Jan's and John's Peripatetic Adventure

Hiking to the Market

We're in California, continues...

Get out your broadband, it's going to be a big blog (lots of photos).

Yesterday John suggested we walk to the Marin Farmer's Market at the Civic Center and have lunch. It's many miles but I decided to go because I need to get off my expanding ass and get in shape. Besides, I thought, how hard can it be? It turns out: very hard. But we had a fantastic day and in spite of a couple of unpleasant difficulties (more later) I loved it.

We walked up the road to the top of the mountain and then took the fire road along the ridge because it would be easier to walk on. It was gorgeous. Fairly soon we came up on one of the most amazing views I've ever seen of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge. There you can see San Francisco and the bridge way in the distance. Later on the view shifted to include the Richmond Bridge. Amazing. At the high point on the ridge you can see San Rafael, San Francisco and the Bay Bridge, on the other side Mount Tamalpais and on the other side the Marin Civic Center and lagoon. Incredible.

The road was mostly easy but it was a little rough when walking downhill which is really hard on the knees plus it's easy to slip on gravel or loose dirt. John had two walking sticks because he hikes a lot. I tried them but found them distracting so I gave them back to him and just walked. I will have to learn to use them though because I had a really hard time. But not as hard a time as coming back (keep reading).

At the Market

We arrived at the Civic Center, which is beautiful and had lunch (chicken satay) and since the market was closing we didn't buy anything else. We walked over to the lagoon to sit and rest for a while. There were many very cute ducks in the water and walking around. The wind was too chilly to sit and relax so we decided to head back.

Hiking Home

John suggested going through the San Pedro Mountain Preserve for a change of scene, rather than back the way we came. He warned me that although there is an official mountain trail, it's very rough and the trail stops near our property and then there is no trail and it is complete wilderness. I said sure, sounds great and thought how hard can it be? Very, very, VERY hard. OMFG.

It was beautiful. We walked along a tiny babbling stream. The beginning was pretty easy but got increasingly difficult the further we ventured into the forest. I was only slightly annoyed at the difficulty and was really enjoying the forest. There you can see photos of John walking across the steam and a photo of a triumphant me after a particularly difficult crossing of rocks.

Then the fun began. It was time to head up toward our house. There was no trail. It was scary enough walking along a narrow "trail" with a deep ravine on one side filled with dead trees and who-knows-what that if I fell into it would probably take days to rescue me. I loved the scenery but did not feel safe. Of course, John helped me a lot and tried to get me to use his walking sticks but I stupidly declined, determined to accomplish this challenge.

At that point I realized that I was very tired. Very tired. Plus I had to go to the bathroom. I really wanted to get home. We left the trail and headed up toward the house. It was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I thought climbing the alps was hard! Pffzt! It was slow going but I was determined.

Then I fell.

It wasn't that bad. My feet went out from under me going up a very steep incline. I fell on my ass, scrapped my arm and it hurt and that's basically it. I felt a branch poking me in the back and didn't move until John came and removed it and helped me stand up. Whew, that was scary. And, ouch, my arm hurt. OK, onward. After that I was desperate to get to the house. We went up, up, up and finally arrived at the area where the bench is. I was completely confused. I thought we were headed in the direction of the picnic bench but we weren't. No matter, I was so glad to finally be done climbing. I took a very long shower, washed and medicated my scrape and promised myself that I would not do that hike again. Today I ache all over and have several bruises. I really need to get back into shape and plan to do more hiking on the mountain. But not that hike!

A Visit with Clyde

After the hike from hell I only had an hour to recover because we had an appointment to go over to our old house to do a walk through with the new owner. I didn't really have to go but I wanted to meet the new owner and, more importantly, I wanted to see Clyde. While John explained the heating system to the new owner I went out to the garden and called for Clyde. He came out of the bushes and it was a joyous reunion. I miss him so much! I scratched his head and he rolled around on the ground doing his cute little routine. Sigh. The new owners have cats so I don't think Clyde is going to be hanging out in the garden like he did when I lived there. Poor little guy. But he looks happy. It was amazing to be able to see him one last time although I'm pretty upset about missing him.

Then we went over to our friends Cindy and Victor's house for a yummy home-cooked meal and a great evening. There was most definitely lots of champagne. I love seeing our peeps when we're in California. They have a spectacular view of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge which was a lovely finish to a stressful but exciting day.

Are you done yet?

We're in California, continues...

Last night we had dinner with our friends Leyla and Stephen. Since we've only been living in Marin a few months we're enjoying exploring the restaurants and are looking forward to adding some to our list.

