Vacations and Related, mostly with Dorothy

The next trip was to Virginia, July 3rd to July 10th. It started out with some bolgna. And then we went to Mike's Grill in Blacksburg. Needless to say we both had a cheese burger which was nearly the size of my head. That was very tasty. One day we spotted yet another G.H.O. Oh, did I mention that on the drive down to VA, my power steering pump exploded. Yeah, that was fun. NOT. Anyway, a competent mechanic was able to replace the power steering pump high in the mountains of West Virginia. Yeah. And somewhere along the side of some road on the side of some mountain, someone took picture of a pretty girl. Hmm. We did stuff outside. We discovered that my eyebrows so thick that I could put flowers in them. Yeah. But we found out that the flower fell out. I found a piece of "bread" on the ground. It didn't taste too bad. BUT it was a little hard, but it was really a rock. Right. Btw, I know why the pretty girl is smilling, but I'll leave that to the readers imagination.
More recently, I made a quick trip down to VA when my grandfather died, and I took a couple nice pictures at the farm. I figured I'd share them, first and second.
So (as of May 2003) recently I went to San Francisco with Dorothy. What can I say, we were incredibly lucky. First of all, her mom gave us her frequent flyer miles to use, so the plane tickets didn't cost anything. And then, we stayed with her Godfather and his wife, and well, the best part about staying with those related to you, is that it doesn't cost anything. So here is a transcript of the tape recorder which we used while traveling among the cannibals. Unfortunately we had to leave Dr. Livingstone behind, and Dr. Jones was caught in a pit of vipers. They haven't contacted us since we made it back to saftey. We suspect that either a) they didn't make, or b) they are unhappy with us because we left to save our skins, so without further ado the transcipt:
Day 1: Thursday we gly meeting in chicago, the departure gate changes 5 time, err, several times, g7 to g12 to g11 to H10, okay 3 times blah, a nice lunch across from the "Agenda" Sign. Then we had a very pleasent lunch in the hallway. Then we arrived in San Francisco. Whee. Nie Dinner. think "Gozilla" Sushi; Chef's Specialty in a Marina District (and a Rainbow Roll!) Even Arvonn ate sushi, well actually sushimi.

Day 2: Friday We wake, I do my yoga in the backyard, Arvonny comes out too and we had a very luncely sunny, hug-o-rific morning. Making omelettes and having a Tully coffee and raspberry Italian soda ( the bastards, they didn't have peach!) We wander around in Castro street station with the booth woman thinking we're idiots. but finally offering us a sightseeing list on a photocopied piece of legal paper. We subway to Powell street station, get the 7-day pass ( is it worth it? will we usit? who cares - No worries!) We go to SFMOMA where there is all sorts of good stuff + we look at Paul Klee, G________ (can't remember) Andreas, who makes huge photos with lines patternes, and people... lots more arts and lots of good discussion between the Artist and the Scientist! :) Our feet start getting tired so we cruise the remaining floor (always works from top to bottoms!) and the gift shop...nothing bought.

Day 2: Continued: Nothing bought at the museum gift shop. Then we decided to look for a place to eat lunch. but we were in the wrong - I mean "wong" part of town and we ended up walking around the block to two doors down from were we started @ cafe venue, had some cold cut sandwhiches, nice, then to China Town. Aside from the midget pan handleling chinese grandmas it was a busy street of mad kitsche tourist trap hyper stimulation MURCHANDISING MADNESS. BUT we managed to walk the entire district and find the elusive RICKSHAW tea. And then, Dorothy and Arvonn walked around some more, then they returned to B& B's BnB to rest before dinner. then after resting they walked over to Haight, to Mississippi (Memphis!) Millhouse Minnie's Barbeque, based on the Zagat's Guide to Dining in Sanfrancisco because cheap barbequed meat - can't beat that. Then the intrepid couple returned home to sleep off the big meaty dinner. Sleep Wheee!

Day 3. Dateline Saturday. A new Adventure.

(CENSORED)

