May 15, 2008
We are here in Fresno to celebrate Mother’s Day with Tom’s folks. Pardini’s is a regular haunt for his Dad, Don, and Arlene.
At 7.30 it was relatively quiet. I expect most people will be out and about later in the morning taking their Moms to brunch.
Pardini’s is a bright, clean and cheerful restaurant with lots of booths outside, a few tables and chairs in the middle and places up at the counter. I never really noticed the decor at all, apart from the fact that there was a lot of brick, and I didn’t even visit the restoom.
The food though is worth a mention. As usual I ordered the oatmeal ($2.95) with a fruit topping ($.75). Tom ordered 3 buttermilk pancakes, Don had 2 buttermilk pancakes and Arlene had two scrambled eggs with bacon and a side of salsa. She says eggs are boring without salsa.
I was busy giving Arlene a Sudoku lesson so didn’t notice how long it took for the meal to be served but it wasn’t very long.
I was impressed with the oatmeal when it arrived. It was served in a large, round, shallow bowl on a plate. On another large plate with a doily were the accompaniments - sugar & raisins in reasonable sized plastic containers, the milk in a glass and the fruit (a fair helping of sliced strawberries and cubes of melon) in a glass bowl. It was delicious and for $3.70 it was good value.
Tom enjoyed his pancakes. They were served with a container of soft butter and lots of hot maple syrup. Don and Arlene always order the same, so they enjoyed their meal as well.
If you are ever in Fresno, pay Pardini’s a visit.
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May 15 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
April 22, 2008
Just a quick note to say we’re off to England on Thursday. Margaret’s daughter, Lizzy, is getting married in a beautiful town called Arundel.
We’re also going to see Margaret’s Mum and head over to France for a day taking the shuttle under the Channel.
We hope to post a little but we’re not sure how much internet access we’ll have.
Anyway we’ll be back May 3rd.
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April 22 2008 | Further Afield | No Comments »
April 20, 2008
This must be the closest bike trail to home but we have never been on it. Today we will try it out.
We park the car on Blossom River Drive. The weather is a bit overcast but the sun does make a few appearances. There is a bit of a wind but it is not too bad.
The entrance to the Upper Guadalupe River Trail is on Blossom Hill Road and Blossom River Drive. We decided to go right first of all towards San Jose. The trail is fairly flat, paved and well marked but hardly used or at least we did not see too many people. It’s not as though we had our usual early start as it is now 10.15.
We follow a creek for a couple of hundred yards and then it widens out to a small lake. We take a sharp curve to the right and go round the lake and under Highway 85. There are a few water birds on the water and we even spotted a turtle.
Soon we passed the light rail station at the back of the Oakridge Mall but the trail petered out soon after that. There was a sign pointing down a residential street to the Highway 87 bike trail but we did not fancy riding along beside the freeway.
So we turned and headed back the way we came. I knew to the south it goes to Almaden Lake but was not sure if we can go further or whether that is a dead end as well. We will see.
It is a pleasant path with the view of the Santa Teresa Hills in front of us. The Guadalupe River is to our right and we see three anglers just setting up for a hard days fishing.
It was not too long before we came to Almaden Lake. I’ve driven past here on a sunny day when the place has been packed and it makes a convenient alternative to the ocean. Swimming is allowed in a small section at certain times of the year and there is plenty of sand around the edges to play in. There are other forms of amusement; paddle boats, horseshoe pits, children’s playgrounds, bocce ball courts and I’m sure there are more features as well. We passed several picnic areas. In one there was some activity so I guess there is going to be a private picnic here later on.
At one point we came to a gate across the path with construction on the other side but there is
a detour through the car park. The trail rounded a bend and we found ourselves on the Alamitos Creek Trail and I must say we were very pleasantly surprised. We didn’t realize there was such a jewel so close to home.
The first part is a walking, biking and fitness trail and there were lots of walkers on it. It was nice to see so many families out for a Sunday walk.
What made the biggest impression on us was the beauty of the trail. The gently babbling creek to the side, the Santa Teresa Hills in the distance and the masses of wildflowers were all charming. The trail meanders close to houses but it still feels very rural. To help matters, the wind has dropped and the sun is shining. What a beautiful day. We passed Leland Senior High School and crossed Queenswood Way and as we weren’t sure how far the trail goes but we turned round opposite Swanswood Court. I have since learned that this trail finishes a bit further along but it joins the Calero Creek Trail.
