Category Archives: California

places of interest in California

San Diego

San Diego

We drove “Li’l Beast” to San Diego to visit family a few weeks ago. Unusual for San Diego, we caught the tail end of a tropical storm that came up the Baja Peninsula and dropped a ton of rain with lightning and thunder for a full day. Now it is sunny and cool in the evenings, just what you would expect in Southern California.

We consider moving to San Diego from time to time. Even now I’m hoping that Hercules can “get its act together” and implement a well designed walk-able plan for its bay front property. Work has re-started on the “Tyvek Palace”, a high-end condo project that went bust about six years ago. It will have shops on the ground floor and about 150 market rate apartments in the floors above. The high-end condo concept was abandoned. Strangely, no additional parking has been planned for the 200+ cars that will be parking in the Bay Neighborhood. This is a significant problem that the city of Hercules failed to address when the project was approved. If Hercules does a better job of planning/implementing development of its bay shoreline, that could change everything. I doubt the city has the foresight though.

 

Hercules, Ca

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     Sycamore North today                   Sycamore North last year

If I had to guess, we will stay in Hercules for the next four to six years, then move to San Diego. San Diego housing prices are still low compared to the Bay Area which makes moving there quite possible. Another little known fact, San Diego county allows the tax basis of your current house to be transferred to San Diego County if you buy there. If your home is worth $150 K, you can transfer your ridiculously low housing tax basis if you buy in San Diego! I am not sure that this tax transfer works for out-of-state property, something I have not had to research as we live in California. This might make the purchase of a house along the coast or with a view feasible for us!

We had thought to head back to the Bay Area this morning, but we’re still here and will be for a few more days. This is one of the joys of retirement. If you want to spend more time somewhere/anywhere, you can do it. We have arranged online payments for all of our bills and have a monthly deposit from our savings dropped into our accounts every month. We can close up our home and go anywhere we want at the drop of a hat and not have to worry about our creditors. Of course, I check our accounts regularly.

If we go for more than a week or two, we do have to have the post office hold our mail. When we were in Europe in July, we had a huge stack of mail to work through. Surprisingly, there were only four or five pieces of mail of any significance. Most of the mail was marketing material that went right into recycling. What a waste of time and material that is.

We’ve had Li’l Beast plugged into the Nema 14-50 socket Chanda had installed for our Tesla here in San Diego. It’s no coincidence that the Tesla and our RV take the same plug. Tesla planned this to increase the number of alternative charging locations for the Tesla. Today, if we were to take the Tesla to Eureka, we may have to charge at an RV campground. We’d most likely take our RV, Li’l Beast.

Balboa Park, the Museum of Man

Yesterday, we visited the Museum of Man, Balboa Park San Diego for the Mayan Exhibit. There were very few original pieces which was a disappointment. There were numerous pots and some jewelry on display; that was great. Interesting were the interactive presentations. Create your name in Mayan glyphs, hear it pronounced, and print it out. Print out your date of birth in Mayan calendar glyphs. There were a number of videos that described the Mayan culture, how the ruins were discovered, games the Mayans played, and population centers growth and demise over time. I’d post photos if I had thought to re-charge my camera’s batteries! Both batteries are charged now, and ready for the Aeronautics Museum and the Vermeer Exhibit at the park. I’ll update this post with photos when we get back.

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Photos from the Mayan Exhibit, Museum of Man

 

San Diego Zoo

If you visit San Diego, do not miss Balboa Park and the San Diego Zoo. Both are a treat. As usual, I recommend going early for quick parking and to get some time in before the crowds. Still the crowds have never been a problem, both the park and the zoo are large. Crowds spread out and you don’t even notice. I have photos of a prior visit to the zoo that I will post a bit later.

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A series of photos from the San Diego Zoo

 

The San Diego Air and Space Museum

We just returned from an afternoon at the Air and Space Museum.  The museum is in San Diego’s Balboa Park.  The Air and Space museum houses a large number of airplanes and space memorabilia, including the Apollo 9 space capsule, a PBY-5a Catalina amphibious airplane, The Gee-Bee R1 aircraft that Jimmy Doolittle flew to win the Thompson Trophy: Doolittle and the R1 ,  a number of WWII aircraft, a Blue Angles Hornet, and any number of other aircraft.  The museum is large, but it could easily be doubled in size to give each plane more space.   The time flew by as we walked the museum.

