Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Sam Ol’ Same Ol’

Tuesday: (06/30) Another hot day. More shop cleanup today. Smoothies ala Dawn for breakfast. Chinese chicken salads for lunch.Gnochi with grilled red peppers for dinner

Monday, June 29, 2015

Purisima Creek Redwoods OSP Hike

Monday: (06/29) I made breakfast sandwiches to start our day.


I picked up Jessica at 0915 and we headed up to Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve to meet the other Sand Jose Mid-Week Hikers. We hiked 5.73 with a 1031 foot elevation change and an overall climb of 2028 feet. We got a good view of the ocean from the trail after we hiked through a nice redwood forest.
I had a grilled pork and cheese sandwich for lunch.
Purisma Creek Redwoods Hike 439235653 Purisma Creek Redwoods Hike 439236903
Some nice trails and a great hiking group!
Purisma Creek Redwoods OSP Hike 0034 Purisma Creek Redwoods OSP Hike 0036
Purisma Creek Redwoods OSP Hike 0037
Nice ocean and mountain views .

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Cleaning Up In The Shade

Sunday: (06/28) We started with an appointment in Sunnyvale. When we got home, I made corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast. The corned beef was some that Lou smoked a few days ago giving the hash a new taste. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and organizing my shop. I prefer doing it after the sun has moved so the yard where I’m working is shady. Dawn made some homemade cottage cheese which I had with fruit for lunch, Leftovers for dinner.

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Sunol Regional Park Hike

Saturday: (06/27)  I walked over to  L&L Hawaiian BBQ and got my sausage, egg, and cheese English muffin sandwich and a donut for breakfast. I guess I have become so lazy that I visit L&L far too often but do enjoy it. 


I am doing my first hike with a different Meetup hiking group, the Northern California Light Backpacker Group. I joined this group last year when it formed but the group hasn’t done anything until this hike with a new organizer so I wanted to attend. I was one of three members of the group that attended. We actually had seven hikers because the hike was also announced on another meetup group. I’ve wanted to hike in Sunol Regional park for a while but haven’t gotten there yet. The organizer wasn’t too organized, not unexpected for a first event. Most of the hikers seemed to have a limited range. Only two of us hiked a real hike of 6.5 miles out the McCorkle trail. The others only did about 3 miles. I think I even stretched my fellow 6.3 mile hikers legs. He did start the PCT trail this year himself but had to terminate the hike for this year. When He arrived at the parking lot i was immediately envious.  He was driving a diesel crew cab VW transporter synchro truck. That’s a 4×4 VW. Not only that, he has another VW Synchro that is a camper van. Now back to the hike. We were just day hiking. My partner was wearing his backpack but i ws just wearing a day pack. We met several backpackers do a two night hike from Sunol park to Lake Del Valle, about a 28 mile hike. That would be fun for a local overnighter. The forecast temperature was to be 89 degrees but I don’t think it made it that hot because of some cloud cover while we hiked. Lucky us. The park is grassy hills  and mountains with occasional oak trees. We also passed the Little Yosemite area which is an area in a rocky ravine with a nice stream through it. I will be returning to hike here more probably leading hikes with my San Jose hikers. Here is the GPS track.
Sunol Park Hike 0023 Sunol Park Hike  Water Fountain 0024
The VW Synchro on th left, the off the grid drinking fountain on the right.
Sunol Park Hike Calaverous Lake 0028 Sunol Park Hike 0029
Nice grassy hills with occasional oak trees. Most of the trails were old ranch roads.
Sunol Park Hike 0030 Sunol Park Hike 0033
On the way home I stopped for dim sum at King Eggroll. Some egg rolls and shrimp balls  for lunch. They weren’t as good as I remembered they were on my last visit. My new place Dim Sum King is better and cheaper. I relaxed the rest of the day. Garlic spaghetti squash with roast beef and corn on the cob for dinner.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Henry Cowell SP, Fall Creek Hike

Friday: (06/26) I walked over to  L&L Hawaiian BBQ and got my sausage, egg, and cheese English muffin sandwich and a maple bar for breakfast which I enjoyed with a in our backyard. I did some watering before heading off for a hike.


