Posts
I'm making a cake.
I'm taking photos of it, don't worry.
But till then... I've decided to just post that making non-chocolate brown icing is challenging.
"Huh?" you ask...
The only request I received on the cake (it's for a friend's party tonight) was from his wife: "Chocolate cake with vanilla icing."
Thing is though, the design of the cake I had decided on called for brown icing.
So, I had to make brown (non-chocolate) vanilla icing.
In case you're wondering, the coloration is a combo of vanilla and black, red, and yellow food dye.
And I only got a little dye on my hands. Bonus points.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tomatoes!
The next trays of garlic roasted tomatoes, heading into the oven.
Here they are, cut up into about half-inch slices. They are covered in chopped garlic (homegrown!), as well as garlic olive oil and regular olive oil. I also dashed some salt and pepper on top.
Aren't they pretty? Headed into the oven to cook at 200 degrees for 6-8 hours.
All sorts of colors!
Pack the oven full.
Here are only two quart bags in the freezer. In there? Over seven trays of tomatoes. Yup. Condensed down! But so delicious.
YUM.
It's a great way to work your way through tomatoes. I think the four trays in the oven, above, are about 10 pounds of tomatoes. Being that I picked 40 pounds last week, this is a good way to process!
And delicious to eat.
Here they are, cut up into about half-inch slices. They are covered in chopped garlic (homegrown!), as well as garlic olive oil and regular olive oil. I also dashed some salt and pepper on top.
Aren't they pretty? Headed into the oven to cook at 200 degrees for 6-8 hours.
All sorts of colors!
Pack the oven full.
Here are only two quart bags in the freezer. In there? Over seven trays of tomatoes. Yup. Condensed down! But so delicious.
YUM.
It's a great way to work your way through tomatoes. I think the four trays in the oven, above, are about 10 pounds of tomatoes. Being that I picked 40 pounds last week, this is a good way to process!
And delicious to eat.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
The scoop.
The goings-on this week:
- My grandmother is in the hospital... my folks took her in at 1am yesterday for respiratory distress. She was in the ICU for a while, now she's a general patient, but no transfer or release in sight yet. She has a bunch of other health problems, so the trick is to treat without mussing other stuff up. I'd go down there to visit, but now's not the time. I'd cause more distress because she'd fret as to how serious she was if I suddenly showed up. I'm set to visit mid-November, so... for now, that's what I'm doing. Distance stinks.
- In other news... I have an interview next Friday. It's for an exciting part-time research job. More on it later, but I am hoping.
- Some money from another source ended up panning out, so there's a bit more to stick into savings. Having a cushion is such a comfort.
- The job that I wanted but didn't get? The one where I was one of three finalists? Turns out the person who got it is has been practicing for 30 years, specializes in education law, and is the daughter of a former state supreme court justice. As much as I don't like to lose, I am ok with losing to this individual. She clearly outplayed me, and the factors in her favor were things I could not control. 30 years of experience will do that.
- It's a friend's birthday on Saturday, so I'm making the cake. Totally exciting. I'd post photos, but you never know who is checking the blog, so photos will have to come after the fact.
- Picked 20 pounds of tomatoes yesterday in the yard. I actually brought out the scale to determine how much I picked.
- My neighbor, a friend, and I may be going to a pumpkin patch on Sunday to get some cheapo pumpkins. Exciting. Pumpkins may be cheap, but those are usually carving pumpkins. I need eating pumpkins. I plan on baking them, then freezing the mush. Yum. My freezer is getting full, but I can always can up some of the tomatoes (the plain blanched/frozen ones) if need be.
- I need to put the newbie chicks outside... but I hate introductions. I think tonight might work...we'll see.
- Found a bunch of horse chestnuts. I know I can't eat them because they're poisonous, but I think I can find ways to use them in crafty-type projects. We'll see.
- Made homemade pot stickers last night, using a recipe out of this book: Vegan Planet. No, I am not vegan, but I'm convinced that if you learn how to cook vegan/vegetarian, you will learn significantly about spices. I've also wanted to learn more about cooking tofu. We have a tofu outlet for a great tofu company (Surata) in our town, and I want to take better advantage of it. I first borrowed the book from a friend, then I finally decided yesterday to buy it. It's THICK-- like 1.5 inches thick. But this way, I can tab and mark up my copy.
