Month: April 2011

  • Wednesday, April 20, 2011

    Wednesday the wet weather returned to the Bay Area although we didn't see a huge amount of rain out of it.  I came down Market into work and made it home for lunch.  Both trips in the office miraculously preceeded downpours by minutes.  After work I went and visited with with Mr. Chris for a while before heading home.  My ride back to the Castro was a fucking nightmare.  Obama's in town and traffic was crazy and there was gridlock and people driving cars were getting impatient and doing ridiculous, stupid, dangerous things.  It was terrifying.  I finally made it home and Mr. Poe had dinner ready.  I was in a baking mood after dinner so I made a modified version of the Joy of Cooking classic Blitzkuchen-- which despite the name doesn't involve invading Poland. 

    Bike Mileage:

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

    Today 15.1
    Week to date 50.3
    Month to date 738.3
    Year to date 2,162.4
    To Goal 5,837.6
    Over (Under) plan (248.6)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,018.0)
    Rolling Year 7,235.7
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,667.9
  • Tuesday, April 19, 2011

    Wednesday weather was dry but otherwise all over the place.  It was sunny when I went home for lunch and although clouds and fog had rolled in by the end of the day, thankfully it wasn't miserable.  I headed off 2nd to Howard to 11th to Harrison to 24th I stopped at South Van Ness for pics of these pretty Victorians.  You don't see a whole lot of buildings like this in San Francisco anymore because most have them have been hoisted up to accommodate garages:

    This beautiful Mural is at 24th and South Van Ness.  It's fabulous but in need of a little freshnin'.  But who isn't these days?

    These pretty murals are on 24th at Capp The lot is oddly shaped because once upon a time there were train tracks that went through the Mission  and there are all these oddly shaped lots remaining since it came out.  My favorite Mission murals are the Precita Eyes ones, of course, but a close second are the grafitti/Aztec inspired ones.  Love:

    I continued on 24th to Valencia to Tiffany to 29th to San Jose to Monterey into Santa Clara to Portola to Claremont to Dewey to Laguna Honda into 7th to Kirkham to Funston and stopped for some pics of pretty St. Anne's of the Sunset.  This is a 1931 structure that replaced a building that replaced a building that was destroyed in the earthquake.  Although my favorite church in San Francisco is pretty St. Cecilia's on Vicente, I think this is my second favorite.  I love the Romanesque style and the amazing plasterwork all over the facade.  It's incredible:

    I continued on Funston to Irving to 9th and into Golden Gate Park.  I headed through the Music Concourse and then made my way over to the Rose Garden which is starting to come into bloom.  I think it's going to be another month before it's spectacular, but it's lovely right now:

    I took Funston to Cabrillo to Arguello to Turk to Central to McAllister.  This gorgeous Victorian is at McAllister and Baker:

    Wonderful detail:

    I took McAllister to Scott to Duboce to Castro to 17th to Ord and home for dinner.  Mr. Poe was having dinner with a friend in the east bay so I had to feed both the dogs and myself.  After dinner we went for a long walk and then I cleaned up the house and waited for him to get home. 

    Bike Mileage:

                              
    Today 28.2
    Week to date 35.2
    Month to date 723.2
    Year to date 2,147.3
    To Goal 5,852.7
    Over (Under) plan (241.7)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,007.2)
    Rolling Year 7,248.1
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,652.8
  • Tuesday, April 19, 2011

    I slept very well Monday night and woke up early and felt terrific.  I managed to get out of the house a few minutes early and didn't take the most direct way into work.  I rode 17th to Eureka to 18th to Valencia to 17th to De Haro to 16th to Terry Francois.  I stopped at Bayfront Park for pics.  This is the view looking over the ruined pier towards Oakland:

    Me:

    I continued on Terry Francois and stopped at China Basin Park.  This is the Bay Bridge rising from behind the Willie Mays statue:

    I continued on Terry Francois to 3rd.  This is the view looking up 3rd from King:

    I took 3rd to Townsend to 2nd to Market to Sansome and into work.  It's supposed to dry out today and be gorgeous.  Here's hoping.

  • Monday, April 18, 2011

    Monday started off soggy and got progressively wetter as the day went on.  I came down Market into work and then home at the end of the day but I took Muni home for lunch.  I felt pretty good when I got up, but the 200 miles of riding I put in over the weekend caught up with me mid day and I wasn't sure if I was just stiff or if it was the onset of rigor mortis.  Thankfully, it seems to have been the former.  I got a few pics coming up Market at the end of the day.

