California Poppies -- May 29, 2018

Our state flower, California poppies, in Half Moon Bay.

Feast of Saint Francis, 2014 -- October 4, 2014

Today is the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.

“Lord make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
And where there is sadness, joy.

"O divine master grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive-
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
And its in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.” 

Saint Francis Church in North Beach is now the National Shrine of Saint Francis. The former gym/church hall contains the Nuova Porziuncola, a model of the little church rebuilt by Saint Francis. They just finished refurbishing the church and the hall.  I took the photo on 20-August-2011.

Yesterday I took the cat to Good Shepherd School to meet the Third Graders and attend the blessing of the animals.  Father Lu was called away, so the student council gave the blessing.  The cat did not get scared, as far as I could tell. 
 
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The Giants second game in the Washington series started at 2:30pm.  We watched until 4:30, when we left to go to church.  The Nationals were ahead 1-0 and George Zimmerman was pitching.  So was Tim Hudson.  In the top of the Ninth with two outs, Pablo Sandoval drove in Joe Panick.  We drove to Half Moon Bay and had dinner at Cameron's Pub.  The game was on.  No one could score.  When we were leaving, a man who had just sat down at the next table said "You'll get home they'll still be playing."  Traffic was very heavy and it took a long time to get through Half Moon Bay because people were trying to get to 92.  Yusmiero Petit pitched six scoreless innings in relief.  We got home about 8:30 and parked out front as the Giants came up for the bottom of the 18th.  We heard neighbors across the lawn cheering.  My wife said "The Giants must have scored."  Belt had hit a home run, so it was 2-1.  They held it in the bottom of the 18th, so the Giants lead the series 2-0.  Petit got the win. 

Saturday and Sunday -- September 8, 2014

Saturday night we didn't go to 5 o'clock mass because there was a school event at 10am on Sunday.  We took a drive down to Half Moon Bay and had dinner at the Flying Fish Café.  The front entrance was closed, so we had to go in the back.  We had crab melts.  Very good.  In the last two weeks, we have noticed it getting dark earlier and staying dark later. 

Sunday we went to the 10 o'clock mass at Good Shepherd.  Father Lu said nice things about the school and promised to support it.  Most of the teachers were there. 

Sharon Mayes created the half moon sculpture that stands near the firehouse.

3-Zero Café -- August 5, 2014

The day after our difficult return from New Orleans (http://cablecarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/new-orleans-wednesday-july-23-2014.html), we were too tired to do anything. 

The day after that, we went out for breakfast.  For years, we have been driving by the Half Moon Bay airport and talking about eating at the café.  The one time we had tried, there was a long wait.  This time, we got a table right away. 

The food was good.  I had an omelet.  My wife had Joe's Special. 

I liked the décor. 

The manager came by for a chat.  He said they also own the Flying Fish Restaurant. 

Red Devils Return to Pacifica #8 -- June 26, 2014

Pacifica is one of the two cities on the San Francisco peninsula that allow the sale of fireworks. I was in the other city, San Bruno, on Wednesday and say a stand in a parking lot.  When I got back to Pacifica, I saw more stands.  I took a photo of this one in the parking lot at Pedro Point on 25-June-2014.  We had just eaten dinner at La Playa. 

Saturday after mass we drove down to Half Moon Bay and had dinner at Cameron's Pub and Inn, which is located in a former bordello with two double-decker buses parked outside. They serve as smoking rooms. I had shepherd's pie and my wife had bangers and mash. All good. 

In order to get to Half Moon Bay, we had to pass through the new Highway One detour.  They are replacing the bridge over San :Pedro Creek.  The road is coned off on the south side of Linda Mar Boulevard.  Traffic on One can turn left onto Linda Mar Boulevard, or right onto the road to Pedro Point and over the city's bridge.  Exits from the Pedro Point parking lot are blocked.  There is one entrance to the parking lot.  Near the Ace Hardware, there is a stoplight, where traffic can turn right to Pedro Point or slightly left to connect to Highway One.  The only exit from the parking lot is on Pedro Point road.  Traffic is going to be detoured for two years while they replace the bridge and remediate the creek bed.  It should reduce flooding. 

Yesterday, Tim Lincecum pitched his second no hitter for the Giants, his second against the Padres.  The only other Giants pitcher to have two no hitters was Christy Mathewson. 

