How far do we have to go?

With the Kuth/Ranieri book (that monster of a monograph that I was originally hired to manage putting together) is now in the press's hands, the weekends have returned to us...and... well, we've been taking advantage of what has become our two favorite places--the woods of Marin County and Chinatown. When we finally leave this place, it must be these two places that could ever be worth missing: Chinatown with Pho served at a table with fifteen other people, amazing buns full of goodness, the best prices on fresh vegetables (even if we have no idea how to cook most of them once we get them home); and, as for Marin, they're woods out of a fairy tale book. And, did I mention that these are the best places to get away from all the folks with too much money and too little respect for others? Actually, you have to skirt them on all sides that bound the goodness, but once you know where they lurk, it's much easier to dodge and then heckle.

E and I have spent hours batting back and forth what could be the root of the nature of folk we continue to be confronted with here...and as 10 $2 beers at the abandoned diner just a few blocks from our pad would justify... we've come to a few well-conceived, beautifully constructed conclusions from the consequences of a wild-west mentality to the problem of liberals with too much cash (yeah those are the ones found everywhere but most abundantly in SF... no, you know the type. they wear really tight "faded" gray jeans, ride beat up bikes that are too big for them to their fancy two-bedroom, over-priced apartment in the Mission where their Prius is parked and which they will precede to drive to Trader Joe's and park their empty cart that holds their groceries for one person in the middle of one diagonal aisle while they ponder the different granolas that are ALWAYS the same at the other end of the aisle....those ones.) You may say, well at least they drive a Prius, right? Well, I would agree if I didn't know the danger of an asshole in that quiet car sneaking up the bike lane to skip around traffic.

Do I sound bitter? Perhaps... that's what the weekends in Chinatown and the Marin woods are for. For one, they won't populate places they won't be seen, and well, the grit and crowds of Stockton and the deep forest beyond the wooden planks of the Cataract waterfall and the Muir Redwood "trails" provides neither brunch or plate glass windows for folks to see you. Still, as E reminds me... a few slip through the cracks and get lost in both places...and they see us and ask either "How much farther until the end?" or "Where should we eat here in Chinatown?"-- to which we answer "How far would you like to go?" to both...knowing that both uphill and raw beef that cooks in the soup as you eat it probably is too far.

What he would do for an image...


lunch spot...not too bad


I'm learning the new camera...near...


and far...


and in between...




these trees are everywhere...kuh-raz-ee


And E's learning to use the camera too...we're so proud...he's getting there.


this one's for the boys back home, e says


we made this together....


that's the Pacific you see... oh and that boy, yeah...he's alright too


but way cooler now... because nothing says cool like prescription sunglasses, right?


and believe it or not, this dog
is...


also this booze-hound. nice, pep...

and a note to end this bitter posting on...cause what else could make you feel better than...