A great Sunday walk

I’ve said it before on this blog, but I am so grateful to be able to live where I live.  Our house is a block away from the San Francisco Bay and there many paths to walk, and sights to see.  Aside from the lure of the Bay, our development (Harbor Bay Isle) sports a large, beautiful lagoon system, with bike and pedestrian paths alongside.

On Sunday, we walked down the largest lagoon, which runs over a mile and a half from the Harbor Bay shopping center all the way the the San Francisco Bay near the ferry terminal.  We only went down about about 3/4 of a mile and then walked back, but it was certainly a beautiful walk.  (I have travelled the full distance as part of a  four-mile loop I sometimes jog around.)  Here are some pictures I took along the way.  Be sure to click to enlarge.

Near the start of the lagoon.

One of several curves.

Much further along the way.  Keep going and you will eventually come to the Bay.

One of many foot bridges across the lagoon.

Yep, I’m a luck guy.

Ball Droppings App

When you get bored and want some interesting fun, try this.

Enjoy!

Jon Stewart really is a fine actor

I don’t seem to be able to watch the Daily Show as much as I should, but it seems like every time I tune in I am surprised at John Stewart’s acting chops.  Sure he is almost always funny and insightful, but on top of that he really can act.   Witness last night’s opening monolog, which had me roaring.  His impressions of Lindsey Graham and John McCain would not be nearly as hilarious as they are were he not an accomplished actor.  BTW, I laughed my ass off just now watching the whole thing again.  God bless Jon Stewart.

Climate change “contradiction” explained

If you, like me, have an unreserved belief that the earth is heating up at an alarming rate, your hair probably catches fire when climate change “deniers” point to big storms and blizzards and scoff at the science proving global warming.  Aside from them completely ignoring blistering summer heat waves and increasing droughts, these luddites just don’t understand that the increase in big winter blizzards and floods does not debunk the scary reality of “climate change” brought on by global warming.  To the contrary, such extreme weather is a symptom.  I realize that if you are confronted by such folks, you probably have little chance of changing their minds, but you might try giving them a copy of this article, which appeared in today’s San Francisco Chronicle.  It does an excellent job of explaining “atmospheric physics.”  

A Radiohead classic

I just got back from a run of about 3.6 miles, down to the ferry terminal and back.  I was listening on my MP3 player to a new Rhapsody playlist that my son Jesse sent me, titled “2013 Kickoff Workout Mix.”  One of the tracks that came up was “Bodysnatchers” by Radiohead.  That got me thinking about one of the all-time great music videos, an animated take on the Radiohead classic: “Creep.”  According to YouTube the video has been seen and heard nearly 4,700,000 times!  If you have never seen it, or if you haven’t seen it for a while, check it out here.  (You can skip the opening ad).  Cool….

A new car is always a gas

For the last 10+ years I have been driving a 2003 Toyota Highlander with four-wheel drive.  In the meantime, Eileen has gotten a four-wheel drive Infiniti EX-35, which we are now using to travel to our place in snowy Tahoe/Donner.  So I was driving this big rig around town on a bunch of short trips which made no sense – and it was hard to park and maneuver around narrow city streets.  So we decided to trade it in and get me a quality sub-compact car to goof around town in.  I did a lot of research and found that the Honda Fit is the best car in the sub-compact t category.  It gets 30+ mpg, and yet is very zippy and fun to drive, even on the freeway.  So, last Sunday we traded in the Highlander and got a brand new Honda Fit.  I love it already.  It has a surprising number of “bells and whistles” and while it is missing some that Eileen has on her Infiniti, we must realize that her car is about $20,000 more expensive than my little Fit.  As every American will attest, getting a new car is always a lot of fun, and so it was for me.  I even was able to get the color that I wanted:  “Vortex Blue.”

Here are a couple of shots of the car that I took this afternoon.

Relaxing in the Sierras

We came up here to our place at Tahoe/Donner on Saturday.  We skied at Squaw Valley yesterday and at Alpine Meadows today.  On Sunday, I strapped on the snowshoes and hiked up the hill in the forest behind our place.  My dog was at my side.  It was so beautiful and quiet, reminding me of how lucky I am to have the life I am living.  Here are a couple of shots on took on the snowshoe hike.  Click to enlarge.

Nearing the top of the hill.

Through the forest on the way back down the hill.