We ate at Picco in Larkspur. Yet another share-small-plates style restaurant. I'm not a good food sharer. I grew up with brothers, who ate everything in sight 24/7, so when my food arrives in front of me I have a territorial reaction like "that's mine, back off!" But after years of therapy and after enough champagne, I'm now able to join in the sharing small plates experience.

The food was excellent, particularly the risotto. Even though I have gained weight since we got back to California, I had dessert. We all had dessert. Except, John, he shared ours. "That's mine, back off!" Oh wait, we're sharing. Ok. My vanilla pots de creme was boring. It was like crème brûlée without the brûlée. The other desserts were incredible. The little glasses of chocolate malt shake were astonishing and evil.

We loved the restaurant but they did make us feel rushed. The food came very quickly, which is excellent. But they kept wanting to take the plates away before we were finished. Then the waitress brought the check and asked if we wanted a box to take the remaining chocolate-filled madeleine with us. We have never experienced such an obvious invitation to leave. But we enjoyed the food tremendously and will definitely give it another try.

It goes without saying how much we enjoyed hanging out with Leyla and Stephen. They are really fab.

Walking in the Rain

We're in California, continues...

Yesterday I heard the turkeys in the forest but they did not venture near the house. Perhaps they saw my homage to them and are annoyed '-)

More likely, the construction in the area near the house has scared them off. The contractors have been removing dead wood from the forest. There were dozens of tree stumps from dead trees that either fell or were removed over the years. It made walking through the forest difficult, possibly hazardous. They only cleared the immediate area behind the house and left the wilderness beyond as wild and gorgeous as nature has made it.

John was out yesterday doing errands so I decided to take a walk through the forest. Although the day started out sunny, by afternoon it was grey and chilly. I put on one of my warmer jackets and just as I left the house it started to rain. I went back into the house but then thought, "Why not?" So what if my hair gets frizzy, I'm not trying to impress anyone. So I went back out for my stroll. Sans umbrella! (Yes, I've gotten very brave since moving to the mountain.)

It was fabulous! Actually once you get past the open area where the pool is the forest canopy keeps most of the rain off your head. The forest looks a little bare right now compared to before but nature will fill it in with lovely stuff and now we can actually walk through the forest without twisting our ankles on hidden roots and tree trunks.

Even though Spring hasn't really started yet, many things are in bloom. I especially love all the different colors some of which are the greenest green I've ever seen. Colors that I thought were silly and unrealistic in my childhood Crayola crayons turn out to exist in nature. Who knew? Not me, anyway. But I know now and am enjoying the endorphins I get from my forest excursions.

Now that the forest excavation is finished maybe the turkeys will make an appearance. Gobble gobble gobble!!!

Bliss Overload

We're in California, continues...

Yesterday there was no sign of the turkeys. Hmmm...

We've been back in California for a week and I am in a state of total bliss from the beauty. The skies are amazing. It's a little too chilly yet to spend much time sitting outside but whenever I go out I'm stunned by the garden. There are bushes that look like tribbles, lol.

Our amazing contractors have been concentrating on upgrading the cabin. The new door and windows look great, with the new door matching the new doors for our house.

Turkey Dating

We're in California, continues...

Yesterday the turkeys spent the day apart. The male turkey was out back in the forest, the gurl turkey was on the hill in the front of the house. Maybe she's playing hard to get. Hmmm...

Dinner and Geek Love

We're in California, continues...

After our cuisine question in London, eating out every night for 7 weeks, we've been eating in since we got back to California. I gained 8 pounds in London (shreeek) and am hoping to lose it here on the mountain. Except I've gained two more (wtf) so I'm approaching diet crisis mode (apples and sparking water).

But we missed our friends while we were away so we will still be going out to our favorite California restaurants. Last night we had dinner with David and Hanneke at Fonda. Dinner was amazing, as always, and it was great seeing David and Hanneke who are fabulous and hilarious.

Of course, I always inflict my camera-for-the-blog on our friends and David and Hanneke kindly tolerate me. (Not everyone does; we have friends whose photos do not appear on the blog. Yea, shocking, I know.) David had his camera too so we ended up taking photos of each other taking photos of each other. LOL!

Geek Love

Wesley Crusher loves us! I'm verklempt!

When we got home from dinner we discovered that Wil Wheaton had talked about his love of Magnatune on his blog. He is one of the coolest guys on the planet and we've been fans for many, many years, particularly when he was Wesley Crusher in my favorite tv show ever, Star Trek: The Next Generation. We also enjoy his books and blog, so for Magnatune to be admired by him is one of the best compliments ever. Thanks, Wil!

