Family Reunion #1

Here I am with my mom's first cousins. We needed Lisa to make it complete.

There Are No Words

These three sights were seen within three hours today. It was an amazing day.

One of Many Amazing Signs Today

Today I started outside of Pittsburgh. I drove south on 79 and then west on 70 where I went through West Virginia first. Their sign said "Open for Business." I find this slogan a bit awkward for so many reasons. I hit Ohio next, followed by Indiana (they gave us this great sign...I don't know why they couldn't come up with something really original), Illinois (Land of Lincoln) and then Missouri (the show me state). It was an eleven hour drive in total...about 620 miles. It was quite beautiful to see all the farm land. They are growing TONS of corn out here...and to think how little of that actually goes to corn on the cob and how much of it goes to corn syrup. More great pics to follow.

Hoff Got Hitched

Congrats to The Hoffs who got hitched this weekend. I'm sure the mathletes were quite the party guests.

What Is This?

It looks like a huge soda can. This is one of the many sights on my drive from Boston to Pittsburgh (with an H). Another funny sight was an RV pulling a pick-up truck that had a golf cart in the truck bed. It was like one of those Russian nesting dolls...there were just vehicles pulling vehicles, pulling vehicles. Those crazy vacationers.

Locked and Loaded

Here's the packed car outside Wegman's in Wilkes-Barre. Thankfully, my "Bush's Last Day" bumper sticker didn't incite any riots in the parking lot. My friend Josh raves and raves about Wegman's and it was totally worth the stop. Things I appreciated: really nice people, lots of made-in-house stuff, the lights weren't searchlight intensity, the produce was beautiful and well displayed. I can now say I've been to the famous Wegman's. Also, I can see out the back window of my car!

A Cheeseburger I Can Eat!

What will Whole Foods do next? These are some of the custom cupcakes you can buy at the Whole Foods in Framingham. I think this is kind of weird for Whole Foods...a fast food look-alike made of butter and sugar? Lots of evil there. Unless they are trying to simulate an all-natural grass-fed burger with organic cheese, etc. Regardless, it's a kosher Cheeseburger. Never thought I'd see the day.

Reliving The Dream

Jenn just sent me her pictures, so I had fun going through them and remembering our trip. She has two pictures that I just had to share, even though they are two weeks old. Here I am at Dodgers Stadium, outside the locker rooms. The first picture is of me with my 8-year old friend whose favorite subject in school is recess. He had 299 autographs going into the night. The second is me after getting autograph #1--James Loney. I'm not sure I can get more excited. Some may choose another word rather than excited...I'm going to stick with it.

The Latest Newlyweds

Here are some shots of the wedding of Ali and Zach. They had a tandem all spiffed up that they were riding around town. The pictures below are their arrival and Zach addressing the guests. They were married Friday night and Saturday night was dinner by Martha and Co., lots of dancing by everyone, and cupcakes from Petsi Pies. It was a great party!

Corgis!!!

I love this sticker!!! Extra credit for anyone who can find it on the Internet.

Now I'm Surly

Okay, so of the people who voted, most said that Surly Cruise is 31 years old. No one voted for 18 months. I accept defeat.

Rock On Cali

I'm back to the East Coast tomorrow after a very fun two weeks here. Can't wait to come back!

Where's The Humanity?

Adam thinks he may have found it. This is an alley in SF that is reserved for public art. We also saw this guy hard at work.

The Great American Road Trip Ends

Here we are, parting ways in San Fran before Jenn got on a plane to the East Coast. We had nine great days exploring California and I can't wait to go back to some places and adventure some more. We did 942 miles exactly (finishing a few days after the 4.2 earthquake at 4:42 am). It's a trip that I would suggest to anyone, and I think it's best to travel northward if you're someone that wants to have more nature at the end of your trip. Also, having a sporty car is key for the curves of Route 1.

The Money Shot

We have enough for a field hockey team! Wonder who would volunteer to play goalie.

Pretty, Pretty Wedding

So, this was one heck of a nice wedding. The ceremony and reception were all on the lawn at Chateau St. Jean. I loved the long tables, which gave me at least twice the number of people to talk to easily than round ones. They had parasols on the seats at the ceremony because it was quite sunny. There were so many details that made this wedding really great, but I will say that the scenery was beautiful.

Solar Cheese!

 Vella Cheese Co. makes some really amazing cheese in Sonoma. They have won many awards all across the country (and I think the world). I really liked their high moisture monterey but really loved that they were one of the first solar powered businesses in Sonoma. I like when the sun is used for good (power) and not for evil (skin damage).

Hockey Reunion #4

 
This is just a continuation of the wedding weekend. We went on a bike tour/wine tasting with the Blue Jays and some Law School friends of the bride. Our first stop was the Homewood Winery! We were obviously pumped.

Too Many Speeches

 
This is what can happen to the bride when too many people get up to give their speech/toast to the couple and the party is supposed to be winding down.

Hockey Reunion #3

 
Here's a picture from the welcome cocktail party. It was at the Fairmont by the pool and just lovely. Despite not having a goalie, we would definitely be able to field a full team here. And I think we'd do okay.

The Bruise 4 Days Later

 
This is the bruise now. I just took Arnica tablets to try to speed up the healing. Looks like this bruise is my date to the wedding.

Escaped!

 

Here's our view after we escaped Alcatraz. After this picture was taken, we swore we'd never look back again.

All Day Long

 
This is the California sky...almost all the time. You should see it.

New Poll

To the right...

This One's For The Sis

I found out that there's a Yolo County in CA. I wonder if they know.

Monterey

 
Here's a view from Cannery Row. We went to eat in the downtown area at a place called Montrio. They have a lot of local and organic food. I grazed on their "Little Bites" dishes, which are like tapas. I tried most of the vegetarian options with my favorite being a fritter with a sun-dried tomato spread. The oatmeal-crusted brie with a currant (like little raisins) chutney was also yummy. Unfortunately, there was no room for dessert, which also looked quite good.

The Lone Cypress

 
This is one of the classic views from Pebble Beach. We drove 17-mile drive and enjoyed the ocean views as well as the house gawking. This cypress is over 250 years old and with the help of some cables, it's still going strong.

Cafe Nepenthe in Big Sur

 
 
 
Wonderful lunch spot with a view as nice as the people who work here. We had a great lunch and it's so nice to interact with so many pleasant people on this trip. Big Sur is gorgeous and we regret that it can't be adequately captured by our photography skills. So, come see it for yourself!

Coming Down From the Castle

 
Here's that view I was talking about. Wow!

Newspaper Money

 
 
 
Good thing my students told me about this place! This is "the castle from the Travel Channel." You all know it. It was absolutely incredible. Here are a few shots of the pool, the gardens, and an entrance. We thought it was worth the visit. The views of the Pacific will make it worthwhile as well as the amazing driving of the bus drivers.