    The Phelan Building at Grant and Market:

    Me:

    Mr. Poe had good BART karma and got home around the same time I did.  Here he is with his prize winnin' wisteria.  Hello gorgeous!:

    We had dinner and went to bed early.  Thankfully.

    Bike Mileage:

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

    Today 7.0
    Week to date 7.0
    Month to date 695.0
    Year to date 2,119.1
    To Goal 5,880.9
    Over (Under) plan (248.0)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (8,007.9)
    Rolling Year 7,308.1
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,624.6
  • Sunday, April 17, 2011

    Sunday was my Lifecycle training ride.  We headed out to Point Reyes Station and we had to have a 6AM meet time again because they were having yet another foot race across the Golden Gate Bridge.  I never managed to get the tire on my Cannondale changed so I was on my Trek again which was fine with me.  It isn't as fast of a bike but the all carbon frame is a lot more shock absorbent and more comfortable.  I remembered my wallet this time which was very fortunate because Buz and I had had burritos at Whale of a Deli in Point Reyes Station.  We had to wait about 20 minutes for them to make them because we got there before they were set up for lunch but it was totally worth it.  Things taste better when you've been riding all day and you're starving but I'm pretty sure that, in fact, their burritos are fucking amazing.  Delicious spiced rice and pinto beans with chunks of acocado in them instead of guacamole which gives them big points over the sad by comparison offerings at Grilly's in Fairfax.  Their hot salsa is very hot--  perhaps too hot--  and reminded me a little of Santa Fe the way you feel cheated if you aren't sweating by the end of the meal.  I thought our riders did really well on a long day and it's very, very gratifying to see the amazing progress that some of them are making.  Some of the slowest riders didn't show this week which is going to put them even further behind.  The weather was foggy and a little drizzly until we got back to Fairfax at the end of the day.  At least it didn't rain.

    Sunrise behind Angel Island from Sausalito:

    Riders starting up Olema Hill:

    Alvin, aone half of our incredible Sag vehicle:

    Pictures from Nicasio:

    buz and Jenn--

    I got home a little before 5:00.  Very long day.  Mr. Poe's prize winnin' wisteria is unbelievably beautiful this year. Every day is better and better.  I think it's almost done, thought.  Sigh.  Nothing lasts forever:

    I had dinner and got cleaned up.  Mr. Poe is STILL bitching about me leaving him at Embaracero but I think what he's really pissed about is me making him buy dinner because he was late.

    Bike Mileage:

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

    Today 81.7
    Week to date 294.5
    Month to date 688.0
    Year to date 2,112.1
    To Goal 5,887.9
    Over (Under) plan (233.1)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,926.7)
    Rolling Year 7,369.0
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,617.6
  • Saturday, April 16, 2011

    Friday as promised I stayed off the bike entirely.  I came down on Muni in the morning and had burrito for lunch.  The plan was to meet Mr. Poe at the Embarcadero muni station and we were going to Osaka Sushi in the Castro to hit their ridiculously inexpensive bar menu where we'd be joined by our friend Nathan and we'd have dinner.  I was hoping that Mr. Poe would be rolling into San Francisco around 4:45 and I had indicated to him very strongly that he needed to leave work promptly because I had an early day Saturday.  It's very hard to plan any kind of evening out around during training season and I'm OK keeping early bird dinner hours like a seventy year old.  4:30 rolled around and I still hadn't heard from Mr. Poe so I called.  "BART's having a meltdown" was his response.  Not amused.  I waited at work until he got to West Oakland and he finally called about 5:15 so I made it down to Embarcadero Muni.  Where I had another message waiting for me that BART was stalled at West Oakland.  At this point I was pissed off.  No, I don't blame him for BART being a shit show but I still blame him being late because he should have left much earlier and he can't claim that it's all BART's fault when BART's a mess all the time and he should have realized he was going to have trouble getting home and planned accordingly.  I thought about just going home but I'd been looking forward to Osaka Sushi and in addition we were supposed to meet Nathan and Mr. Poe was so late at this point that I couldn't wait for him any longer because Nathan was going to be at the restaurant.  And since I'm an AT&T customer and their service sucks ass I had no way of communicating this to Mr. Poe until after I was out of the subway.  So I headed up to the Castro and made my way to the restaurant and he was calling and was finally at Embarcadero and where was I.  I told him he was an hour late and I was already at the restaurant.  He finally showed up as did Nathan and somehow in Mr. Poe's head it seems that this is all my fault because I'm the master of both the BART trains and AT&T's coverage.  I wasn't buying it at all.  It was totally a diversionary tantrum so that he didn't have to admit that he shouldn't have left so late and that he had nobody but himself to blame.  So I made him pay for dinner and it wasn't cheap.  Never keep a lady waiting.

