EOS

Georgia and I celebrated Friday -- the end of a week and the beginning of a long weekend -- at EOS. We had the ahi tartare tower, beans and tofu and mushroom dumplings that were simply to die for.

Dogs in the 'Hood

One great thing about being a dog owner is that you are instant friends with all your neighbors who are also dog owners. Rita is one such neighbor. She always has time to stop, chat, lend me a book, give Gin a treat. I saw this memorial in the Fuchsia Dell this morning. Cody was a real sweetie. He lost a leg to cancer more than a year ago and wore a "Live Strong" collar. He died on Monday.

Outside Lands Festival

The worst concert experience of my life ever -- bar none. Officially, 40,000 people jammed into Golden Gate Park for the first-ever nighttime concert in the park. Beck sucks. The sound sucked. Radiohead, I think, was tremendous. I'm not sure as Georgia and I left after 15 minutes because we simply could not handle the throngs of people. Are we getting too old for this sort of thing? More likely, the concert promoters got greedy and refused to set a cap on the number of tickets sold.

What we saw of Radiohead:

Franklin Square Bar and Grill

Yep. It's true. I went out in Oakland. My co-workers took me to this lovely wine bar because it was my last day at work.



The cheese platter and olives were phenomenal. The "East Bay" wine flight -- not good.

Cleo

I can hardly believe it's been two years since Cleo died. I still miss her, but Arthur -- as different as he is from Miss Cleo -- has been a welcome addition to the household. He doesn't eat tortilla chips, drink out of the toilet or play rough, but he does love a good belly rub, being brushed and snuggling -- things Cleo would NEVER tolerate.

Mario's

I searched in vain for sun yesterday. I thought North Beach would be a sure thing, but, alas, I was wrong. I ended up spending a couple hours eating, drinking and knitting at one of my favorite spots -- Mario's Bohemian Cigar Store and Cafe.

Dog Story

Yesterday, I met a man whose golden Retriever had lived to 17! I love hearing stories like these as Gin is 13.

Pres a Vi

Georgia and I checked out a beautiful new place in the Presidio called Pres a Vi last night. We decided it would be a great place to bring our parents. Check out photos here.

They have an incredible wine cellar and serve flights of wine so you can taste new things. I tried the "racy Italian whites." Yum. The ahi tartare was fantastic.

Pasta Gina

I routinely walk by this pasta shop in Noe Valley, but I never went in until this week. I bought homemade porcini mushroom ravioli, garlic marinara sauce, olives, bread and wine. The pasta was incredible and prices were reasonable ($50) as I was able to provide dinner for three people plus leftovers!

Tiburon Weekend

Thanks to Heidi and Alan, Georgia and were able to pretend we were Marinites (is that a word?) this weekend.


See the fog bank off in the distance? That's San Francisco.


We "swam."

We grilled.

And Rennie and Henry kept each other entertained.

New Hobby

I'm somewhat reluctant to admit it, but I've found a new hobby -- knitting. I decided I needed something to do with my hands that didn't involve eating or drinking. I bought some beautiful, soft yarn at Imagiknit (clever, no?) and started this on Saturday. After pulling it apart completely more times than I'd care to admit, I think it's looking pretty darn good.

Homemade Pickles - Part Two

I'm proud to report the pickles are fantastic! In fact, they're the closest thing to Grandma's pickles I think I've ever tasted.


Here's the recipe I used. Because I like a really potent pickle, for my next batch, I'll increase the salt, garlic and peppercorns.

Ingredients:
6 cups water
1/4 cup kosher salt (use only kosher salt!)
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 lbs small cucumbers, thoroughly scrubbed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
6-8 coarsely chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorn

Directions:
1. Combine the water, salt and vinegar in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
3. Pack the cucumbers and the remaining ingredients in a 2-quart (2 litre) glass jar, and pour brine (water/vinegar mixture) over them, covering the cucumbers completely.
4. Store, covered in the the refrigerator.
5. The pickles will be ready in 4-5 days, and will keep refrigerated for weeks.
6. **NOTE** since the peel is eaten on these pickles, make certain to wash and scrub the outside of the cucumbers well to remove any dirt. I used a toothbrush to scrub the outsides.

China Camp

Linda and I went for a short hike at China Camp State Park on Sunday. Then we enjoyed scrumptious sandwiches from Bi-Rite. Yum.

Chihuly's Glass

I went to this exhibition on Friday. It was pretty incredible. Apparently, it's Chihuly's largest-ever museum installation.