vacation

All posts tagged vacation

RainRainy and cold all day long, what a joy. Didn’t stop us from having a nice time looking all around the Wharf and golden Gate area.

The drive over to San Francisco was not pleasant at all, rainy to very rainy and with the water being kicked up by the other cars visibility was really low. A traffic was also a bit more than it has been in Sacramento.

Tried to park at one place farther from the Golden Gate and instead decided to forgot it since they wanted the keys to the car. Went down a bit farther and found the perfect place, it was early don’t crowded yet and we parked just fine. It was 8 an hour but lots more convenient. I had my rain coat and Brian only had a hoodie, we walked back down to pier 33 to check one last time on the availability of Alcatraz trips but nothing was available. I was getting soaked with all the rain going off my jacket and collecting on my pants, Brian was starting to get really wet as well, so he bought a water proof jacket and an umbrella Andi bought an umbrella, it really end helped keep off the rain.

Alcatraz

alcatraz

Walked around the whole Pier 39 shopping area, lots of cool stuff, bought a few things made of wood and chatted with a very nice gal at a place that specialized in spices and salts. The rain really didn’t stop the crowds though plenty of people all around. We tried to have lunch at the Hard Rock since they would have had beer but it was closed for a private event, so instead we had lunch at a place called Wipeout Cafe, place had a cute blond statue with a very small bikini. Nice pizza and beer, an Anchor IPA.

Golden Gate

golden gate

Went over to the Golden Gate Bridge after that, they had a science/nature thing going on for mainly kids over off the water, really interesting and educational actually. We also a took some shots of the bridge from far away. Brian didn’t want to try to get a closer look and was really wanting to get back. I would have loved to get a photo of the bridge from the battery areas but didn’t feel that battle was worth it. We did cross the bridge and then cross back and went on home to the hotel. I was tired too.

Drive back wasn’t nearly as white kuckled as the drive in, very little rain and we got back to Sacramento while it was still light. Stopped in at the Firestone Public House and had a wonderful tuna burger and a Double IPA, very cute girls @ the hostess table got us seated really quick. Watched the last of the Dayton/Florida basketball game, part of the elite 8 and now the Gators are advancing to the final 4. Met a very gorgeous Florida Fan there, we talked awhile and she mentioned that it was lonely being a Gator fan up in Sacramento, not many Fans over here. Just to be through, the three bartenders were as hot as hell.

Had a beer and watched some tv while messing with photos the rest of the evening.

partly cloudyOvercast and hazy with the clouds breaking up later in the a.m.

Got finally got out and went to that old drawbridge on capital Avenue. Walked on the Riverwalk which was more of a bicycle path but got a good view of the Broadbridge from there and Sofiya bums. drove down over toward the river city brewery which I found out the night before what had had a fire on Thursday and is now closed until at least Saturday. Then I went over to Rubicon brewery and got here at 10 o’clock in the morning and nobody’s around and it doesn’t open till 11. As I waited here and actually a nicer place in Sacramento it’s by the college lots of young people and lots of bums.

Started back to the hotel since Brian was going to be out after noon. I arrived there at noon and we headed out to Russian river and then Lagunitas. I had originally planned on. Hitting Russian River for lunch @ 11 but instead since it was not past 2pm I just went in, got two Pliny the Elder and a glass then took off to get to Lagunitas before 3pm and the last drinking tour. The parking lot was packed and the place was cool beyond measure. The dude who did the tour was funny as hell, they have lots of stories throughout the years, about drugs, cops and moving. The story about the undercover shutdown, then the censored, the moving incident were they got all their drunk friends together and told then to grab anything that wasn’t nailed down and walk across the street to the new location.

After the tour we sat down in the pub and had dinner, sat at a table with two other couples, both from Cali. Very nice and interesting conversation with both of them, bought a shirt and a glass, lots of cuties hanging out there, just had to add that.

Yesterday the River City Brewery in Downtown Sacramento had a fire, they are now closed on Friday and Saturday while they clean up and get an OK by the Fire Department before they can re-open. So I guess I will not be able to got there anytime soon.

