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But my car is not.

So there we were, minding our own business, driving straight and at a slow pace headed for the freeway on-ramp, when this white Corvette exits the freeway too fast and loses control. We didn’t see that at first. What we saw was the car in front of us do this funny little swerve that we couldn’t figure out. Then there was the one second of “Oh No!” And then…Bam! We managed to get to the side of the road, but now my poor baby car won’t start. (I dunno how fast the guy was going, but he hit us quite hard.)

We’re okay (mostly), just banged up a bit from the seat belts and what not. I can tell, however, that tomorrow will be distinctly un-fun already. Sigh.

sniffle

The Live Oak Nature Trail

So, last Sunday I finally managed to nerve myself up enough to go to that lovely Episcopalian church all on my lonesome. Apart from a severe lack of parking, it was just lovely. Perhaps someday I can get some pictures to show you. The stained glass windows, the curved lines of the ceiling, and the hanging lights were inspirational all on their own. Conveniently, the order of service was very well documented in the bulletin so I didn’t get lost. Overall…it was quite the restful experience. I think I’ll go back.

Later in the day we were out in San Bruno visiting with friends, and when we asked about a place to take a walk they suggested Junipero Serra County Park. And wouldn’t you know it? It was just across the street. How convenient. (Imagine The Church Lady’s voice there.) They were correct. There are some lovely trails over there. The picture at the top of this post is from that walk. (A couple more are over at my flickr phtotstream.) I never knew that Poison Oak could be so…pretty. It brings a nice splash of color to the scenery. You just have to be very careful not to touch it. Next time I’ll be sure to dress for an actual hike, and bring things like…water. Handy thing, water.

I did have my camera. But then, I almost always have it with me. Good thing, too, as I like the pics I took.

Sorry I haven’t updated lately. The Olympics have sucked me in. Well…that and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, which is Grade-A Book Crack. I’ve finished it, and book 2 will be in my hands on Saturday. Suffice to say…I loved it.

TTFN.

Well…It’s Olympics Season.

Are you all as glued to your television as we are? (This fact should not be too surprising, as I *did* marry Mr. I-Love-Almost-Every-Sport.) I loved the Opening Ceremonies. Now, if only Koshvader and I could make it to the Vancouver or London Olympics. I believe that it would be worth the stress and over-stimulation involved to see an event such as that live. Yes, indeed.

Yesterday, we managed to tear ourselves away from the TV long enough to go for a walk. Not just any walk, mind you. No. You see, when I am commuting home over the San Mateo Bridge, I always wonder about the walking trail that actually passes under the bridge. You can see it as you drive past. Yesterday, we managed to figure out how to get there. The trail is on a levee that keeps the San Francisco Bay from encroaching (too much) along the coastline there. One of the features of said levee is a bunch of big rocks. There are also occasional concrete walkways for those who engage in water sports, or so I imagine.

Why is this important?

Well…on this particular walk we encountered a poor gentleman, who was a fair distance from the usual Kite Boarding area, floating in the water with his kite. His board was a little way further down from where we were. We stopped and waited to see if he was alright. Once he had gotten close enough to the rocks (imagine small crashing waves here) the gentleman deflated his kite (they are inflated along the top edge.) I climbed down the rocks to help him with the kite (I swim. Koshvader does not.) This took a bit of doing as the lines from the kite had gotten tangled in the rocks. Good thing they didn’t get tangled around him! Did you know that those kites cost $1000? No wonder he was being so careful. He told us that his kite had inverted in the wind and bam! Anyway, he was fine and set off to retrieve his board and we continued our lovely walk. (We saw him later with both kite and board under his arms.)

I’ll put up some other pictures from the walk once I’ve finished with them. Hope you’re having a great day and enjoying the Olympics. Lots of impressive sporting ability out there.

I have found a new favorite photographic subject. This church is gorgeous! It kinda makes me want to attend a service here, just to see the inside.

It’s the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew, right there in downtown San Mateo. You’ll probably be seeing more of it, as I adore this place. I just need to ponder some new photographic angles…and come up with a cunning plan to photograph the stained glass windows at night when they’re lit.

I love benches. This place has all sorts of benches. Better yet? Most of them seem to be me-sized.

I want to try this one again at night.

Curly bench!

