Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Henry Coe State Park Hike

Wednesday: (12/01) I made a ham cheese and egg sandwich for breakfast. I was up early to get ready to head for Henry Coe State Park for a hike led by Tara. We hike out to Flat Frog Lake and back, an 8 mile hike. After the hike I drove down the mountain and stopped at a Jack In The Box for a nap then lunch of a burger and fries. I haven’t had a burger in a while. Back home, it was time for a shower then more relaxing. Lou made macaroni with tuna for dinner.

Thursday: (12/02) Granola and a banana for breakfast. Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Brussel’s sprouts with sausage for dinner. I worked on Ernie’s new bathroom sink installation much of the day. I cut the hole in the counter top and set the new sink in it. I then spent way too much time trying to get the water lines connected. The cold water lie would not stop leaking. Before installing the sink I told myself I should cut out a little false cabinet back that could be in the way connecting the water lines. I didn’t listen so had to do it with the sink in place. I also knew I needed a special wrench to tighten the water line onto the faucet. I finally had to go to the store and get one. If I had one I couldn’t find it. While it didn’t eliminate the leak either I had also picked up a short hose and coupler to extend the cold water line . That seemed to get it connected. Way more work than I had planned. Tomorrow I still need to install the tailstock and hook up the drain.

Friday: (12/03) Granola and banana for breakfast. I finished the installation of Ernie’s new bathroom sink by installing the drain line. A little leak fighting but all turned out well in the end. Later I spent some time inspecting the construction project down the street. They received the final load of wall panels for the fourth floor. They may get it dried in before our next rain? Lou made potato soup for lunch. Leftovers for dinner. Mine was tuna pasta.

Saturday: (12/04) I popped some popcorn for breakfast. Leftover potato soup for lunch, baked pork chops with rice and corn for dinner. My only task today was to fill the water tank and drain the holding tanks. The black tank gave me more trouble than normal by not draining due to a clog.

Sunday: (12/05) Lou made latkes with bacon for breakfast. I took a morning bike ride after breakfast. I rode over to see the Barron Park Donkeys but they were hiding somewhere in the back of the field. I then rode over to the Stanford Arizona Cactus Garden. I was welcomed by some really nice flowering cacti. I like this route, just long enough to get a little workout, even on my electric bike. Grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. I repaired a leaking sprinkler system. A drip tube main line fitting ame apart. I cut the holes off of the countertop plug that I ended up with when installing Ernie’s new sink. I then installed that on an old butter churn to use as an end table in the backyard. I also put away all the tools and materials that collected on my workbench from recent projects. A little weeding and I planted a new succulent in my succulent garden. We picked up dinner from Lucky Chinese Bistro after a visit to Michael’s craft store.

Monday: (12/06) Waffles with peanut butter and peach preserves for breakfast. We all headed up to Redwood City to Redwood Trading Company to get some nylon webbing. We also visited Tuesday Mornings and Grocery outlet. Lunch at Applebee's restaurant in Redwood City. Leftover Chinese for dinner

Tuesday: (12/07) My usual hiking day breakfast of a ham, egg and cheese sandwich. I headed up to Foothills Preserve for a 0930 hike with the San Jose Mid-week Hikers group. This is a newer hike I had planned a couple of months ago and this is the second time I’ve led it. It makes a big loop around the park with easy shortcuts for those that want a shorter hike. I had 23 hikers and just 2 chose shorter routes. Back home, the construction project was busy so I had to check on them after a shower. They brought in a taller forklift crane and were working on the roof structure of the top, fourth floor. I picked up lunch of a super veggie burrito from Tacos El Grullense across the street. Back home, after lunch it was time for a nap.

Wednesday: (12/08) Lou made scrambled eggs with some peppers from the garden for breakfast. I checked out the Wilton Ct construction project to start. I then attended my usual Wednesday Alpha Software webinar. I made a shopping run to the Walmart Neighborhood Market for some groceries. On the way home I picked up lunch at the China Wok restaurant on Mary Ave in Sunnyvale. I relaxed the rest of the day. Leftover Chinese food for dinner.