Dear family and friends,. As many of you may have heard, we had a fire(03/27/2014) here at River City Brewing Company at the Sacramento Downtown Plaza.

The fire that began in a metal duct for a pizza oven at River City Brewing about 11:30 a.m. and was quickly controlled by Sacramento Fire Department

partly cloudycloudyOvercast and cool this morning I finally got out and headed up to see her Nevada and Chico.

Brian got up about 6 o’clock I continued to lay there for at least an hour I want to say before I finally got up and took a shower. Brian and I then went over to the breakfast area in the hotel and picked up our breakfast there I met to the guys he works with Scott and older dude from Minnesota and John (Brian’s mgr.) was also a younger guy from Atlanta as well.

The drive up to Chico was pretty uneventful it was overcast the entire drive. On 99 N. from Sacramento to Chico the road was lined with all types of fruit trees and nut trees (Almonds and Pistachios) as well as packing plants.

It’s rather well not rather but totally flat here I guess were in the valley and old the only mountainous area seem to be toward the west about halfway up to Chico.

Sierra Nevada

sierra nevada

The tour Sierra Nevada was wonderful the girl (Daisy) led us around the brewery, she had very very long dark hair & very thin very long legs. The tour was quite a bit longer than I thought it was going to be but very interesting and informative. Our group was really cool there were a couple of minors who were very nice in a lot of ways. I’m not sure if they were there with some siblings or with family. As I said we learned a lot about the beer especially at the end when we had all the samples we got to have the Audition Old Ale, the Hefewiese and the Torpedo, the snow White IPA and lastly the Black IPA.

After the tour I picked up a few souvenirs a book about beer tasting and a T-shirt for the Hoptimium beer. I then proceeded on to the Sierra Nevada restaurant and had myself a Black IPA which I should’ve passed on and the wonderful Torpedo cheese hamburger. Met a trio of beautiful women at the bar, in particular, Lisa Dion (her roommate was Tina, larger gal, brunette). The third gal was a young very pretty thing who is getting married soon, lucky guy, she loves beer and was as cute as a button. Lisa and I talked and chatted quite a bit. She actually had lived in Georgia for quite sometime. She has only just changed careers now working on some technical/web-based company whereas she used to work with horses.Mostly warming up horses, cleaning, grooming and training. She even worked @ times @ rodeos, including the one in Okeechobee. Lisa had been raised in Chico and only last year moved back. Oh and she worked with the horses @ the Medieval Times in Kissimmee, FL.

I stayed a little bit too long chatting and drinking my beer because by the time I recalled time we started to leave Brian called me and it was almost already 3:15 and there was no way I was going to get back to Sacramento before 4 o’clock.

Got back just a bit before 5pm and we all (Brian’s crew from work and I) went to Bella Brue and had some beers and dinner, I had the salmon with mashed potatoes, then a Ninkasi IPA and a brother ph. the waitress was a greek gal, with an interesting name, something that started with a “Grim…” no idea what it was now. Met Brian’s crew from work, really nice group actually, his boss John, the other Brian, Scott from Minnesota and the sales guy who’s name I forget now.

Back to the hotel for a beer and bed.

Cold and mostly clear and sunny;

We figured out the problem with the WM client, not the client at all it seems, it was a bad fix for a Relay Server fix, damn people not testing.

Met a nice couple from NC coast who just got back from Belise City, he is a big beer drinker too, she was drinking wine and they were about my age, fun. He was an IPA man just like me.

Flight was uneventful but very uncomfortable, I was @ the window, it’s going to be bad since I will not be at a window on the way back to Atlanta.

Saw a Noles fan on the shuttle to the renal car area. Finally after a little waiting I got the car was a wonderful blue Nissan this but not a lot of pick up in small pay it does the job. Got over to the hotel room and Brian pulled out the spare I guess pull-pull out bed sofa bed it was rather cold that was already 1 AM and I was tired but I went ahead and played on the computer bit and we finally went to sleep.

partly cloudypartly sunny, some clouds, cooler. Didn’t get out on the trail.