The Demure Turkey

We're in Calfornia, continues...

This morning the female turkey got surprisingly close to the house, right outside the bedroom. I went out on the deck and she moved away but then came back so I got some nice photos. She made a delicate little chirping sound as she pecked the ground so I assume the females don't make that loud gobble-gobble noise. The male turkey was over by the pool making his loud, astonishing racket and every now and then the female perked up her head. I'm sure she was thinking, "Does he really think that noise is attractive? Sigh. I hate dating."

A little bit later the male turkey found his way over and puffed himself up and I finally got some photos of him. Spectacular! They take turns following each other around: she pecks the ground and he follows. He walks up the hill puffing himself up and she follows. Turkey dating sure is complicated. All this pecking and puffing has been going on for days. I'm sure they're both thinking, "Enough already. Let's get this show on the road!"

John and I just love seeing the turkeys walking around the yard. It's part of the magic of living on the mountain. And speaking of magic, last night we had another gorgeous sky.

More Music, More Turkeys

We're in California, continues...

I spent all day yesterday transferring some of my old music from cassette to my computer. After releasing Immortal I'm really inspired to release more music. Although it's not in the Magnatune Top 10 anymore (wah!) I was happy to see it is still in the Top 50 at Number 27 and my other album Delirious is at Number 30.

And I'm VERY excited to see Kirsty's amazing album The Ice Castle is back to Number 1! Yay!

Spending the day with my very old music is a serious emotional experience. I'm amazed those old cassettes from the early 80's still work. I transferred them using GarageBand because I wanted a quick and easy way to get all the music onto my computer so I can familiarize myself with it and decide which tracks will get released and which won't. Then I'll transfer the open reel master tapes onto my computer in high quality and John and I will remaster them the way we did for Immortal a few months ago.

While I was working the turkeys made their way across the hill in front of the house right outside my window. I saw the male do his classic puff up his body to twice its size and spread his feathers like a peacock. He ran away before I had a chance to take a photo of him, darnit. It was spectacular. Hilarious!

Wild Life

We're in California, continues...

I have always been a city-dweller and not especially a fan of the outdoors, although that is changing. I especially love seeing the local deer. Yesterday morning there was a flurry of birds in front of my window and I got a photo of one of them on a tree branch. They were a lovely yellow which I have never seen before. The city-dweller in me sees birds as pests but yesterday I was enchanted by these yellow whatever-they-were.

I am happy living in the house on the mountain but the forest scares me. I love looking at it but I'm not comfortable walking in it. I do not like hearing scurrying sounds in front of and behind me as I walk. But yesterday I discovered I really enjoyed being in the forest. Seriously, it was an amazing moment. I did hear scurrying but decided they were scurrying away from me (whatever they were) so they were more afraid of me than I was of them which actually made me feel a little sad. I photographed two lizards sitting on a tree trunk. There are many of these lizards around, usually hanging out on tree trunks.

So what provoked this excursion into the forest which I am not naturally inclined to explore? Yesterday I was organizing around the house and I heard a strange sound outside. Then it got closer. And louder. Turkeys!

I grabbed my camera and ran outside. There were two of them in the forest beyond the pool. They make quite a sound. It really does sound like gobble-gobble-gobble, only very loud. When they saw me they immediately started running so it was difficult to get a photo of them. You can see them blurred, a little spot of red hiding in the forest bramble. When they weren't making their impressive noise, I could hear the crunch of their footsteps in the dry leaves. I wanted them to come closer so I could take better photos but as soon as they sensed me they ran. I shouted to them, "But I don't even like Thanksgiving!" Didn't work.

UPDATE:

While I was writing this blog this morning I looked out my window and saw this:

I love the forest.

Flower Power

We're in California, continues...

Yesterday afternoon (evening London time) Kirsty had a party at her club in Second Life. I miss her when I'm in California and Second Life is one of the ways we keep in touch. Her parties are fabulous and I always look forward to them.

The theme this time was "Flower Power" to celebrate Fine Day 2008, her gorgeous new remake of her classic hit record from 1992.

It was one of her best parties yet. I really loved all the colors and everyone wore colorful outfits for the theme. I wore a kind of Sgt. Pepper style dress with flowered tights and pink lace-up boots and a daisy in my hair. LOL!

