Hunker and Huddle

It's cold all across the country. Best to stay inside and huddle for warmth with a loved one.

Trying to Warm Up.

The icy weather that has swept the nation has affected the Bay Area as well, albeit not as severely. Overnight lows in the 30's were enough to keep us from venturing out after dark; age has made us cold-avoiding wimps.

I threw a tray of lasagna and a vegetable casserole into the oven. The comfort food helped ward off the chill, and leaving the oven door open helped warm up the kitchen.

Our new furnace has been operating twelve hours a day since it was installed five days ago. The contractor just e-mailed the acceptance form, which I'll sign and return today to claim a rebate. Getting money back, even a small amount, always instills warm feelings. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

Suddenly, A Storm

Rain-slick streets are an unusual sight this year

2013 is shaping up to be the driest year since 1850, so rain was a welcome sight this morning. The reservoirs and snow pack are still in reasonable shape though, and with above-average winter rainfall the Bay Area will avoid water rationing next summer.

I was happy just to turn off the sprinklers for a few days. The combined water-and-sewer bill is running about $120 per month, and one never likes to see money going down the drain. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

The Edge of the World

(SF Chronicle 2010 photo)

One block from Camelot Fish and Chips is a street that made the national news three years ago.

Winter storms had eroded the foundations of buildings on Esplanade Avenue, and apartments were in danger of toppling down the cliffs into the Pacific Ocean. The buildings were evacuated and destroyed, and efforts have been continuing to defend other structures on Esplanade.

Sunset at Esplanade Beach, Pacifica

It may seem futile to battle nature, but New Orleans is being rebuilt after Katrina, and dikes have kept the North Sea from flooding Holland for over a thousand years. As baby boomers who are approaching retirement under Social Security, we don't need a thousand years, just 20 more perhaps to continue munching peaceably on fish and chips at the edge of the world.

Traffic Avoided

Beach next to the restaurant

Six months after our first visit, we drove to Half Moon Bay for lunch at Barbara's Fishtrap. We refused to be misdirected by Apple Maps, which kept insisting that the restaurant was east of Highway 1 next to a school; we switched to Google Maps, which placed our destination accurately along the beach.

At 1:30 p.m. on Friday the wait for a table was only ten minutes. (It's best to avoid Half Moon Bay on October weekends when the hordes descend on pumpkin farms; congestion peaks during the Pumpkin Festival on October 19-20.)

Calamari and chips

The fish and chips were as good as we remembered---hot, moist, and crunchy. The calamari was prepared in similar fashion and did not disappoint.

A fall afternoon, pleasant company and lunch by the seaside.  Life is good.

Cool Enough

We do have home air conditioning (see related post below), but in our city next to the Bay we only need to turn it on a few days each year. Most summer days are like this one, where we can take our bikes along the levee without breaking a sweat.

There is a lot of sound and motion at the eastern edge of Foster City--ducks, waves, airplanes heading north to SFO, roller skaters, and dog walkers--yet today it feels quiet. Traffic along Beach Park Boulevard is light, and the few small businesses (music studios, family restaurants, specialty shops) along this stretch aren't busy.

My friend sold his Foster City townhouse last year and retired to putter around in the Southern California desert. Even if I played golf as much as he does, I wouldn't move down there. Palm Springs ain't cool like here, man. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

The Apparatus for Treating Air

In the middle of the dog days William Falk, editor of The Week, sings the praises of a marvelous invention [bold added]:

The greatest invention in human history is not the wheel, and it's certainly not sliced bread. As much of the nation broiled this week in temperatures in the high 90s and beyond, can there be any doubt that our most wondrous piece of technology is the air conditioner? It was way back in 1902 that Willis Carrier created the Apparatus for Treating Air for a Brooklyn printing company---a breakthrough that, as it developed and spread over decades, changed the human condition. [snip]

Air conditioning is not merely a matter of comfort; it has given us modern life. It keeps people--and computers--working when the mercury climbs past 90, thus boosting the economy. It's enabled a great migration of tens of millions of people to Sun Belt states that nature intended for lizards, not warm-blooded mammals. And as the world warms, the demand for AC grows ever greater, consuming 20 percent of all U.S. electricity--and a rapidly growing share in India and China.

