BERNAL HEIGHTS WALK WITH AMG

These are some of the images I captured while walking around Bernal Heights
in San Francisco with AnneMarie Grace today.
I stopped off on my way home from the BEST THANKSGIVING EVER in Santa Rosa.
I had a leftover turkey sandwich with Tim while we waited for AMG to get home from school (If it's Saturday AnneMarie is at school, no matter what the holiday. What dedication!)
We went for a walk around the hill then walked down to Courtland Avenue. Down on Courtland we went looking for the out-of-skip antique and vintage store but it seems that it is gone. We stopped in at Heartfelt and also checked out the used book store. The funky florist shop is also gone. Bernal Heights Preservation association will have to work really hard to preserve what's left if this rate of closure continues.
We finished our walk with afternoon tea at Martha and Brothers (Martha might have served us but there was no sign of the brothers.)


Crime pays. Not!


Esmeralda Street


Chalk dog


Nevada Street


Detail on a house


Fragment of Temple of Artemis

HOW MANY SHOPPING DAYS IS THAT?

ERIC FRIEDENBURG

CAITRIN

TED

RANDOM BICYCLE, SANTA ROSA

THE CHURCH BUILT FROM ONE TREE

Next up, Evan showed me the church built from a single redwood tree.
He told me that the original Ripley's Believe It Or Not was housed in this church that had been built from a single redwood tree.
The church was all closed up so I never got to see the interior.
After this we went downtown to have coffee at Peet's since the funky Wolf Coffee House is now a bagel joint run by Chinese people who don't have a single (visible) tattoo or piercing.
I wonder what happened to Wolf?

DIVINE MEN

We headed to downtown Santa Rosa in the late afternoon.
Evan wanted to show me the NEIGHBORHOOD THAT TIME FORGOT.
We parked the car on the other side of the greenway and got out to walk around.
The first thing I noticed was this sign for a New Age church. I pulled on the door expecting it to be all closed up but to my surprise it was open. I went inside. Right in front of the main entrance was a long corridor that led to the kitchen area at the back of the house. To right was a large hall-like room, not at all like a church, more like a Quaker meeting house. There was a stage where ceremonies of some kind take place. As I started to go deeper a voice to the side said that the church was closed. There was a man in a small alcove office working at a laptop. He repeated that the church was closed. He didn't seem interested in converting me so I acquiesced and left.

UNORTHODOX EVAN

Evan stands in the porch of the old wooden church
that was the main orthodox parish church until
they started to construct the new church.

SAINT SERAPHIM ORTHODOX CHURCH

After or walk we drove down Mountain View Road to the Russian Orthodox church.
We were surprised that the church was open. We went inside the empty building. The new church is still under construction. The building itself is finished but the interior is still being worked on. Much of the breeze block walls have not yet been plastered over and where it has the outlines of iconography have been traced but not completed. There are some finished icons and these are impressive. On one side of the main doorway is a panel depicting Saint Vladimir and Saint Olga; on the other side an icon of Saint Constantine and Saint Helena.

Another panel depicted the prophet Eiljah who appeared to have a finger missing.

HUNTER CREEK VIGNETTES

Oak gall


Is it Toyon?


Endangered honeybee warning.


Acorns

HUNTER CREEK TRAIL

View of Taylor Mountain

Arne and Adam went off to do Buy Nothing Day shopping in the malls. Arne had forgotten what a storefront America is. He was anxious to refresh his memory.
Rick left at about 11 to go back to the city. While we were outside chatting with Rick before he left, Kevin and Deb drove up. We chatted with them for another 30 minutes. Deb asked about the tadpoles I had collected for my class in the Spring from their pond.
Evan suggested we go for a walk along the Hunter Creek Trail. We drove down the mountain and parked the car. The trail runs along a creek. We started in the middle. In one direction the trail eventually leads out onto Petaluma Hill Road. In the other direction it comes out at Friedmans Lumber on Santa Rosa Avenue. We did walk up the trail, then back down the trail in the other direction, crossing Hunter Lane. Along the way we saw a flock of redwing blackbirds and many black walnutss scattered about. We think we saw a grouse or a snipe rising out of the underbrush along the creek. At one point we passed a house with a full line of washing drying in the afternoon sun. As we passed the house a voice called out to us from the other side of the trail. As we peered into the thicket of tree limbs we realized the voice belonged to a boy who was sitting up in a tree. He told us that he lived in the house with laundry. We inquired about his parents, thinking that he live there with them. He told us his father's name was Jeff but that his grandmother had gone to court to get custody of him. He lived with his grandmother. He told us that everytime his father got any money he would spend it on drugs. I felt a little bit sorry for the lad.

BUY NOTHING DAY TODAY

Today is "BUY NOTHING DAY".

TARTE CARAMELISEE AUX POIRES

This recipe came from Elle Magazine (Elle à Table, Nº 54, 2007).
Evan didn't want the "crème fleurette" that the recipe called for (what is crème fleurette, anyway?) so I made a custard base for the tart.

THE GUESTS

Evan, the host



Máirtín




Arne



Adam

WHAT WOULD ZARKOZY SMOKE?

Arne brought these Gauloises for Evan.

GOLDEN STATE

WILD TURKEY

HOLIDAY TABLE

HENRY MOORE, MAR SHEA

NOT YOUR MAMA'S YAMS (UNLESS YOUR MAMA WAS ALSO TIGER WOOD'S MAMA)

Another one from Saveur magazine.
Lots of ginger, garlic, shallots, jalapeño, spring onion, basil and lime juice.

YAMS AND BASS

GRAVY

HILL OF TARA

2 HOUR TURKEY

Rick met us at the door in hysterics. "The turkey is burned. Thanksgiving is ruined!" We calmed Rick down and went to investigate. The turkey had been in the oven for two hours. It looked great. We decided to put it back in the oven at a lower temperature for another hour. We covered it with foil to stop the browning (Blackening?).
We also put the stuffing in the oven to cook.
It's beginning to smell a lot like Thanksgiving.

JAG'S CALL

Evan and I took an early afternoon stroll up the hill.
While we were walking Jag called me on my cell phone.
I gave her Rich's cell phone number to call him.
It was so nice to hear from Jag.

TAYLOR MOUNTAIN RAMBLE

BUCKEYES



FALL SHADOWS

THE WINE, ESTATE BOTTLED

READY FOR THE OVEN

CRISIS OVER (FOR NOW)

Mark, the electrician came out to fix the electrical problem.
Another thing to be thankful for.
This truly is "THE BEST THANKSGIVING EVER".

CRISIS

We got up late this morning since we went to bed a little later than usual with all the excitement of the festivities.
First thing this morning we had our first big test - the SubZero has decided not to work. What to do? What would the Pilgrims have done?
It turns out that the fridge is not the only thing that is not working. All the appliances on that electrical circuit are out, including the dishwasher which has an inch of dirty water sitting at the bottom.
Evan, in a violent rage, has completely forgotten that we have many things to be thankful for besides the Miele.

MENU

Each place setting will be dressed with a copy of this menu, designed specifically for this event by Richard Pirman, noted Northern California Artiste

BONNE ACTION DE GRÂCE

We came up with the title "BEST THANKSGIVING EVER" for the blog as a kind of parody of articles in popular homemaking magazines.
But of course it can't be the best Thanksgiving ever without Rich.
We love you and miss you.
Happy Thanksgiving in France.

PRE-THANKSGIVING COOKS' DINNER

Shrimp scampi, angel hair pasta, green salad with simple vinegrette.

SPARKY THE CAT DREAMS OF CALVADOS ROASTED MOUSE

Could this be Sparky's BEST THANKSGIVING EVER?