90/365: MEAT!

90/365: MEAT!, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Andy isn't a big vegetable eater (he's English). In fact the only vegetables he, and most English people, will eat are peas and carrots and potatoes. So Easter is a great holiday for Andy. Because dinner usually involves those vegetables. And roasting a large cut of meat. Preferably with the help of Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall.

89/365: The View

89/365: The View, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

After years of owning this Sonoma property, we're finally getting around to building something that isn't an agricultural outbuilding. Almost finished and the view is great.

88/365: Walla Walla Onions

88/365: Walla Walla Onions, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

I've been neglecting my garden badly over the winter season. I only planted a few things and just left them to fend for themselves. Predictably, I'm not harvesting much of a bounty. But these Walla Walla Onions grew nicely and tasted great.

87/365: Storm Coming In

87/365: Storm Coming In, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

With all the shuttling I've been doing between San Jose, San Francisco and Sonoma, I've learned all the key vista points on 280 and 101 where terriers can be let out of crates for a much needed break. This is one of my favorites that overlooks the Filoli estate and the Coastal Range. We stopped there in time to see a weather system coming through.

86/365: Middle Ridge, Henry W. Coe State Park

86/365: Middle Ridge, Henry W. Coe State Park, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Okay, I need to step away from the panorama feature. But I couldn't resist this one. After the hardest hike I've been on yet with my hiking group, we reached the top of the Middle Ridge trail for a great view out across Gilroy to Monterrey and the Pacific.

85/365: San Jose Scene

85/365: San Jose Scene, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Sadly, this is how most people see San Jose, beautiful skies, distant green or golden mountains all viewed from some mall parking lot. I'm attempting to discover the charming parts of San Jose (and they are there) and get out into the many, many open spaces around it and within the city limits. And yes, I've just discovered the panorama function on my new camera and I can't stop myself.

84/365: Silicon Valley

84/365: Silicon Valley, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

As seen from Almaden Quicksilver Park. It was interesting walking around the ridgetop from the highest end of the park. On one side, the views were probably the same as the De Anza Expedition saw when they traveled up from Mexico to found the Presidio of San Francisco. On the other side, you see this view: total urban sprawl.

Besides that, you get to walk through old Mercury mines featuring some of the most toxic substances in Nature, as well as braving Hantavirurs which has been detected in some of the old buildings. The story here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/25/hi-ho-quicksilver-and-away/

83/365: Morning Latte

83/365: Morning Latte, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Most mornings for the last twenty years, I've been coming to Martha and Bros. Coffee. Still the best Java in town for the best price.

82/365: Farmers' Market Honey

82/365: Farmers' Market Honey, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Or "Hunny" as Pooh Bear would say. As seen at the Noe Valley Farmers' Market.

81/365: Poppy

81/365: Poppy, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

The poppies are blooming in Sonoma. The great thing about them is that they will stay in bloom all the way through the summer. And did you know state law makes it a misdemeanor to cut or remove any plant growing on state or county highways or public lands, except by authorized government employees and contractors; it is also against the law to remove plants on private property without the permission of the owner (Cal. Penal Code Section 384a) California Penal Code

80/365: Fuzzy Muzzle

80/365: Fuzzy Muzzle, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

And pink tongue. Oscar in repose.

79/365: The New Perfect Gin and Tonic

79/365: The New Perfect Gin and Tonic, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

The ingredients: St. George Terroir Gin (or Terrier Gin as it's known in these parts), Fever Tree Tonic, ice and a slice of Meyer lemon.

78/365: The Dangerous Mommy Jogger

78/365: The Dangerous Mommy Jogger, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

The doggies and I discovered what must be one of the most beautiful city parks ever: Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos. It's beautiful, it's manicured, it has abundant amenities. It even has semi-secluded paths and areas that make you feel that you are in touch with nature in the middle of the city. And all that without bums, litter and shady characters. The only drawback, the Mommy Joggers here are merciless. Seriously, they give no quarter. This Mommy Triathlete almost ran over terrier paws when we didn't see her coming. Then before we could shout or bark, she was disappearing on the horizon.

The story here: leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/19/vasona-lake-county-park/

77/365: Getting My Trail Mojo

77/365: Getting My Trail Mojo, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Trying to get back to one of my resolutions to hike at least once a week. The secret was finding a good group on Meetup.com.