We were drawn from the entrance to the center courtyard then walked through the far doors and headed left.  If you do this, you’ll miss the exhibit of early flight through WWI on the right side of the museum.  We retraced our steps and discovered the WWI replicas and originals on the right half of the museum.

A word of caution,  Tuesday is a day of free admission to some of the park museums.  On the fourth Tuesday of the month (today), the Air and Space Museum is one of those that is free.  On Tuesdays, the park is full and parking becomes difficult unless you arrive after 3 pm.  The park closes at 5 pm; it is not worth it to go that late.  Go early, you will be glad you did.

 

Photos of San Diego Air and Space Museum

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   Reflecting pool, Balboa Park                  Air and Space Museum

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              Apollo 9 capsule

 

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           PBY-5a Catalina                                             Mig15

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                  F4-Phantom                                  Phaeton Plaque

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                   Phaeton                                    Ford V-8 Deluxe Roadster

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                    Spitfire                                                        ME109

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Vought F4U Corsair

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Ryan STA Trainer and Acrobatic plane

 

Ron

Buena Vista Aquatic Recreation Area

A number of interesting observations:

Ants

First, watch for ants; right, ants.
Once parked and leveled:
Connect water line to RV, check.
Turn spigot on, check.
Ask Ellen to open a faucet to check water pressure, check.
Connect 110 electrical service, check. Noticed a few ants near the service box
and forgot about it.

The next morning we were inundated with small red ants. Thousands of the little buggers had crept up the power cable, through the electrical wiring, and were investigating their new home. Our first clue that we had trouble was ants in bed with us! Ellen handled this with aplomb.

We were squishing ants between sips of morning coffee and it went on forever once we knew what was what. Ellen used a lavender cleaner here and there. I remembered that ants leave a scent trail to navigate home and sure enough, the ants congregated at the lavender “clean spots” in confusion. These guyz were dead meat. I’m sure we have another 200+ confused ants looking for water in “the Beast”.
Beware of site 56. I just have to find a general solution for ant colonies near the water or electric hookup.

Ant Update

World Wide web to the rescue, if a bit late. According to numerous posts, Comet sprinkled around areas that you do not want ants to explore works wonders. Yes, Comet, the household cleaner! We’ll be sure to pack some on our return trip to the Bay Area.

Wind

Second the prevailing wind.
In late after noon the wind blew west to east, toward the lake. The wind was hot but cooled a bit at night. AC is a definite must in the summer.
In the morning the wind shifts blowing east to west, coming across the lake. This sounds idyllic, right? It isn’t. The wind stinks of BO. It’s the only way I can describe it. It stank. I’ve enjoyed hiking to mountain streams and lakes with water so clear it is as if the water was air. I could see ten or twenty feet to the bottom. This lake sure looks inviting, but that morning breeze was a put-off.
Though the lake was like glass and very beautiful, you will not find me in that water. It reminded me of Mission Beach, San Diego and the stench on me after a few hours SUP with a few falls. That was nasty.

The lake was quite pretty otherwise.

We have arrived San Diego. I considered an excursion into Mexico (not entering at Tijuana), but my passport is with State being renewed. We do not have the required docs.

Mercedes Sprinter / Winnebago View

The Beast is a beast. She performed excellently. We did have one issue with the Mercedes Sprinter though. In moderate wind with the cruise control set, the OBC went crazy just after we hit a bumpy patch going over a culvert. We had three warnings pop up at the same time: ESP visit workshop; an image of a tire with the message visit workshop, cruise control visit workshop. I can be stubborn but three messages saying visit workshop got through: visit workshop!

I asked Ellen to look up the codes (I was driving). She did and the error messages indicated that ABS and cruise control were disabled. Stopping distance was compromised.

We turned in at the next stop. I checked tire pressure: good; restarted the engine and the error codes cleared. We were good to go. I can only guess this is a safeguard against ABS doing the wrong thing as it.can do in the rain.

Road Trip

Headed down rt 5 to San Diego. It’s far from a beautiful drive. Today the goal is to get there fast. We’re leaving late and will overnight past Bakersfield, hopefully at the top of the grapevine and not in the valley.

Happy Pluto Fly By Day!

Pluto

A NASA photo of Pluto received today.

RVing: short weekend jaunt.

