Sally came to see me in California for my birthday.
Although it was a mere 7º when she left JFK, it was 70º by the time I welcomed her to OAK. It was quite a transition, but she held up well.
We started off with the Annual Crab Feed, then I began cooking! The 10 min. steak on the first night. Next I attempted a new dish, Pepper Seared Scallops.
A little spicy, but tasty. The presentation came out well too.
We packed up Poly, my sick parrot, all her drugs, and moved out to Inverness. Naturally we had to stop at Cowgirl Creamery before we got there.
....
We went Whale watching..... In a CIVILIZED manner! That's sitting in the Westphalia, drinking wine and eating crackers & cheeses while watching for spouts out the side windows.
We eventually went hiking along the beach with Poly.
After we came back from Inverness, we took a tour of the Jelly Belly factory. However, I had the sweetest thing in my arms already.
The pictures in the background are made of Jelly Beans. They gave us these nifty hats to prepare us for our next jobs at Mc Donalds.
The next stop was Suisun and the Athenian Grille for Souvlaki Pita's. 
We finished off at the Sardine Can.
In April, I brought some California sunshine to New York.
We drove up to nearby Farmingdale and had the BEST Beer/Cheddar Cheese soup! Very cool place with lots of WW II memorabilia. CAVE TONITRUM is Latin for
"BEWARE OF THE THUNDERBOLT!
A P47 "JUG"
I walked past this cannon and knew it wasn't a real piece of artillery because the rusted out barrel was too thin. What it IS though, is a rare surviving decoy that was used to confuse the Germans.
The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens were spectacular during the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Bob Slowesky was there too........
Along with a few friends.
There was natural beauty everywhere you looked!
I've never seen black flowers before that weren't dyed!
There was a Bonsai show in the conservatory too.
When the weather changed back to normal, we went inside to see Rock of Ages on Broadway.
We took the train in, and felt perfectly safe as long as we stayed near the Donut stand.
IN MAY.... IT WAS TIME TO GO TO SUMMERZCOOL
WITH JIMMY BUFFETT & FRIENDS IN VEGAS
<----- Ain't that the truth?
I know who I love! BUT who do the COWS love?
Those infamous BEER Goggles weren't strong enough to improve my looks, so Sally got out her more powerful 
Cirque du Soliel's "LOVE" was spectacular. Especially from the 4th row!
We finished off at Jimmy's Place for a PILE of food & "Perfect Margaritas".
4TH OF JULY ON LONG ISLAND
$1 RIB NIGHT AT SWINGBELLY'S!
Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink!!!!
Sally got us 75% off tickets to a Broadway show, but they turned out to be 2nd Row center stage!
It was actually a farce based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie. There were only 4 actors, and the stage production was hysterical.
The Captree Fleet went to Jones Beach for the fireworks.
Sally chose the only boat that had DANCIN' on the topdeck.
However, they DID say "Please Limit Alcohol".
So..... I limited it to all we could carry. 
Check out all the party boats in the harbor. As I said before, we picked well, and led the entire parade out to the Jones Beach anchorage. Including the birds.
The fireworks were spectacular!
Sally got us hooked up on a moonlight kayak trip to Jordan's Lobster Farm for dinner.
The guide asked why we were carrying a cooler when we were going to a restaurant?
For the 
of course. Doesn't EVERYONE have Champagne??
Sorry about the lack of stemware Curt, we were "roughing it"!!!
I had to try one of their famous Lobster Rolls that were bigger than both my fists.
Sally had a whole lobster AND a Lobster roll.
On the way out we passed through the factory where the tanks of live lobsters are kept.
They said this one was nearly 20 lbs. and estimated it to be 150 years old.
Although we began as the last boat in the water, we were the first ones back.
So we kinda hung out paddling around the dock until the sun went down.
Sally got real professional, and we went into Manhattan for a job interview 
. I'm starting to get used to the Train and Subway for getting around too.
The City of Long Beach had their own fireworks show just offshore from her place on the following weekend.
Naturally we had Beachside chairs, and Champagne dreams together.
The next day Sally broke in her new inflatable Kayak.
From the Bag to the water in less than 30 min. on the 1st try!
