Friend's Cruiser Stolen Bay Area, CA
Bad news today, a good friend to us had his cruiser stolen last night.
It's hard for me to express my frustration over this without a long stream of expletives, so I'll just refer you to this link for a photo and description. The California license 4XTS869.
If you see this awesome looking truck on the road- call 911. Please.
Someone stealing someone else's vehicle gives me black thoughts. I'm not usually a proponent or advocate of violence, but I actually frighten myself when I think of what I would do if I came upon somebody stealing a vehicle.
It's hard for me to express my frustration over this without a long stream of expletives, so I'll just refer you to this link for a photo and description. The California license 4XTS869.
If you see this awesome looking truck on the road- call 911. Please.
Someone stealing someone else's vehicle gives me black thoughts. I'm not usually a proponent or advocate of violence, but I actually frighten myself when I think of what I would do if I came upon somebody stealing a vehicle.
Labels: california, landcruiser, stolen
California (Sept. 5 - 10)
We really skipped over our trip to California, so here's a bit about all the fun things we did.
Monday September 5:
With the time change up there in the states, we actually got to fly straight through to California from CR without having to spend the night in Atlanta. This was a first for us, and we loved it, although it made for a very late/early arrival at SFO around midnight or one a.m. But, ever faithful friend that he is, Soop (aka Brian) was there to pick us up and shuttle us back to his place in Menlo Park.
We managed to stay up long enough to have a celebratory (albeit very short) drink from the bottle of Nicaraguan rum we’d brought him (Nicaragua has some of the best rum we’ve ever tasted) before falling into the most comfortable futon I’ve ever slept on.
Next morning found us up pretty early and ready for Pete’s coffee and a bagel. Bagels, while technically speaking they exist in CR, they really don’t. And BB has a penchant for bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. It was a lovely early September morning in Northern California: sunny and a bit cool in the shade, with that crisp, not-quite-fall air that Cali gets at the end of her long summers. We ate our breakfast on an outdoor patio and I think I drove everyone crazy with my big smile and continuous praise of what a glorious day it was. People have asked where one goes to vacation when one lives in paradise: Northern California in September/October. There is nothing like it in all the world, I am sure of it.
The boys (Steve and Soopy) were hatching plans to go camping, or stay in Palo Alto, or some of both, while I had to get ready for my whirlwind trip south. I had a business meeting in LA on Thursday, and would drive down on Wednesday to San Diego to have dinner and spend the night with one of my best friends, Axel. In order to do this, we had to go pick up the Explorer that Steve’s dad had kindly loaned to us for our stay in California and had even more kindly brought up to Steve’s sister’s house in Newark for us. (Newark is just across the San Mateo Bridge from Palo Alto, on the east side of the peninsula and only about a twenty-minute drive from where we were staying with Soop.)
Soop took us over to Newark where we chatted briefly with Steve's sister and mom and said hello to his niece and nephew. It was great to see them, but we had to be on our way to a lunch meeting. After lunch I sorted through all of the clothes that his mom had brought to us. Since we would be attending a wedding in the mountains (very cold to us!), I had my trip to LA, Steve would be camping in said mountains (even colder to him!), and then we would be doing business and social activities all over the Bay Area, we’d asked Bonnie to dig through our stored clothing for some clothes that were appropriate for cold weather, weddings, etc. This took up the entire back of the Explorer and we needed to sort through what I was taking with me and what Steve needed to stay warm while I was in sunny San Diego. The plan was for us to meet back up in Bear Valley when we met up with the rest of Steve’s immediate family for his cousin’s wedding.
Next day, I was up very early at about 5:00 a.m. to start my drive to San Diego. It was a lovely and uneventful drive (then again, I was on the 5, and how eventfull can that possibly be) and I arrived in San Diego around 1:00 p.m. I had a couple of hours before Axel was off work (he’s a fabulous teacher) so I went shopping! I needed a dress for both weddings, possibly shoes as well and a warm coat. I ran some other errands; the drug store and a pet store for toys for Caly.
I found Axel at home around 4:00 or so and it was such a glorious day, we decided to walk the 15 or so blocks down Mission Blvd. to the beach and then stroll on the beach. (This is the same beach where Steve and I lived way back in 1997/98.) We had a couple of margaritas and wonderful conversation at Lahina’s, then headed back to his house where we got cleaned up and then strolled out to an enchanting little hidden-garden restaurant just down the street from his apartment. We kept up the talking all through what became about a two-hour dinner (we hadn’t seen each other in nigh on three years) and then on through the dip in the hot tub and on into the wee hours of the morning, when we both decided we’d be really unhappy all the next day (that day) if we didn’t go to bed. We woke after about four hours of sleep (you’ll notice a sleep-deprevation theme throughout the entire California/Savannah trip that we don’t make up for until we get back to CR!) and I headed out to the car to get some paperwork I needed to prepare for my appointment later that day in LA.