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April 20 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
April 16, 2008
We left San Jose at 4.30 in the pitch black and it did not begin to get light until we reached Stockton. Mind you, the urban sprawl we were driving through was not much to look at. Just before Stockton we took Highway 4 East towards Highway 99 and then Route 88 towards Sutter Creek.
It was not long before we were in the countryside of the Central Valley and the scenery began to be interesting. We passed a lot of orchards and rows and rows of grape vines sporting their new greenery.
At Lockeford we stopped for breakfast and by 7.30 we were on our way again. It was a beautiful drive through some lovely countryside with masses of wild flowers of every color along the route.
It’s going to be a hot day and already the sun is up and the shades are down. In front of us we can see the Sierras which is always an uplifting sight.
The cattle ranches and vineyards gave way to scrub and rock and we began to climb out of the valley.
When we reached Highway 49 we turned left and stopped off at Sutter Creek.
Sutter Creek
The first thing that caught our attention was a huge banner announcing the 49er Bypass Challenge for Walkers, Runners and Bikers was taking place today. Trust us to arrive when something was going on. The same sort of thing happened to us on our first trip to Murphys and also to Volcano. In Murphys it was a Homecoming Parade and in Volcano a chili cook off.
Another banner was strung across Main Street and the middle of the town was cordoned off so we turned up a side street and found a small car park and took a wander around.
They call this city the Jewel of the Gold Country and it is a very cute place. The main street consists of cafes, gift shops and antique emporiums all situated in buildings constructed over a hundred years ago. Sutter Creek was a tent town during the latter half of the 1800s when gold was found nearby. Be warned, the sidewalk is not suitable for wheelchairs as there are lots of levels and steps.
Today there was a lot of bustle as volunteers for the 49er Bypass Challenge where busy setting up water stations and cones and contestants with numbers pinned to their vests were warming up and studying route maps. There were four routes - a 1 mile walk around town, 5 and 10 kilometer course for runners and a 25k bike ride and they all started and finished at the same point with staggered starting times.
We stopped off at the Backroads Cafe where Tom had a decent cup of coffee and I treated myself to a cup of chocolate (without the whipped cream). Everybody was very friendly and I chatted to the coffee servers, the volunteers in the street, the competitors and the passerbys. There is a laid back and relaxed feel about the place.
I was surprised at how few competitors there were. The first call was for girls 6-7 and men over 80 but there were no participants. There were about a dozen different starting times for the under fifteens and the over 35s but nobody came forward. The announcer was having a hard time to get anybody on the start line. There was one call for 69 year old females so no wonder there were no takers - who wants everybody to know how old you are? It all seemed a little complicated to me and the announcer struggled to get all the categories and start times right. By 9 though he had a few takers and we watched small groups set off on the 10k run in one direction and the dozen bikers set off on the 25k course in the other direction. Between 9 and 9.30 there was a lull before the participants for the 5k run were called to the starting point.
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April 16 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
April 12, 2008
After a 4.30 start, we were ready for breakfast by the time we got to Lockeford. Now you are probably wondering where Lockeford is. It is east of Stockton and we were on our way to the Gold Country. This is new territory for us and we did not know what to expect in the way of breakfast, but we spotted this place with an open sign in the window so pulled in.
It was just after 6.30 but there were a few cars in the large car park. The restaurant was large so with just a couple of other customers we could sit anywhere and picked a booth. Due to the large size of the car park and the signs on all the tables saying ‘Truckers Special’ I’m guessing this is a regular stop for truckers.
Most of the seating is booths with just a few tables and chairs in the middle and 11 places at the counter.
Our server was, to put it bluntly, abrupt. She appeared rushed, which was strange seeing how empty the place was. To the other customers though she was friendly but to us, mere tourists, she was not. Tom order Portuguese scramble with linguica and English muffin and was told, in almost an accusing manner, that the muffin was 50c extra. I ordered the oatmeal, after checking that it was not instant oatmeal (’of course not, it’s made fresh every morning’) with a side of toast.
There is not a lot to say about the decor. A few bland flower pictures in gold frames and a sprig of artificial flowers on each table and that’s it. There are no quirky touches to make it memorable.
My oatmeal did not look very appetizing when it was plonked on the table in front of me. It was in a small white bowl on a small white plate but what immediately took my attention was the water it was swimming in. The best I can say about it is that it was not stodgy and overcooked and it was hot. On another plate were small plastic containers of brown sugar and raisins and a small plastic glass, a quarter full of milk. Tom’s scramble looked reasonable and he said the linguica was nice and spicy but on the negative side there was not enough egg, the cheese was not melted, the potatoes were not crispy and it as merely warm not hot. Also the coffee was weak and tasteless.