People travel toward sunny climes, yet those who live there often can't wait to head indoors.

In mid-20th century Hawaii one distinction between the haves and have-nots--guess which group I belonged to--was ownership of an air-conditioned car (air conditioning was nearly non-existent in homes because of the open Island architecture). The $600 price tag for being cool for 30 minutes a day in one's car was a luxury few could afford or justify.

Today the status-conscious in our neighborhood like to show that they're successful by driving expensive German cars. As for me, a working air conditioner in our clunker is status enough. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

A Crowded, Exciting Weekend

LA Times fire map updated on Saturday.

We departed at noon for the 300-mile drive south to Santa Barbara. We barely arrived on time for the pre-nuptial get-together with the families of our niece and her fiancé. Not to worry, we were one of the first out-of-towners to arrive.

The contingent coming from LA was delayed by the wildfires that closed the Pacific Coast Highway until 5 p.m.  Fortunately, there were no fires to greet us on the trip south, though the grass was often tall and dry and the winds strong.

Another group will be coming up on Saturday, May 4th, the day of the wedding, and Cinco de Mayo festivities have already started. It promises to be a crowded, exciting weekend; let's hope it will be memorable for only good reasons. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

First Day of Spring

Spring is really when the new year seems to start. For farmers [bold added],

"Spring is an exciting time for us, because you're just starting the work, and there's something new as the ground is being turned over," says Jennifer Scheer, executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau. "Any losses or frustrations that you had last year are washed away and you're in a new place, starting fresh."

For lovers, science tells us the stirrings are from more than sunshine and extended daylight hours:

A circadian rhythm section of experts has declared spring a peak period for skyrocketing sperm counts in men and ovulation overdrive in women. No wonder spring is the leading season for unplanned pregnancies.

And for this allergy sufferer, a maintenance (an injection once every 28 days) level of immunotherapy has finally been attained. I'm still sniffling and sneezing, but much less than I ever have. Everything's looking brighter today. © 2013 Stephen Yuen

The neighborhood is taking a tern for the better.

Still Under Investigation

The monkey mind is easily distracted. It had plans for Saturday morning when it came across this article:

Phelan - A naked drunk woman was arrested early Thursday morning after driving into her naked fiance, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Around 12:40 a.m., the 22-year-old Hesperia woman and Alberto Giovanni Bravo parked a 2008 Honda Civic east on Phelan Road west of Baldy Mesa Road, according to a CHP news release.

For reasons still under investigation, Bravo, 30, of Victorville, got out of the car and the woman moved into the driver’s seat, CHP officials said. Both were naked.

Bravo walked in front of the car before the female driver accelerated forward and struck him, causing him to land on the hood of the car, according to the release. She abruptly applied her brakes and lost control.

The car veered across Phelan Road and crashed into a chain-link fence north of the street, officials said. The car continued along the fence and hit two trees before it came to a stop.

Bravo was thrown off the hood and fell to the ground, suffering major injuries. He was airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital.

The woman was transported to Desert Valley Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. She was arrested for felony driving under the influence causing injury and booked into the Victor Valley jail, according to the CHP.

The CHP wouldn’t release the name of the arrested driver. CHP spokesman Matt Hunt said the driver and Bravo were engaged.

“Part of this investigation is of a sensitive nature and still under investigation,” Hunt said in an email. “Until that portion of the investigation is cleared up, we will be holding off on releasing the name.”

Traffic was not affected by this collision.

Comments:

1) The temperature in Phelan (north of LA) after midnight was in the 40's. A naked man must have been strongly motivated to step out of the car.

2) The couple (safety first!) could have been switching drivers because he was inebriated, and she was arrested for DUI.

3) They're engaged. Hope that this incident doesn't derail their plans. Pray for their recovery. More importantly, pray for their children.

4) It was indeed important that "traffic was not affected by this collision." Glad that the article mentioned it.

Barely Noticeable

On Thursday afternoon the lagoon waters were so still that it's barely noticeable that this photo is upside down....

Chilly Morning