Far too soon it was time to say Hasta Mañana to Long Island.
But in the words of the Governator
"I'll be Back!"
SALLY BACK TO CAME TO NORCAL IN AUGUST
I think she had something in mind because she showed up like this 
SO... I made Raspberry Wasabi Chicken the first night and Boeff Bourguignon the next.
Sorry, no pictures but it was pretty good if I do say so myself!
Although I bought my first new car for the visit, I had to jumpstart it 6 times in 3 days.
After the dealer replaced the battery though, everything got smoother.
Tuesday, I left it to the professionals, and we had dinner on a lovely patio at Zins Valley in Napa. A herd of deer next to the creek behind us were keeping an eye out.
It was deserted, so we enjoyed the privacy for most of our extended dinner of Kobe beef burgers and a bottle of 1998 Van Asperen Cabernet.
MMmmmm....... LIFE IS GOOD!
The following day we took the HHR on its maiden voyage to a perfect day on Monterey bay.
We stayed at cozy little place in Pacific Grove called ANDRIL FIREPLACE COTTAGES.
The photos don't do it justice. We had ALL the amenities, including a kitchen, fireplace, jacuzzi and private patio.
The squirrels were kind of shy at Lover's point...... NOT!
But we weren't shy at all at Latitude's for brunch.
This was a seafood stack of crab, shrimp, scallops, avocado and mango with a raspberry vinaigrette.
We also devoured a seafood Mac and bleu cheese Au Gratin. It went too fast for a picture.!
Next was an afternoon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
These guys were playing around like puppies. But as you can see, they were each pretty possessive of their toys.
The Aquarium is much larger than it looks. The exhibits are very well done and full of fascinating creatures and interesting behaviors.
They had a big Seahorse section, and we even got to observe one performing the heimlich maneuver........ I think?
The day before we got there they brought in a baby great white shark that had been caught in a fisherman's net. If she doesn't begin eating within 10 days they would have to set her free. It was very hard to get a decent photo, but at least we saw her before they released her.
We were fortunate enough to be there for the shark feeding, and see some rare leafy sea dragons.
Then we got out on the water with the wildlife.
While Kayaking, nothing is afraid of you since they have a distinct advantage!
Although you do feel a bit vulnerable, and things swimming directly underneath were freaking US out though.
The Marine Sanctuary people there in the background said not to paddle within 3 Kayak lengths of the protected Sea Otters, but he didn't say anything about if they swam towards US. We had been watching one old otter resting in the kelp when these 2 pups came up jumping all over each other playing.
He swam backwards to get away from these boisterous kids.
Back to the beach for some well deserved rest, and I like to provide service with a smile. A little Laughing Cow, Cheezits and Barefoot Bubbly ALWAYS hit our spots!
I read her shirt and think we were having the same BRILLIANT idea over a great crab leg dinner that ended with the
"EXOTIC BOMBA"
( Raspberry sorbet surrounded with Mango sorbet all wrapped in chocolate) at Abalonetti's on Fisherman's Wharf.
Later that night Sally found what appears to be a CHECKERED WHALESHARK cruising around in the in the Spa.
We finished off the week with Ribeye steaks, corn on the cob and a night at
Vallejo's Dirt track for Class A SPEEDWAY action!
Alcohol fuel, no Brakes, 0-60 in 2 sec., Crossed up all the time with a potential wheelie in the corner.
We saw a lot of "fence timeouts" and restarts.
WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?
OCTOBER WAS PRODUCTIVE AS WELL AS FUN!
We drove out to Bellport where all the shoppes make scarecrows to match their business. We went further out to a haunted house run by the Gateway Theater group. No cameras were allowed, but it was very well orchestrated, and the actors made it a lot of fun.
Before the performance we ate at a place Sally spotted in Bellport called Meritage.
I had originally bypassed it thinking it said Mexican food.
Turns out they served one of the best steaks I ever had. The Salad was wonderful with candied nuts, sundried tomatoes, gorgonzola and an Aged Balsamic dressing that was out of this world!
The food wasn't really that good. We were just bein' polite........
Yeah RIGHT! I think they used to have pictures on those plates.
We went out to Cold Harbor state park for a brisk hike. Apparently Billy Joel was "stoned" here in 1991.