- I'm barely over one bucket into my apples. Seriously. I had to take a break yesterday because I needed to wash the racks. Too many successive rounds of cinnamon/sugar slices had made the slices sticky and hard to remove. They're still soaking. More hopefully tonight.
- I cooked four trays of my roasted tomatoes yesterday. They make me so happy.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
New to-die-for recipe
I have many tomatoes. So, I decided to see how else to use them besides eating, drying, and freezing.
I decided upon roasting, mostly because a) they are freezeable, and b) they condense down.
YOWZA. I created a darn good recipe.
First, I took garlic cloves and husked them. I peeled enough to fit on the bottom of a 4"x8" pyrex dish. I then covered the cloves in olive oil and then some.
Roasted those suckers for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
VOILA, garlic olive oil. You can eat or discard the cloves. Mine kinda got a little burned, so they were discarded. SAD. Note to self: Don't cook for 1 hour.
Then line a cookie sheet with foil and put on it sliced tomatoes.
Top tomatoes with 4-5 chopped up garlic cloves. Be generous.
Put garlic olive oil on top of everything, and then put some regular olive oil on top of everything.
Salt and pepper.
Cook for 6-8 hours at 200 degrees.
The result? The most amazing tomatoes ever. An explosion of wonder.
I'm not kidding.
I will take photos next round....
I decided upon roasting, mostly because a) they are freezeable, and b) they condense down.
YOWZA. I created a darn good recipe.
First, I took garlic cloves and husked them. I peeled enough to fit on the bottom of a 4"x8" pyrex dish. I then covered the cloves in olive oil and then some.
Roasted those suckers for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
VOILA, garlic olive oil. You can eat or discard the cloves. Mine kinda got a little burned, so they were discarded. SAD. Note to self: Don't cook for 1 hour.
Then line a cookie sheet with foil and put on it sliced tomatoes.
Top tomatoes with 4-5 chopped up garlic cloves. Be generous.
Put garlic olive oil on top of everything, and then put some regular olive oil on top of everything.
Salt and pepper.
Cook for 6-8 hours at 200 degrees.
The result? The most amazing tomatoes ever. An explosion of wonder.
I'm not kidding.
I will take photos next round....
Monday, October 4, 2010
Chickens: Check!
The girls are now ready for winter.
Coop:
Their coop has been cleaned and fresh straw put in. They were very serious inspectors when this project was done. I did change the orientation of their nesting boxes so that they don't sit over them so frequently (less poo in the boxes). I will need to hang a pole on the one side sometime soon, but that's about it.
Tarp:
There is a huge tarp covering their huge area. I threw it all on myself (nasty sucker, heavy and not easy to manage), if I do say so myself. BUT, then my lovely neighbor and friend, Joe and Vince, revamped the tarp, rolling up certain areas and propping another area up so that it drapes over the far side. EXCELLENT! This was a great surprise to come home to after San Francisco. I do plan on having plastic at the ready, just in case we are expecting some crazy strong wind or very cold weather. It may make the pen a bit stale-smelling, but at least the birds will stay warm (and not have rain blown in on them).
Pen:
I bought a bale of straw for $2. Yes, $2. Amazing, right? I thought I'd need more, but it turns out one bale of straw is MORE than sufficient to cover and entire pen and stuff a coop. WOW! The girls were beside themselves with happiness.
Picture a flock of 14 chickens (soon to become 16 when the two littles are moved outside probably tonight) prancing around, tossing straw into the air, scratching, clucking happily, and rolling. It was a joyous scene.
Besides their enjoyment, the straw is good for many reasons. First, it gives the girls something to do. And, the straw is covered, so it stays dry. I may find that I will need to remove some of the straw that gets rained on around the edges of the coop, but that should be somewhat minimal. The straw does do a good job at poop absorption, as well as keep the ground insulated. The pen does feel warmer now that the straw is on the ground.
