Concrete Cruelty

I'm warning you, the image you are about to view is not for consumption by those who simply cannot bear to see concrete animals at risk.

A couple of blogs ago I wrote about how our much adored poodle was abducted and being held for ransom. Well, the ransom notes keep coming. We decided to take the posture most often adopted by Israel and not negotiate with our kidnapper and, so far, it seems to be working. The ransom demands are less with each note. I suspect if we can ignore them long enough we may find our friend back home in the near future.

Now, I've noticed a thing or two about the kidnapper(s) in the photographs on the ransom notes. A: They aren't professional photographers. The images are often not framed properly and cardinal rules of thumb for even amatuer photographers are ignored entirely. And, 2: They really need a ChiChi consultation. They seem to be entirely stuck in a beige or, at best, an off beige decor. There seems to be no lush or exciting colors anywhere. Poor Celeste (that's what I've decided to call her). She must be saddened to be away from our vibrant atmosphere. I hope she gets home before full blown depression sets in. Heaven knows she's going to be suffering enough from the trauma of this experience. But color deprivation? How horribly savage.

But this is what really frosts my fanny...




Hey, you, ornament-napper! She's concrete for crying out loud! She's sweetly silent. And clean. And non-shedding. There is absolutely no excuse for gagging her unless you are depraved enough to actually get a kick out of terrorizing the poor thing.


I have to admit, though. I admire how stoic she is in the face of such sadistic barbarism.


That's our girl. Keep your resolve. I suspect you'll be home soon.

From the Heart of San Francisco

In about an hour we will be travelling over the Golden Gate Bridge which will look very much, I suspect, like the photo here. It is a foggy morning. Every morning has been a foggy morning. Every evening cool and damp as the fog rolls back in after a brief reprieve of sunny periods where the tops of the tall buildings were actually completely visible for a short time. 

We are collecting our things and preparing to leave the heart of San Francisco as we are about to embark on a brief car trip through wine country, and (hopefully) sunny skies and warmer temperatures.

We didn't pack well. We assumed it would be much warmer here. We are, after all, in California! Silly rabbits. A trip to the waterfront yesterday warranted a stop at a ticky tacky souvenier shop to purchase fleece and, if you can believe it, gloves. The afternoons are milder, good for a light nylon jacket but not much less. It is quite easy to pick out the tourists from the locals - the locals are all dressed warmly. And wearing flats.

I love San Francisco. My legs, however, feel differently.

It would have been incredibly easy to re-wardrobe with more weather appropriate clothing. We are staying in the heart of the city, near to every amenity imaginable. But one wants to spend little time shopping when there are so many interesting and historical things to see (a shoe sale at Nordstrom being the only exception worthy of a stop).

Union Square. The piers. Haight-Ashbury. Castro. Cow Hollow. And, tonight, Chinatown.

Though I've kept my eyes open for interesting new products to bring into the store the purpose of this trip was entirely pleasure. It was never my intent to blog about the experience but we did have a chance encounter I thought worthy of making note of.



After discovering some of the most interesting out of the way shops in Cow Hollow we were heading back to our starting point to hail a cab back to the hotel where we could rest our weary dogs. When what to my delighted eyes should appear? The Big Green Bus! For the uninitiated, in a nutshell; 12 Dartmouth students, 1 veggie oil powered bus, 13,000 sustainable miles, all for a greener tomorrow.

I was thrilled to be able to see the bus up close and personal, and doubly thrilled that it was entirely a chance encounter. For those wishing to learn more about the Big Green Bus, the crew and their travels, take a few moments to enjoy their website and blog.... Take Me There!