Sally got us tickets 4th row for a very exciting NY Islanders game. The refs just let the fights go until they run out of gas before they intervene.
While they were running the Zamboni between periods, Sparky manned the T-shirt Gattling gun.
As you can see, the shirts were shot far above where we were sitting. I didn't mind a bit though as were VERY CLOSE to the excitement!
Here are the remnants of face plant on the plexiglas in front of us.
The ref's aren't exempt from the fun either. As you can see here just before one got his face "checked".
While Sally was at work over the next few days, apparently elves amused themselves quietly replacing the wallpaper in the kitchen.
Another night we went to Kawasaki back in Long Beach. No not for a motorcycle ride, but for a HUGE hibachi steak, chicken, scallop and shrimp dinner. As the place was empty, the show was all for us. Now I've been to Benihana for the knife flipping, food tossing, and seen the volcano before. In fact on my previous visit, I asked Jim why they never used Sake instead of water in it.
Guess Benihana has tighter insurance policies. The flames shot up over 2 feet. Very cool, but you shoulda heard the chef giggling as he grabbed his little buddy to pee out the fire! 
Next came the long overdue remodel of the bathroom after the water damage from the upstairs shower leak.
It's hard to see, but the medicine cabinet was never even mounted in the wall. I had to cut the sheetrock to countersink it, plus move the new light fixture to straighten it all out. Then Lots of fill-in, sanding and tape work before a fresh coat of the paint. Unfortunately I didn't have time for the caulking or faucet replacement this time. Just my way of getting invited back.
We attended a Doggie Fashion show for Yorkshire Terriers, and were big winners at a raffle. I got a coffee basket, and naturally Sally being the sweet one, got the chocolate basket. While most of the canines like the world famous Poker Playing Jillie-dog were a bit skittish, they were civilized.
Surprisingly her best buddy Spidey, with the same owner/trainer was not and as I held out my open hand he BIT me!
I was stunned in disbelief when the owners just passed it off with:
"EVERYONE knows Spidey bites. Did he break the skin? Oh it isn't bleeding THAT much."
Any conformation dog would have been banned from the ring for life. Not Spidey though, he bites after all. He pees anywhere he feels like too.
We were the last folks at Gino's for Pasta
To Be Continued...........
To 2004
To 2005
To 2006
To 2007
To 2008
To 2010
To 2011
To 2012
Home Page
In April, I brought some California sunshine to New York.
We drove up to nearby Farmingdale and had the BEST Beer/Cheddar Cheese soup! Very cool place with lots of WW II memorabilia. CAVE TONITRUM is Latin for"BEWARE OF THE THUNDERBOLT!
A P47 "JUG" I walked past this cannon and knew it wasn't a real piece of artillery because the rusted out barrel was too thin. What it IS though, is a rare surviving decoy that was used to confuse the Germans.The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens were spectacular during the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Bob Slowesky was there too........
Along with a few friends. When the weather changed back to normal, we went inside to see Rock of Ages on Broadway.
We took the train in, and felt perfectly safe as long as we stayed near the Donut stand.IN MAY.... IT WAS TIME TO GO TO SUMMERZCOOL
WITH JIMMY BUFFETT & FRIENDS IN VEGAS
<----- Ain't that the truth?
I know who I love! BUT who do the COWS love? Those infamous BEER Goggles weren't strong enough to improve my looks, so Sally got out her more powerful Cirque du Soliel's "LOVE" was spectacular. Especially from the 4th row!
4TH OF JULY ON LONG ISLAND
$1 RIB NIGHT AT SWINGBELLY'S!Oink, Oink, Oink, Oink!!!!
Sally got us 75% off tickets to a Broadway show, but they turned out to be 2nd Row center stage! It was actually a farce based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie. There were only 4 actors, and the stage production was hysterical. The Captree Fleet went to Jones Beach for the fireworks.Sally chose the only boat that had DANCIN' on the topdeck.
However, they DID say "Please Limit Alcohol".
So..... I limited it to all we could carry.
Check out all the party boats in the harbor. As I said before, we picked well, and led the entire parade out to the Jones Beach anchorage. Including the birds.The fireworks were spectacular!