I met my hiking buddies, San Jose Mid-Week Hikers Meetup Group, in Felton for the hike. The hike was a wonderful 7.7 mile (or possibly 8.6 miles per the maps) past an interesting historical lime kiln site and a barrel mill site going through nicely forested areas. I clocked a 1470 feet elevation change with 2657 feel total gain. Here is my GPS track. After the hike I had chicken and chips from Safeway for lunch. Bacon and spinach salad for dinner.
Big Basin SP Fall Creek To Big Ben Tree Hike Lime Kiln 439137481 Big Basin SP Fall Creek To Big Ben Tree Hike 439140335
The old lime kiln on the left. Nice trails.
Big Basin SP Fall Creek To Big Ben Tree Hike 438835753 Big Basin SP Fall Creek To Big Ben Tree Hike 438835759
The old barrel mill on the left, a nice thistle flower on the right.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Poor Baby

Thursday: (06/25) Lou and Dawn were out early for dental appointments, Yesterday after lunch I noticed that my one remaining baby tooth had a chunk broken off. It’s my left canine tooth. I called for a dental appointment this morning and will see the dentist this afternoon. I made myself a nice breakfast sandwich when I finally started moving. Today was a scorcher and it was already hot by 1000. Our yard people come today so i didn’t want to get too busy on the lawn by the shop so I did some cleanup on our side yard patio / junk and wast management center. Since out compost bin will need to be in that area by the garbage and recycle bins come next week when food scrapes are supposed to go into it I move one up to the patio. But first i had to make room by tidying up. I also pruned the berry vines which were invading the garden and also trimmed my tomato plant. Lou called to met her and Dawn for lunch. I took a shower and headed off about 1230. We enjoyed lunch at a Chinese buffet on Saratoga Ave in San Jose. It was called the Super Buffet but is under new management as the Hokkaido Buffet. I then dashed over to my appointment with the dentist. My baby tooth bad a section break off, about 25% leaving the existing filling. The best option is to try to save it so the dentist removed the filling and put a new filling which amounted to a mini crown for the tiny tooth. I hope it lasts. The tooth certainly has and the filling in it has been there for 20-30 years. Since it was really hot, I relaxed indoors all afternoon. Spinach bacon salad for dinner.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Dressing Up A Dresser

Wednesday: (06/24) Granola and banana for breakfast. I worked all day on cleaning the shop and rebuilding the old dresser that is used to store all our hardware. In my youth, 55-60 years ago, it was a shared dresser with my brother. It needed some rebuilding because it’s been carrying a heavy load in al the drawers and they were sagging and hard to open and close. There was also some water damage to the back board. I cut out the bad portion of the backboard and replaced it. I repaired (replaced one of the wooden drawer guides and I installed something the original design needed and didn’t have. supports on both sides of the drawers. With all that done, which took most of the day, I waxed all the supports and guides and installed metal tacks as bearings for all the drawers. Works like a champ now. Better than new, except that it still needs painting, which isn’t going to happen. I’d hate to loose the patina. Smoked ribs Baked beans for lunch. Leftover sauerkraut, potatoes and pork for dinner. In the evening, Lou and I went to a City seminar about our new food wast composting procedures. Starting July 1st we’ll be allowed to put food waste and food soiled paper into our composting barrels that the City picks up. That should eliminate a lot of our garbage.

Hardware Cabinet Rebuild 20150628_152304 Hardware Cabinet Rebuild New Guide 20150628_152458
The dresser back in place with new and repaired drawer runners.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

My Father’s Day

Tuesday: (06/23) Today is my Father’s Day. We always try to avoid the crowds so defer things like Father’s Day Dinners to alternate days. I decided I wanted to go to 99 Bottles Of Beer in Santa Cruz for my dinner and this was the first convenient day to get out of town for it. Of course we made a day of it because it’s miles from home. We walked downtown and the North end of town. I especially examined the San Lorenzo Lumber Company and their garden center. A great selection of succulents. We also drove out through the UC Santa Cruz University campus and found an arboretum we’ll visit another time. We also drove out through Bonney Dune. We’ve never been out that way.  Breakfast was leftovers. Lunch at 99 Bottles Of Beer. Lou and Dawn had hamburgers with German potato salad and sauerkraut and I had a Philly Cheese sandwich with some bacon chowder. Dinner was some soup at the Staff Of Life Market. We finally made it home just before dark. No crowds today.

Monday, June 22, 2015

Coal Mine Ridge Hike

Monday: (06/22) Breakfast at L&L. Jessica picked me up to carpool to Portola Valley for a hike around the Coal Mine Ridge area led by Jonathan. While the GPS track looks like we were lost, we were not. But we did cover a lot of the trails on the hill.