Right, anyway, we eventually got up after another nice cheese omelette breakfast with bannananana and strawberry yogurt mix o yummyness, then by 1:30 (I think) or 12:30 or Whatever, Robertollini had deposited Dorothy and Arvonny off at Ocean Beach at Goldengate Park then they walked.They couldn't find an unbroken sand dollar, but Dorothy found a hole-rock that was really just DIRT! lots of beachglass,. And walked and walked and walked some more. In the Park They: Sat on a bench and befriended a snail. snayle. snehul. Who was a hat on frenchman with a mustache. They switch to first person and then we were rested. Through Godlen Gate Park we went, making good time (have to be on schedule, you know!) When we got to the Japanese Tea garden, with its admission cost and ultra crowded conditions, we said a collective "Forget it!" and got ice cream at the little truck. Arvonny chose the eclair bar for us, and it was a great choice! Yum yum yum. It was almost as good as a fried pigeon with extra brie. We found the park exit, and instead of getting on the 6 (Parnassus), we walked and walked and walked. And walked. Dorothy (that's me!) went to a couple bookstores and found her current obsession; Rumiko Takashi's "Maison Ikkoku" graphic novels, used and cheap, whee! We decided to just go all the way home, so we journeyed up and down hills, around hills and through hills ( not really!) Dorothy's feet got really tired, so we stopped in a convenience store for fancy chips and fizzy drinks, sitting on a bench to chow down. Then we surprised the storekeeper by returning to get ice cream -Coney ISlan Waffle Cone and Brownie BAtter. We made it back and collapsed!!! Close to 6 miles I think, with hills, oh man, (Arvonn says to Dorothy "You Rock!!!") our legs hurt! After a rest and a quick view of Celebrity Plastic Surgery Disasters and Really Good Goat Cheese, Viv cmae by for dinner! She was looking good (says Dorothy, remembering her from 5 years ago), and magically still shared the exact musci taste as D., and they were geekily talking comics as Arvonn put his arm around the cheese-filled Dorothy. Dinner was good - we fended off the proposed mussels and clams for meaty risotto, with berries, cookies ARVONN and our ice cream! And then, After a long time spent bla-blah-blabing about all sorts of things, strings and designer color matched watch bands and hand bags, Viv returned from wence she came and Dorothy and arvonn collapsed into bed, tired and exhausted from their LONG HIKE! After lots of sleeping....

Day 4: Sunday Morning.... The exhausted sleepy heads, whom had previously agreeto to leave at 9:30, manged to leave with Roberto at 10:30 after eating lots of fruit filled yogurt, to go, to the Muir woods Park, via Golden gate Bridge. And boy o'day, sheesh was it foggy. And it was extremely foggy. But after twisty turny driving fun and excellent navigation by Dorothy (she read the street signs out loud!) Amongst thetrees and lack of leaves on the ground.(lots of pine needles, not leaves) they tooks lots and lots of photographys and walked alot. roberto (the host) left the cute cuddlers in the dust as he was not patient for the SMMMOOOCHING. (or he just wanted to leave us alone, or he was a fast walker). After a while we went looking for the cheesey stuff in the gift shop. Dorothy found some neato pretty pants rocks, but nothing else struck her fancy. Arvoon bought some cedar post cads for his coworkers. they smell nice. then Roberto took them to Tiburon via Sacuslito to Sams Cafe for Healty Fish n' Chips and Lean Hamburgers. And some more shoppin but arvoon, the goon, tired of books and went to look at wind sculptures. then we left Tiburon, after being scared away bt the USFsLS (useless frameless stupid looking sunglasses). SO, we drove away from the UFSLS, though they never really go away; they are everywhere! Robert Dropped us of on Fillmore street, and we had a strolly-rolly down to Japantown. We stopped so Dorothy could buy a Linda Barry Book, and arvonn was patient and nice even though Dorothy knew he was tired of Bookstores this trip, but she was on a quest so had to check. We went into the 2 tiny malls after some ice cream and wall-sitting and noticing that most of the outer stores were closed. We were scared to go into the basement for coffee! The hardware store wasselling planes and Dozuki saws (even though I neer used mine, so I still don't know exactly its intended special purpose) we just looked in the window; it was closed. In the mall, we looked for Godzilla be he wasn't in that day. Dorothy bought a Shinkausen Happy train fabu pencil case, and Deery-lou The Cheerful fawn glass. Dorothy wants to live in the happy fun cute world depicted on Japanese products. She wants everything around her to have a face , and smile at her - including toilet paper and the sky and the dog Afro-ken. We got a coffee at the Cafe Hana and waited outside for Chris Verburg (who was already there) and Ayako Venishi (soon followed). Ayako tookus to the stationary stationery store where she works and sneakily got Dorothy a 40% discount on a million stickers and small smiling cats poping there heads out of various food items. BUT much to our surprise there was a mini cmu reunion of people. Burt (Mike rokes old roomate) and his friend Norman ( who knew Ayako as a Frosh) and their friend Milton and some girl who worked for a cmu alum where in the stationary store at the same time as the Dinner Party. Interesting to see 6 cmu alumni in such a random way. They invited us to go to dinner with them, but we were too slow, and they were in a rush to eat dinner, so they left. Then the store closed and then we left. Ho hum. And we went to a japanese place for dinner and Dorothy and Arvonn (yes Arvonn) ate lots of sushi. But one of Arvonn's Suchi rolls (shrimp tempura) had some mayonaise (no in the menu) yuk. But anyway... (things that really arvonn does like to eat 1. Seafood (fresh is sorta okay, old isn't) 2. Mayonaise 3. aRtichokes 5 salad dressig. Things that really really Dorothy does't like to eat: 1. olives 2. Artichokes 3 pickels 4. mussels + clams 5. Licorice 6. Gingerbread 7 Spicy and hot stuff 8. kale and collared greens beet greens and dandelion greens and other various greens. 9. Carrot cake --> carrots belong in boiling water with butter not in cake , back to your regularly scheduled description of the trip--> ) Then Ayako tooks us home after we had a rousing discussion about expectations pre/during/post collega and how we had or hadn't lived up to those expectations all over coffed. I might also add that verburg didn't hardly resemble himself, CA changes people. Speaking of people in California; they are all obsessed with appearecnes and LA is worse. (according to Verby) As such they are all very healthy. Very Weird. And scary for those who are out of shape. Lots of peer pressure to be in shape. Societal forces constrict the self if the self does not conform to the strictness of vegenterisim non fat athkins diet breast implanted culture. BUT the high quality food anduniversal non-smoking indoors is nice. So after heaps of coffee, D& A returned to the Knotty Pine room, and um, were um, Knaughty. whee...