We’re off for the weekend, leaving tomorrow morning. First we’ll take “little Beast” off for an overnight at Skyline Wilderness Park in south Napa with friends who own a Liesure Industries Unity. Then we both will drive south to visit more friends who are considering purchasing a sprinter based class B RV. We’ll probably visit with our grand nephew, Gavin on Sunday before heading home.

We’ve stayed at Skyline Wilderness Park and hiked some in the hills. The park is large and compfortable for us, though the hook-up sites are spaced tightly together. No hookups for us for one day.

On Saturday the group will head to Regale Winery and Vineyards, Los Gatos for the quarterly wine delivery. Regale has a bocci court that’s really fun and a fine foods vendor on the weekends. The last tiem we visited we had small hand crafted pizzas and beer. Regale’s wines are good to excellent and not overpriced.

I’m setting up Little Beast now and correcting a few things, notably I had not sterilized the hot water tank when de-winterizing. The hot water smelled, not nasty but it was not good. I’m running Spring Fresh through the hot water tank now, which I should have done in the first place. I’ve also cleaned up the grill and re-organized the “basement”.

The 24J has a tone of space and we have been filling it with “stuff”. Even still, we are well below the load limits for the View (I had The Beast weighed on our last trip to San Diego).

With no electricity at SWP, we will be running the generator for morning coffee or evening popcorn. We’re still looking for a suitable light weight table to go with our chairs and considering how to make our outside space “ours”. So much of what you see done with kitchy lights just is not appealing. We may go with a all weather “rug” hoping to minimize debris in the coach.

We are ecstatic about our RV. It’s the rigth size. If anything it makes camping too civilized. It is so very different than backpacking was. Now That’s camping, but something I’ve outgrown!?!

San Francisco to San Diego on State Route 1

As we both have time and “Li’l Beast” we decided to take a leisurely trip to San Diego via route 17 and the Scenic Coast Highway. route 1. Both route 17 and 1 are windy and hilly if not mountainous for some of the distance. I wanted to see how Li’l Beast performed going up and down steep hills and how I handled the curves of rt 1. We both wanted an excuse to travel along the coast. It is serenely beautiful.

First we stopped in Palo Alto to visit friends, show off our “new” RV, and have an early dinner with Melissa, which was fun. Parking was not an issue though the restaurant would not let us park in their lot. We found a nearby bank that was closed and had ample parking. We headed out later than expected after dinner with only a few hours before sunset. AllStays (an I Phone app) to the rescue. Ellen settled on the Marina Dunes campground with AllStays, called ahead and made a reservation for us.

Like most campgrounds, this one had moderate sized RV campsites with water and electric hookups and a picnic table. Perfect. We hooked up and settled in just after sunset. Even better, the next morning we found that the seashore was a short walk through the nearby dunes. We had a fun morning.
We met a couple returning from a month in Mexico who also had a Winnebago View 24J. They had no problem with diesel in Mexico (I had read there were issues and now read it should be no problem). They found that their View was a bit small for an extended trip. Ours fells fine for us.

On our second day we drove through Big Sur. Li’l Beast performed admirably. No issues with the hills, if anything I found the twisties a bit intimidating at first. I’m comfortable in a sports car and this large and heavy (nearly 6 tons!) beast is certainly not that. There is more body roll with the View than I’m comfortable with; I’ll probably add Sumo springs to the suspension to dampen out the sway.
We prefer to stay at national or state parks for a number of reasons: the campsites are usually well separated, the park is usually sited in an appealing location, RV size is limited to 24 feet. Some parks are undeveloped and have no hookups which is inconvenient for long stays.

Kirk Creek Campground was our second planned stop. California State parks have a reservation system that is open to reservations two days out and beyond. We had not made reservations prior and were within the two day cut off and could not make reservations in the system. We tried calling the campground and go no answer. Kirk Creek was full as was Limekiln State Park, our second choice. Plasket Creek Campground had a number of open sites for a one or two day stopover and we took a site that was level and shaded by a big oak tree.

Plasket Creek Campground has access to the cliff area overlooking the Pacific Ocean with a 100 step stairway down to the beach. We stood on the beach and watched the sun set. On our way back we met a couple touring California in a rented RV. They were from Holland and were having a blast, though they were happy to be back with greenery after being in the desert for a week. The next morning we met a United Airlines pilot and his family. They had just purchased a View 24J. The father and one son drove the RV back from Ohio. This was their first trip as a family.

