Scotland 2006 - Day 6 - A drive and a few last sights
California 2004 - Day 2
In keeping with their natures, the boys were
up at dawn, but kindly let me sleep until just
after 8am. Breakfasted and off we went into San
Fran to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Fortunately
for us, it was sunny enough to actually be able
to see the bridge (evidently it gets so foggy
that only the tops of the turrets are visible),
but still foggy enough to get the "authentic"
experience. We wondered through the little nature
area a while, me taking pictures from further
away, and watching the surfers among the rocks
near the closest in support structures. Not sure
how they managed not to freeze or bash themselves
to bits on the very pointy and prominant coastal
rocks, but it was neat to watch.
Then we decided to walk part-way across (to the
first turret) and look out over the bay. I didn't
realize that Alcatraz was so close to the shore,
and actually inside the bay itself. I always
envisioned it in the big ocean not visible from
land. The bridge also didn't sway nearly as much
as what I was expecting it to, and it was a
reasonably windy day; in fact, the bridge shook
more from the brisk traffic than from the
weather.
After turning around and coming back, we walked
through the Gift Shop (or Gifuto Shoppu as the
sign read in transliterated Japanese), before
heading over to Japan Town for lunch and a bit of
window shopping. As much as it pained me, we
ended up doing A LOT of driving, instead of
walking the city as I would have liked to have
done, but it was necessary to see everything we
wanted to see, and I got to watch out the windows
while Pyrex drove--a feat for which he deserves
to be sainted. CALIFORNIA DRIVERS ARE CRAZY!! Not
sure what rules they were driving by, but they
were just similar enough to lull one into a false
sense of security, before nearlly
catastrophically trouncing you out of it. Of
course it doesn't help that the lanes shift at
very odd angles without helpful markings.
Fortunately, Branson was equipped with a trusty
road map and a decent amount of familiarity, so
we got everywhere safely, but Pyrex's nerves must
have been shot by the end.
Anyway, lunch was at Juban which specializes in a
certain kind of Japanese cooking called
"Yakiniku." It's kind of like a do-it-yourself
hibachi, only minus the ultra sharp knives and
tons of strangers at your table. The grill is
actually recessed into the table, and you grill
the meat and veggies yourself. I ordered a
pre-cooked dish (Bibimbo--beef, spinich in sesame
oil, pickled dikon and two kinds of fermented
bean sprouts over rice. Actually quite tasty) The
boys did the grill-your-own thing, and wound up
with some ultra tasty bits.
Afterwords, we headed out into the shopping
district wondering through several craft,
textiles, & antique stores as well as some
exhibitions on temporary display. After two-ish
hours, Pyrex and I started to crave sweet things,
and being in San Francisco, the only place to
sate it is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory. Two
ice cream sundays (hot fudge and caramel) between
the four of us, we were off again. This time to
the Golden Gate Park to see the Japanese Tea
Gardens, where theoretically there would be tea.
Said tea never qutie materialized, but the
gardens were beautiful, if not a bit small for
the amazing number of tourists in the area, but
that's what we get for going on a late Saturday
afternoon. Also turns out that admission was free
after 5pm (about the time that we left). So if
you're ever in San Fran, and want to see the
gardens, go after 5 on a weekday. But they were
beautiful none the less.
The next stop was primarily for Pyrex and
Branson, and that was the Castro. Filled with
some amazing Victorian architecture and lots of
neat little shops and cafes, Pyrex spent a good
deal of time shopping for friends back home, and
enjoying the atmosphere of acceptance and general
upbeatness. It was really amazing how hopeful and
fun the entire area felt, much more so than any
of the other neighborhoods we meandered through,
but then again, there wasn't much meandering, so
take that for what it is.
As it was getting dark, and our tummies were
getting the grumblies, we headed back to San Jose
for dinner at a random Vietnamese Noodle shop
that I didn't get the name of, and was only
adequete, but it filled us up, and got us on our
way in less than an hour so that we could pick up
snacks and drinks for the bonfire that Garner was
getting set up for later that evening.
I really couldn't have asked for a better end to
the weekend. We arrived at Ocean Beach and stood
on the shore watching the waves in the
darkness--inky blackness punctuated by bonfires
reflected from the distance and silvery caps on
the waves.
Then there was bonfire. =)
Garner had brought palates from the wharehouse
where we works, and another couple had just
decided to leave for the night, and allowed us to
take over their already fading fire pit. So we
threw on a palate at a time, drinking beer, and
generally talking and catching up with lives that
had been too long out of sync. It's always really
fabulous to see people loving what they do.
Garner had never quite been happy with CS as he
studied it at OU, but has since moved on to sound
production for a company that does big concerts
in the Bay Area, and he LOVES it. I have rarely
seen someone so invigorated in life and career
they have begun to create for themselves. I only
wish that all people can know that at least once
in their lives for whatever that may be.
So, tired, smokey, sand saturated and soulfully
sated we headed back to Branson's for the last
crash of what was an incredible weekend, one that
may never be repeated. Three days in a
fascinating locale shared with three of my
closest and dearest friends. Doesn't get much
better than that folks, doesn't get much better
than that.