Work was hectic since the WM is failing and I had built .4 the night before and Kem hadn’t gotten me the signed version until after 9:30am. Ken was running round and trying to figure out the problem, we didn’t find anything so I did another build later, .5 with the last of the bugs taken care of and the WM client removed.

Went over and had another beer @ John’s Creek with Katie, the Red Brick Holy Brother, a Saison Stout. Chatted with the dude Trent, the hockey dude and he had just gone to San Francisco.

Came home nd got my camera and clothes packed up since I will be leaving tomorrow after work.

thunderstormcloudyGot up at 8 o’clock it was foggy and chilly fog is lifted it in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy all day, warmed up to 80’s and then about 6pm it was rainy with some lightning and thunder, this happened right after BT told me that she hasn’t seen lightning at all in the three years she has been in Seattle.

After waking up had to the turn on the dryer to get the towels dry and then we just broke down boxes and loaded them up in the car. Not constructed the little shelf unit for the downstairs bedroom so she could have some more storage.

prohibition gastropub, kitchen nightmares, washington heraldWent it to the Prohibition Gastropub for the revisit of Kitchen Nightmares, what a agree lunch, after we finally got throughout the line, not a line and signed our releases they let us in and we got to our table on for four but only the two of us were at it. I actually got to talk to chef Ramsey, the star of the show, he asked ,”what did you have my man?”, and as i started to tell him he finished it for me, I had the IPA BBQ shrimp and sausage with grits, very good.

Here is the episode for the initial visit of Chef Rampsey. Also, found an article from the Washington Herald here. BT and I are even in the photo, man do I look like an angry fatman.

After the Prohibition we went to several other happy hours, Sol Food, one at Majestic. Met a cool guy @ Sol Food who works at Boeing, Greg, then we went over to the Majestic and over to the concert.

Fly Moon Royalty. They we suppose to be at the outdoor concert on the arts center, but it started raining and we headed for the prohibition instead. Then the bands then called them and the band Flymoon Royalty paled at the prohibition instated to her village quarter. When we sat at the prohibition they were almost empty, then it got very crowded when people figured out the band was coming. Earlier the guys from Kitchen Nightmares were in the back still, doing stuff. We had to be quite until they were finished. The band stared up after about 7 and the place was packed. BT and I had drinks and we ordered a wing appetizer. I had the brown ale from two beers brewery, the SoDo brown, very sweet and then bitter finish. The band ended with baby got back, very cool.

On the walk back BT gets a all from her “guy” Will, moved to CA. I drove back to the house and get to bed around 10, she is out. N her bed, hope we get up on time.

Around 4am I got the camera inside, it only finished 999 photos, need to figure out the interval photo and I could get more photos.

It was overcast all day except a few times when the sun peeked out a few times here and there.

Went over to the train tracks and put down a couple o f pennies and then went back but couldn’t find any that had been run over by the train.

Russell and Laura left about 2pm and I walked downtown and took some photos of the older buildings.

Great food in the evening, steak, potatoes, and fresh corn fried up in a skillet.

It was also the last day of the Olympics, the US was on top with gold medals and the over medal count, 48-??-??-?? total ???

Out for a sandwich to go from Firehouse subs, stopped in at the Fresh Market next door and bought some pairs, some Gorgonsola Cheese, crackers and some chips. After lunch I took a short time taking photos that turned into more time than I had intended. I do that more than I should. I did get some good shots with the 36mm extension and the 150mm Macro lens in order to get some > 1:1 macro shots. Also got my time-off plans solidified, from Thursday before Thanksgiving till Tuesday after Thanksgiving and then from the 16th of December (Friday) till the end of the year.


Cluster

Visited a friend @ her work to see her outfit for “Daria”. She looked adorable. Brian visited as well and we had dinner while the place went crazy with to-go orders, Lauryn said they had over $800 in less than two hours.