The next day we encountered hundreds (thousands?) of elephant seals molting on the shore. We stopped at a designated overlook and walked out to the fenced off area to get a better look. There a docent explained that these were 80% female with some adolescent males.. That they come ashore to molt, sloughing off a light brown stiff “fur” at this time of the year. We saw many brown seals, some strikingly light bright silver ones. Most had molted and were dark gray. It was a startling sight. The seals were crammed together on the beach, often crashing over each other to get around. The stench of animal pee hung in the air, reminiscent of old time Zoos.

On our third night we stayed at a state beach near Carpenteria. This was wall to wall RVs and many families. It was tight getting backed into our slot. With all the bustling activity, the park was noisy and uninviting. This was the night of the Pacquiao Mayweather fight. Every large RV had their external HDTV out and tuned to the fight. On the bright side, it was a short walk to the beach.

Setting up to drain the gray tank the next morning, I could not get the hoses to couple tightly and had some leakage. I also had a devil of a time getting the cap off the RV drain pipe, resorting to a screw driver to pry the cap off (or at lease loosen it enough to screw it off). I have to work on this; it’s embarrassing having leaking sewer hoses.

The next day we drove almost to Pismo Beach and stayed at the North Pismo Beach Campground. As campgrounds go, this one was expensive but well laid out. There were over 100 sites but setup to allow a good distance between them. Again the campground is located a very short walk to the beach. We had stopped at two campgrounds north of NPBC, but each one was full.

The next day we could have driven to San Diego, but chose to stay at South Carlsbad State Beach. This campground has a large number of sites along a bluff overlooking the ocean. The sites are wide and some have short trees dividing the sites. Some sites are developed though we stayed in an undeveloped site with no immediate neighbors.

All the state beaches were great for camping, though I would not recommend the one near Carpenteria if you want solitude. All campgrounds had showers with hot and cold water. As newbie’s we had not realized how important reservations can be to an orderly trip. On the down side, making reservations for a long trip (one or two months) is a planning nightmare. A two day delay in the trip could lead to scrambling to get back on track or at the worst derailing an entire plan. I think we’ll next try making reservations a few days ahead of where we think we’ll be and hopscotch along that way rather than planning out an entire trip. That way if we want to stay longer where there is lots to see or do, we can.

Tranquility, splendor, and thundering power

I’ve been researching RVs for a few months now. This morning it occurred to me that one of my favorite places could be RV friendly and I should check. I’d forgotten the name of the place, but know its location very well…

Yosemite Valley is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in California. It is also one of the most visited and it can be difficult to find accommodations in the park.

My favorite way to visit Yosemite is to stay just outside the park, either in Groveland or at Yosemite Pines RV Resort and Family Lodging. Groveland is a quaint very tiny town that you could miss if you blink driving through. Yosemite Pines RV Resort was car & tent campground many years ago. It’s a few miles toward Yosemite from Groveland. Yosemite Pines now has small cabins and RV sites.

To avoid crowds in Yosemite or to have a waterfall all to yourself, get up after dawn and drive into the valley. Going to Groveland for breakfast is always possible, though restaurants open later and you will not arrive early in Yosemite. Go early and you will be alone driving into meadows with morning mist rising off the valley floor. It can be a bit cool early morning, even in the summer. Let the tranquility and beauty of the valley soak in as you walk to a waterfall; just you or your family. Near the base of the waterfall, tranquility turns to awe at the thundering power of simple water.

There are two hotels and an old western bar in Groveland: Hotel Charlotte (small & quaint), Hotel Groveland (older and newer section), and the Iron Door Saloon (and grill next door). There are 20 restaurants in the town. Look for reviews online.

Groveland has grown some over the years. You’d have to blink two or three time to miss it today.

Ron

Sonoma Ca

Great American wines come from the Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California.

The vineyards are vast and beautiful to behold. They line either side of the main road running up either valley: highway 12 in Sonoma and 29 in Napa. I prefer the small town feel of Sonoma Valley and and the Sonoma Square to Napa’s sprawl, though Napa produces better wines if you perfer Cabernet. Not to be missed is a drive along the Siverado Trail which parallels highway 29 up Napa Valley.

