Testing, Testing!

I set up Google Analytics for my blog.  Nobody seems to comment much, but I'm interested in how many people are actually reading.  :-) 

I've used it for about a month for my Cuddles and Crafts Etsy site and it works really well!

Thanksgiving

My new goal for this blog is to post an entry at least once a month. So here we go for November!

The only event of note this November is of course Thanksgiving. Since we moved into this house 4 years ago, we've had both sides of our family (parents, sisters & their husbands) over for one big Thanksgivng feast. The first year I cooked everything, which was great, but everyone kept asking if there was anything they could bring, so subsequent years have been "potlucks" - Heath and I handle the meat (turkey, ham), mashed potatoes, gravy, and 1 dessert (lately pumpkin cheesecake) and everyone else brings their favorite sides. It's a lot easier for me (not as much oven scheduling) and no one feels guilty for not bringing anything. :-P

Of course I'm still always busy in the kitchen, either cooking or doing the dishes (which my sister always helps with because she is AWESOME) but I did manage to get pictures of the place settings before everyone came over to feast.
































I got the leaf placemats at Bed Bath & Beyond for less than $2 each, and they really go well with my grandmother's autumn china that we always use for Thanksgiving.

My sister brought an edible arrangement - yum!

I can't believe November's almost over. Where does the time go? I just don't know!

San Francisco - Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, Cable Car Museum

Heath and I were both off on Friday, so we bought tickets to Alcatraz in the morning and planned on hanging out at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf in the afternoon.

We left Pier 33 on the Alcatraz Tour Cruise at 9:30 am!












Approaching the island.









Alcatraz is now maintained as a national park, so although it's in disrepair from decades of use and neglect, it seems to be getting better. The gardens are still maintained by volunteers, and the structures themselves are intimidating and impressive.








Cellhouse exterior. Alcatraz was never filled to capacity.









General population cells.

















Windows facing San Francisco. If the weather and wind were exactly right, the inmates could hear the sounds of the city through these windows. So close and yet so far away...










Notable inmates.













View of San Francisco from Alcatraz.













Cell staged like one of the escapee's cells, complete with wax/soap head.
















More cells.

















Kitchen - the knives were stored with silhouettes painted on the backboard so workers could quickly see if one was missing.

































Garden













Most of the residences and social buildings were either demolished intentionally or destroyed in fires over the years.











More scenic views



























The recreation had a baseball diamond and stone bleachers. If you stand at the top of the bleachers you can see and hear the city across the bay.





























Back at Pier 39, looking down from the second level on all the shops and the merry-go-round.












Jenna recommended Boudin's for lunch. They're famous for their sourdough. Tasty AND friendly! ;-)











Sourdough bread bowl with tomato soup!













Sea lions hanging out in one area of the pier.













There were a couple of ships from the WWII era in the dock as well. We didn't pay to go in, but they were pretty impressive from the outside!



Submarine











Liberty war ship

















We only rode the cable cars once (we walked pretty much everywhere). We stopped at the cable car museum, which is also where all four of the functioning lines come back to their driving motors. Being engineers, we were extremely impressed with the ingenuity and creativity of such a complex system!







Cables, motors, and pulleys. Each line has 2 driving wheels and 1 tension wheel, which is pulled taut and moved over time to keep the cable tight. They repair the cables until they have to be replaced in its entirety every 75 to 250 days! That's a lot of cable!

San Francisco - Jenna!

My swing dancing buddy, Jenna, lives in San Francisco and took some time off work to show us around her city! We had so much fun! Thanks Jenna!









We stopped along a running trail to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge, and ourselves. :-P It was cold and windy but it was a great way to start the day!






































Driving across the bridge!












On the other side! We stopped at the observation deck to take in the view!





























































Super cool shot of the Alcatraz marker with the island in the background!











One more point of view from the hilltop on the other side of the hill.













I love my Jenna!













Back on the SF side of the bridge, we stopped by Baker Beach for one last view of the bay.








































Sweet pic, thanks Jenna :)











Awesome sand erosion - looks like huge cliffs! :)









"Shoot the giant gun over there, Heath!"
"Over where?"













Yes, we visited Lucasfilm's campus. AWESOME!!











"Bring you clean water, I will!"
















*snicker* Had to have some Starbucks while we were there!

San Francisco - JavaOne

My employer sent me and four coworkers to the JavaOne developer conference in San Francisco last week. Heath took a week off work and joined me, which was great for both of us. He got to golf, walk around the city, watch football, and nap while I filled my head with geeky learning during the day, then we got to have fun at night!

The best part about this trip was that my swing friend, Jenna, was able to spend some time showing us her city. I miss her so much and it was really fun spending so much time with her!

Friday Heath and I were both off, so we got to go to Alcatraz and explore Pier 39 and the Fisherman's Wharf.

I'll do separate posts for Jenna and Friday to keep the picture stream to a minimum. :-)







We window shopped in Union Square (this picture was taken from an upstairs window in Tiffany's) ;-)













Grace Cathedral was just a few blocks from our hotel - so lovely at night!












Oracle's appreciation event included a huge concert, including the Black Eyed Peas. Woah!













Row of pinball machines outside a hotel exhibition hall. Nothing to do with Java, just good clean fun. ;-)












I <3 geeks. :-P This was a Lego pit in one of the event tents specifically for Java developers.