The restroom was large, clean and adequate but without a trace of ornamentation at all, it was soulless.
You can guess our verdict. It is not somewhere we would ever go to again and we certainly don’t recommend it.
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April 12 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
April 7, 2008
Last weekend we went to Woodland for our family Easter reunion, so no post.
Yesterday we decided it was time to overhaul the bikes and today is our first bike ride of the year.
Coyote Creek Parkway is almost on our doorstep and it is 15 miles long. As we did not have far to go, we had breakfast at home, hence no post to the breakfast log.
The weather was a bit overcast first thing but the sun peeked out on our short drive to our starting point at Parkway Lakes. We intended to start from Riverside Drive off Monterey Road but we couldn’t find it. We decided to start in the middle of the cycle path instead of attempting the whole round trip of 30 miles. At 9.15 we pointed our bikes to the south and set off. Although there were a few cars and trailers around, we saw no boats on the water. Maybe it is too early in the day for the water skiers.
Soon we were passing the gently humming pylons at the PG&E substation. On the right is an ugly power generating station which is quite a blot on the landscape,
The cycle path is well marked and there are warnings and stop signs when the path crosses several minor roads. There are quite a few fellow cyclists around, mostly our age but there were some dedicated cyclists with all the proper gear and one or two family groups. After crossing a wooden bridge and a road we ride along Coyote Ranch Road for a short distance and pass a field where there were several horses. This is the edge of Coyote Ranch where they hold corporate picnics and employee days out.
We came to a sign which warned to look out for flooding. As we have not had much rain recently I was not expecting to see any water but we had to ride through a shallow ford across the path. I bet it’s much deeper after rain.
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April 07 2008 | Special Places | 1 Comment »
March 27, 2008
A stroll up and down California Street is a wonderful experience. It has a very relaxed feel about it and the number of opportunities to stop and take it all in are many, either on one of the benches or sitting outside one of the many cafes.
California Street is about two miles from the main shopping street in Palo Alto and the Stanford Shopping Center. It used to be a separate town altogether called Mayfield, which was here before Palo Alto even existed. The founder of Stanford University, Leland Stanford, wanted to build his university in Mayfield but it was on condition that alcohol be banned from the town. The residents were not happy with that condition as they had over a dozen saloons doing a roaring business. So Leland Stanford went two miles north to build his university. Palo Alto came into existence at the same time and eventually became larger than Mayfield. In 1925 Mayfield was annexed by Palo Alto and the town of Mayfield was no more.
There are lots of places to eat, ranging from the ubiquitous Starbucks and bagal shops to cafes like Cafe Brioche and Joanie’s to slightly pricier venues like Bistro Basia and Illusions (with belly dancer) right up to Spalti Restorante and Bistro Elan. But my favorite (apart from Joanie’s for breakfast) is Printers Cafe. Ideal for a quick snack and a drink, sitting outside and watching the world walk by. Also it has the Gallery House opening from the main room. This is owned and operated by a co-operative of artists and there are regular exhibitions there. It is open on Tuesday from 11-5 and from 11-9 on Wednesdays to Saturdays.
There are two natural food markets - Mollie Stone’s at the station end and Country Sun, which is nearer to El Camino. Other businesses include a cobblers, hair and nail saloons, a florist, several opticians, a yoga center, a massage therapy center, a second hand bookshop with a very original name - Know Knew Books, an art supplies shop, a stationers which sells a variety to goods and Keeble and Shuchat Photography has two shops almost opposite each other. Tom disappeared into one of them for about an hour which gave me the opportunity to really explore the neighborhood.
Watch out for the art as well. There is an interesting statue on the corner of Ash which is called ‘Go Mama’ by Marta Thomas. On the other side of the street is a sculpture entitled ‘Love Spoken Here’ by William Wareham which is four large chairs and a small table made of of metal. I wonder if it is OK to sit on them? Hmm, maybe I’d better not. In the median on either side of Birch there are two more sculptures, one of metal and one of wood. There are also quite a few wall murals. On a wall to the side of Starbucks are three and on the side of Country Sun there is a huge picture of a volcano with a field of California poppies in the foreground. On the corner of California and Ash there is the Hotel California with several murals, one of them very amusing.
All in all, a wonderful neighborhood. Check it out.