Coal Mine Ridge Hike 439138681 Coal Mine Ridge Hike 438979063
Nice group of hikers.
Chili for lunch. I spend some time sorting, disposing and cleaning up in my shop. Lou made gnocchi pasta with broccoli, cheese and chicken for dinner.

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Hot and Cool

Saturday: (06/20) We are fortunate recently to have weather that is dynamic. Hot one day cool the next. The cool days are best. Saturday morning shopping run. Lou made apricot pancakes for breakfast. We had only a delicious few apricots this year. Lou and I each spend the day cleaning up, me my shop and Lou her craft room. My major effort was replacing the wire shelves with plywood shelves. Dawn made smoothies for brunch and I made chili topped baked potatoes for lunch. I made more pork chops with sauerkraut and potatoes in the slow cooker for dinner.

Sunday: (06/21) Lou made sausage, eggs and home fried potatoes for my breakfast in bed. It is Father’s Day. Eventually I went outside to do a little work in the shop. Cottage cheese and fruit for lunch. BBQ ribs with fries and asparagus for dinner.

Friday, June 19, 2015

Big Basin SP, Hollow Tree And Meteor Trails

Friday: (06/19) Breakfast from L&L Hawaiian. Alex picked me up and we drove over to Big Basin State Park to meet the San Jose Mid-Week Hiker Group members for a hike. We hike the Hollow Tree and Meteor Trails. They are some of the prettiest trails in the park. I hiked down the Hollow Tree Trail a couple of years ago when I hiked over from Palo Alto. Today was my first pass through the Meteor trail. It has some really nice big trees. The weather was great for our hike, nice and clear but not too hot. It was only about an eight mile hike.

Big Basin Hollow Tree Hike 438838428 Big Basin Hollow Tree Hike 438838632
An old saw mill site on left. Bob, our hike leader and myself on the right.
I had some leftover stroganoff for lunch. Tacos ala Lou for dinner.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Alameda Fair

Alameda Fair 0015
Thursday: (06/18) After breakfast we decided to head over to Pleasanton to the Alameda County Fair. We like fairs, this one isn’t bad, and it was Senior day so Lou and i got in free. We stopped for lunch at the Corner Bakery in Pleasanton before going in to the fair. This fairground is nicely laid out and we enjoyed looking at all the entries. After the fair we stopped for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes before heading home.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Catching Up At Work

Wednesday: (06/17) A quick trip to Walmart for some things Lou needed and where I got breakfast at their McDonald’s. I then dropped Lou and Dawn off and headed to San Jose to the Traffic Operations Center for a Traffic Signal Association meeting where I used to work. It was nice to visit with some of my former coworkers and learn about some of the things they’ve been busy with. Ananth Prasad was one of the speakers presenting information on the County’s innovative Adaptive Pedestrian Timing System. They’ve also been busy with implementing Predictive Coordination. Another speaker, Janae Scott of Jam Services, presented information on a new battery backup system using new Nickel Zinc batteries. All very interesting. I stopped for lunch on the way home at my favorite Dim Sum King restaurant in Sunnyvale. I did a little weeding in the backyard in the afternoon but mostly wasted the rest of the day. Nice! Lou made beef stroganoff for dinner

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Upper Stevens Creek, Table Mountain, Long Ridge Hike

Monday: (06/16) My usual L&L Hawaiian sausage egg and cheese English muffin for breakfast. Alex picked me up and we stopped by and picked up Bianca on the way up the mountain to Grizzly Flats Trailhead.


Jonathan led us on a hike down the mountain and back up through some pretty trails for a 9.4 miles hike with an elevation change of 1341′ and an elevation gain of 2608′. Here is the GPS track link. Another enjoyable hike with a great team and great views! I’ve really been enjoying just hiking and not leading the hikes.
SJMWH Saratoga Gap Table Mtn Hike 02 SJMWH Saratoga Gap Table Mtn Hike 03
Crossing Stevens Creek. Hiking up onto the Table.
Table Mountain Hike 438719330 SJMWH Saratoga Gap Table Mtn Hike 04
Trails through Long Ridge OSP.
SJMWH Saratoga Gap Table Mtn Hike 06 SJMWH Saratoga Gap Table Mtn Hike
The pond and the Zen Center on left. All the hikers on the right.
SJMWH Saratoga Gap Table Mtn Hike 07
A nice flower along the trail. I did my usual post hike activities a shower and nothing more for the day. Kentucky Fried Chicken for dinner.