Light:
Last night, I took my grandfather's old tool light (the kind with the cage around the lightbulb that hangs) and hung it above the door in the coop. The girls still went into the coop at dark, but they were wide awake when I went to close the door. YES! I'm trying to make them think it's still summer hours and longer days. This will help increase egg-laying in the wintertime. I need to buy a cap for the outdoor socket (to protect from rain-- it's under the overhang, but still) and possibly a timer. That would make the on-again-off-again light switch much easier to manage.
Food:
I switched the girls to Purina's Layena pellets. These seemed the best for all-around food, giving them a good amount of protein, calcium, and other necessary ingredients to promote egg-laying. Best of all, it doesn't break the bank. They seem to like the new pellets. Of course, they still get lots of greens and such, but it's good to have a change in their foundation food. I'm hoping, after being on this for a few days, their egg production will increase. I realize that all the changes may have funked them up for a while, but we'll see. If this doesn't work, more research will be had.
Water:
This is the only thing I have not yet solved. I think I may move their water bowl into the coop when the weather gets nasty. I'm hoping that a) the coop being insulated inside the pen and b) the coop being shut up with warm chickies inside will mean the water will not freeze. We don't get too much below-freezing weather that will freeze water during the day, but we do have cold nights here. So, I want to figure out how to make it work so the girls have water. I could just take the water in at night too.... to be determined. And also partially dependent on the winter we have.
So that's the update. The girls are pretty happy.
Coop:
Their coop has been cleaned and fresh straw put in. They were very serious inspectors when this project was done. I did change the orientation of their nesting boxes so that they don't sit over them so frequently (less poo in the boxes). I will need to hang a pole on the one side sometime soon, but that's about it.
Tarp:
There is a huge tarp covering their huge area. I threw it all on myself (nasty sucker, heavy and not easy to manage), if I do say so myself. BUT, then my lovely neighbor and friend, Joe and Vince, revamped the tarp, rolling up certain areas and propping another area up so that it drapes over the far side. EXCELLENT! This was a great surprise to come home to after San Francisco. I do plan on having plastic at the ready, just in case we are expecting some crazy strong wind or very cold weather. It may make the pen a bit stale-smelling, but at least the birds will stay warm (and not have rain blown in on them).
Pen:
I bought a bale of straw for $2. Yes, $2. Amazing, right? I thought I'd need more, but it turns out one bale of straw is MORE than sufficient to cover and entire pen and stuff a coop. WOW! The girls were beside themselves with happiness.
Picture a flock of 14 chickens (soon to become 16 when the two littles are moved outside probably tonight) prancing around, tossing straw into the air, scratching, clucking happily, and rolling. It was a joyous scene.
Besides their enjoyment, the straw is good for many reasons. First, it gives the girls something to do. And, the straw is covered, so it stays dry. I may find that I will need to remove some of the straw that gets rained on around the edges of the coop, but that should be somewhat minimal. The straw does do a good job at poop absorption, as well as keep the ground insulated. The pen does feel warmer now that the straw is on the ground.
Light:
Last night, I took my grandfather's old tool light (the kind with the cage around the lightbulb that hangs) and hung it above the door in the coop. The girls still went into the coop at dark, but they were wide awake when I went to close the door. YES! I'm trying to make them think it's still summer hours and longer days. This will help increase egg-laying in the wintertime. I need to buy a cap for the outdoor socket (to protect from rain-- it's under the overhang, but still) and possibly a timer. That would make the on-again-off-again light switch much easier to manage.
Food:
I switched the girls to Purina's Layena pellets. These seemed the best for all-around food, giving them a good amount of protein, calcium, and other necessary ingredients to promote egg-laying. Best of all, it doesn't break the bank. They seem to like the new pellets. Of course, they still get lots of greens and such, but it's good to have a change in their foundation food. I'm hoping, after being on this for a few days, their egg production will increase. I realize that all the changes may have funked them up for a while, but we'll see. If this doesn't work, more research will be had.
Water:
This is the only thing I have not yet solved. I think I may move their water bowl into the coop when the weather gets nasty. I'm hoping that a) the coop being insulated inside the pen and b) the coop being shut up with warm chickies inside will mean the water will not freeze. We don't get too much below-freezing weather that will freeze water during the day, but we do have cold nights here. So, I want to figure out how to make it work so the girls have water. I could just take the water in at night too.... to be determined. And also partially dependent on the winter we have.