As always, the music was fabulous, Kirsty always has great DJ's at her parties. She also put some 'different' animations in the dance floor so in addition to dancing, everyone started floating in the air in unison. It was hilarious and great fun.

Hugs, Kirsty! Miss u!

Pool Preview

We're in California, continues...

I woke up yesterday and was stunned by the beauty around me. I can't believe I live here! The garden is blooming, the sun is shining, I love it.

We decided to open the cover on the pool to try to warm up the water but also just because it looks pretty. John carried two chairs down from the deck and we sat by the pool for a while. Lovely.

Dusky Arrival

We're in California, continues...

It is so fab to be back in the house on the mountain!

Yesterday's flight from London was one of the easiest ever. Although there was an hour and half delay at Heathrow, at least they had us wait in the Clubhouse instead of on the plane which has happened in the past. We found the quietest spot in the Clubhouse, which is sadly not designed for quiet, so the time passed quickly.

It was one of the quietest flights I've ever been on. The other passengers in the upper deck were totally silent; it was complete bliss. John and I watched a couple films. He enjoyed Sleuth, as did I except I didn't get to see the ending because the plane landed (this happens to me a lot). I also watched Enchanted which was completely hilarious and adorable. We also slept a lot which is why we were probably able to sleep most of last night and not get up until 6 this morning.

Of course, a gorgeous view was awaiting us when we got home late yesterday afternoon.

The Hallelujah! & Farewell

This morning we're in London, this afternoon we're in California...

Two nights in a row of Laurence! Pinch me.

Last night we went to the debut of our friend Laurence Cummings at the Royal Festival Hall! He conducted The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and English Singers performing Handel's Messiah.

I adore Laurence and to see him conducting in such an historic venue was really exciting. Even though I've heard the music a zillion times it's still beautiful and last night's performance was stunning. Completely gorgeous. Afterward we rushed backstage for hugs and photos. It was the perfect final evening to yet another fabulous stay in London.

This morning we are flying back to California for a couple months. We had an amazing time in London, as always, and will miss our London friends. But we're also excited to return to the new house and to see our California friends. We're expecting to be very relaxed and bored in California, which is the point. I guess I'll be back to blogging sunsets again '-)

The Foundling Recital

We're in London for a couple more days, continues...

Last night John, me and Mary went to a recital at The Foundling Museum by our friend Laurence Cummings on harpsichord and soprano Ana-Maria Rincon. We go to Laurence's concerts whenever we can. He is so busy!

The Foundling Museum is gorgeous and a really nice setting for a concert. It was packed and we ran into Claire and some other friends which was very enjoyable. (Claire is again going to take care my harpsichord while we are in California. Thank you, Claire!)

The concert was beautiful. Laurence played several gorgeous solo harpsichord pieces by Handel and Couperin. As often happens, the encore was my favorite. Laurence sang a duet with Anna-Maria and it was stunning. I love it when he sings.

Afterward, the performers and friends joined us for prosecco and antipasta at Carluccio's. Yummy! It was a wonderful evening of lovely music and fabulous friends.

Drunk in Soho

We're in London for a couple more days, continues...

We've been booking our favorite restaurants as our visit to London this time concludes. Dinner on Saturday night was Moti Mahal. Dinner last night was Patara. They were both fabulous.

John and I had our final meal together today: lunch at The Red Fort. Exquisite. We decided to have the works. Starters, mains, naan and a bottle of Bollinger. Wow! As you can see in the photos I have put on a few pounds from all the opulent meals we've been having. When we get back to California I will be on apples and sparkling water until further notice.

Of course, a bottle of Bollinger at lunch can have only one result '-) I just sit there and smile for the camera; my face does not move, I just sit and smile. On the other hand, John makes funny faces which really cracks me up. I decided to include all the photos of him because I think they are hilarious.

Sigh. We had so many incredible meals in London this time. Truly amazing.

Renaissance Sunday

We're in London for a couple more days, continues...

Yesterday, John and our friends Frances and David, went to see a concert by Magnatune artists Pantagruel.

They perform in period costume and move around the stage and interact, which is very unusual. John said they were outstanding, as always. Fabulous!

Random in Fitzrovia

We're in London for a few more days, continues...

When we were walking to and from dinner in Fitzrovia on Friday night, I took a few photos and here they are.

I have never walked so close to the BT Tower and had fun taking photos from various distances and angles. Fitzrovia is a very quiet, walkable area which is surprising considering it's Central London. After dinner it's a lovely, quiet walk. We enjoy looking in the shop windows as we walk past. The display with little bunnies was really cute.