Thursday: (12/09) Granola and banana for breakfast. Trip to Grocery outlet for look. I was inspired to cook some beans so I got some ham and onions. I put a pot of ham and beans in the slow cooker for dinner. Cottage cheese and fruit for lunch. Bean soup for dinner.

Friday: (12/10) Granola and banana for breakfast. Leftover bean soup and toast for lunch and dinner. I helped Lou by drilling holes in a puppet rack she and Dawn are making. It took a while to get the drill press set up to be able to do the holes. Not much else today. Lou and I did make an ice cream run in the evening.

Saturday: (12/11) Leftover beans with toast for breakfast. Lunch from Harry’s Hofbrau. Lou made pineapple rice with chicken for dinner. I did a little work in the shop, actually on the work table outside my shop. No room inside to do anything. I set up the drill press and made some jigs to align the tubing to cut with the hole saw. I’m starting to build Ernie’s smoking roof, or porch cover. I cut the lateral tubes so I should be able to weld up the outside frame then add some more within the frame. The tubes have curved end cuts so they snap over the edge of the main tubes. The main beam is a different diameter so the cut on those has to be offset to maintain all tubes to be even with the top.

Sunday: (12/12) The rain returned last night and will be around most of the coming week. Could make my Tuesday hike interesting. I made corned beef hash and eggs for breakfast after our usual Sunday morning TV binge. Beef noodles and asparagus for lunch. I cleaned the leaves and limbs off the cottage roof. It is temporarily covered with a tarp over leaky rusted out tin. Lou demanded I check its condition. I filled the dumpsters with that debris as well as the other debris around the cottage. More beef noodles for dinner.

Monday: (12/13) Nice rainy cold morning. We’ve received about an inch of rain on this recent shower yesterday and today. Lou had baked a cranberry pear pie and it was the start of breakfast. It was filled later in the morning with the usual banana and granola. Lou made her chicken pineapple rice for dinner.

Tuesday: (12/14) Breakfast from Happy Donut, my usual Sausage egg and cheese English muffin and a donut. I met my fellow hikers up at the Pescadero County Park Tarwater Trailhead for a short hike doing the Tarwater/Shingle Creek loop. I only had four remaining hikers of the 18 and a waitlist that were signed up yesterday. Our heavy rains scared them off. We five enjoyed a very nice hike with no rain and trails that were wet but not too slippery. I picked up my lunch from Los Altos Taqueria, a chili relleno and enchilada combo. Lou made roast beef with mashed potatoes and cheesy broccoli for dinner.

Wednesday: (12/15) Leftover corned beef hash with fried eggs for breakfast. I attended my AlphaAnywhere webinar this morning. I also worked in the office and on the computer. A ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Lou’s beef stew for dinner. Lou and I made a run to Smart and Final Market in the evening.

Thursday: (12/16) Granola for breakfast. I had an appointment to have my teeth cleaned this morning. My cleaning alternates between the Periodontal Implant office (today) and my regular dentist. I now have to have cleanings every 3 months. All’s well with the gums. On the way home I stopped by a different Smart and Final market to see if they had my granola and OJ, two items we couldn’t get the other night on our shopping run. They didn’t have it. I also stopped at our neighborhood Grocery outlet for some cheese and milk. And, I got gas at our closest cheap station. This station is priced at $3.45/gallon while the lowest anywhere else nearby is $3.59 and most in the low $4 area. I also picked up lunch at the China Wok. I love their coconut shrimp. At home, I climbed onto my shop roof and pruned and removed half the tree that grew over it. I still need to make all the debris fit in the compost bins but I’ll take the rest of the week to do that. I feel like a San Francisco walk tomorrow. Leftover Chinese food for dinner.