Book: Few and Chosen: Defining Giants Greatness Across the Eras -- December 12, 2013

We were visiting Half Moon Bay last month and chanced to stop at Bay Books, a wonderful store.  The owner saw my Giants cap and led me over to the sports shelf.  He mentioned that his uncle had been an executive with the San Francisco Seals. 

He strongly recommended the book Few and Chosen: Defining Giants Greatness Across the Eras by Giants great Bobby Thomson and Phil Pepe.  I took his advice and bought it.  I enjoyed it greatly. 

As Bill James has pointed out, many old ball players like to say the game has gone downhill since they played.  Bobby Thomson was not that way.  He includes players up to the era of Matt Williams, Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds. 

Thomson told many stories about the men he played with, and the men he met during later years. 

Seabiscuit Pursues a Giant Reindeer #3 -- December 2, 2013

I took a day off today.  I took the new cat to see the vet and get her second feline distemper shot.  Everyone in the office had to come in and fuss over her. 

After I brought her home and sat with her for a bit, I went Christmas shopping.  I drove to Tanforan, where I took this photo.  I bought some kitten food and some gifts.  I went on to Hillsdale, had lunch at Panda Express, and did more shopping.  Then I drove over the hill to Half Moon Bay and did some more shopping at the pet goods store and Bay Books. 

Ferry Eureka at the Hyde Street Pier -- November 9, 2013

In 1890, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad built the ferry Ukiah to haul passengers and freight cars from Tiburon to San Francisco.  After the SF&NP merged into the Northwestern Pacific, Ukiah's terminal became Sausalito.  Ukiah was damaged by overuse during World War I, so the government paid for it to be rebuilt.  The resulting boat, renamed Eureka, was almost entirely new, except for the walking beam engine.  Eureka was designed to carry automobiles on her main deck.  She served the NWP until 1941, when it abandoned ferry service.  During WWII, Eureka carried troops.  After the war, she carried Southern Pacific passengers from Oakland to San Francisco until a crank pin snapped in 1957.  She became a jewel of the collection at the Hyde Street Pier.   

I took this photo of Northwestern Pacific ferry Eureka at the Hyde Street Pier in October, 2001.

Today we took a drive to Half Moon Bay and had lunch.  We bought a book at Bay Books.  Traffic was heavy heading back north.  

Tunnel Open -- April 4, 2013

Today we took our first ride over the new Devil's Slide Bypass.  My wife drove south, kindly allowing me to take pictures.  We went up the hill on One, and found that the road made a slight curve on to the twin bridges, which led to the twin tunnels.  Here we see the approach from the bridge to the north portal of the south-bound tunnel.  Two of the many traffic lights are visible.  There were at least two sets of two fans each at the top of the tunnel.  There were many emergency phones and exit doors.  The shoulder was nice and wide.  After we left the tunnel, there was a short bridge, then a smooth transition back onto the old highway. 

It was raining lightly as we went to Half Moon Bay and parked on Main Street.  We had a nice lunch at the Main Street Grill.  We took a little walk and visited the Cunha Country Store, which had signs in the window proclaiming new ownership. 

We went to the Strawflower Center and visited the pharmacy and the pet store.  The cat has been ill and needed some supplies. 

I drove north on One.  The transitions off the old road and back on were very smooth going that way. 

Happy Groundhog Day #4 -- February 2, 2013

Happy Groundhog Day to all.

"Groundhog in Lincoln Park" reads the caption from a 1925 Chicago Daily News photo. The Groundhog is posing at the zoo, in front of a painted background. I hope it is not a stuffed groundhog. 

The photo comes from the Library of Congress' wonderful American Memory site (http://memory.loc.gov/). DN-0078555, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society.

Update at 9pm:  We had a nice drive to Princeton.  We visited the Harbor Village Mall and had panini for lunch at the Mezza Luna Cafe.   We went to 5 o'clock mass, which was the monthly teen mass.  Two of the young men helping with the collection had done it last month, so I had them go down the center aisle.  We had dinner at Vallemar Station. 

Kibbles and Klips -- January 12, 2013

We drove to Half Moon Bay for lunch, then went to Kibbles and Klips to get some catfood.  The cat keeps changing her mind about what she likes.  The tunnel looks about ready. 

I took this photo of a mural on Main Street on 21-January-2012. 

Storm Clouds -- December 22, 2012

There was a strong wind all night.  It rained during the morning.  The rain stopped in the afternoon, so we drove to Half Moon Bay, had lunch, and did some shopping.  I'm going to miss driving along Devils' Slide.  After we got home, there was hail. 