    Saturday I led a Different Spokes ride out to Tomales.  I noticed a flat tire on my Cannondale when I went to leave and I didn't have time to change it so I rode my Trek which is also a pretty awesome bike so no complaints about that.  I rode with my friend Larry and we were joined by his coworker Will when we got to Fairdax.  I didn't take a whole lot of pictures because we were moving at a pretty good clip and I didn't want to stop.  My beer and fried food dinner from the night before left me well fortified for the day.  Which is good because I forgot my wallet-- Larry and his friend Will bought me a couple of sodas but I stuck to the food that I brought which was Kashi cereal and granola bars.  I would have to done that anyway because vegan lunch choices are pretty weak in Tomales althought the two restaurants there have lots of choices for everybody else and are highly recommended.  The weather was fantastic-- very foggy in the San Francisco and patchy fog on Bolinas Bay but otherwise warm and sunny and gorgeous:

    Pics from the 1 on Bolinas Bay.  Will:

    Larry:

    They were shooting a commercial or something and traffic was stopped on our way up Bolinas Bay.  I had Larry hold my purse.  No reason:

    We stopped in Tomales and ran into my friend Emily who was doing a shorter version of the route we were on except in the opposite direction.  I've done the Tomales day twice  going counter clockwise and it's awful.  Horrible headwinds all the way up Chileno Valley that don't quit until a few miles north of Marshall.  It's awful.  Taking the route clockwise gives you mostly tailwinds and is pretty fabulous.  We stopped in Chileno Valley for pics.  We've had so much rain this year it's much greener and prettier than I'm used to:

    I can report that Wilson Hill going from North to South is perhaps the toughest hill in Marin that isn't attached to Mount Tam.  I was super happy I was on a bike with a triple as I inched my way to the top.  We ran into the Lifecycle training ride at the Cheese Factory and saw riders the rest of the way home.  I got home about 5:30 and Mr. Poe fed my an enormous dinner.  We went to bed early.  I was beat.

    Bike Mileage:

                              
    Today 118.5
    Week to date 212.8
    Month to date 606.3
    Year to date 2,030.4
    To Goal 5,969.6
    Over (Under) plan (292.9)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,940.5)
    Rolling Year 7,324.6
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,535.9
  • Thursday, April 14, 2011

    Thursday I heard the sad news that both One Life to Live and All My Children had been canceled by ABC.  I watched a lot of soaps when I was in high school and college but stopped watching them when I started working.  I'd catch a few minutes of them now and then and I might watch a whole episode if I was home sick as the plots moved so slowly that you never seemed to miss much and the action on the screen was shot in such a way that it never upset an already queasy stomach.  Back in the spring of 2009 when I was stuck at home after my knee surgery for two months I watched them religiously and found them riviting.  Likely, this was related to the morphine they had me on for pain.  I remember 2:55 rolling around and thinking to myself "How can Days of Our Lives be over ALREADY??"  Note:  you need to taper off the meds when you're thinking things like that.  I don't know that in the big scheme things the loss of these two shows will affect me at all but I'll certainly miss them.  I've been watching Vicki go crazy on One Life to Live for almost thirty years.  I hope they send her on one last bender before she heads off into the sunset.

    I got a pic of Mr. Poe's prize winnin' Wisteria as I was heading out to work.  It's servin' it up like the rent is due tomorrow!  Both Tyra and Rupaul would be impressed:

    I headed home for lunch and then went for a nice ride after work.  I headed off 2nd to Howard to 11th to Bryant to Maricopa to Hampshire.  I saw this pretty mural on Hampshire at 20th.  It isn't the most sophisticated mural in the Mission and I don't know that I needed any detail shots but I liked the vibrant style of the funky, amazon themed piece and have no complaints about it:

    I continued on Hampshire to 26th.  This house is on 26th between Hampshire and York and was almost certainly at one point part of a much larger property than it is today.  I love the pretty detailing and it's been kept up well.  Likey:

    I continued on 26th to Shotwell where I saw a bunch of nice houses so I turned down.  This first one is Tudorlicious:

    Check out this fantastic entrance:

    This Victorian home is a couple doors down.  It's much, much older (1870-1880's??) and has been fabulously painted:

    I continued on Shotwell to 25th and saw this fantastic graffiti-Aztec mural right after Mission:

    I continued on 25th to Valencia to Tiffany to 29th to San Jose to Monterey to Ridgewood to Flood to Hazelwood to Greenwood to Plymouth to Wildwood to Faxon to Holloway to Lake Merced to Middlefield to Ocean to Clearfield into 34th to Yorba to Crestlake to Wawona to 30th to Vicente to 16th.  This is the view looking west from 16th and Ulloa.  Perfect:

    I continued on 16th to Taravel to Merced to Hernandez to Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner.  I walked the dogs after dinner and we all went to bed.  Ashley Jr. marched up the stairs all by himself without encouragement.  That's my boy!