Well! I knew we’d had a few drinks the night before, but I also knew that I hadn’t moved the car. The other thing I knew was that as Axel and I carried my most valuable things (and my new clothes!) up to his apartment, I actually said to the man, “Do I need to take everything in?” And then, stupidly, “No one can actually get a car stolen in the same town twice.” Ha. And so it was that I stood in Axel’s apartment around 7:00 a.m. with him leaving apologetically for work, calling the San Diego police to report a stolen car. For the second time in my life.
Needless to say, the morning went much differently than I had anticipated. But having no other choice but to muddle on through, I made the necessary calls, rented myself a car, drove on up to LA, and had my meeting. I then called up my friend George, we went for some amazing sushi in Newport and then I greedily and thanfully crashed out around 10:00 p.m. at his place. We were both up early and off to breakfast so I could get rolling back up California and into Bear Valley by nightfall.
The drive back up was just as good as the one down. But instead of heading to Bear Valley, Steve and Soop convinced me to 
come camp with them. And what a great decision that was! We met up at a cute little wine bar in Murphy's where we all had a nice glass of pinot noir and then set off for the camping. We started pretty late, but had a gourmet time of it with brie, chocolate, wine and pasta a la Brian. 
This definitely was not the roughing-it camping that I’ve seen Brian do, and I was thankful for that. We had a great time- drinking our wine, keeping warm (even Brian was cold enough to put on a hat) and eating the chocolate the boys bought to keep me happy.
Next day was wedding day, so we got out of there early and back into Bear Valley in time to meet up with the family for lunch. It was fun to see everyone again and we chatted with various family members until it was time to start getting ready.
The ceremony was atop a bluff, at the very edge of what must have been a few-thousand-foot drop into the canyon. It was truly a breathtaking spot. Robyn was fabulously beautiful, Ryan dashing in his kilt and the bagpipes a perfect accompaniment. The ceremony was short and very very sweet, including a ring for Robyn’s young son as part of the threesome made that day. There are lots of pictures, and I urge you to take a look, if not just for the sheer beauty of those mountains.
Monday September 5:
With the time change up there in the states, we actually got to fly straight through to California from CR without having to spend the night in Atlanta. This was a first for us, and we loved it, although it made for a very late/early arrival at SFO around midnight or one a.m. But, ever faithful friend that he is, Soop (aka Brian) was there to pick us up and shuttle us back to his place in Menlo Park.We managed to stay up long enough to have a celebratory (albeit very short) drink from the bottle of Nicaraguan rum we’d brought him (Nicaragua has some of the best rum we’ve ever tasted) before falling into the most comfortable futon I’ve ever slept on.
Next morning found us up pretty early and ready for Pete’s coffee and a bagel. Bagels, while technically speaking they exist in CR, they really don’t. And BB has a penchant for bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. It was a lovely early September morning in Northern California: sunny and a bit cool in the shade, with that crisp, not-quite-fall air that Cali gets at the end of her long summers. We ate our breakfast on an outdoor patio and I think I drove everyone crazy with my big smile and continuous praise of what a glorious day it was. People have asked where one goes to vacation when one lives in paradise: Northern California in September/October. There is nothing like it in all the world, I am sure of it.
The boys (Steve and Soopy) were hatching plans to go camping, or stay in Palo Alto, or some of both, while I had to get ready for my whirlwind trip south. I had a business meeting in LA on Thursday, and would drive down on Wednesday to San Diego to have dinner and spend the night with one of my best friends, Axel. In order to do this, we had to go pick up the Explorer that Steve’s dad had kindly loaned to us for our stay in California and had even more kindly brought up to Steve’s sister’s house in Newark for us. (Newark is just across the San Mateo Bridge from Palo Alto, on the east side of the peninsula and only about a twenty-minute drive from where we were staying with Soop.)