Showering At Its Best

Tuesday: (06/16) A nice egg sausage and cheese sandwich for breakfast. I was busy cleaning up my shop. Lou was busy moving back in to her craft room. Before noon, my gray water pump arrived for our yard shower. I got to work installing it and needed a few things to complete the installation so I was off to Home Depot. On the way home I got lunch at Jack In The Box. I completed the installation and it tested OK. Then more shop cleaning. About 1630 I decided to clean up and was the first to take a shower and the system worked perfectly. I went back to HD to get some plywood for shelves in the shop to install tomorrow.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Sun Shade

Saturday: (06/13) I made a visit to the flea market at Palo Alto High School and bought several succulents I didn’t have and added them to Mount Donald. I also installed a sun fly shade over the patio wit hthe hope it will shade that in the morning. Lou’s been busy installing sun screen sheets to all the windows in the sun room / her craft room. Saturday morning shopping followed by breakfast at A Good Morning Restaurant. Portabello and cheese sandwich for lunch. Baked potatoes, broccoli from our garden with roast beef. Nice weather today in the mid 70′s.

Sunday: (06/14) We all didn’t feel too much like work so we visited various places looking for containers and storage related stuff. Since I was next to an REI store I had to visit it. I picked up some energy beans fr my hike tomorrow. I started cleaning up my shop. Lots of junk and a few good items. I need to organize and thin it out. Granola and yogurt for breakfast. Cecelia and Courtney dropped off some nice baked beans than became our lunch. Pork, sauerkraut and potatoes for dinner.

Friday, June 12, 2015

Lunch At Alice’s Restaurant

Friday: (06/12) I got my usual hikers breakfast at L&L Hawaiian, a sausage, egg and cheese English muffin and a couple of donuts. I then watered the yard because today is one of our two watering days. Then I was off to Wunderlich Park in Woodside for a hike with the San Jose Mid Week Hikers.


We all hiked up to the top an stopped at Alice’s Restaurant for lunch then returned down the hill. A little over eight miles total.
Alices Restaurant 438561902
A nice hike uo and back from the restaurant.
Alices Restaurant 438561907 Alices Restaurant 438561906
Fellow hikers and lunch mates.
I relaxed the rest of the day. Lou and Dawn were off to San Jose for errands, appointments and a car service/recall appointment. My dinner was from El Gruelense Restaurant.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Mt Donald Gets Decorated

Thursday: (06/11) I must have felt my green thumb throbbing because I got busy gardening this morning. I planted a bunch of plants from the greenhouse on Mount Donald, the huge dirt pile in our back yard. I don’t have a plan for redoing our backyard, nor our front yard into more water efficient landscaping so Mt Donald needed some camouflage to hide the barren pile as a landscape feature. There is really no waste. The plants are mostly starts and will likely do better in the ground. If the plantings respond consistent with the previous raised bed I planted last year, the mountain will disappear in a couple of months. Sort of like painting an elephants toe nails to hide it in a strawberry patch, but it works. Then I tried to relax in the backyard watching the birds, listening to music and thinking, a little. But Lou reminded me that she needs some drawer runners for some wire baskets she has for her work table so I got to work. It was a nice day, in the 70′s so working outside was nice. I don’t have room in my shop to work so I work on the lawn to do my woodwork. Dawn made smoothies for breakfast. Leftovers for Dawn and Lou and a breakfast sandwich for me for our lunches.  Dawn made Elk burgers for dinner.

Mt Donald
Mt Donald

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

San Mateo Fair

Wednesday: (06/10) Biscuits and gravy for breakfast. We decided to go up to San Mateo to the fair today. It still has some things other than the carnival rides. We had lunch at Jacks Restaurant  before entering the fair and being tempted by all the junk food there. We finally finished our fair visit at 2000 and stopped by Neal’s Cafe for dinner. We had rain last night and more today while we were in one of the buildings. Evidently more rain that in January or May.

San Mateo Fair 0009
Some of the fair displays.

