: views from the Hill

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Bay Bridge still closed ...

The ferries head in and head out. The bridge is empty of traffic (except for the 108 on the upper deck) while repairs continue on the eastern span.

 
Posted by Picasa

After sunrise. A single truck on the bridge. Traffic is only allowed between San Francisco and Treasure Island/Yerba Buena: the 108, a few cars, repair vehicles, an occasional truck. That's it until the repairs on the broken crossbeam and tie rods are finished, examined, inspected, okay'd, and the bridge re-opens.

Traffic elsewhere is a scramble. BART and the ferries are packed.

 
Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Castro view

Took some photos from the deck of one of the Eureka Valley Victorians while we were on the house tour Sunday. Biggify by clicking on the photo.



 
Posted by Picasa

Monday, October 19, 2009

After The Deluge

 
Posted by Picasa

Added: [desciption] TCHO as the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
(I also PhotoShop'd the picture to enhance the edges. So sue me.) Check the links below.

Deluge this afternoon. Havoc reigned.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Contigo and more

Public transit to Eureka Valley for the annual (always a different neighborhood) San Francisco Victorian Home tour.

Then walked up and over to Noe Valley and hung out (in bookstores and a bar, 'natch) until Contigo (1320 Castro Street -- between 24th St & Jersey St) opened for dinner.

Dee-lish dinner.

Walked down to Church and took the J to the Montgomery Station and popped above ground to take the 30 to Washington Square Park. Walked home.

I'll write about all in more detail ... later.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Red Sky At Night ...

Sailors' delight. ...

 
Posted by Picasa


Took a handful of pictures of Treasure Island tonight. The setting sun drifting across the eastern clouds was reason enough.

The spinning Ferris wheel on the island frosted the cake.

[URL] Handwritten Recipes

Handwritten Recipes found tucked here and there.

[via a tweet from Forgotten Bookmarks]

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Fog bank. Fog bank. Storm clouds. Sun.

Some people collect cats. I collect clouds.

A series of pictures (untweaked in the slightest) of the fog banks out the window 2 1/2 hrs ago. The clouds have since changed shape and dissipated some. The sun has been shining here throughout.

 
 
 
 
Posted by Picasa


TWO banks of fog with a topper of storm clouds in the east, toward Berkeley.

Weird.

 
Posted by Picasa


[As usual, you can click on the photos to get a larger view.]

Walking Companions

 
Posted by Picasa


09 Sep 2009. Before Lunch. Near Ebbor Gorge, Somerset.

Ferry. Fog.

Sunshiney here. Slight breeze.

'twixt me and Yerba Buena Island, though? A belt of fog.

 
Posted by Picasa


 
Posted by Picasa

A swell evening out, followed by an SFMTA ... messup.

Last night we headed over to the Galleria at SF Design Center for Wine & Spirits' Top 100 Wines event. We bought the plebe tickets and had a discount on those, so the evening was the cost of a nice dinner. Walked down the hill and caught the 10-Townsend at Levi's Plaza. A while and a ways later, we arrived just as the plebe doors opened at 6:30P.

Fine time. In addition to the wineries that made the list (of which we had far fewer than 100 tastes and red-wine-only at that), the interspersed foodie tables included wares from Flour & Water, Il Cane Rosso, Hog Island Oysters, Heaven's Dog, Gitane, Cliff House, and more.

The event was shutting down at 8:30P, and with a last hurrah we handed our Riedel wine glasses to the gent at the exit and left to catch the bus home. The 10-Townsend stops running at 8P or so, but we could catch the 19-Polk at 15th and Rhode Island and take it up to Union and Polk where we'd catch the 45 down to Washington Square Park.

We thought.

We walked around the corner and down a block to the bus stop. NextBus signage said the next bus was due in 20 minutes or so. We could wait. The weather's been relatively warm with the Japanese storm and it wasn't raining. Thanks be.

The signage counted down (with some hiccups) to four minutes more to wait and then, suddenly, flipped to saying the next bus was due in 15 minutes. Wah?

The signage counted down (again) (again with some hiccups) until it said, "ARRIVING."

We watched a different bus heading south on an adjacent parallel street and our next bus info changed its mind. Our next bus was now due in twenty-two minutes.

Is NextBus based on GPS in the buses? Or is it all just wet-finger guessology?

One of the other people waiting for the phantom bus called to see where the 19-Polk might be and when we could expect it. Oh, the answer came back after he'd been put on hold, there was a shooting and that's why your bus is delayed.

