Trouble Maker

I believe that this is the first time I ever ran Trouble Maker rapid on the South Fork of the American River.

Sunday Sailing Adventure Pics

Port perch.

Starboard perch.

The interior, nice huh??

Me, playing El Capitan

Me, just playing.  Anna to the left, Matt to the right.
The real Captain Bill.
Emma, Bill, and Matt fixing the tear in the sail.

Mucus and salt water

For the most part I was sick this weekend.  I stayed in on Friday night and the first episode of Deadwood, season 2.
I woke up on Saturday, Emma made me breakfast.  Three waffles, two eggs and fresh baked biscuits and tea.  I watched a crap load of television after she went to work.  I arrived home around noon, showered and went out to read my book in the park.  After a few pages I got hungry and had a lamb schawarma
 at Ali Baba's Cave in the Lower Haight.
 After eating much lamb and other delights I headed home to read a bit more in my big comfy chair and wait for Emma to get off work.  Instead I passed out to the tune of my roommate typing furiously on her laptop.   

Saturday night consisted of more laziness.  Sushi delivery and lots of television.

Sunday morning we awoke early for our sailing adventure.  We walked down the street to get a picnic but instead waited 40 minutes for the lame woman at the cafe on McAllister and Baker to make two sandwiches.  Soon we were on our way to Sausalito where we promptly got lost looking for Gate 6 and a man named Bill who I'd never met or seen.  We eventually found him and headed to his boat.  We were the first ones there so we got to explore and lounge around on his boat, a 30' Nonsuch named Daisy.

This is the first time I'd ever been on a boat like this.  They are super wide so they don't keel too much.  The mast is all the way forward (there is no jib sheet) and there are no spreaders on the mast so it can bend and spill wind.  There is no boom, but instead to arched bars connected at both ends called a wishbone.  The inside is super huge too, I could actually stand up with out touching my ear to my shoulder.  This is a boat I would definitely consider living aboard.  

On board were Emma and I, Gretchen and Matt who were visiting San Francisco from Missouri and on their way to BRC to watch the man burn (they were absolutely hilarious), Anna student, really great to talk to and totally a solid girl (she also just spent two months in Yelapa so Emma, her and I had a lot to talk about) and Karey teachers friend/massage therapist/marine biologist, and Bill, El Capitan, was 'wicked awesome'  I forget where he is from but he has a thick East Coast accent and is the sort of kooky older guy you'd expect to find living half time on his boat.  

We headed out of Sausalito and made our way towards Alcatraz.  There was some kind of race going on, the bay was crowded with tiny darts of boats so we decided instead to head up Raccoon Straights and head for the Richmond bridge.  The wind was mellow, lows at around 3 knots and highs around 18 knots (Bill says he was out in 30 knots with a full sail and it handled beautifully, I'd love to experience that).  We were riding a flood in so the going was easy.  Once we got out to the bridge Bill noticed a rip in the sail so we headed into the wind so that he, Emma and Matt could fix it.  With the sail back up and ready we played around in a part of the bay that I had never been to.  It was beautiful.  We passed by the Brothers Islands on the north where there is a great looking B&B,

When all was said and done we had sailed 37 miles between the hours of noon and 8pm.  Not great time if we had been racing or circumnavigating but we were just cruising so no worries.  After we docked we exchanged information and promised to do it again real soon.  I, for one, hope that this is a promise we all keep.

My week in review...

I've been sick all week.  I called in on Tuesday and ended up staying in bed watching season 1 of 30 Rock.  Pretty good.  I also ate a ton of food this week.  Tuesday I ate a whole trey of brie, berry, fillo wrapped thingies for breakfast.  Then Emma brought be corned beef hash, potatoes and eggs and biscuits and gravy.  Lunch was a large pizza and a peanut milk smoothie.  All I can remember of Tuesday is eating, watching 30 Rock for hours, taking a break to watch Valley Girl, and then watching more of 30 Rock.  

It was a shit week at work.  No work day is good when your head is pounding, your nose is dribbling and you feel that you might crap yourself at the drop of a hat.  But I made it through.  It's Friday.  Finally.  

Tonight I'll probably stay in, watch movies with the girl and get some delivery. 

I'll be up early tomorrow.  I'm off to by a boat and need to pick it up in Angels Camp.  I think it's about a three hour drive.  Not looking forward to doing that alone.  Tomorrow night there are a couple of parties.  Nothing for sure yet.  I gotta see how I feel.  

Sunday is a day of Sailing with a bunch of strangers.

Sailing on the Nonsuch

This is where you'll find me on Sunday. We may stay in the bay or head out the gate, either way, it'll be my first time back out on the water since my Basic Keelboat courses at OCSC.  I am slowly finding my way into the Bay Area sailing community.  Everyone I've meet seems to be genuinely well natured and welcoming.  I look forward to a long life on the water, which seems to be my element.

road rage

Here is another fun little video.