    Bike Mileage:

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

    Today 26.5
    Week to date 94.3
    Month to date 487.8
    Year to date 1,911.9
    To Goal 6,088.1
    Over (Under) plan (367.6)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,991.5)
    Rolling Year 7,264.9
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,417.4
  • Wednesday, April 13, 2011

    Wednesday started off pretty wet and I toyed with the idea of coming into work on Muni but the internets seemed to think that the rain was passing and why would it lie??  It drizzled until I got to work and then poured down rain for about a half an hour and then dried out for the rest of the day.  I got a pic of Mr. Poe's prize winnin' Wisteria when I went home for lunch.  It's having a glorious year:

    After work I headed off Columbus to Stockton to North Point to Van Ness to Francisco to Octavia to Chestnut to Lyon and into the Presidio at the Lombard Gate.  I made my way over to Crissy Field and then up to Lincoln.  I stopped west of the Golden Gate Bridge for pics looking towards Land's End:

    I continued on Lincoln into Camino del Mar to 26th to Scenic to 25th to SeaCliff to25th.  I got a bunch of pics of the gorgeous homes by the beach:

    There's an entrance to Baker Beach from 25th.  This is the view from it:

    Some of the pretty homes on Seacliff:

    I took Seacliff to over to China Beach and stopped for pics again.  What a view:

    These are the homes that get that view:

    I headed over to Camino Del Mar.  Check this fabulous mansion out:

    I continued on Camino Del Mar up to the Palace of the Legion on Honor.  It was a good day for Pax Jerusalemme.  It looked fabulous against the blue sky:

    The Palace of the Legion of Honor:

    I headed down to 34th to Clement to 33rd to California to 30th to Lake to Arguello to Clay to Fillmore to Post.  I stopped for pics in Japantown:

    Peace Plaza:

    Me:

    I took Post to Laguna to Market to 17th to Ord and home for dinner.  After dinner, I took the dogs out for a walk.  We took the same route we'd taken the night before but sadly, there was no confrontation with the poop Lady.  Afterwards we went home and went to bed.  It took about five minutes of coaching to get Ashley Jr. up the stairs and into bed but he did it. We were all sleep by nine.

     

    Bike Mileage:

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

    Today 26.3
    Week to date 67.8
    Month to date 461.3
    Year to date 1,885.4
    To Goal 6,114.6
    Over (Under) plan (372.1)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,989.4)
    Rolling Year 7,266.4
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,390.9
  • Tuesday, April 12, 2011

    I felt a lot stronger on Tuesday.  I think not riding so much on Monday was definitely the right choice to make.  I came down Market into work and then headed home for lunch.   I noted this cool new Virgin America ad on the side of a building at Market and Octavia:

    After work I headed off Sutter to Fillmore to Clay to Spruce to Washington to Arguello and headed into Presidio Terraces which when built advertised itself as San Francisco's only Caucasion only neighborhood.  It was developed after the 1906 earthquake and it's full of large, gorgeous homes:

    This Santa Fe style home was the one I came to see.  I wanted to confirm that I still hated it and I do.  The beauty of Santa Fe architecture is in the way the lines and colors of the structures interact and blend with the landscape in a peaceful, harmonious way.  This house could not stick out more obviously in this green, lush neighborhood full of Beaux Arts homes.  What were they thinking??  My bet is the next owner will drastically redo the facade:

    The thing I love most about Presidio Terraces is the way that the ginormous Synagogue on Arguello looms over so many of the home.  It's such a monumental building but you don't really get the full effect from Arguello.  It's fabulous--  you know, in a biblical way:

    I headed back to Arguello to Lake to 23rd to Balboa and down to the coast.  I stopped at Ocean Beach for pics.  There was a lot of wind and surf and the kites were flying:

    The view to Cliff House:

    Me:

    I went in to Golden Gate Park at JFK and stopped at the North Windmill for pics:

    Tulip season is very nearly over but the garden there looks pretty year round:

    I continued on JFK and stopped at Spreckels lake for a pic.  You can see St. Thomas the Apostle in the background:

    I continued on JFK and made my way to the Music Concourse.  I'm not sure what kind of tree this is but it's jaw droppingly beautiful:

    I headed over to MLK to 9th to Judah to 7th into Laguna Honda to Portola to Corbett to Ord and home for dinner.

