Margaret, Ginger and Me

What began as a dog-sitting gig turned into dog ownership more than nine years ago.


I couldn't commit to such a responsibility, so Margaret became Gin's official owner. When Margaret got engaged, I argued that if she got the husband, I should at least get the dog.

Mountain Winery

The Mountain Winery in Saratoga is my favorite concert venue in the Bay Area.


Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson are playing next week and I really think I'd enjoy it. But now that I don't have a car, out-of-town decisions are made MUCH more carefully. Ticket, ZipCar, parking, food, wine. It all adds up.

Flower Stand

Near Union Square, there are many flower stands. This is somewhat surprising to me, but, apparently, tourists DO buy flowers. Anyway, I've found the best stand with the freshest flowers and the friendliest people.


Admittedly, I also like them because they give me free stuff - like this rose. Did you know all roses are edible? Good to know in case the food sucks at the next wedding you attend.

It's Cherry Season!

I could not resist the allure of freshly picked cherries at the farmer's market yesterday.


Who knew my olive pitter doubled as a cherry pitter? This ingenious device saved a lot of time ... and mess.


The berries (are cherries berries?) coated with sugar and a bit of flour.


The finished crumble or crisp or buckle - whatever you want to call it. I used this recipe, incorporating Hensen22's suggestions on the comments page and reducing the sugar to 1 cup.

Hotel Bars

So, I got stuck in Asheville, NC earlier this week. Long story.


Anyway, I spent the night at the Clarion Inn. Jet-lagged and too tired to sleep, I headed down to The Hangar, the hotel bar. Imagine my surprise when I encountered the best karaoke EVER! The locals (I think I was the only hotel guest in the bar.) sang mostly country songs, but WOW!

Asheville, NC

The Grove Arcade in Asheville, NC was one of the country's first indoor shopping malls. It also houses Carmel's, a bar/restaurant where my colleagues and I celebrated a productive day of meetings.

Le Zinc

Linda and I enjoyed a very pleasant brunch at Le Zinc in Noe Valley yesterday. Unfortunately, it was too chilly to sit on the back patio.


I had something called a vegetable brik. It was several layers of philo dough stuffed with red peppers, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. Yum!