Archive for July, 2007
Recently I spent a week in the Sierras in the Golden Trout Wilderness. The trip was geared
toward black and white digital photography but the structure was such that everyone was free to pretty much do what they wanted to do. It was organized by Paul Roark and Roy Harrington. Paul is very active in the Yahoo Black and White Printing group and is very generous with his time and knowledge. Roy is the creator of Quad Tone RIP, which is a turnkey software method for printing black and white on a number of different printers. Both Roy and Paul are long time B&W photographers and printers and have done some beautiful images.
[Click the image for a larger version]
The Golden Trout Wilderness area is located on the eastern side of the Sierras just south of Mt. Whitney. Coming from San Jose I drove through Yosemite, over Tioga Pass and then south on Highway 395 to Lone Pine. The Eastern Sierras are pretty spectacular and a lot different than the Western Sierras. I think they’re much more impressive. They seem to be right in your face and don’t bother at all with foothills like the western side. Golden Trout Wilderness is west of Lone Pine up an amazing and breathtaking switchback road.
I could have spent more time in the Alabama Hills, just west of Lone Pine, before the drive up the mountain to the trailhead. The Alabama Hills are very strange rock formations where many movies and TV shows were filmed. I watched the sun come up slowly illuminating Mt. Whitney before setting off up the mountain.
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July 30 2007 | Special Places | No Comments »
67 Town and Country Village, El Camino at Embarcadero, Palo Alto
Hobee’s is a small chain of family restaurants. There are eight altogether between Redwood City and North San Jose. It is one of my favorite places for breakfast. When we lived in Sunnyvale we frequented their branch on Matilda near 101.
Today though we tried the Stanford Hobee’s on El Camino. The food was up to the standard we have come to expect but the surroundings and décor were a little different. Tom had one of their specials – Spicy Hot Links Eye Opener ($9.50) and I had my normal – oatmeal ($4.75). For me this is one of the best places for oatmeal. For starters they have an oatmeal bar so you can have as much as you want and can keep going back. They have all the fixings as well – brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, coconut, almond flakes and walnuts. Today they had mixed dried fruit as well; Sunnyvale normally has cranberries. There is also a plate of quartered cookies or small slices of coffee cake to help yourself to as well.
There were several things we did not like about this restaurant. When we were shown to our table we asked about the door immediately behind my chair and were told it was not used. Well, it was used – three times – and it was a bit annoying.
Hobee’s in Sunnyvale is brighter mainly because of the windows all the way round. As we sat at the back Stanford Hobee’s they was no natural light at all. In Sunnyvale they have lots of booths. I didn’t see any at Stanford. It also seemed a little less room between the tables.
My main gripe though is the restrooms. There are two Unisex restrooms but can only comment on the one I used. It was grubby and in a poor state of repair. It urgently needs a makeover. There were no finishing touches to it, not even a pot of plastic flowers, and no pictures on the walls.
On the whole though we enjoyed our meal but maybe we will stick to Sunnyvale in the future.
July 29 2007 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
1807A 4th Street, Berkeley CA
Bette’s Oceanview Diner is one funky diner. Comparatively small with just ten places at the counter, five booths and 8 small tables. There are tables outside as well.
First of the décor. Large, shiny black and white tiles on the floor. Fresh flowers on the tables. On the bar there are three mini juke boxes. On the walls are old photographs and black and while posters from San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Just inside the door, suspended over the counter, is a huge slice of pie. Also in a frame on the wall is the first dollar bill Bette received which was from a Cynthia Fulton.
The menu was varied and the service great. Our food arrived on very hot plates within five minutes of ordering. Tom had a fresh herb and cheese omelette ($8.25) with sourdough toast. His verdict was good. The coffee was hot and strong, just the way he likes it.
I ordered oatmeal ($4.95), which is my favorite breakfast. By now I’m quite an expert on oatmeal. This oatmeal was made from steel cut oats, which is the best possible as far as I’m concerned. It was served in a large, shallow dish with a green line round the rim. Golden raisins and brown sugar were on top. Milk was served separately. Very satisfying. Only black mark was one very large lump.
There is just one unisex restroom with pink tiles and a continuous shelf on three walls with a chrome rim. Two pictures on the wall, one taken on the moon and one taken on mars. Wicker basket for soiled paper towels. Nice hot water.
Be warned, this place gets very busy. It opens at 6.30. We arrived at 7 and got a booth with no wait at all. It was full by the time we left. When we came back at 11 a.m. there was a crowd waiting outside for a table.
July 26 2007 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
The garden was established in 1890 and has over 12,000 different kinds of plants from all over the world, many of them rare and endangered, spread over 34 acres in the Berkeley Hills. The plants are arranged by region in naturalistic landscapes.
Here are the details:
Location – 200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley, CA 94720-5045 (midway between UC Berkeley Memorial Stadium and 
Lawrence Hall of Science). Telephone (510) 643 2755 or click here. Admission – $5 adults, $3 over 65, free to children under 3
Car Park – $2.50 for 2 hours
We arrived at 9 a.m., just as they opened, so very few people there. We had the place more or less to ourselves and were able to wander about without seeing anybody else. Plenty of birds though and today I saw a couple of lizards as well.
[Click the image for a larger version]
Tom disappeared almost immediately into the New World Desert section, where the cacti are. I turned right and explored the California section. First I walked round the Alpine area and then made my way to the Oak Knoll. This is a great place for a picnic but no BBQs are allowed. Along the way there were display cases showing how the Native Americans used the natural resources that surrounded them, like acorns for food, soaproot to make glue for their baskets and also to catch fish and how they used the wood from the elderberry to make musical instruments. There were interesting display boards explaining different aspects of the region, for example where the Alpine areas are in California and what classifies chaparral plants.
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July 24 2007 | Special Places | No Comments »
We were on our way to UC Berkeley Botanical Garden and stopped for breakfast at Bette’s at 1807A 4th Street – see Breakfast Log.
After breakfast we ambled round the three blocks which make up this neighborhood. None of the shops were open so we came back at 11 a.m. when they opened. The first thing that struck me this morning was the many and varied seats and benches all the way along this section of 4th Street. On the corner of 4th and Hearst is a bronze statue of a seated man and someone had put a cigarette between his lips!
We visited Gallery 4th Street - (formerly 4th Street Gym). When we peeped through the windows early this morning, we were impressed with the sheer size and number of original paintings hanging on the walls, so this was our first stop.
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July 22 2007 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
toward black and white digital photography but the structure was such that everyone was free to pretty much do what they wanted to do. It was organized by Paul Roark and Roy Harrington. Paul is very active in the Yahoo Black and White Printing group and is very generous with his time and knowledge. Roy is the creator of Quad Tone RIP, which is a turnkey software method for printing black and white on a number of different printers. Both Roy and Paul are long time B&W photographers and printers and have done some beautiful images.
