--- there's bread and cheese upon the shelf ---

so if you wanna hear more you better sing it yourself
mmm hmmmm

cat lady - Santa Monica

cat lady - Santa Monica
Originally uploaded by youmook.

marg and robyn - newport beach mexican dinner

marg and robyn - newport beach mexican dinner
Originally uploaded by youmook.

robyn, ruth, jerry

robyn, ruth, jerry
Originally uploaded by youmook.

robyn, zoe, marg

robyn, zoe, marg
Originally uploaded by youmook.

santa cruz boardwalk

santa cruz boardwalk
Originally uploaded by youmook.

--- swallowing not spitting ---

Roybyn behind the wheel, we kicked off the trip from SF up to Napa, wine - picnic - big snooze. Day two, in the mood, did a tasting at the iron horse in SONOMA. This was less TASTING and more shooting the breeze while swallowing with relish a glorious array of sparkling red white and anything else they had, punctuated by handfuls of good salty POPCORN. All this overlooking a vineyard and valley and MORE OF THAT ONE PLEASE, visited by dozey bees.


--- coastal hops on Route 1 ---

Santa Cruz
Cruised the ghostly albeit sunny gawdy boardwalk and ate battered CHEWY CALAMARI on the pier, honking sea lions flopped on the rafters beneath.

Big Sur
Drove along the ever winding precipice of the route 1 Big Sur coastal cliff top road at sunset - happily snapped a few impossible shots of that and the approaching cigar-roll of cloud up the water, which unfurled within half an hour and turned our pink bathed camera moment into a BLACKOUT horror fog.


Santa Barbara
Strolled around the UNEVENTFUL BOTANTIC GARDENS - though did spot a humming bird

Monterey
- went to see the AQUARIUM - with it's torpedo tuna - no doubt buzzing their butts around the place at a pace owing to the recent addition of the GREAT WHITE shark
- did a WHALE WATCHING boat ride which lept and dipped and shook and then after 6 miles was surrounded by HUMPBACKS and a school of SEA LIONS and a flock of dive bombing hungry GULLS and stuff

Passadena, LA
Went to meet for the first time and visit with AUNT ZOE (my mom's cousin who has my mom's brow, chin and nose, a very DISTRACTING likeness)
Begged/dragged robyn and zoe to take me to the FOREST LAWN CEMETERY, HOLLYWOOD. Bete davis' tomb and liberace - for you celebrity seekers (marilyn's we never found) and fabulous swooping landscaped surroundings and pseudo-grecian family idyll sculptures - see flickr for pics.

Santa Monica
Dropped in for an afternoon stroll on the beach past the PALMS and the FUNFAIR PIER and the SWINGS. Then hastily up to town we went to robyn's favourite much propped up DELI BAR for glasses of champagne. This was followed by a near bankrupting dalience in victoria secrets at THE MALL...

Newport Beach
No attempt to swim here, sat on the sand bank watching the 6 foot [AT LEAST] waves smash down and rush up at us with CONTEMPT. Read our books and edged back a little more.

Encinitas, near San Diego
Stayed with Aunt RUTH'S house in Encinitas, with a view over the valley of hot air balloons bobbing up in the balmy [ooo we do love San Diegoesque weather] afternoon sky.
Went SWIMMING at MOONLIGHT BEACH. Robyn optimistically made her way into the waves saying she didn't want to get her hair wet.

Back to San Fran
Last night visit to a restaurant near San Jose too meet Uncle MILT and Aunt JUDY and just a peppering [maybe 20] of the GRAND SPRAWLING FAMILY.

--- heavenly retreats ---
Thanks to Robyn's hotel points we spent a number of nights in heaven. MARRIOTT BEDS are something to beheld in. Like collapsing into the breast of a plump white PIGEON BOSOM. Great times enjoyed propped up against soft white belinened cushions sipping pinot noir or whatever an open bottle had to offer, nibbling complimentary dark chocolate and scoffing at pay per view rom-coms, or the blessed OPRAH [who is helping plenty women find their true bra size and jeans THAT FIT]

swinging thing

swinging thing
Originally uploaded by youmook.

another sunrise at the tiki bar

another sunrise at the tiki bar
Originally uploaded by youmook.

marg and leanne

marg and leanne
Originally uploaded by youmook.