Friday: (12/17) A nice no rain day. Lou prepared bacon and scrambled eggs with toast for breakfast. After breakfast, I drove up to San Francisco for a walk. I parked near the arboretum in Golden Gate Park and walked up toward Mt Sutro through the Mt Sutro Open Space. I was exploring trails. I always have a hard time finding my way in. I walked through the neighborhood looking for a path and found one at the end of Stanyan Street. It was a path, not a train, that wandered steeply up though the overgrown hillside. I found my way up almost to the top and found a real trail and a preserve map. It showed that the Historic Trail had a trailhead down on Stanyan Street and I, evidently, missed it. So to make it easier next time I took the trail back down to the bottom. Down there it looked just like a stairway up to one of the houses but it did have a nice sign like above. I tried to make the best of my detour so I walked back on Stanyan Street to Parnassus Street and found the path where it leaves from above UC Medical Center. The map on the sign helps. Now I have two ways to get up Mt Sutro. I hiked the North Ridge trail around to the South Ridge Trail. I looked around at the Rotary Meadow but decided not to continue on to the Mt Sutro Tower because it involved going down through a ravine and I had a limited time remaining for where I parked. I returned via the West Ridge Trail and down to 7th Avenue. The Garden For The Environment is there and I always like to look around their garden for ideas. Then I stopped by the Peasant Pies Cafe and bought some hand pies for dinner. I drove across to the Mission District to the La Torta Gorda restaurant for dinner. I had a torta milanesa for a late lunch then headed home in the 1530 beginning of rush hour traffic. I had a Beef and potato hand pie with a pear crumble pie for dinner. Dawn’s friend from Spokane came over for a visit today and Lou and Dawn were busy entertaining her today. They drove up to San Mateo for lunch at Jack’s Restaurant.

Saturday: (12/18) I had a sausage and egg hand pie for breakfast. Today, I diced all the branches and twigs into tiny pieces so they fit in the compost bins more easily. If I don’t do that, I can’t fit much in the bins. I managed to get it done before my hand demanded I stop. Lou made tuna salad stuffed kale leaves for lunch. Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. My hand got worse in the evening. Too much repetitive work. I did post a hike for Monday.

Sunday: (12/19) A cold but clear day. I relaxed inside all day. In the morning we watched the Sunday morning shows. I prepared leftover corned beef hash with eggs for breakfast. Ramen noodles and sausage for lunch. I worked on a problem on my website server. Lou’s pizza for dinner.

Monday: (12/20) Nice day. I made a nice sausage, egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast. Lou and Dawn were off early to Fresno to pick up some free stuff. I led a hike at Long Ridge Open Space preserve. I had 9 other hikers join me. It was a 7.4 mile trek with about 1300 feet of climb. We started at 0930 and finished at 1245. Back home, I took a shower then checked on the construction activity down the street. I stopped by Wok’s On Chinese Food Express to get my lunch. Then I went to the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Stevens Creek Blvd in San Jose to get some groceries per a shopping list Lou left me. I relaxed the rest of the day. Leftover Chinese food for dinner.

Tuesday: (12/21) Nice day until the sprinkles started about 1530. I could have enjoyed a hike today after all. Granola for breakfast. I tinkered on the computer much of the day. Alex brought over some stuff for Dawn, a 3d printer and some bike wheels. Leftover stew and toast for lunch. Baked potatoes covered with chili and cheese for dinner.

Wednesday: (12/22) Good rain all night and some sprinkles during the day. PBJ toast for breakfast. Chips and hummus for lunch. Lou’s pumpkin pecan pie for a snack. Chicken nuggets with fries and green beans for dinner. I tinkered on the computer most of the day, also pre-shopping for the materials and tools for my van build. Learning about 8020 aluminum tubing.

Thursday: (12/23) Granola and banana for breakfast. Lou made corn pudding for a late lunch. Cottage cheese with fruit for dinner. Another relaxing day tinkering inside while we had occasional rain showers.