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March 27 2008 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
March 25, 2008
Today is going to be a beautiful sunny day. We are later than usual starting off because we are not going too far - Palo Alto to be exact.
Our mission today is to find an outfit for me to wear to my daughter’s wedding in five weeks time. For several weeks I have been searching for something suitable but without luck. Yesterday I spent several fruitless hours at the Gilroy Outlets but everything was far too young and strappy for me. I even stopped off at a bridal shop on the way home and checked out their outfits for the ‘Mother of the Bride’ but these were not only far too ornate but out of my price range.
So today It will be Stanford Shopping Center where I’ll check out Talbots, Bloomingdales and possibly Nordstrom. Let’s hope I will be successful.
Our first stop though is Stanford University. It’s a lovely campus with many grand Italian Spanish-colonial style buildings (thanks to Dave for pointing out my mistake) but they were not on our itinerary. There were two places we wanted to visit - the Stone River sculpture and the Cactus Garden.
We knew roughly where they were but were not a 100% certain. I knew the Stone River sculpture was near the Cantor Arts Center so when we stumbled on that building we knew we were close. But it is hard to find because a) there are no directions to be seen and b) it can’t be seen from the road as it is below ground level. If you have a desire to see it for yourself here are the directions. The Cantor Arts Center is on Lumita Drive. When you stand on the steps in front of the Cantor, you can see Museum Way in front of you. Walk across the road to Museum Way. There is a car park on your left. Behind the car park look out for two granite blocks and walk towards them. You will then see the Snake River to your left.
It was designed by the British sculpture Andy Goldsworthy. If you have never heard of him or seen any of his work, let me introduce you. He was born in the north of England and his sculpture is unique as he uses basic tools and his works consist of twigs, thorns, stones, ice, leaves, rocks, chalk and literally anything natural in the vicinitiy. Most of them are reclaimed by nature pretty quickly but he takes photographs as a record. For a fascinating documentary of his life and work see if you can lay your hands on the DVD entitled ‘Rivers and Tides’.
The Stone River is a dry stone wall which took eight men, working six days a week, 11 hours a
day, three and a half weeks to construct back in the summer of 2001. Another place to see a permanent piece of work by Andy Goldsworthy - ‘Faultline’ - is outside the entrance of the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.
While Tom was taking photos, I walked over to the Cantor Arts Center. Off to the left of the building is the Roden Sculpture Garden where some of Auguste Roden’s sculptures are displayed in a pleasing setting. Roden is famous for his sculpture entitled ‘The Thinker’. Here though you will see his ‘Gates of Hell’, ‘Adam’, ‘Eve’, ‘The Martyr’, ‘The Three Shades’ plus fifteen more.
To the right of the Cantor is a completely different sculpture. This is large and red and built out of stainless steel girders and is called ‘The Sieve of Eratosthenes’ by Mark di Suvero.
In front of the Cantor are some bike racks and what really amused me is that some of the bikes, firmly secured to the racks, must have been there for some considerable time.
Now for the Cactus Garden. Once again it is hard to find as it is not marked in any way. We have been here before and we knew it was near the California Cafe. The exact location is on Quarry Road, just off the car park opposite the Wells Fargo bank. Look out for the wooden posts which mark the start of the a footpath.
The actual name of the garden is Arizona Garden. It was laid out in 1880s for Jane and Leland Stanford (Leland Stanford was the founder of Stanford University). They planned to build their home nearby but it was never constructed. Their son, Leland Stanford, Jr. died of typhoid just before his sixteenth birthday and they used the land to build the Stanford family mausoleum instead.
The time is 8.30 in the morning and it is very peaceful. I wandered around looking at the many different cacti and succulents and then found a bench in the sun to write my journal. It’s a perfect day with hardly a breeze to stir the leaves. Every so often I gaze at the garden, which is showing its age a bit. Up to the 1920’s it was well maintained but then left completely untended until it was restored in 1997. There are some original plants still in existence but not all of them are in good shape. It adds to the charm of the place though.
Time for breakfast and then we will hit the shops.
PS - I did find the perfect outfit at Stanford Shopping Center - mission accomplished.
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March 25 2008 | Special Places | 1 Comment »
March 23, 2008
Before we headed to Palo Alto We checked where to have breakfast. We could not find anywhere on University Avenue, which is the main street of Palo Alto, but on California Avenue we found Joanie’s at 447 California Avenue. California Avenue is in a separate neighborhood and is about two miles from University and has a completely different feel about it. It used to be the main street in the town of Mayfield. Mayfield was incorporated into Palo Alto in 1925.