So that's the update. The girls are pretty happy.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Weekend review...
1) I got a bike.
2) I found MANGOSTEENS. Epic status.
3) I currently have 60 pounds of gorgeous apples in my kitchen.
4) Apple picking this morning, trip to store with a friend, then baking, then a play, then sushi rolls (vegetarian, no fish) at the neighbor's house.
5) The hens have straw all over their pen and coop. They are loving it.
6) And I finally remembered to buy coffee beans at the store, so now I have happy mornings again.
Blissful status update.
2) I found MANGOSTEENS. Epic status.
3) I currently have 60 pounds of gorgeous apples in my kitchen.
4) Apple picking this morning, trip to store with a friend, then baking, then a play, then sushi rolls (vegetarian, no fish) at the neighbor's house.
5) The hens have straw all over their pen and coop. They are loving it.
6) And I finally remembered to buy coffee beans at the store, so now I have happy mornings again.
Blissful status update.
Friday, October 1, 2010
How 'bout them tomatoes?
On Monday, I harvested a bunch of tomatoes. I went back out today, expecting to find a few more.
Um...
I have tomatoes.And whomever said "ya can't grow beefsteak tomatoes in the Pacific Northwest" is clearly wrong. This one weighs 1.5 pounds:
This one about 1.4 pounds.
Yea baby....
This one about 1.4 pounds.
Yea baby....Happy Birthday Papa
It's my father's birthday today. Suffice it to say: He's a pretty darn cool guy. Yes, he may be the hardest person to buy gifts for. And yes, he does have the strange habit of using initialism to be "modern." (For eg: most people know what brb means. My dad will suddenly pop into an email "bbiam." With no explanation. It will take you a while to figure out it means "be back in a minute.")
But he's still a pretty darn nifty person. And I love him. And he's over 1000 miles away. Though, he does fly airplanes and keeps threatening to show up. HA!
So, Happy birthday Papa!!
In other news...
Oy, the things to do. Not in a bad way... just as a fact of life. Go to the DMV. Buy a bike. Get straw. Clean the chickens. Oof. More on all that later....
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Darn birds.
My hens aren't laying. Granted, I did put a tarp over their pen and they were upset. And they did get really soggy last week with the rain.
But.
I suspect it's the base feed. Ever since I switched them 100% to oats, they LOVE it, but they don't lay well.
DRAT. I was loving the stuff being $8 for 50lbs.
So, the experiment is beginning tomorrow... when I go out and buy chicken feed, and straw to clean out the coop, and hay to lay out in their now-dry chicken pen and a light to hang up in their coop and a cover for my electrical outlet so I don't fry.
Featherbrains.
But.
I suspect it's the base feed. Ever since I switched them 100% to oats, they LOVE it, but they don't lay well.
DRAT. I was loving the stuff being $8 for 50lbs.
So, the experiment is beginning tomorrow... when I go out and buy chicken feed, and straw to clean out the coop, and hay to lay out in their now-dry chicken pen and a light to hang up in their coop and a cover for my electrical outlet so I don't fry.
Featherbrains.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The trip.
Our trip to and from the SF Bay Area! Many photos, beware, but it was a fun trip.
So, with all that said, let the photos begin.
Um. It was early. We were tired. And a little goofy.
Mount Shasta. It looks hazy, but gosh, it was quite pretty.
And huge, looming over the road.
As you're passing by Shasta, of course you enter the humorously-named town of "Weed." It's the first semi-large city upon entering California. Somewhat appropriate, given the current movement to legalize.
One of the best shots of the trip. A huge biker gang was gathering, and then this dude with high, white, golf socks and shorts walks up with three floofy dogs. The dichotomy was hilarious. I really wanted to get a better photo, but I didn't want the biker folks beating me up for snapping unpermited shots of them. So, this was taken on the sly (thus the angle).
Blurry shot of Lake Shasta.
Finally, we were in the Bay Area (7 hours after leaving Medford). Berkeley! I lived here for 5 years-- 4 years in school, and 1 year working in SF.
View from UC Berkeley campus. To think I saw this daily for five years. How did I get used to this? Then again, I see beauty every day nowadays, and I don't appreciate it as I should.