marg, lee, jj

marg, lee, jj
Originally uploaded by youmook.

afternoon dancing at the burning man

--- the journey ---
so the GRAND PLAN was to set off on Monday evening and arrive at sunrise. Lizzie and i venture downtown to the Dollar car hire, sign up, hop in the SILVER JEEP and navigate home to load her up... by which time she's stinking... the car park dude checks her out and says there's no water and no oil in there. Cutting a LONG teeth gritting ridiculous story short we get the thing towed at 12am and replaced with a BLUE BEAUTY. Fine. We'll leave EARLY in the morning, we reckon. Then we balls the alarm and end up leaving at 10.30.

ALL GOOD

We get to RENO, we do the HELL THING that is WALMART, pick up our hire bikes from 'the rat'... And we drive through the late night creeping trail to the Black Rock City - watching out for behorned bulls, sucking little BOILED SWEETIES, oogling at the spray of STARS emerging outside and listening to the CHILLED TUNES mix from Maciek again and again in lieu of bad radio.

--- the setup ---
we were in a tent, part of a campsite parked at 2.45 and Brave in the Black Rock City.
Lots of lovely kids sat on sofas around the barrel of fire, military kitchen tent operation, beers, bloody marys, Warren's unbelievable spag bol one night, a shower erected on day 2, shade cloth, bike rack etc, weathered the DUST STORM, ummm maybe a few pics will help

--- hot ---
More than I can express. BLESS the camp site for creating a SHADE structure and a tent. Lathered up with factor 50, hid and cooled down with water spray. Nope, didn't burnt. Crossed the line of dehydration a few times; where am I again? But mostly drank so much damn WATER that my days were largely defined by trips to find TOILETS [works of beauty they were, with lovely little sanitising squirty things outside], or emergency illicit squatting or such.

--- moments ---
- KIND PEOPLE
- SERENDIPITY
- NO MONEY
- LEANN'S arrival on the Thursday morning,
- tequila and SUNRISE DANCING at the tikki bar
- begging and squeezing a place in the HULA workshop... wrapped mine up in blue and fluorescent orange
- then hula at sunset at the deepend
- cycling [yep, MY BIKE a sweet young thing with stars in the wheels and a bit of worse for wear fluttery streamers hanging off the left handle] cross playa - day and night
- STARS STARS STARS
- DANCING DANCING DANCING
- SIPPING SAKE on a swing
and the list goes on
not enough words for it all

--- and relax ---
Have been taking in some long balmy urban and waterside white wine lunches with Lizzie - one disastrously ending off with a VEGAN PIE - involving rhubarb and some nasty wholeweat no butter crust... and they served it cold which was ALL WRONG. Vegan dessert is one step too far over that hippie line for me.

FRIDAY blows Robyn [big sister Laing] into town - then we embark on the CALIFORNIAN WINE SOAKED SEASIDE DRIVE BY ROADTRIP EXTRAVAGANZA for 10 days. Napa, Big Sur, Monterey Huntington Beach, San Diego etc.

... burned ...
back in SF - beauty of blue monster JEEP returned all trace of white PLAYA DUST buffed away. Will be mostly HORIZONTAL, dreaming, drinking water, chuckling, recovering for a while. Journey through the wormhole was IMMENSE.

--- happy birthday ---
happy birthday to NINA, sorry it's a little late xxx

--- hope and ----
wellies and WIGS and warm coats and bindis and bangles and BRIGHT shiney happy things, all ziplocked and lying in wait. Lizzie and marg are about to motor - SF to Reno to Black Rock DESERT. [yes bla bla got sunblock and 'plenty water, plenty water']
If you are good you might get a postcard from the hippie edge. Live LIGHT, travel light, be the light.

--- if we come back ---
we'll be around san fran on 4 September

--- sf ... again ... ---
so i'm here. Hate to BORE you, but it's SAN FRAN Again. I did miraculously wake up at 6am on Monday morning in Ocean Beach, San Diego and manage to drag myself and my backpack out and to the GREYHOUND bus. [it is wronger than it sounds]

The devil of a sun was BLINDING and made for a sweating ride up California. I endured just. Arrived in good time to marvel at the BAY BRIDGE and get FREE PESTO SUPPER at the hostel. [ooo we love this business of free suppers three nights a week. Yep, you unbelievers. TEX MEXT on Wednesday, a refried bean and taco, guac, tomato stylely. Another beauty are the BAGEL breakfasts. ]

I did get a fabulous OLD DUCK called Florence sat next to me [despite the many open seats available]. She leaned and nudged and was a great, energetic conversationalist. We endured a thorough IMMIGRATION control inspection, and shot the breeze until LONG BEACH.