We have eaten here before in June of 2003 and were impressed. It is very small with just 5 tables for four and 9 for two with 3 places at the counter inside and a few tables outside. There are no booths. We arrived at 9.30, which is late for us, and the place was full so we had to wait for ten minutes. The first places to become available were at the counter so we took them. This is a first for me.
The service is quick and efficient and in no time at all we had our coffee and water and our order was taken. Tom ordered Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon ($9.50) and it was the usual oatmeal for me ($4.95). Back in 2003 the oatmeal was $4.00 so that is nearly a 25% increase in five years.
The only decoration in the place, apart from a large vase of fresh flowers on the counter, were a series of black and white photos around the walls. They were all done by the husband and wife team of Mark and Myshel Morgan and the photos were of London and San Tropez and Paris in France. Very impressive.
Our food was quick to arrive and it sure looked good. The Eggs Benedict looked really pretty and, for once, the hash browns did look extra crispy. It came with a small bowl of fruit containing sliced strawberries, cubes of melon and apple. My oatmeal came in a large, shallow bowl. On a separate plate were three toppings in stainless steel bowls - brown sugar, raisins and granola. I was asked whether I wanted full milk or reduced fat and chose the latter. It came hot and steamed in a white ceramic jug. The oatmeal looked very white so I’m guessing it was cooked in milk and not water.
A quick trip to the restroom but it wasn’t very noteworthy. It was very small with just one small picture on the wall entitled ‘Arles Flowerbox, France’.
We both loved the food and highly recommend it. It is a happy, bustling place with a very nice atmosphere and the service is great.
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March 23 2008 | Breakfast Log | 1 Comment »
March 20, 2008
After eating all those calories in Bucks Cafe, it is time to walk them off.
We arrive at the Old Stage Picnic Area and Trail Head car park on Edgewood Road just after 9 and already it is full. We managed to grab one of the two remaining spaces. As soon as I open the door I hear a woodpecker tapping away but I cannot see it, no matter how hard I try.
Edgewood is managed by San Mateo Parks Department and is a jewel hidden away above Redwood City. It is only 467 acres with five trails, the longest of which is nearly 2 miles long, so it is not a huge park. On one side it is bordered by houses and on another by Highway 280. But it is a great place to for a hike, especially in the Spring when the wildflowers are blooming.
We head off clockwise on the Sylvan Trail, which is a 2.5 mile exercise loop and is only for walkers and joggers. Horses are allowed on some trails but no bikes or dogs are allowed in the park at all. The start of the Sylvan Trail goes alongside houses but they are well hidden by trees. You see the occasional roof, a corner of a deck or you hear the sound of childrens’ voices but they are the only indications that we are that close to them. The predominant sound here is birdsong. Those little critters are busy building nests and raising their young at this time of the year.
The Sylvan Loop is quite narrow and very popular with joggers but there is room for all. Most of this trail is well wooded, mostly oak, but occasionally in the lower part an open vista with await you around a corner. The higher you climb on the zig zag path the better the view becomes. As you approach the Serpentine Loop, the San Francisco Bay, Foster City and the San Mateo Bridge can be seen. Oakland can also be seen.
We start round Serpentine Loop Trail anticlockwise and then anticlockwise round the Ridgeview Loop before joining up with the Sylvan Loop Trail again. Today we see no wildlife but in the past we have been lucky to encounter deer. No two visits here are the same and the place never ceases to amaze me. On one hike several years ago we spotted an orange mushroom about 10 feet off the trail and we speculated what species it might be. I checked with my binoculars to see if I could see more detail and was embarrassed to discover it was a plastic marker of some sort!
There are very few places to sit and admire the view but the very best bench with a marvelous view is on the Sylvan Trail. It has a dedication on it which reads:
IN LOVING MEMORY
OF
GEORGE V. DILLENBURG
1903-1988
DONATED BY HIS DAUGHTER
I guess George loved coming to the park and this was his favorite spot. From here on a clear day, and today is remarkably clear, you can see the AT&T tower in Redwood City, the office building monstrosity in downtown Palo Alto, Moffet Field and San Jose’s skyline.
We did see a few wildflowers but I understand the full show will not be for another couple of weeks. If you plan to visit the end of the month and early April are the best times.
After our hike up the mountain in Pinnacles last week I suffered with aching muscles in my legs for most of the week. This has been a very easy hike so hopefully I will be lucky.
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March 20 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
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