Sally got us hooked up on a moonlight kayak trip to Jordan's Lobster Farm for dinner.
The guide asked why we were carrying a cooler when we were going to a restaurant?
For the
of course. Doesn't EVERYONE have Champagne??Sorry about the lack of stemware Curt, we were "roughing it"!!!
I had to try one of their famous Lobster Rolls that were bigger than both my fists.
Sally had a whole lobster AND a Lobster roll.
On the way out we passed through the factory where the tanks of live lobsters are kept.
They said this one was nearly 20 lbs. and estimated it to be 150 years old.
Although we began as the last boat in the water, we were the first ones back.
So we kinda hung out paddling around the dock until the sun went down.
The City of Long Beach had their own fireworks show just offshore from her place on the following weekend.
Naturally we had Beachside chairs, and Champagne dreams together.
The next day Sally broke in her new inflatable Kayak.
From the Bag to the water in less than 30 min. on the 1st try!
Far too soon it was time to say Hasta Mañana to Long Island.
But in the words of the Governator
"I'll be Back!"
SALLY BACK TO CAME TO NORCAL IN AUGUST
I think she had something in mind because she showed up like this SO... I made Raspberry Wasabi Chicken the first night and Boeff Bourguignon the next.
Sorry, no pictures but it was pretty good if I do say so myself!
Although I bought my first new car for the visit, I had to jumpstart it 6 times in 3 days.
After the dealer replaced the battery though, everything got smoother.
Tuesday, I left it to the professionals, and we had dinner on a lovely patio at Zins Valley in Napa. A herd of deer next to the creek behind us were keeping an eye out.It was deserted, so we enjoyed the privacy for most of our extended dinner of Kobe beef burgers and a bottle of 1998 Van Asperen Cabernet.
MMmmmm....... LIFE IS GOOD!
We stayed at cozy little place in Pacific Grove called ANDRIL FIREPLACE COTTAGES.
The photos don't do it justice. We had ALL the amenities, including a kitchen, fireplace, jacuzzi and private patio.
The squirrels were kind of shy at Lover's point...... NOT!
But we weren't shy at all at Latitude's for brunch.
This was a seafood stack of crab, shrimp, scallops, avocado and mango with a raspberry vinaigrette.
We also devoured a seafood Mac and bleu cheese Au Gratin.
It went too fast for a picture.!Next was an afternoon at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
These guys were playing around like puppies. But as you can see, they were each pretty possessive of their toys.
The Aquarium is much larger than it looks. The exhibits are very well done and full of fascinating creatures and interesting behaviors. They had a big Seahorse section, and we even got to observe one performing the heimlich maneuver........ I think? The day before we got there they brought in a baby great white shark that had been caught in a fisherman's net. If she doesn't begin eating within 10 days they would have to set her free. It was very hard to get a decent photo, but at least we saw her before they released her.
We were fortunate enough to be there for the shark feeding, and see some rare leafy sea dragons.
Then we got out on the water with the wildlife.
While Kayaking, nothing is afraid of you since they have a distinct advantage!
Although you do feel a bit vulnerable, and things swimming directly underneath were freaking US out though.
The Marine Sanctuary people there in the background said not to paddle within 3 Kayak lengths of the protected Sea Otters, but he didn't say anything about if they swam towards US. We had been watching one old otter resting in the kelp when these 2 pups came up jumping all over each other playing. He swam backwards to get away from these boisterous kids."EXOTIC BOMBA"
( Raspberry sorbet surrounded with Mango sorbet all wrapped in chocolate) at Abalonetti's on Fisherman's Wharf.
Vallejo's Dirt track for Class A SPEEDWAY action!
We saw a lot of "fence timeouts" and restarts.
WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?
OCTOBER WAS PRODUCTIVE AS WELL AS FUN!
The food wasn't really that good. We were just bein' polite........
Yeah RIGHT! I think they used to have pictures on those plates.
Here are the remnants of face plant on the plexiglas in front of us.The ref's aren't exempt from the fun either. As you can see here just before one got his face "checked".
Next came the long overdue remodel of the bathroom after the water damage from the upstairs shower leak.
We were the last folks at Gino's for Pasta