(So tell me again why it said, "ARRIVING," if it had had no intention of arriving and was, in fact, twenty-some minutes away?)

(Still can't find any news reports of such a thing online this AM. Had we misunderstood? Would a fire at Union Square interrupt a bus route on Polk, because that's the only trouble that happened last night that seems to have been deemed newsworthy.)

It's now quarter to ten rather than quarter to nine, when we first arrived at the bus stop. No bus. No one knows if the latest ETA is even accurate. When will the next 19 arrive? None of us trust the system at this point. Pretty crummy for bus service that is supposed to arrive every twenty minutes at that time of the day.

The crowd waiting for the 19 at 15th and Rhode Island started to disperse. Each of us headed off to the location we thought would most likely result in a bus ride before midnight.

We opted to walk from 15th & Rhode Island to 4th and Townsend (a little less than a mile) to catch the 30 back to Washington Square Park, which still would leave us about half a mile up hill (and down) home. (Most of the other nearby bus stops we knew about were either no-longer-running 10s or the mysteriously-missing 19.)

Finally reached home around quarter to eleven. Far later than we'd intended.

What if we hadn't been in shape or willing to walk over to catch the 30? Would the 19 ever have arrived?

What responsibility does SFMTA have to their customers waiting after dark (or during the day for that matter) to get them from where they are to where they are wanting to go according to the published schedules?

Inquiring minds.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

[RECIPE] Not Chicken Waterzooi

Since Sunday, chimes had jangled like mad. Jets took off in the other direction from SFO's runways to adjust for winds from the south. Clear signs our first rains of the season were coming. Cue early morning hours. Pelting rain. Creaking trees.... Wild winds. I was awakened when a heavy set of chimes ripped from its moorings and landed downhill.

I sat next to the windows yesterday, watching the storm beating down. The wind sometimes blew the rain sideways. The parrots were in hiding.

A supper of stew seemed in order. I had no beef suitable for stewing in the house, so I opted for chicken. I was going to make Gentse Waterzooi, which his nibs adores, but had no leeks and no intention of leaving the house to pick up ingredients.

Here is what we wound up with for supper last night.

[RECIPE] Not Chicken Waterzooi

6 chunks of boneless chicken thighs cut into large pieces
2 large carrots, cut into chunks. (Next time I'll shred them as is more proper for Waterzooi, but I was being lazy yesterday.)
half a large yellow onion, chopped
leftover grilled strips of trumpet mushroom and onion from the Bixby weekend

Toss into a crock pot with 1 1/2C chicken broth, parsley, mixed herb seasoning.

Let burble for several hours until the chicken and carrots are tender. Add as much frozen O'Brien hashbrown potatoes as you'd like to the mix. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

Serve in large soup bowls.

No added heavy whipping cream. No thickeners beyond the natural thickening talents of carrots and potatoes.

Delish.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

[URL] Canadian disasters

We were sitting around outside the Ferry Building Sunday morning talking of weird and useful Canadian bits of info.

Something someone said led me today to SOS! Canadian Disasters

For those who don't know much about Canadian history and those who do. ...

This site uses digitized collection material from Library and Archives Canada to feature 15 historical and contemporary disasters grouped under elemental the themes of Fire, Air, Earth and Water, plus the distinctly Canadian element of Ice. Each of these disasters has had a profound and life-altering impact on Canadian communities, families, and society in general. The site looks at these selected events, their scale, and their news coverage. This phase of the site also features a section on Shipwreck investigations in Canada.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Angels flying over the Hill

 
Posted by Picasa

Hill homes

The PhotoShop wizard who was visiting from Up North last weekend gave me a quick walk through some features I didn't know how to use. Crystal Ball sez: I see a deep time sink in your future.

BEFORE:
 
Posted by Picasa


AFTER (with an artsy finish):
 
Posted by Picasa


[Update: A more contrasty & saturated version per Don's suggestion]
 
Posted by Picasa

Thursday, October 08, 2009

[PHOTO] Blues

For some reason, our jet jockeys have decided to come RIGHT OVER the deck.

 
Posted by Picasa


LOUD!

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The days of wine ... and carnations

A tradition in Ukraine is that a guy brings a single flower to the girl when he meets her for their first date.

 

Imagine the story behind this scene I found one morning on a low wall in Kyiv, while we were walking up to the Saint Sophia cathedral from the little apartment we'd rented for a couple nights while we saw the sights.

A wonderful first date? A failure? A memorable evening? A first-and-last date? The start of something wonderful and lasting? A cigarette (or two) was obviously involved.

[19Sep2009]
Posted by Picasa