Anyway. i'm generally buying bits for the IMPENDING Burning Man desert thing and hoping.

Also

Had a too good trip to the CREMATORIUM where the caretaker part of the furniture geyser says [balancing on his ladder plank station] : it's for the living. I like to call these spaces not 'niches'. Don't like that word. I call them 'apartments. And you see the bigger ones? I call them condos.'

---- coming soon to a screen by me... ---

So tomorrow Lizzie arrives from london on Friday afternoon. We talk a lot of nonsense all weekend and then leave for the BM on Monday in the wee hours. \\overandout

karuna leann and marg

karuna leann and marg
Originally uploaded by youmook.

view of the house from the garden

view of the house from the garden
Originally uploaded by youmook.

This is Leann's home, where we stayed in Cabo San Lucas

--- the Ocean Beach routine ---
This week i have been getting down with the OB way of doing very little.
- get up early, get coffee, stroll to the beach, SWIM and then SIT and watch the SEA
- eat breakfast and stroll back to the beach, SIT and then SWIM and watch the SURFING
- hide from the midday sun and then meander back, maybe get a SMOOTHIE or find someone to PLAY BATS or just SIT, SWIM, SNOOZE, READ....LOITER
- get BEER and decant into paper cups and sit out front on the hostel steps watching the people traffic go up and down to the beach
ETC

--- some adventures ---
decided the other day that I could stretch myself a little, and decided to go to a DIFFERENT BEACH. Walked all the way to Mission beach with its rollercoaster and LONG BOARDWALK. Went down that dodging cyclists and skaters and bladers and dogs to Pacific beach
//diversion//
which is regarded by Ocean Beach folk as pretentious. OB folk are beautiful chilled loitering boozing getting high folk - days years flights times wash by, the guy on the wall is still playing the same three cords on his guitar, around the corner the punk is still asking for 'treasure' and the scabby nosed fella is dragging his feet and wanting a fag, a dollar, whatever. Bibi the spindly legged camp black guy waves his black magic books and saunters down the road and the dude with the iguana shows up every afternoon to throw the big lizard into the sea and chat to gals in bikinis who are frightened and curious and cute.

//so anyway//

I got BLISTERS and sore feet doing that Pacific Beach walk, so I decided to HANG ABOUT in OB a few more days before trying anything like that again.
Finally got it together and WALKED the other direction to find the FORT ROSENCRANZ CEMETERY which has ridiculously good views across the water to San Diego Downtown and Coronado island [which has another beach that I might get to but most likely won't be bothered with, in lieu of loitering].
It's a military cemetery, so lots of white domino rows separated by clipped green grass.

- took a too tasty bottle of PINOT NOIR to a little cove near SUNSET CLIFFS last night and watched ANOTHER SUNET [been doing a lot of them - and a few nights back finally saw the GREEN FLASH - a wee blip right when the sun disappears - so quick you have to blink and think a while]

--- room mates ---
I have been in a MIXED DORM for the last few days. The one Aussie bird gets in late one night and bless her couldn't make it to the bathroom so did a VERY SPECIAL rendition of ralf in the basin. Then last night I get in late and discover the aussie replacements - one of which is WET SNORING at a good volume - so I go over and tiptoe up [he's on the top bunk], poke him and say 'ROLL OVER DUDE!'
Which he does, and it works, but it's accompanied by fek off... mumble mumble... fek off'

--- where are your photos? ---
I can't bloody find a willing machine - uploading from CD or camera is near impossible. Have tried charming one of the Germans who sit on the porch of the hostel searching for flats on craiglist to loan me their laptop but no joy.


--- when are you going back to san francisco? ---
Dunno - yesterday, day before, tomorrow, whenever. Think i'll be getting a Greyhound on Sunday and drive through the night. If I'm not out of here BY MONDAY please send someone to drag/airlift me away as the force here is strong.