Monday! Day 5 Monday was over Sponfrantaneciscotastic Day, and we utilized it well. We didn't leave the house till past 1:00! The morning was splishy splashy good clean fun and other assorted laziness.... we finally ate some smidgens of food and found our trolley and took it to 3rd streeet. There the intrepid pair took the mysterious 15 (no the 30 -- yet) up to North Beach to find food and Fun. Not many browsey stores there - lots of restaurante but hard to pick one! Arvonn and Dorothy had the Hungry Grumpy Grumbly-Rumblies, especially Arvonn.
```
An empty tummy,
left arvonn all bummy,
his belly was frumpy 
his face was grumpy
At the stinking rose
they sought to dispose
of their empty bellies
with hard candied jellies (well garlic, oh well)
the garlic they are
straight off the plate
would soon be haunting 
as the stinky farts were flauting!
```
They ate so much garlic it made arvonn stinky but it quelled their hunger and ended the frumpy poor communication which arvonn was expressing over that hurdle they went for mochcillos at ben and jerry's over in the marina, a bus ride away.) And then they waddled with full bellies, those silly old jollies, Dorothy and arvonn they flopped on hard grass, where dorothy got a mysterious rash, arvonn lost his fine pencil, dorothy lost the rash soon after, we walked to the cold windy beach to watch the wind surfers and crazy kiters playing on the surf. lots of people, so pretty in the sun, out there roasting like dogs on a bun. Clear skys and no fog, though full of grog, D and A caught a bus (30 for us), empty and bright, we were alone alright. lots of pictures, of all the structures. Nice shadows to see, of course only by sea. Back to Van Ness, the way we thought best, slipping onto Market (not to the park yet). Back at Bob (roberto) and Bonnies for a change of clothes (taking off old panty hose!) we climbed the hill behind their house, to see the city, at sunset so pretty.
```
Writing writing writing writing all the time. 
When Arvy-barvy does the writing, he makes it all rhyme!
Dorothy is prose-o-rific, and this sentence demonstrates it so. 
Indeed, I must express the schtuff by plain ole writin', what 
can I say? Arvy-Barvy-Noodle-Puff!
```
After meal loaf dinner, and picture review, short snights sleep left Dorothy and Arvonn Returning to the east coast on Day 6 in a plane were we wrote all this stuff.
However, I do things other than go to concerts - like going to see my special lady friend, Dorothy because we just took a vacation together to the Poconos Mountains of PA. It was GREEAT!!. We stayed at Sweet Reflections, and Jan was a wonderful hostess. She made our stay absolutely delicious, and intimate. I can only give the highest possible reccomendation for staying their. The breakfasts were good, and just everyting was perfect. I wish her and Al all the best, of luck and of health. I would stay their again, in fact, I would not be surprised if Dorothy and I, do stay there again. It is really that nice. Oh, the price is right too! Waking up there was wonderful, not just of because of who I was with, but because it is a really pretty room, just plain wonderful. We only got to stay for three evenings, but we tried to make the most of Jim Thorpe. We spend some time in Jim Thorpe proper, looking at the shops, buying a few things, and walking around the very small town. We found some interesting little spots, and several other surprises, like the dragon which was hiding on race st. on top of a house. It was nice to say the least. We would also like to recommend Salvatore's italian restaurante. Their stromboli crust is nice and light, a pleasent change from heavy doughs. Not that we are advertising for them, or anything else, but we had a nice dinner there, especaily after the long, err 5.5 mile hike through the snow we took earlier that afternoon. I'm really glad we had a chance to hike through the snow, because it was very pretty, but we also took some fun pictures of the surroundings, and of each other. But, I will say that I got several wonderful pictures of Dorothy. Also, a little running joke that we had going was that I was taking pictures of her, almost everytime she took a picture, amazingly enough, some of the pictures turned out really well. But, enough of that sappy stuff, the last full day, we went to The Worlds Largest General Store, which is a crazy place with lots of crazy stuff inside. I really am surprised at all of the strange and weird and surreal and no, i didn't really kiss the cow, but I came close. It was fun, weird, and we did get lost for a little bit in the place, but whatever, we made it back with several christmas presents. The end to the trip came entirely too soon, but a nice little meal in a diner, and some more product placement and we were off. Hopefully we'll have some more trips soon. At least there was a pretty sunset on the way home.

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