Mid August to Mid September Miscellani

 

Mid-Aug to Mid-September

Department of Statistics: When drafting a post, THB can see how many hits his recent posts have generated, almost always between 65 and 80. There are some anomalies, and one recent post really sticks out: Paris  Days 9 and 10 has over 250 hits. Hmmmm...THB can't figure it out.

Even in their 80s, they can still rock a crowd, if only they were on the stage

DB and THB go to see The Girl From The North Country, based on a mash-up of singing and maybe the storylines of Bobby's songs. Originally scheduled for Fall of 2020 in NY, instead  we are at the Golden Gate Theater in SF in the summer of 2024. Afterwards, DB and THB agree that live theater is no longer an enjoyable experience: THB can't see the actors' faces, neither of us can hear the words or music clearly enough, and the plays (coincidentally?) don't seem very compelling.

THB goes for his every-other-year stress test (except the meds he takes kept his heart rate from getting high enough the last time, so this test is 4 years later), hooked up to heart monitors and running up to 9 minutes on a slanted treadmill with the speed increased every 3 minutes. THB coasts through all 9 minutes and the doc relates the results via e-mail the next day. Awesome, THB's heart is just fine.

 

Thank goodness the tech doesn't not adhere to the posted sign! Imagine performing the stress test wearing a mask...that might give a guy a heart attack

THB and DB go to lunch for a shared crab roll and fish and chips at Fish in Sausalito. Excellent, expensive, and lovely to dine outdoors, complete with entertainment from the shipyard next door. THB guesses that Fish does not validate the cost of this ride in a bosun's chair. 

Even the safety crew is casual

Even Snoop Dogg can be upstaged: Simone Biles is in the crowd at T&F

Remember a few months back with the community garden across the street from the Loft was just some elevated boxes full of dirt? 

Sprinkle some train dust, add water, and you have a super blooming season (THB took these pics about a week before vandals vandalized the boxes

During the night of September 8: Someone jumped the fence and pulled out and destroyed a number of the plants. Nothing was stolen, just annihilation

Maybe the same night: Just across the park from the community garden

The newest E-ville mural 

The Last Episode: On June 20, the Volvo was rear-ended on an interchange near the Loft. 

The other guy's car

The Volvo, minus the crushed bumper

The Volvo is put back together and returned to DB and THB on Aug 16, almost two months later. Lack of parts  caused most of the delay; $6445 worth of damage, all covered by insurance

THB's last ball game: Raimondi's Field, 1/2 mile from the Loft, all seats in the sun and THB can't see the scoreboard or any ball hit to the outfield

The guy to THB's right is ready to catch a foul ball, maybe 3K in the stands

THB has no idea what the mascot is meant to be, nor does he care, doesn't even ask the "thing" to sit down while the game is on

The Largest (empty) Parking Garage anywhere?

Yep, 1 block from the Loft, 10 stories high, two small exit gates, 2 entrance gates, and THB hopes they have put in triple back-ups for the elevators, it is a long way up those stairs to get to your car. And a bizarre approach where one end of the street near the garage is blocked off...

the south side

east side

and she's climbing the stairway to heaven...

there's a traffic light at the main entrance/exit, maybe to protect the pedestrians coming and going from the garage

more east side - the Judd view

the street heading north  is blocked off so traffic heading north will be routed onto a small street going east/west

north side

Gingko trees

west side, buildings on right are part of the 5 buildings (4 apartments, all rentals) of The Emery

While THB and KM were in Paris in 2024, twins were prepping for Dressage in the 2040 O's (city to be determined); THB has no idea if the horses are sisters

THB breaks the bank: it is at the Prunedale Safeway and one of THB's bills gets stuck in the cash slot. THB now has $8 awaiting his return...hmmmm....somehow THB's refund is $20

KM put together a nice selection of pins from the O's from 1984 thru 2024 and THB slots a few more in...nice remembrance

There are a couple of ringers, O's that THB did not attend in person

More action on the beach in Monterey: surfer on hoverboard 

Unusual fog layer mid-morning

Surf class for adults (now that school is back in session)

dead sea lion, looks more like a newborn orca

remember when THB had his root canal 4-5 months ago, a breeze in the park with the new laser technique

Now on to the next step: having an implant. That's a screw in the lower right jaw, took less than 15 minutes to be inserted, also pretty much pain free. THB now has to wait another 3 months to get the OK to go ahead with getting a crown put on the screw

ceramic sculpture from NCECA in Richmond arrives: Paul Briggs

joins another piece by Briggs in our collection

Pizza and tomato/nectarine salad al fresco at Alta in Monterey

Lunch at Farm Shop, celebrating THB's bro's b'day

not easy to tell the salad from dessert

Bro now in the SF Radio HOF 

A chocolate chip sourdough loaf, almost the texture of brioche or sponge-cake, a dessert bread

What else has THB been doing: dreaming of 2028 while hanging out at the Stade de France (completed construction in 1998 in time for the World Cup, and is just north of Paris)

And resting up for his next adventure: Rome, Venice and Munich