I took the photo on our way to 5 o'clock mass at Good Shepherd.  Father Jess talked about the Archdiocesan Appeal, and how we still need $11,000. 

We had dinner at Guerrero's. 

Flying Fish Cafe -- September 29, 2012

We took a drive down the coast and had lunch at the Flying Fish Cafe in Half Moon Bay.  I had a crab melt. 

We drove by the Arleta Station then down the coast to Pescadero.  We couldn't find a place to park.  It was very foggy.  There was a lot of traffic on the way back. 

Sharon Mayes created the sculpture that stands near the firehouse. 

Cunha's Country Store -- July 7, 2012

We took a drive down to Half Moon Bay today.  We had a nice lunch at the Main Street Grill then walked up and down the street.  We went into Cunha's Country Store and saw that the stairway to the upper room was roped off.  Then we noticed that many of the shelves were nearly bare.  A sign on the front window said "Under New Management."  I later found online articles from March and April saying the store was going to close.  I don't know if the new management came after that.  I would be sad to see it go.

We went to 5 o'clock mass at Good Shepherd.  It was the first monthly mass for teens.  There was an excellent choir.  All the readers had studied public speaking with my wife.

We had dinner at Guerrero's Tacqueria.

I took the photo of Cunha's Country Store on 27-April-2011. 

The Jail House -- January 21, 2012

We took a drive down to Half Moon Bay today.  We had lunch at the Flying Fish Cafe, which is in a new location.  The crab melt was good.  We went for a walk around downtown and my wife practiced with her new camera. I took the photo of the old jail with ominous clouds in the background.

IOOF #1 -- December 29, 2011

The Odd Fellows' Hall in Half Moon Bay.  I took the photo on 27-June-2011.

It was very foggy this morning.

Boxing Day #1 -- December 26, 2011

We had a nice Christmas weekend.  Saturday morning we headed to Mazetti's Bakery in Pacifica to pick up a large order.  There was a long line, but the wait was worth it.  We went to 5pm mass at Good Shepherd.  There was a good crowd.

On Christmas morning, we got up and opened presents.  I got an O-gauge Lionel train to run under the tree.  We had to leave fairly early.  We had lunch with my in-laws and went to my mother's house for dinner.  All very nice.  I managed to have a slice of San Honoré cake for dessert at each meal. I should be ashamed of myself -- but I am not.

Today we went for a drive down the coast so my wife could practice with her new camera.  We bought some artichoke bread at Archangeli's in Pescadero and ate it for lunch.  We walked around and took some photos there and in Half Moon Bay.

When we got home, my daughter used her new cupcake maker.  Very good.  I set up my new train.  It was much easier to set up the O-gauge track and get the train on the rails.  HO was hard.  I took the photo of the train under the tree today.

Pumpkin Picking #2 -- October 22, 2011

We went to Half Moon Bay today to get a pumpkin. Traffic on One was backed up to at least Princeton. We went to the 4-Cs patch again. I took the photo today. I like the color of pumpkins.  A little bit of the traffic is visible in the background. We found two great pumpkins for $12.00. The weather was nice and warm.

We went up 92. Traffic was backed up all the way to 280.

We drove down to the Stanford Shopping Center and had lunch at Gourmet Franks so we could sit outside.

Alley #17 -- March 13, 2011

Chelsea Place is up Bush Street from Burritt Street, where Sam Spade's partner was killed. I like the bricks on the building on the right.

It rained today. We took a quick trip to Half Moon Bay to buy some presents at Bay Books.

Earthquake and Tsunamis -- March 11

Last night Japan had a monster 8.9 earthquake. They can't count the dead yet. Tsunamis went up to three kilometers inland.

This morning the phone rang at 5:11. The school secretary told us that all schools in Pacifica were going to be closed today because of a tsunami warning. KCBS said that BART might close the transbay tube, and that beach areas of Pacifica were being evacuated. The Great Highway was closed, even north of Golden Gate Park.

I considered working from home, but I'm glad I didn't. It was a busy day at work. KCBS kept reporting that the tsunami warning was getting extended from 10am to 11am to 1pm to 3:30pm.

There was no damage in Pacifica. Boats were damaged in Crescent City and Half Moon Bay.

The image is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Tsunami Warning Site (http://ptwc.weather.gov/).