Brown Motion

After a lashing rain fall this winter the MLK day brightened to reveal lots of splendid sunshine.  A clearer day there had not been in a while.  Every plant and blade of grass it seemed had turned green around us and the air smelled so fresh. Kid had a day off as did I and so we set out for a moderate hike in the Sunol regional wilderness.  A chain of hills and vales in the east bay region of San Francisco, this hike is for beginners and ardent hikers alike. The most stunning vistas are to be had within a mile from the park entrance in the form of a waterfall created when we get a deluge as we did in this rainy season. That coupled with less of a crowd having visited early in the morning we had the serenity of the park and the noise of the rushing water for company. It was only interrupted by the hoarding and knocking sounds of the Acorn Woodpeckers stockpiling said nuts for the season in the soft oak barks in the park. Watching their every mov...

Going to work is a given if you live in expensive bay area of California. But while it may not seem as exciting an idea as say a trip to Disneyland (also in CA) - debatable I know - or say a walk along the beach or enjoying fresh oysters or crab bisque along the shore, there are days when the unexpected happens and you feel elated.  At least for a few moments. Such moments came by today.  You see the office I work in had an ant infestation.  We have been infested before - rodents of unknown size to stink of something decaying in a forgotten corner.  But not ants.  Not like this.  Armies marching as if to a silent drumbeat, mostly black and no bigger than a grain of rice all moving along the kick plate of the meeting room we occupied in the morning. Someone went - oooh ants!  Another colleague just started giggling after noticing some tickling along her pant leg.  Turned out some errant candidates had left the marching line and crawled up a ...

On another day off from work we visited the California wine region of Napa.  A valley set amidst a series of north south hills on either side of highway 29 we went to a favorite haunt of ours called V.Sattui.  This is a family business which I must say has got a bit snobbish since the last time we visited them a decade ago. It is more geared toward large events and parties and one off buyers are not in favor it appeared.  This is evident with the generally lackadaisical attitude of the deli staff as well as the bar keep of which they had two attending to a white couple.  When we walked up there was no movement to attend to us or even acknowledge our presence.  Was that bit racist perhaps?  Maybe.  But we are suckers (literally) for two of their beverages.  One is a Madeira and another a fortified Muscat grape juice branded as Angelica. Prices in the last 10 years have jumped about 30% or more.  A standard sized bottle of the brandy f...

This crescent shaped cut out off the coast of northern California is not far from home.  Hence the name 'half moon bay'. We just don't get the time to do the drive to it and sit and stare at the ocean from the edge. But taking time off from work we did.  It turned out to be a beautiful day.  Fifties with clear skies and enough sun to warm you up with winds not wild like we had past few days.  The surf was up which made for an inundation of sounds that soothe along with the warming wind made for some breath taking vistas right off the edge. Body suited surfers attempted a 'Man v Nature' show as they enjoyed riding the cresting waves depending on their degree of experience.  The ocean inevitably kept returning them back to shore like a case of bad item returned.  Gulls hovered and we simply sat with the sun hitting our face. Later walked some of the high cliffs along the coast then stopped by the neighboring Ritz Carlton golf course to ...