Downtown San Francisco and the Oakland Bay Bridge.
Overall bay shot from the hill.
Memorial Stadium! Home of the California Golden Bears! They're doing a huge renovation of the stadium, so, after this season, the Bears are moving to ATT Park next year and then will be back (hopefully) in a renovated stadium for 2012.
One of the reasons for the renovation: Hayward Fault. Yes, as in EARTHQUAKE fault. The stadium has a pretty huge crack where the fault line runs through the middle (map further down below).
Better shot of the stadium crack.
Cannon platform. No, it does not shoot real cannons, but the Rally Committee (which I used to be on) shoots off explosives from a real cannon when Cal touchdowns are made at home games.
View from the field. Memories!!
The "C" on the seats of the student section on the stadium.
Old home: Dorm! I lived on the Clark Kerr Campus, about a 10-15 minute walk to campus. My room was on the second story, third window over. 20x20', but shared with two other girls.
Second balcony from the right: my home for one year post-school.
And finally, this ugly building: My home from 2001-2004. It was a back unit, soooo no photos.
The Axe! Given to the winner of the annual Cal/Stanfurd football game.
One of my old haunts: I worked in California Hall from 2002-2004 for the University Chancellor and legal counsel.
The building was often the site of protests, so there were protocols to follow. And they were followed, several times.
University library. We tried to get in here, but they had reduced hours, so it was locked. The north reading room is GORGEOUS, and was one of my favorite places to study.
The Campanille, the University clocktower. The carillon was playing when we were walking around. SO pretty. My first year here, somehow, someone spiked a gigantic pumpkin on top. It's still not completely known how.
Sad bears. WWI memorial bench.
The Campanille Esplanade. A good friend of mine married another friend of mine here in 2006.
And I married this man (not here) in 2009!
I love this shot. The signs up the road all read the same: "Reserved for NL." NL= Nobel Laureate.
Hearst Mining Building. Under renovations for a significant portion of my stay at Berkeley, it opened my last semester for me to take a course. GORGEOUS brickwork throughout and windows.
And, what's pretty impressive is that the whole building was renovated to be on springs. They put huge donut balloons under the building and lifted it and then put the springs in. The building will withstand an earthquake much better (hopefully). Here's a photo of the raising:
And here's why! The Hayward fault (which runs through the middle of the stadium, as mentioned above), is quite a threat and very near Hearst Mining.
The final end product of Hearst Mining: Restored to original beauty.
Skylight and light.
In the Haas Business School, we saw "Les Bears", aka the "Bookend Bears."
Senior Hall, home to the Order of the Golden Bear.
I have always loved the lanterns in the Faculty Club.
South Hall. Supposedly, Walt Disney used this building as inspiration for the set of Mary Poppins. Oldest building on campus (1873), and the only standing building from the original campus. North Hall burned down.
Wheeler Hall. I had SO many classes and lectures in here.
Sather Gate!!! I have touched the top, courtesy of the Rally Committee and a scissor lift (we hung lights on it for Big Game Week).
Telegraph Avenue. Yes, the infamous Telegraph Avenue.
On Saturday mid-day, we quickly hopped over to the Cheeseboard. The Cheeseboard is a cheese coop, owned and run by employees.
They sell pizza by the slice-- one type of pizza, vegetarian, but made with amazing ingredients. Saturday's pizza featured yukon potatoes and gruyere.
YUM.
Though we didn't buy any cheese (tear!- there were possible refrigeration issues with getting it home, and we had a wedding to get to), here's what their cheese selection board looks like. AMAZING.
The reception was a FAR distance from the ceremony, so B and I decided to take the opportunity to take the little bit longer (but not much) route of going over the Golden Gate Bridge and then the San Rafael Bridge. We weren't the last to arrive at the reception, and everyone was still taking photos, so no harm done.
The size of the Golden Gate is always pretty astounding.
On Sunday morning, we quickly headed over to the Berkeley Bowl. It's a HUGE grocery store. What most places have in total size, the Bowl has in JUST their produce department.
Here's a picture in one direction (and note, the section continues on either side past the edges of this shot)...
And turning around to the other direction....