After I stopped in and saw the Hooters crew, wasn’t really feeling well by then, had a headache, more like an eye ache I think. Kayla was dressed as a busty devil, Larry showed up and sat with Katrina & then LaurenD arrived, all in plain clothes but Katrina showed me photos of her german barmaid outfit this year, she sure does make an excellent german oktoberfest gal.

Stopped back by the Shroom since I didn’t want to get back to the house until after the Halloween mayhem was over, I really do like Halloween but I just can’t seem to get myself into the mood anymore, I need someone to egg me on a but like when Becky and I went to the last Halloween party I’ve been to about 2 years ago. And also the time the Rogers and I all went to Hooters and then over to Wild Bills for Halloween back in 2007 or sometime back then.

Got up wondering what was up with Autumn that she hadn’t called to let me know what was up for today. Went out to the Shroom with Brian and poor Lauryn is getting worse instead of better, sinus issues galore. I texted Autumn but got nothing back in the next hour. After lunch I went over to Hooters for a beer cince B.Ritch was going to be working her eligebility day at the bar so I figured I’d go in and say Hi.

Turned into a nice early afternoon, got to see BritR and then a few other “regulars”, Bruce, Alabama dude, Desire’, Rick-photo, as well as Alex, Trish the Gator, and even Anna (still blonde but I can’t seem to get used to it). There was this very Gothy looking petite chick at the end of the bar, a few tattoos showing very pale skin and dark hair. She had a few beers, fries and sat with her one foot up on the char so her knee is up around her chin. I did notice she was really small all around with a cute little butt.


Shroom

I finally got a text from Autumn while there at Hooters watching UGA do OK against Ole Miss. She had JUST gotten up, must have had a bad (long) night. I texted such but got no reply to that only that she was watching UGA as well. Asked about meeting up at T-Mac for the UF game @ 7 but no real reply to that. Came home and just hung out and messed around water plants, cleaning up around the yard, etc. I got my re-newed PASSPORT today and absolutely hate the picture on it. I look like my Grandpa Walton, plus the color is all wrong. I’m suppose to get my old passport back as well a bit later.

I then took off to T-Mac for the Florida/Kentucky game, had some dinner, a few beers and they won, 48-10. Brian also stopped in and had dinner with me, him a panini and I the shrimp/avacado salad, but forgot to tell them to leave off the fresh jalapenos, OUCH I got a few and they really did BURN. I also chatted with a nice couple, the gal a redhead about 7.5 months pregnant and as cute as a button, strawberry blonde, fair skin and a boat load of freckles. I may have chatted with them before. Also a crew from the Petite Le’Mans just got into town and were there, Boz crew?

Finished watching the game and then came on home, nice cool evening by now, lower 60’s on the drive home. Watched some TV with Jeremy and Nicki, then we figured out the Wii wasn’t working when Nicki tried to exercise, find out then that it’s been having trouble all along, she has been leaving it on and then not removing her disc which hasn’t made things better.

Didn’t get together with Autumn, maybe this is an omen. Got a call from Becky about her moving this next week, needs to be out of her VERY NICE but VERY expensive apartment at the end of the month. She is not happy about this at all.

Work is a bit slow at the moment, very welcome since I can use the time to learn a bit and search for new things in the coding world. Even though it was raining a bit while I drove into work this morning I did get out to the greenway after lunch. Much heartburn during the walk, took a zantax and ???? it helped. Not much notable on the trail, almost stepped on a large yellowish toad pictured here. Then a few katydids, a ????? spider, some feathers and lastly a doe right were the bridge meets the trail near the entrance by my office. I had heard something that I thought was an owl but I didn’t investigate nor did I try and record it, stupid of me.

Southern Toad

Southern Toad

After getting home it was mostly overcast like the entire day was, I played on the computer for awhile, messing with the photos I took on the greenway. The one up top is one of the first taken today. I then looked up some more spiders and tagged all the ones I wasn’t sure of with my “WHAT” keyword, then I went through my frogs and got most of them named as well. I’m really getting interested in all the nature stuff along with the naming of the creatures I take photos of. I guess I even do it with the people as well 🙂

Got the Indiana Krunkles IPA a wheat IPA actually. I was thinking it was a Black IPA for some reason. Noticed the Passport has a hold on my account for the $110 check I sent them, I didn’t know they could do that, I guess it’s an electronic banking thing.