Saturday, June 6, 2015

A Real Cut Up

Saturday: (06/06) Leftover potatoes, sausage and eggs for breakfast. I goofed off all morning. A sausage and cheese sandwich for lunch. After lunch I finally got to work. I moved the remaining used cabinets out by the shop. I started setting them up as a stand alone cabinet. There was a 33″, a 30″ and a 36″ cabinet, That presented a problem to put them together. The 33 inch dual drawer cabinet became the base. The 30 inch cabinet was turned upside down and placed on top. That required cutting off the bottom 5 inches that were the tow-kick area. it also required moving the drawer slides so they would still be on the bottom of the drawer. That cabinet also needed a little repair work for a split bach frame board. Tomorrow I’ll cut the 36″ cabinet down to only 30 inches wide. That cabinet was an over the refrigerator cabinet. Lou and Dawn were busy all morning and part of the afternoon visiting the All City Garage Sale locations around town. Chili for dinner

Friday, June 5, 2015

San Francisco Walk-about

Friday: (06/05) I wanted to get out for a walk and also it’s been a while since I visited San Francisco for a walk-about. I had to be here to meet someone picking up a table that Dawn had posted on Freecycle so my departure was delayed. I fixed a nice sausage, home fired potatoes and eggs breakfast. And today was one of our two allowable watering days so I needed to water the yard. Lou and Dawn went to Dawn’s banjo lesson. The lawn watering was a last minute reminder so I finished doing it and then walked down to the train station arriving a moment after the scheduled train arrival. They only run hourly mid-day but fortunately the train was four minutes late so I was off to SF on the 1043 train. I then caught a SF Muni trolley to market Street. I did my usual walk via the stairs to to Coit Tower for a look around then came down to Columbus Street for my pizza lunch at the Golden Boy pizza shack. Best pizza in San Francisco and beyond. A little more walking and then i caught a bus out to the Golden Gate Bridge for a look. The #30 bus doesn’t go there any more and the transfer took a while to connect. Not really a good viewing day with low clouds, fog and a lot of wind. I then walked some of the trails on the Presidio including part of the Bay Area Ridge trail. I found a campground that sounded interesting until i noted the price, $125 per night per site. Actually I learned it’s not really too bad because all the sites are group sites. I may have to arrange a camp out for my hiking group and explore more of the trail in the park. I exited the Presidio at the 15th Street Gate and walked over to Golden Gate Park. It was dinner time so I tried to find someplace to eat but I wasn’t too hungry but did need something. I didn’t find anything I wanted so I caught a bus back over to Columbus for more pizza for dinner. I did say it was good pizza. I enjoyed a brew as well and watched them making the pizzas from scratch, slicing and mixing everything themselves. When I had lunch at around 1330 there was no crowd, on my dinner visit about 1900 the line was way out the door so I had about a 20 minute wait. I then walked through China Town and had a look at the construction site of the underground connect for Light rail into China Town. I caught the Muni trolley back to the train station and got the 1040 train home walking in the house at midnight. Nice walk-about.

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

It’s June

Tuesday: (06/02) Oatmeal for breakfast. I planned on the day off. I watered the flower beds and planters. Repaired a leaking hose. Washed my sea water soaked clothes from the kayak trip. Published a video of the kayak trip. And then relaxed. Tuna and cheese sandwich for lunch. Hamburger steak and French fries with green beans foe dinner.

Wednesday: (06/03) Oatmeal for breakfast. Our primary mission today was our occasional Costco visit. Ernie met us there and he and I had lunch there. Poor Lou and Dawn couldn't because in addition to generally unhealthy food it isn't gluten free either so they had lunch at home. I tinkered at the computer much of the day. Dawn made macaroni and cheese for dinner. Some of the clouds today looked rather wet but no rain today.

Monday, June 1, 2015

Kayaking Elkhorn Slough

Monday: (06/01) Up early, got breakfast from my new hiking breakfast location, L&L Hawaiian Donut shop. They have a nice English muffin with sausage, egg and cheese like I prepare at home. They also have donuts, which top off any breakfast. Lou and Dawn decided to come with me down to Moss landing where I;m going kayaking with my San Jose Mid-Week Hikers group. They dropped me off there at 0910. We had about 27 kayakers. This was my first time but likely not my last time kayaking. We paddled out into the slough among  the sea otters, seals, pelicans and other fauna. We were out a little over two hours. I had to fib a little confirming that I can swim, I can't but don't have any problem being in water having a good dog paddle. My partner in the boat was a retired fireman so I was in good hands. As it turns out we were the fastest crew of the lot, in my opinion. Otter are so much fun to watch. We even had a seal come right up to out kayak. Fortunately it didn't board the kayak. We had perfect weather, about 72 degrees with no wind. It was supposedly the first sunny day in several weeks. Our host, Bob, has a magic touch at scheduling things like this. Afterwards we went to Phil's Fish Market Restaurant by the harbor for lunch. Lou and Dawn were busing looking around nearby Warsonville and Santa Cruz and picked me up after lunch. Actually, they had some lunch at Phil's when they picked me up. We then returned to Santa cruz where Dawn did some more exploring before we returned home.