Sonoma Square sits at the “entrance” to Sonoma Valley. There are some very good wineries south of the square: Gloria Ferrer sits on highway 121 and produces wonderful Champagne. Viansa Winery also on 121 is known for their specialty condiment shop and is a fun visit. Sonoma Square is a typical old-time town square with a central park and shops along the four sides. There is ample parking on the north side of the square (take 1st st. past E. Spain and the first left takes you to parking). There are hotels on and close to the square and good restaurants on the square. The Sonoma Cheese Factory has a deli/sandwich shop that is quite good. For a “cheese experience” visit the Vella Cheese Company (315 Second St East) for specialty cheeses. This is a small family run business.

For funky old world charm, try the Swiss Chalet ($119 & up). Their restaurant is pretty good as well. I have stayed at the Best Western, just off the square a number of times as well ($199 & up). The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn ($225) is out of town on highway 12. I have not stayed at the Ledson Hotel ($350). Our favorite restaurant on the square is “the Girl and the Fig”, though you cannot go wrong with any restaurant on the square. The Kenwood Inn and Spa is a bit upscale as is Ledson (I assume).

A word about Ledson. The Winery is a recently constructed mansion. The Ledson family has also turned to home construction. They have built a series of very well designed mission style homes east of Sonoma Square. These homes are magnificent if you go for larger mission style homes. Ledson construction is great, their wines are “ok”.

If you want an Inn and Spa experience, the Fairmont is good. I recommend the Kenwood Inn and Spa, which is smaller and more intimate: more fun. It is a bit of a drive from the square on highway 12.

For wine tasting I recommend the Dry Creek region at the northern end of the Sonoma Valley. It is near the town of Healdsburg, just shy of an hour’s drive north of the Sonoma Square. You will pass many interesting wineries on your way to Healdsburg. Follow your intuition and discover your own gems.

Do stop at Dry Creek Winery. They make wonderful wines at a reasonable price and avoid trying to sample too much. A small sampling of five wines at four wineries can be a bit much and it becomes difficult to taste or differentiate between wines. Personally I try to avoid tasting at more than three wineries and keep my samples below five at any winery, unless the wine is particularly good or I’m with exuberant friends.

The spring or fall is the best time to visit; right now is optimal.

Enjoy,

Ron

(next Napa Valley and Wineries)

Sonoma and Napa wineries

It is closing in on that time of year. The cabernet grapes are the last to be harvested and that harvest is finishing up this week. October is the best time to visit Napa or Sonoma valley: the grape vines turn yellow and red, the grape crush is over, and the new wines are starting primary fermentation. With harvest over, the tasting rooms are full and conversation turns to the quality of the grape harvest and the quality of the new wine releases.

Mornings and evenings are crips, but the days are bright, sunny, and warm. The wineries are glorious and the wines scrumptious. I have my favorite wineries and so many small and established wineries I have not visited that a trip to “the wine country” will always be unique, refreshing, and perhaps rewarding. I’m always looking for that extraordinarily complex bold cabernet, but they are elusive.
I’m a club member of three wineries: Artesa in Carneros, Turnbull in Oakville, and Dry Creek Winery in the dry creek region of the Sonoma Valley. All three produce outstanding red varietals.

Artesa: For years Artesa has produced a slightly heavier Oaky Pinot Noir that I Iove. Lately their Pinot has been lighter. Artesa’s Cabernets are very good, I particularly enjoyed the 2009 Rive Gauche, a blend of primarily cabernet grapes.

Dry Creek: Dry Creek makes very good Bordeaux wines (a blend of cabernet, merlot, and traces of other varietals), Merlot, and Cabernet. Most of all I love their Zinfandels.

Turnbull: Cabernet. Their black label is a Bordeaux blend with complexity and depth. I often consider switching away from Turnbull, the club shipments can be pricey. But now and then I’ll pull a bottle from the wine ‘fridge and be blown away.

Getting away to Napa or Sonoma to visit three or four wineries is great. Driving up the valley with the sun on the vines is a release from the daily issues of work. Sipping a sample of a new wine is a taste adventure and fun to share with friends. I invariably purchase a number of bottles that were particularly good. But the biggest reward comes after selecting a bottle that was cellared for a few years; and remembering the winery, and the friends and conversation, and anticipating that first burst of flavor; remembering how the wine sits on the pallet and its finish. The most satisfying reward comes in the moment when I realize this wine is better than I remember. Most times this does not happen; the wine is good or just OK, which is fine. But on a few occasions, a wine will be amazing. Time to buy a case (if it is still available).

Joining a wine club provides this experience without the trip to Sonoma/Napa, and yes without the memories, but you do get to sample some outstanding wines and find that one superb wine for yourself.