Lately I have been working hard to get rid of things, and generally declutter. I have been carrying around many things from apartment to apartment that I never look at, much less use. (In my family, these sorts of things are called “Goat Brassieres.” Dead handy items in the right circumstances, but why hold on to them if you no longer have a goat?) I’ve started getting rid of books, even. Me! Getting rid of books! Surely that’s blasphemy in some fashion or other. Books, clothing, you name it. I’m taking a good hard look at everything I own and asking myself important questions like: Do I use this? Have I ever used this? Do I even like it? Where did this come from again? etc.

But really, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, because one of the things I have a whole bunch of is…magazines.

*Taps microphone and clears throat nervously*

Hello. I am the Celticangel and I am an Information Packrat.

You perhaps think that I joke with you all. But it is the truth. I assure you. With a French accent, even. Vous savez?

It is also interesting to look into my past this way. I mean, why the heck did I feel the need to keep this or that magazine in the first place? In some cases, it’s obvious. (Hello! Travis Fimmel is on the front.) In others…not so much. (Okay…this has one small advert for the Return of the King DVD. Otherwise…I haven’t a clue.) Also…sometimes it’s a little embarrassing. This is only one of the reasons that I have placed the other four pictures behind the cut. The other reason being to make it easier on your computer to load the initial post. (Yeah. That’s it. That’s the ticket.) The reason for the magazine at the top of this post should be fairly obvious. I like Buffy. Do I need to keep it? No.

Okay. The rest of the mug shots are under here…

Read the rest of this entry »

4 July in Pacifica - by Celticangel

It would seem that the eternal smoke in the air problem here in California affects my singing ability. You all remember how intrinsic music is to me, yes? Well, last week the best I could hope for was about one line of a song before I developed a pain behind my sternum and had to stop.

No, I don’t have an inhaler. Why do you ask?

This weekend it’s a wee bit better, but I hope that we get some nice clean rain soon.

Speaking of air quality, on 4 July I was down at the beach in Pacifica with Koshvader, as you can see in the pic above, and the air was like soup. I think that the pic is the visual representation of what my lungs think about the air these days.

Think that the atmosphere in the pic above is a trick or a momentary thing? Try this one…

Yep. That is a photograph. Scary, eh? For more pics from 4 July, go here.

Happy Bastille Day folks!

I located this interestingly spelled notice at the local Shell station. It is attached to the Air/water station, and I think that they meant to say Push Start Here.

That’s only a guess, mind you. Perhaps there’s something called a Puch Star that I’m unaware of which you can find there.

Hello. I’m the manager here at the Koshvader Gallery. Today we bring you four new entries. We hope that you enjoy them, and thank you for stopping by.

This is an unoccupied Lifeguard Station at Stinson Beach.

These last three images were taken during the Fourth of July festivities at a particular beach in Pacifica. They really take their fireworks seriously over there.

Stinson Beach, Pacifica, fireworks

For all that our Anniversary Trip Mark 1 was troublesome and stressful, we did manage to get a few decent pictures. I’ve finally managed to get through my photos from day one and here is what I have to offer:

The rocky bits in the middle of the picture look a bit like a face to me. North Beach is just one of the beaches that Point Reyes has to offer. It is the only one we have visited so far.

One of the things I have noticed about North Beach is the “Post Apocalyptic” vibe it seems to have. Probably the Teepees have something to do with this. I’ve noticed that driftwood sculptures seem to be quite popular on Northern California beaches, and this beach was no exception. This is the first time I’ve encountered Driftwood Sculptures with interior seating, though.

The Point Reyes Lighthouse has been around since 1870. I’ve visited it before, and I think it’s really interesting. We didn’t manage to make it before they’d closed for the day so we don’t have any closer pictures than this. I’m not too upset by this as…

There are 308 steps down to the lighthouse. Not so bad going down, but there are benches by the steps for a reason. That is a climb of many stories. I’ve done it once, and boy howdy.

Once we were done with the lighthouse (and my hands were numb with cold) we went back to North beach to photograph the sunset, then on to try some night shots of the Golden Gate Bridge on the way home. My camera doesn’t really do night shots.

There you are. The good parts version of the doomed weekend, day one.

I’m still working on my pics from the weekend, but here are some of Koshvader’s to give you an idea of the fun parts. More exclusives!