The idea of a shoe store called "sniff" (note the small "s") cracks me up. Also what totally cracked me up was the two gurls out for a night on the town near Soho Square. The photo is blurry because I took it as I was walking past, trying to be discrete. The outfit with the bare back and chains is quite something. I wonder what it feels like sitting in a chair?

Affordable Fugly Fun & Vanilla

We're in London for a few more days, continues...

Yesterday we went on an excursion with our friend Jayme to the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea.

We took the tube to Knightsbridge and then walked to Sloane Square and there discovered that the line for the shuttle buses to Battersea Park stretched around the block. So we decided to walk. Walk! It was a long but wonderful walk across the bridge to Battersea. The weather was gorgeous and amazingly warm. I took some great photos of the views from the bridge which included the best view of the famous Battersea Power Station I've had yet. So cool.

We arrived at Battersea Park and made our way to the art fair. It was huge and completely packed. John had bought art at the fair back in October but this time we didn't really see anything we felt we just had to have. It was mostly pretty fugly, if not totally ridiculous. There were a few gorgeous pieces which made going very worthwhile.

Then we took a cab to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Amaya. It was perfection and we ate way too much. Such a fun afternoon!

Vanilla

Last night John and I went to another restaurant in our ongoing cuisine quest for fabulous restaurants.

We have another winner! Vanilla.

It has everything we've been looking for: beautiful, fun, ambience. Exquisite, inventive, cuisine. Diligent but not intrusive service. It was perfection. The two waitstaff were actually delightful, with a sense of humor (a rarity in waitstaff). My favorite was when the waitress delivered my starter which was a clay-encrusted violet potato. Also on the plate was a hot, fragrant stone and because the potato was covered in clay it looked pretty much like the stone. The waitress informed me which was which and "do not try to eat the stone." Love it. It was one of the most amazing potatoes I've ever eaten in my life.

They were discretely diligent about keeping our glasses filled with champagne (Gosset 1995) without us having to prompt them. Perfect. For mains John had the pork and I had the lamb. Astonishing. The portions were nicely small for a change and everything was a level of exquisite that we rarely see.

The menu was fairly small but the choices were very appealing. Since it was a set menu of three courses (they had a five course version too), we had dessert. Again. No sticky toffee pudding this time. John had the chocolate fondant and I had the basmati ice cream. OMFG. Yea, amazing.

We're very excited to have found Vanilla and are definitely putting it on our list.

A Fine Night

We're in London for a few more days, continues...

Yesterday afternoon Kirsty came into London because we were going out in the evening to meet a special friend. First we went to the bar at Covent Garden Hotel, yes again and it was fabulous. We really love that place.

Then we walked over to The Corner Store to meet friends. I don't know anything about the pubs and bars in the area that aren't posh and we needed an inexpensive and casual place to hang out with a group of people. I chose The Corner Store as the meeting place because it seemed less like a pub. It was pretty nice, the service was good and it was as noisy and packed as a pub but not a pub.

Right after Kirsty and I got there Kinky Roland arrived. He has done an amazing version of Kirsty's new remake of "Fine Day" which is doing really well in the charts. (She's so fabulous!) Kinky Roland was really nice and I'm so happy to have met him.

Then the next person in our evening party walked in: Mark Loverush! OMFG! The three of us (Kirsty, Mark and me) hang out in Second Life together, often joined by other friends as well. His label, Loverush UK!, has released several of Kirsty's songs so I was very excited to meet him at last. Mark is awesome; I adore him. We have such a hilarious time together in Second Life and it was amazing to hang out now in Real Life too. Hugs, Mark! Shortly after that Gina, visiting from the U.S., arrived making the group even more fun.

I left them at the bar because John had booked another restaurant in our ongoing cuisine quest. So I walked a few blocks over to Tamarai. It was fabulous. One of the first things I noticed was that the music was at a pleasant volume instead of way too loud like many restaurants. And it was good music. The restaurant is also a night club so it's quite spacious and spread out inside and very attractive. I found John waiting at the bar so he got me a glass of champagne and they seated us at our table. Gorgeous. The food was exquisite Pan Asian. We loved it. Yay, another restaurant to add to our list. And it's local which makes it even better.

After dinner we went back to The Corner Store to see if Mark and Kirsty were still there and they were! So John got to meet Mark too, yay. I feel so lucky to have such fun friends.

On the walk back home we passed the Royal Opera House and I took the photo below because I thought it was a really beautiful angle. What an amazing evening. An evening that could only have happened in London.