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/18/coyote-lake-harvey-bear-r...

76/365: Oak Pollen

76/365: Oak Pollen, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Up in Sonoma, most of our oaks are the scrubby kind that keep their leaves all year round. In San Jose, the few oaks are more the deciduous kind. But they do have really interesting strings of pollen thingys which are in full bloom right now. Ironically, loads of pollen seem to be a theme in Raintree County, a novel that was once touted as The Great American Novel. I'm slogging my way through it and I'm not impressed.

I diss it here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/17/dont-raintree-on-my-parade/

75/365: Sebastiani Theater

75/365: Sebastiani Theater, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

The old Plaza which is the center of Sonoma boasts the old movie palace, the Sebastiani Theater. Yes, THAT Sebastiani. The patriarch of the famous wine family was convinced he should spread his money around in other investments and built this theater in 1934. It's a wonderful place to see a flick if you are in Sonoma -- especially on alternate Mondays when they screen classic films. You may also be interested to know that John Lasseter, the head of Pixar and a Sonoma resident, debuts all Pixar films at this theater with all proceeds going to support Sonoma area schools.

74/365: Henderson's Shooting Star

74/365: Henderson's Shooting Star, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

This is one of my favorite wildflowers in Sonoma. My Flowers of Sonoma County calls it "a perky little charmer". Exactly. It's one of the wildflowers first to appear and signals to me that I'm already behind in my vegetable planting.

But this year, I have a plan. Sort of:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/15/meanwhile-back-at-the-farm/

73/365: Fog Shot, Bullit Style

73/365: Fog Shot, Bullit Style, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

On my way to Sonoma, I get out of the City by going down Divisidero. At the crest of the last hill before the Marina, there are sometimes fantastic views of the fog rolling in along the Bay. And of course, the most photogenic scenes are always when there is absolutely no parking and nowhere to stop to take a picture. So this shot was taken by me just holding my point and shoot out the window as I came over the hill Bullit-style. Well, I was driving considerably slower than Steve McQueen. But at least I got the Rising Sun unfurled at the Japanese embassy.

72/365: Dog and Sphinx Are Friends

72/365: Dog and Sphinx Are Friends, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Today on the blog, Oscar the Smooth Fox Terrier is guest posting. He's got a thing or two to day about this part time gig in San Jose. It may be The Capitol of Silicon Valley, but Oscar hasn't yet been shown that it's a good place for dogs.

This is one of the highlights, the garden of the Rosecrucian Egyptian Museum. The terriers are careful not to wee here as it might bring on a Mummy's Curse. But they do like the sphinxes as sister, Lucy, demonstrates.

Oscar's report here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/13/a-dogs-eye-view-of-san-jose/

71/365: Is Dinner Served?

71/365: Is Dinner Served?, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

At our new place in San Jose, the island in the kitchen and the bar stools around them are just the right height for a terrier -- at least an athletic terrier like Oscar -- to jump right up. Around dinner time, Oscie has taken to sitting himself down and waiting for his meal. Which, as of this posting, is not yet being served on fine china and on linen placemats!

70/365: Another Thing To Worry About

70/365: Another Thing To Worry About, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Just when you thought you'd eliminated all the things that are bad for you: sugar, fat, glucose, trans-fats... Now we have to watch out for "Gluton".

Actually, as I read this, at first I thought it said "Glutton Free". I wasn't sure if that meant you couldn't eat it if you were a glutton or you'd be free of gluttony even if you ate it.

In any case, I'm ready to eliminate Gluton from my diet. How about you?

69/365: Lucky or Unlucky Break

69/365: Lucky or Unlucky Break, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

I was rushing out of Sonoma with two dogs under my arms and several bags slung over my shoulders. I got the dogs loaded, hopped in the car and took off. As I backed up, it seemed that I must have rolled over a rock in the driveway.Halfway home, Andy, who was in a different car, called to say that I'd left one of my bags in the middle of the driveway. I had a sinking feeling as I realized it was the bag with my Nikon D90, my laptop and my iPod -- basically, all my expensive electronics. Once we both got home, I grabbed the bag to see how bad the damage was. At first, it seemed the only casualty was a cheap polarizing lens. But it had actually been on my camera at the time. Sure enough, I had backed the Prius over the lens. So far, I think it's only the kit lens that has suffered. I stole Andy's lens from his D80 and everything seems to work fine. We'll see. But it could have been worse. And yes, this is one of the stupidest things I've ever done.

