San Francisco

I spent the a couple of days from the past couple of weeks up in San Francisco. Last week, I spent 2 days in San Francisco.

One of the things I was able to do for a day was visit the Fancy Food Show. This is a shot from one of the booths at the show. Can you guess what booth it was? I thought this was a pretty cool looking motorbike so I snapped the picture. I have one other picture which shows just how many people are at the show. And this was on the last day when it is the lease crowded with people. There are two venues for the show. Next year the show is going to be in San Diego.

One thing I do like about San Francisco is the public transportation. It makes it really nice when flying in to Oakland that you don't have to rent a car. The BART is a great way to get around. I would like to use LA's public transportation more but it makes it hard when it takes an hour longer to get where you are going and then you have to find alternative transportation to get to your final destination. I think these are a couple of reasons why more people don't use public transportation more.

Calico

My son Josiah and I had the opportunity to camp out at Calico this past weekend. We had to pick one of the coldest times in recent memory in Southern California. The overnight temperature was 17 degrees, nice and cold in the Mojave desert. The land was so barren it was amazing. Just a few miles in the canyon areas, they use to bring the moon buggy for practice because there was only rocks and no vegetation.

There was very interesting rock formations around the camp area such as the one above. The rocks were red and turned to orange when there was a sunset. It was very beautiful. If only it wasn't so cold it would have been more enjoyable.

There is also a commercialized ghost town for you to visit with daily gunfights on the weekends.

School Field Trip

My family was able to take a school field trip to the Reagan Library and Museum in Simi Vally last Friday.

Every time I go there is a moving experience, to relive the events of my youth. The turning points of when I was a youth. It still brings tears to my eyes when they show video of his assasination. It was at this time when I started believing in Reagan. This past Friday, I believe I found the root of why it touches me so much. It brougn back to me the assasination of another president when I was much younger, too young to understand, the assasinaition of Presiden Kennedy.

To see so many memories of President Reagan was very moving. I wish we had more time to take a slower tour of the museum.

If you are ever in Simi Valley, it would be worth your time to visit the Reagan Library.

Palm Desert

I spent the last week of December in Palm Desert. It was definitely the right time of the year to be visiting Palm Desert.

I was there to help with the opening of our newest Bristol Farms. It will be opening the first week of January. It is a beautiful store.

Palm Desert is a place I would love to retire when I am older but we will see. I have strong attachments to this area I am living in now.

I was able to take a picture of this hot air balloon on one of the last days I was in Palm Desert. It was the first day we were able to get off while it was still light outside. While I was driving back to the hotel, I noticed a couple of balloons making their descent before the sun set in the horizon. The fire lighting up the balloon was beautifle against the darkening sky. The fire actually lit up the balloon which lightened up balloon for the picture.

I was there the same week President Ford died in a neighboring town, Rancho Mirage. I didn't attend the viewing because I didn't want to wait in a long line.