I should add their prices are stellar too!
But, I went to the Bowl for this section: EXOTIC FRUITS. I walked away with a sack of guavas, a bag of rambutans, three passion fruits, and one monstera deliciousa. I had hoped to find mangosteens and leechis, but nope. SIGH. My quest for a mangosteen is ongoing.
Finally, we head up the I-5 to home. It was a long, 9.5-hour drive, but we did stop in Redding, home to the furthest-north In-N-Out. B got a plain cheeseburger, but I got mine animal-style (sauce and sauteed onions). OH MY GOSH. SO fresh. So delicious. Everything is freshly cut, freshly made, and freshly grilled. There is no comparison. B commented that it was the simplest restaurant menu. Burgers. Shakes. Sodas. Fries. That's it. Of course, there are secret ordering codes, so you can have your burger or shake or fries done a certain way. I often also order a neopolitan shake, but not this time.
But, I did order my fries animal style too for the first time. QUITE delicious.
On the way home, we drove by Black Butte, a plug dome created the same time as Shasta. If not for Shasta, Black Butte would have been much more dramatic. As it is though, it kind of looks like your stereotypical cartoon volcano, unerupted.
On the way home, we saw some pretty virga that resulted in a small rainbow. It's almost in the middle of the picture, just above the hills.
And finally, we were in Oregon. But, sadly, another 3.5-4 hours to go.
It was a great trip, but FAST. Still, it was nice to get away. We hadn't done that for a long while.
Thanks to a bunch of people, but particularly Natalie and Bill for letting us stay with them on Friday night. That bar was a total hoot, and maybe I'll sing next time!
So, with all that said, let the photos begin.
Um. It was early. We were tired. And a little goofy.
Mount Shasta. It looks hazy, but gosh, it was quite pretty.
And huge, looming over the road.
As you're passing by Shasta, of course you enter the humorously-named town of "Weed." It's the first semi-large city upon entering California. Somewhat appropriate, given the current movement to legalize.
One of the best shots of the trip. A huge biker gang was gathering, and then this dude with high, white, golf socks and shorts walks up with three floofy dogs. The dichotomy was hilarious. I really wanted to get a better photo, but I didn't want the biker folks beating me up for snapping unpermited shots of them. So, this was taken on the sly (thus the angle).
Blurry shot of Lake Shasta.
Finally, we were in the Bay Area (7 hours after leaving Medford). Berkeley! I lived here for 5 years-- 4 years in school, and 1 year working in SF.
View from UC Berkeley campus. To think I saw this daily for five years. How did I get used to this? Then again, I see beauty every day nowadays, and I don't appreciate it as I should.
Downtown San Francisco and the Oakland Bay Bridge.
Overall bay shot from the hill.
Memorial Stadium! Home of the California Golden Bears! They're doing a huge renovation of the stadium, so, after this season, the Bears are moving to ATT Park next year and then will be back (hopefully) in a renovated stadium for 2012.
One of the reasons for the renovation: Hayward Fault. Yes, as in EARTHQUAKE fault. The stadium has a pretty huge crack where the fault line runs through the middle (map further down below).
Better shot of the stadium crack.
Cannon platform. No, it does not shoot real cannons, but the Rally Committee (which I used to be on) shoots off explosives from a real cannon when Cal touchdowns are made at home games.
View from the field. Memories!!
The "C" on the seats of the student section on the stadium.
Old home: Dorm! I lived on the Clark Kerr Campus, about a 10-15 minute walk to campus. My room was on the second story, third window over. 20x20', but shared with two other girls.
Second balcony from the right: my home for one year post-school.
And finally, this ugly building: My home from 2001-2004. It was a back unit, soooo no photos.
The Axe! Given to the winner of the annual Cal/Stanfurd football game.
One of my old haunts: I worked in California Hall from 2002-2004 for the University Chancellor and legal counsel.
The building was often the site of protests, so there were protocols to follow. And they were followed, several times.
University library. We tried to get in here, but they had reduced hours, so it was locked. The north reading room is GORGEOUS, and was one of my favorite places to study.
The Campanille, the University clocktower. The carillon was playing when we were walking around. SO pretty. My first year here, somehow, someone spiked a gigantic pumpkin on top. It's still not completely known how.