'Thou Shalt Always Kill' Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip

Fun stuff

http://www.cracked.com/blog/2008/08/07/5-scientific-theories-head-explode/

For some reason I can't ad links right now.

This weekend at University Falls (a.k.a. Pilots Creek)

Here are some pics of one of my favorite swimming holes.  University falls is a series of three, or four if you are daring, cascading granite water slides/falls.  The water is brisk so don't even bother with that morning coffee.  

The view from above.

Best buds Steve, Brenda and I.

Me sliding down the fourth pool (it's about a ten foot slide and a ten foot drop into a hot tub sized pool....but be careful as that tub flows into a large waterfall).  A side note: don't try this pool in early spring or early summer.  Wait for the flow of the water to die down a little bit.  Earlier this May a young girl died on this slide when she slipped over the edge.

Me climbing the rope up the slippery slope out of the fourth pool.

Don't worry mom.

This weekends adventure

Tonight Steve, Brenda, possibly my brother and I will be heading up to spend the night at Rivers Bend.  In the morning we will drive up towards Georgetown and on to Quintette.  We will park along the road and hike three miles down the canyon towards University Falls, aka Pilot Creek.  Splashes and laughter will ensue per the norm.  Then we will drive back that evening.  I will sleep like a baby on the drive back to Concord.  

About a half of an hour after I get dropped off in Concord I will be picked up by Emma and then we will drive right back up.  I was worried about this at first, but I think it will be better, I'll get a chance to nap on the drive down and be relatively fresh (mentally, def. not physically.  I will most definitely stink.)  We will probably sleep in the bed of my truck somewhere along a back road out of sight.  The sun will warm our faces and lure us out of bed.  Eventually we will make our way to Henningson Lotus Park to teach Buddy how to swim.  

I am so, so, so in need of some sun and water and beer and lazy heat.

Congratulations/Feel better soon/Happy birthday

I am the absolute worst at writing cards...except happy birthday cards.  I kind of like those ones.  

Biker(s) Down

I pulled this from drunkcyclist.com

"Cops: Enraged motorist swerves into bicyclists, injures one

A cyclist was struck while riding his bicycle Saturday morning, and both the victim and law enforcement officials say it was no accident.

A 41-year-old Kamas man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault after witnesses reported seeing him swerve at groups of eastbound bikers who were training on Mirror Lake Highway.
“Several witnesses reported this guy in a 1999 Nissan Frontier kept swerving at the cyclists,” said Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Trooper Cameron Roden. “He swerved at one cyclist, and the cyclist grabbed his mirror, so he swerved at him again. Luckily the cyclist jumped off his bike because he ran the bike over.”
Source: sltrib.com

There is often a bit of shit talking after stories like this about things like “street justice” or what have you… But this time it looks like that’s about what happened.

And good thing too. Son of a bitch pulled over and then tried to leave.

The driver then finally stopped and got out of the truck, Dunleavy said, adding that one of his fellow riders grabbed the man by the hair and hit him a couple times. Other motorists who witnessed the event began calling police.
As the man tried to re-enter his truck, Dunleavy wrote that he and his friend grabbed the man and threw him against the truck to prevent him from leaving. A second group of cyclists stopped and said the truck had almost hit them as well.

I’m just glad no one was killed."

Don't even bother to read the comments.  Every comment basically says, 'I don't condone what the driver did, but the cyclists...'

Bah.  I hate this, and if you ask me this guy is getting off way too easy.

Yelapa, Mexico (April 2008)

Homeward bound.

I have pointy hair.

Airplane love.
Oh la la.
Some woman actually glared back at us on the way down to Mexico and snarled "Inappropriate!!" after we kissed.  Emma asked 'Is it wrong to put gum in someone's hair?"  I said some such thing about karma and being a good person and what not.  Regardless, this woman's ora was seriously busted.

Yelapa, Mexico (April 2008)

A flower in the drive way that says 'Goodbye my sweet, sweet Mexico.  Goodbye.  I will miss you.  The further away you get, the nearer I will hold you to my heart.'

In PV airport.


Duna da duna da dunaaaa, duna da duna da dunaaaah (is that racist??)

Yelapa, Mexico (April 2008)

Shots of our private paradise.

ME!!
The road directly from the house to the beach.  I believe that the plot of land just to the left of this road is the one that Emma's brother owns.
Lots of these on the beach.

Yelapa, Mexico (April 2008)

More shots of around the house...enjoy....I know we did.

The side house/bungalow in progress.  Bats like crazy.  Emma and I felt like we were spelunking when we went in there at night.

Gotta love outdoor beds.

Shot from the road.

Yelapa, Mexico (April 2008)

Turtles.

This was the house that we stayed in.  This would be the living room.
The kitchen.
The bedroom
And the amazing bathroom with multiple shower heads coming at you from all directions.