Friday: (12/24) Nice day, very few showers. Granola and banana for breakfast. Orderves for lunch. Ernie made his deviled eggs and some beef log, cheese, and crackers. Lou made stuffed celery, cheese, crackers, artichoke dip, and carrot sticks. Funny how the orderves fill you up. Usually that would mean dinner would be a problem. We didn’t have dinner but I had some cottage cheese and a piece of salami for dinner. My afternoon was a long nap.

Saturday: (12/25) A rainy Christmas day. I made salami hash with scrambled eggs for breakfast. We had our usual late lunch/early dinner about 1400. The team effort by Lou, Dawn and Ernie came up with a moderate feast. Green pea salad, julianne green beans with bacon, carrot raisin salad, scalloped potatoes, fresh cranberry pineapple relish, and orange glazed ham. All followed by homemade apple pie about 1700. Another relaxing do nothing day.

Sunday: (12/26) More occasional rain. Leftover salami hash with scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. The usual lunch from Lucky Bistro Chinese fast food. But, it wasn’t too fast today. I had to wait 20 minutes for them to prepare our desired chow fun noodles. I was busy studying van building by watching youtube videos. So much to decide on and learn.

Monday: (12/27) Heavy rain day. Granola for breakfast. Ernie’s trailer roof sprung a leak so I installed a tarp over the roof and tied it down. I went up to Kaiser in Redwood City to get my Covid booster shot today. On the way home I picked up a veggie burrito at Tacos El Grullense, and shopped at Grocery Outlet and Smart And Final. Back home I relaxed the rest of the day while we had a few showers. Leftover Chinese food for dinner.

Tuesday: (12/28) Occasional showers. Leftover salami hash with scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, again. About 1130 we headed off toward Redwood City. We dropped Dawn off at Best Buy in San Carlos, then Lou and I headed back toward Kaiser. We were early so we looked around the Grocery Outlet market for a while. We returned to the Kaiser Clinic for Lou to get her Covid Booster shot. I relaxed in the waiting room and climbed the stairs for a stretch. After she was finished, we picked up Dawn and drove up to San Mateo to Jack’s for lunch. Then we came back to a thrift store in San Carlos and another in Redwood City before heading back toward home. Another diversion to drive by some Christmas decorated homes then home. Lou had started some pea soup before we left. That was dinner with toast. I smelled a burning plastic smell and found the connectors for our heater had melted. Something to do tomorrow with less rain.

Wednesday: (12/29) Granola for breakfast. I cooked up three big steaks and we had some of it for lunch with baked potatoes and broccoli. We only ate less than half of a big thick steak amongst the three of us and I had also cooked two thinner steaks. So a leftover dinner and another breakfast as leftovers. I prepared a new hike route and posted a hike for the San Jose Mid-week Hikers for this Friday. It’s a big 12 mile loop through five Open Space Preserves. I also replaced the two connectors for the heater that had melted. Leftovers for dinner.

Thursday: (12/30) Clear day. I prepared steak and fried eggs with toast for breakfast. Lunch from Panda Express. Leftover pea soup for dinner. A little grocery shopping. A false start to San Jose to Dawn’s pharmacy. A lot of relaxing at home.

Friday: (12/31) Up 0630. Prepared to go for a hike. I got breakfast from Happy Donut, a sausage egg and cheese English muffin. I led a hike at 0930 at Skyline OSP that traversed four other OSPs (Skyline, Russian Ridge, Coal Creek, Monte Bello, and Los Trancos.) It was a 12 mile hike with about a 2000’ climb. A wonderful day for the hike to end the new year. The mud was reasonable with the worst stretch on Meadow Trail. The views were excellent. We enjoyed a nice, but cold lunch at the Backpackers Camp. Fortunately, It was only cold for lunch and up on top of the mountain. I'll need to tip the weatherman more next time. I forgot to start my tracker but we finished on time so the estimate was likely close. Back home, after a nice shower, I had a hummus, salami, cheese , and red pepper sandwich for a late lunch at about 1600. Some ramen noodles and steak for dinner.