to show us that her shed was rickety. From her side of the fence it looks to be in good shape, but from the alley, it is pretty rickety. There is also a black and white cat that's been left behind and who someone is feeding.

Sole Salon

I went here after reading reviews on Yelp.com and after seeing all five star reviews, I thought I'd give it a shot. Natalie cut my hair, the place is nice.

Tomatina

Today I went to a restaurant in Walnut Creek called Tomatina. The wait was about a half hour on a Saturday at 9pm. I had the Gnocchi, Jim had the Lasagne. Both were good, they put a lot of fresh veggies in the gnocchi so it wasn't as heavy in your belly. The decor is hip and also includes photos from the Tomato fight thing in spain. My favorite is the photo of a courtyard with a staircase where the entire thing is coated in tomatos.

Kaiser Chiefs

While not a new venue, this is the first time I've seen this band in concert. I met my friend christina there, but she had balcony and I had floor tickets, so we were nowhere near each other during the concert. The Kaiser Chiefs were pretty good, they put on a good show. The Walkmen, who opened for them, I had high hopes for, but were not so good.

The Thomas Point Trail in Sedona, AZ

In the Coconino National Forest, outside of Sedona, AZ

FEZ, Pheonix, AZ

Went to this Restaurant in Pheonix, AZ with a group of friends right after a plane ride, it's modern, kind of swanky, but more snobby. the food was not as good as it sounded but it wasn't bad. drinks and appetisers are great.

Circ Tabac Bar

Circle Line Tour

Boat that goes around the isle of Manhatten. We took the 2-hour tour that goes halfway round the bottom of the island, then turns around and comes back.

Papaya King Hot Dogs

also grays papaya, NYC

Nino's Restaurant

After walking around trying to find a breakfast place that was recommended by our Hotel staff(all of their recommendations were bad), we finally stumbled onto this place. They had delicious breakfast, with the most perfectly cooked bacon. We loved it so much, we went back the next day.

Pacifica

While I have been to Pacifica many times, I went to three new locations in the town on Tuesday. My main reason for going to Pacifica on a Tuesday was the memorial service of Suresh Kerwar, who died of Lung Cancer (donate the the American Lung Association here).

Guerreo Taqueria, Manor Pizza place, Chapel by the Sea

Roseville Dog Park

Today I went to the Roseville Dog Park off of street.

Amador Flower Farm

Darla and I wanted to go to daffodil hill but it turned out to have closed early, I guess the bulb bloomed early this year. Instead, on the suggestion of my mom, we went to the Amador Flower Farm.

We drove up to Placerville (because we missed the Latrobe Rd exit) and stopped at Zpie for lunch, I've been there before, but it is soooo delicious! I can't believe hey have not expanded, I wish there was one in Sacramento. Then we drove down Hwy 49 to Plymouth, CA. The drive was beautiful; the hills were all still green and lush. The Google directions I had were missing a road in the directions, so we stopped at the Pokerville market to ask for directions. The Market was very clean and looked to be well-stocked, and the people who worked there were extremely nice. They gave us a map of the wineries in the area and pointed out where we needed to go. There are a ton of wineries.

Once we got to the flower farm, there was an event going on, where you could take a tram out to the flower fields, and there were tables set up for information of various topics. Their main building had a large area areound it with rows and rows of Daylilies.

Harmony Vineyards, Harmony CA

I went here with a group of friends as part of a road trip to San Luis Obispo. The town of Harmony is very small, it is essentially one road off of highway 1 with a group of buildings that apparently house a whole 18 residents. Blink, and you miss it. 4 of the 7 of us bought the Harmony Rosé wine (actual name to follow). I bought some apricots in liquer for pouring over ice cream or crepes.

The employees were nice, but in true small-town fashion slow to react. I stood around for a while before they rung up my purchase. There was also a lot of random things for sale, including sparkly frog magnets, and flip-flop coasters for your wine glass.

James Dean Memorial

I don't think I've ever actually stopped here before so I'm listing it. The memorial is 900 yard from the spot James Dean actually died on, and there is a large plaque on the ground at the base of the tree with a lot of info, very little of which I read. It seemed like it might be interesting to true James Dean Fans. I do like the design of the brushed stainless steel sculpture. But there seemed to lack a point there was so much crammed into this space, something about this tree being a tree of life or some such thing, and then a small plaque with a quote from the little prince. too much. The Cafe that shares a parking lot does not let you pee there, so unless you happen to be hungry as you pass this spot, there's really no reason to stop.

Chili's

I went to a new Chili's with my Dad in Concord. It's pretty much the same as every other Chili's in the United States. I'm not a huge fan, as their food is very greasy and fattening. This one did have a fancy green tile wall out front with their name on it.

East Bay Nursery

This weekend I went to the East Bay Nursery I've passed the place many a time, but have never gone. I finally had the opportunity when I needed a blueberry bush that was in bloom to pollinate my existing plant.

I was impressed. It doesn't look like much from the street, but they have an excellent selection of plants and though their prices seem a tad high, they have online coupons and sales. So I walked out of there with three blueberry bushes in one-gallon pots for $30, which is fair.

I will definitly return, but it will be difficult, since I am rarely in Berkeley on the weekends, and they close at 5pm durin the week.

Mozart & Deluna Car Collections

Today I went on a garage tour with the Nor Cal Packard club (who invited the Nor cal Cadillac-laSalle club). First stop was one of John Mozart's garages in Palo Alto. He stopped by in his supercharged Alfa Romeo(pictured above). The collection ranged from cadillac and packards to race cars and even a ford wagon.

Second was Dick Deluna's house in Woodside and his impressive garages. His Barn had a basement full of post-WWII autos and automobilia, and a first floor full of pre-war autos and automobilia. Some highlights were a 1930's Motor home, a crazy race car with an airplane engine, tons of old neon signs (all working).