    After dinner I took the dogs for a nice long walk that turned out to be a lot of drama.  We were heading down Corbett on our way home when some woman a block away yelled at me to come pick up dog mess.  Normally, I try not to have conversations with people who are not on the same city block as me but my reputation was at stake.  I'd been accused of what we call a "Poop 'n Run" although you might be more familiar with the German phrase "Das Krapundash".  I was guilty of no such thing.  I keep an eye on my dogs and always pick after them first because my Mamma brought me up right and second, and perhaps more importantly, because we don't do a lot of different walks and poop I ignore today I could be stepping in tomorrow.  I called back to the woman that my dogs had not made a mess that I hadn't cleaned up and she started screaming at me that she'd seen them do it.  I didn't know where to go with that because it just wasn't true so I called back that she was mistaken and kept on my walk.  So she chased me down in her car and yelled at me again.  I assured her that she was wrong.  She was all irate and yelled "You don't even have any bags to clean it up".  I pulled poop bags out of pocket and replied "I have three."  She yelled at me again to go clean up whatever mess she'd seen and drove off.  I don't know what she was thinking.  I'm not some teenager who is probably guilty of whatever it is you're accusing them of.  I'm a homeowner in the neighborhood and I've lived there for years.  Last night I called her ma'am to be polite.  Should I run into her again she'll be addressed as Madam to politely register that I've had enough of her nonsense.  Some people would avoid walking the dogs in her neck of the woods for a while.  Not me, we're going on exactly the same walk at exactly the same time every night for the foreseeable future.  Go ahead, Poop Lady, do your worst.  Just don't be surprised when I go all Julia Sugarbaker on your ass. 

    I didn't get too much sleep on Tuesday night.  Ashley Jr. has in the last couple of days become afraid to use the stairs leading up into our bed that he's been going up and down since he was a puppy.  They're light and I think they've slipped on the hardwood floors on him a couple of time.  So he's been refusing to use them and there have been a handful of accidents.  Mr Poe put down nonskid pads underneath the stairs but otherwise wasn't addressing the issue because he can't say no to that little dog.  Last night I'd had enough so I took measures into my own hands.  When I got into bed at about 10:30 I picked him up, gave him a kiss, and put him on the floor.  He stomped around and played with his toys for a while but around midnight he wanted back into bed.  He growled a little and then paced and then cried.  Mr. Poe woke up and complained that he had to work tomorrow but I angrily told him "This ends tonight."  Finally, at about 2:30 after a little encouragement he marched his little feet up the stairs and got into bed.  I gave him about a zillion kisses and I think I cried a little.  Leave me alone it was late.  I can report that Wednesday morning he was also going down the stairs.  When Mr. Poe gets some sleep I think he'll realize it was the only thing to do.

    Bike Mileage:

                              
    Today 26.3
    Week to date 41.5
    Month to date 435.0
    Year to date 1,859.1
    To Goal 6,140.9
    Over (Under) plan (376.5)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,987.7)
    Rolling Year 7,265.6
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,364.6
  • Monday, April 11, 2011

    Monday I was feeling really beat from all the time I spent on the bike over the weekend so I only rode a little.  I came down Market into work and then home for lunch and then I went and visited with Mr. Chris and David before heading home after work.  It was a very good decision.  I think I'm done with forty mile days day after day during the week because it just leaves me exhausted.  And I'm not going to feel bad about not getting up at 4:30 to go riding before work.  During training season, I'm going to start taking Fridays off completely if I'm planning on riding on both Saturday and Sunday.  I think I'll be a lot happier that way.

    I got these pics of Mr. Poe's prize winnin' Wisteria as I was leaving for work.  It's glorious:

    This is what it looked like when I got home.  See any difference??  I didn't either.

    Bike Mileage:

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

    Today 15.2
    Week to date 15.2
    Month to date 408.7
    Year to date 1,832.8
    To Goal 6,167.2
    Over (Under) plan (380.9)
    YTD Mileage vs Last Year (7,988.5)
    Rolling Year 7,239.3
    Since Inception 10/1/07 30,338.3