Sad bears. WWI memorial bench.
The Campanille Esplanade. A good friend of mine married another friend of mine here in 2006.
And I married this man (not here) in 2009!
I love this shot. The signs up the road all read the same: "Reserved for NL." NL= Nobel Laureate.
Hearst Mining Building. Under renovations for a significant portion of my stay at Berkeley, it opened my last semester for me to take a course. GORGEOUS brickwork throughout and windows.
And, what's pretty impressive is that the whole building was renovated to be on springs. They put huge donut balloons under the building and lifted it and then put the springs in. The building will withstand an earthquake much better (hopefully). Here's a photo of the raising:
And here's why! The Hayward fault (which runs through the middle of the stadium, as mentioned above), is quite a threat and very near Hearst Mining.
The final end product of Hearst Mining: Restored to original beauty.
Skylight and light.
In the Haas Business School, we saw "Les Bears", aka the "Bookend Bears."
Senior Hall, home to the Order of the Golden Bear.
I have always loved the lanterns in the Faculty Club.
South Hall. Supposedly, Walt Disney used this building as inspiration for the set of Mary Poppins. Oldest building on campus (1873), and the only standing building from the original campus. North Hall burned down.
Wheeler Hall. I had SO many classes and lectures in here.
Sather Gate!!! I have touched the top, courtesy of the Rally Committee and a scissor lift (we hung lights on it for Big Game Week).
Telegraph Avenue. Yes, the infamous Telegraph Avenue.
On Saturday mid-day, we quickly hopped over to the Cheeseboard. The Cheeseboard is a cheese coop, owned and run by employees.
They sell pizza by the slice-- one type of pizza, vegetarian, but made with amazing ingredients. Saturday's pizza featured yukon potatoes and gruyere.
YUM.
Though we didn't buy any cheese (tear!- there were possible refrigeration issues with getting it home, and we had a wedding to get to), here's what their cheese selection board looks like. AMAZING.
The reception was a FAR distance from the ceremony, so B and I decided to take the opportunity to take the little bit longer (but not much) route of going over the Golden Gate Bridge and then the San Rafael Bridge. We weren't the last to arrive at the reception, and everyone was still taking photos, so no harm done.
The size of the Golden Gate is always pretty astounding.
On Sunday morning, we quickly headed over to the Berkeley Bowl. It's a HUGE grocery store. What most places have in total size, the Bowl has in JUST their produce department.
Here's a picture in one direction (and note, the section continues on either side past the edges of this shot)...
And turning around to the other direction....
I should add their prices are stellar too!
But, I went to the Bowl for this section: EXOTIC FRUITS. I walked away with a sack of guavas, a bag of rambutans, three passion fruits, and one monstera deliciousa. I had hoped to find mangosteens and leechis, but nope. SIGH. My quest for a mangosteen is ongoing.
Finally, we head up the I-5 to home. It was a long, 9.5-hour drive, but we did stop in Redding, home to the furthest-north In-N-Out. B got a plain cheeseburger, but I got mine animal-style (sauce and sauteed onions). OH MY GOSH. SO fresh. So delicious. Everything is freshly cut, freshly made, and freshly grilled. There is no comparison. B commented that it was the simplest restaurant menu. Burgers. Shakes. Sodas. Fries. That's it. Of course, there are secret ordering codes, so you can have your burger or shake or fries done a certain way. I often also order a neopolitan shake, but not this time.
But, I did order my fries animal style too for the first time. QUITE delicious.
On the way home, we drove by Black Butte, a plug dome created the same time as Shasta. If not for Shasta, Black Butte would have been much more dramatic. As it is though, it kind of looks like your stereotypical cartoon volcano, unerupted.
On the way home, we saw some pretty virga that resulted in a small rainbow. It's almost in the middle of the picture, just above the hills.
And finally, we were in Oregon. But, sadly, another 3.5-4 hours to go.
It was a great trip, but FAST. Still, it was nice to get away. We hadn't done that for a long while.
Thanks to a bunch of people, but particularly Natalie and Bill for letting us stay with them on Friday night. That bar was a total hoot, and maybe I'll sing next time!
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