Got another bug this morning, one for Inventory Mgr and a serial number, fixed the fact that the Manufacturer and Model were not being done correctly and now just need to get the last touches on some code from the Internet to get the REAL serial number displayed on the back of the unit. I left a bit early so I could get to the Suwanee Post Office @ 2:45pm.


20110913-104141

The Passport photo and getting everything in the envelope was done by about 3:00 and then I went over to the Beverage Superstore and picked up 3 more beers. Heavy Seas Hop Haarest Ale, The Labyrinth by Uinta and lastly the Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head collaboration of Life and Limb 2.

Home to some WONDERFUL lasagna by Nicki and then over to the ‘Shroom with Brian for a beer. Lauryn was there to my delight, she was looking really HOT in her cut-up Mellow Mushroom shirt, the one in blue and sporting a blue/purple bra who’s straps peeked out since the shirt’s opening would allow it to fall down her shoulder. She showed her peach, tattoo that is, when Brian was talking about tattoos and Gina (Lauryn didn’t know she had died in a car accident about 4 years ago).

Home and messed with photos for a bit before getting to bed.


Cloudless Giant Sulfur

Lazy day, went out with the parents quick trip to the library, very cute gal at the computer there, nice florida tan. Then we quickly went to the arcade and then home for lunch.

Puttered around the yard with Mom and then we both watched Dad fix the watering (sprinkler) water pump.

Mom and I went out to Lake Washington about 3pm but it began to cloud up and had been thundering even before we had left. Went out to the dock and by the time we came back it darkened up a lot and had just started to rain and blow. Got under the picnic area and stayed for awhile during the issuing rain storm, lots of lighting and thunder along with the rain. Wind began to slow and so did the rain. Tried to get some photos of lightning, wishing I had brought my StopShot in order to do so. I setup the S9100 and videoed the storm for the 30 minutes we waited and then left before it had stopped complete.

Home and Mom cooked up some really good spagetti while Dad and I watched the finishing up of the Casey Anthony rebuttal. She gal must be guilty but I don’t know if they will be able to convict her. Her car smelled of something dead, Kaylee was buried just like all the animals in her family were and she lied and had no idea where her daughter was from day one. No matter what she is GUITLY of something.


Gulf Fritillary

Up and took some photos of the garden and butterflies when Mom and Dad did the Archade tour. We then had lunch and I got tickets for the Kennedy Space Center. Decided to go to the Space Center even though the weather and sky were not perfect.

Arrived at the Center about 2pm, jumped right on the bus to the Gantry. The security there was like getting on an airplane but they didn’t require us to take off our shoes. The signage stated restrictions not talked about on the website but they didn’t seem to worried about Dad’s knife (signage said NO knives, website said only pocket knives). Started raining a bit during the drive to the Gantry, a storm rolled in from the north past both the 39B and then 39A launch pads. Took some photos of the Atlantis Shuttle while on the 39A pad but couldn’t see much due to the structure. On to the Saturn V exhibit after leaving there.

The Saturn V area was cool, not sure if I had seen it before, the entire actual launch controls were in the building and then the pieces of the Saturn V that took the crew to the moon. Mom and Dad were tired by then allowing me to walk around while they just sat and watched people. Rode back to the main area and I walked up to see the “Explorer”, a mockup of a Re-entry Vehicle. We then left. The Atlantis is suppose to launch on next Friday July 8th.

We stopped in at a Outback Steakhouse and had some steaks for dinner before getting home and watching some more of the Casey Anthony Trial, most of the testimony is over and the Defense Rested. No, Casey was not put on the stand. I believe she is guilty in SOME way, although I’m not sure if it’s murder actually. She is kind of cute in a very alligator kind of way.