68/365: Square Dog Triumphant

68/365: Square Dog Triumphant, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Friends are always sending me pictures of Rat Terriers and Jack Russel Terriers and claiming they are the same as the much rarer Smooth Fox Terrier. Oscar begs to differ. Even though his sticky up ears would keep him out of the show ring, he is a pure bred with extensive papers to show for it. The one way you can always tell a Smooth is that they are "The Little Square Dogs". The length of their backs is in complete proportion to their legs so that when standing, they form a perfect square. Don't even show me those short legged, long backed Jacks. They are NOT the real thing. And that's all Oscar has to say.

67/365: That's the Sound of the Men Working on the Chain Gang

67/365: That's the Sound of the Men Working on the Chain Gang, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Actually, I'm not running a chain gang up in Sonoma. But what I do have are lots of rocks. Lots and lots of rocks. So why not use them? We needed a stairway from the road up to the high end of the vineyard. So why not build it out of rocks? And how do we move these large boulders? So far, it just takes two strong guys, two large crowbars, one small tractor and an ATV. Oh, and the shovel. Did I mention the shovel?

66/365: There's a Storm Coming In

66/365: There's a Storm Coming In, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

We desperately need more rain in Sonoma, but as I drove up 280, it looked like the threatened storm was headed directly over San Mateo and sweeping south. (For non Bay Area residents, that blue is a reservoir that is directly on the fabled San Andreas Fault.) I fiddled with my polarizing lens and various settings trying to get more contrast and colors. Then I gave it up as it was just this gray and ominous in real life.

65/365: Yes, Another Flower

65/365: Yes, Another Flower, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

This is become cliche for me. But I'm not trying to punt. I'm genuinely amazed at all the flowers and plants that are bursting out. I'm not sure how their long-term health will fare as we are having periods of warm Spring-like weather interspersed with a week of freezing cold weather. So maybe the buds of one week will be the casualties of the next week. We've had a cold week and this guy came through. If he can just hang in there, they are forecasting some balmy weather in the 70s for next week.

64/365: Babe the Giant Muffler Man

64/365: Babe the Giant Muffler Man, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

More San Jose kitsch. Amazingly, this statue -- just off the historic Alameda -- still advertises a working muffler shop.

Another day attempting to find the walkable and historic parts of San Jose. Mixed results as I outline here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/05/estamos-recorriendo/

63/365: Dancing Pig

63/365: Dancing Pig, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

As I tool around San Jose, I'm constantly on the lookout -- behind the malls and the freeways -- for vestiges of the old San Jose. Helping me out is the Roadside America app (or view their website at roadsideamerica.com). These people are dedicated to steering you to all things weird and wacky with an emphasis on Americana. I wasn't looking for this sign, but took a wrong turn just outside the main downtown of San Jose and there it was. The meat products company is long gone, but the sign lives on. Roadside America describes it this way:

"An enticing yet disturbing display of happy pig cannibalism."

Apparently, when the sign is lit up, the pig is holding neon sausages.

Roadside America rates it worth a stop and I agree. An interesting reminder of how small a city downtown used to be and how it used to give way, within a block, to things like meat processing plants and forges.

62/365: A Restorative Cuppa

62/365: A Restorative Cuppa, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Cuppa tea that is. British Breakfast to be specific. We're still trying to work through this tri-city living. After a Saturday in Sonoma, swinging by San Francisco to pack more stuff, we ended up in San Jose to start the week. Sometimes, as the British say, you just need a good cup of tea to set yourself up again.

61/365: I Hear You!

61/365: I Hear You!, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Putting on your outdoor shoes. Don't think there is any chance there WON'T be a walk.

60/365: NO Paparazzi

60/365: NO Paparazzi, a photo by doglington on Flickr.

Today, I accompanied Princess Amelia May to Disney Princesses on Ice. She gave the Official Court Photographer a very small window of time for pictures. Then it was NO to the paparazzi!

It's a Princess World, and Princess Amelia May lives in it. Today we had the excitement of Disney on Ice, featuring PRINCESSES, PRINCESSES, PRINCESSES!

The story here:

leftcoastcowboys.com/2013/03/01/its-a-princess-world