Three other wineries I highly recommend are Laird, Failla (Pinot), and Clos Pigase. Both Laird and Failla require an appointment for tasting. There’s a slim chance you’ll be admitted without a reservation; very slim.

Up Next: Sonoma Square, where to eat and places to stay in Sonoma & Napa.

Yosemite Fire

We get our water from Hetch Hetchy, in the Sierra. It is wonderful hiking terrain with impressive summits, glaciated ravines and recesses, and wonderful small lakes at timber line. Much of that has been destroyed for the short term in the Yosemite Rim Fire.

Yosemite Valley has been spared and I hope it will be.

This sucks. First because Yosemite is the most beautiful valley in the world. To have the rim burned and the meadows in/near tuolomne burned is tragic, not to mention the homes threatened or burned in the fire.

Then there’s erosion in the winter rains once the fire is contained, which can fill the reservoirs with silt and reduce water availability over the years. There will be a reduction in water quality and supply for the SF Bay Area. Menlo Park, my current home town, gets its water from the Etch Hetchy resovoir and aqua duct.

But I am less concerned about water quality (that can be addressed through filtering), than I am about the loss of beauty in Yosemite. Yes, the valley rim will restore itself over the next few decades, perhaps even in my lifetime. Who knows.

So what started the fire? Does it matter if it was a lightening strike or a careless camper. Does it really? If it were a careless camper, is he/she feeling really guilty about now? What further punishment is appropriate if this were the case? This brings up memories of Smokey the Bear public service announcements: “only YOU can prevent forest fires!” But then there is lightening and poor forest management and Climate Change…

You may not believe that we have significantly changed our environment over the past 50 or 100 years. (assuming you are >60 years old, all you have to do is think back to the way we lived when you were 15 yrs old; compare that with today. If you’re less than 60, there’s congress’ excuse and yours as well??).

But in closing, Cheers to the fire fighters who are protecting us, our property, and our heritage from the ravages of “war”, be it a fire in your garbage area; your home, or your favorite natural valley. I salute our fire fighters nationwide and I trust “our” libertarians see the need to fund at least fire protection, perhaps police, oh but maybe libraries, oh and education, and parks and recreation, and funds for the needy. One can hope; or more significantly, one can VOTE.

If you do not vote, you have no right to complain about the outcome. NONE. Take @#$ responsibility and take the time and VOTE. It is in your best interest, unlike playing the latest video game or gaffing around on face book. Conservative, reactionary, liberal, progressive, republican, democrat, libertarian, it doesn’t matter. VOTE! This is the most revolutionary act you can make in your life (within the law of course). I sympathize with those who believe there is no difference between the candidates, but I disagree vehemently. Perhaps your political opinion is not voiced by some group of candidates, but who cares. Look at the difference and vote for the lesser of two evils, or for the candidate of choice if you do not see either as evil.

Just @#$ VOTE and get a clue people!

(end of today’s rant…)

Go fire fighters and I hope next season is not worse than this year has been.

Ron

Terracotta Warriors

Ellen and I and our friends saw the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit at the asian museum in San Francisco last weekend. Our friend’s IM’d their son, “we’re seeing the warriors @ San Francisco this weekend”. He IM’d back, “enjoy the game”: wrong warriors.

It amazes me that one human being can command so much of so many other human beings. Estimates of the number of warrior statues discovered in Xian run between 1500 uncovered “thus far” to 20,000. How one emperor could commission or force artisans to build such a huge tribute to himself escapes me. He (chauvanistic society this) would have to convince the masses that it is in their own best interests to create such a tribute, or to guarantee opulance for future generations, or well just use slave labor…. ah, politicts and religion…

Skipping from the political to the artistic/historical, these statues and baubles are simply amazing. There were a handful of statues on display at the museum. Far fewer than I expected, but amazing to see any at all. Be forwarned, there are three exhibit rooms and the best is room #1. Do not move to room #2 thinking it will be better than #1. You will be disappointed.

Here are a few photos from the exhibit. I’ve added China, the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors to my list of places to visit after retirement!

These shots were taken in extremely difficult lighting: low light with flood lighting from above and very high contrast between shadows and highlight. Perfect for high dynamic range photography… but I switched to HDR only toward the end of our stay in exhibit #1.

Non HDR photos:

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This armor was amazing in its intracacy.

High Dynamic Range photos

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