Soop took us over to Newark where we chatted briefly with Steve's sister and mom and said hello to his niece and nephew. It was great to see them, but we had to be on our way to a lunch meeting. After lunch I sorted through all of the clothes that his mom had brought to us. Since we would be attending a wedding in the mountains (very cold to us!), I had my trip to LA, Steve would be camping in said mountains (even colder to him!), and then we would be doing business and social activities all over the Bay Area, we’d asked Bonnie to dig through our stored clothing for some clothes that were appropriate for cold weather, weddings, etc. This took up the entire back of the Explorer and we needed to sort through what I was taking with me and what Steve needed to stay warm while I was in sunny San Diego. The plan was for us to meet back up in Bear Valley when we met up with the rest of Steve’s immediate family for his cousin’s wedding. Next day, I was up very early at about 5:00 a.m. to start my drive to San Diego. It was a lovely and uneventful drive (then again, I was on the 5, and how eventfull can that possibly be) and I arrived in San Diego around 1:00 p.m. I had a couple of hours before Axel was off work (he’s a fabulous teacher) so I went shopping! I needed a dress for both weddings, possibly shoes as well and a warm coat. I ran some other errands; the drug store and a pet store for toys for Caly.
I found Axel at home around 4:00 or so and it was such a glorious day, we decided to walk the 15 or so blocks down Mission Blvd. to the beach and then stroll on the beach. (This is the same beach where Steve and I lived way back in 1997/98.) We had a couple of margaritas and wonderful conversation at Lahina’s, then headed back to his house where we got cleaned up and then strolled out to an enchanting little hidden-garden restaurant just down the street from his apartment. We kept up the talking all through what became about a two-hour dinner (we hadn’t seen each other in nigh on three years) and then on through the dip in the hot tub and on into the wee hours of the morning, when we both decided we’d be really unhappy all the next day (that day) if we didn’t go to bed. We woke after about four hours of sleep (you’ll notice a sleep-deprevation theme throughout the entire California/Savannah trip that we don’t make up for until we get back to CR!) and I headed out to the car to get some paperwork I needed to prepare for my appointment later that day in LA.
Well! I knew we’d had a few drinks the night before, but I also knew that I hadn’t moved the car. The other thing I knew was that as Axel and I carried my most valuable things (and my new clothes!) up to his apartment, I actually said to the man, “Do I need to take everything in?” And then, stupidly, “No one can actually get a car stolen in the same town twice.” Ha. And so it was that I stood in Axel’s apartment around 7:00 a.m. with him leaving apologetically for work, calling the San Diego police to report a stolen car. For the second time in my life.
Needless to say, the morning went much differently than I had anticipated. But having no other choice but to muddle on through, I made the necessary calls, rented myself a car, drove on up to LA, and had my meeting. I then called up my friend George, we went for some amazing sushi in Newport and then I greedily and thanfully crashed out around 10:00 p.m. at his place. We were both up early and off to breakfast so I could get rolling back up California and into Bear Valley by nightfall.
The drive back up was just as good as the one down. But instead of heading to Bear Valley, Steve and Soop convinced me to 
come camp with them. And what a great decision that was! We met up at a cute little wine bar in Murphy's where we all had a nice glass of pinot noir and then set off for the camping. We started pretty late, but had a gourmet time of it with brie, chocolate, wine and pasta a la Brian. 
This definitely was not the roughing-it camping that I’ve seen Brian do, and I was thankful for that. We had a great time- drinking our wine, keeping warm (even Brian was cold enough to put on a hat) and eating the chocolate the boys bought to keep me happy. Next day was wedding day, so we got out of there early and back into Bear Valley in time to meet up with the family for lunch. It was fun to see everyone again and we chatted with various family members until it was time to start getting ready.
The ceremony was atop a bluff, at the very edge of what must have been a few-thousand-foot drop into the canyon. It was truly a breathtaking spot. Robyn was fabulously beautiful, Ryan dashing in his kilt and the bagpipes a perfect accompaniment. The ceremony was short and very very sweet, including a ring for Robyn’s young son as part of the threesome made that day. There are lots of pictures, and I urge you to take a look, if not just for the sheer beauty of those mountains.Labels: california, landcruiser, photo, stolen, travel, vacation, weather, wedding
My tax dollars at work
Usually a post regarding my tax dollars would be more than likely a complaint. Not today. I'm pleased as punch to report that our friends David and Jennifer (they whose backpack was stolen last week) obtained temporary passports at the US embassy in San Jose in just three hours. Wow. I'm amazed. Astonished. Astounded.... and just a little curious how it is that someone in a foreign country, having only a poorly faxed copy of their driver's license, can get a passport in three hours, while it took me, with all sorts of identification (including an old passport!), nearly SIX WEEKS to get a new passport in California!! Ok, see, the very thought of taxes reminded me of the horror of getting public services. And it reminds me that while living in Costa Rica is full of government-related difficulty, occasionally people here manage to get things done quickly and efficiently. Maybe even more so than back in the USA.
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