Blogging by the Bay

I am back to blogging after spending some much needed time off on vacation. Liturgygeek and I celebrated our 1st anniversary by traveling to the Bay Area. I always enjoy visiting Northern California, and because I spent part of my boyhood in Marin County, I find that visiting the Bay Area is always special.

We spent the first part of our trip in Sonoma so that we could visit Liturgygeek's moms and family. Our big trip during this portion of our vacation was out to Point Reyes. As a boy, my family visited Point Reyes often and my dad liked it so much that he spent a couple of years searching for a Point Reyes lighthouse figurine. Unfortunately we visited on Tuesday and the lighthouse is closed on Tuesday. We did get some nice views of the ocean and the deer that live on the cliffs above the Pacific. Beside the deer, other wildlife that we could see from Point Reyes included some whales. The whales were a little ways off the coast but we could see them blow water when they surfaced.

The famous San Andreas fault runs right through the Point Reyes National Seashore. Even though the fault caused both the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes, I was not afraid to stand on the active fault line. The blue post I am standing beside marks the fault.

After a great first part of the week in Sonoma, we spent the last part of our trip in the city of San Francisco. I feel a little weird visiting San Francisco. In many ways I remember an idealized version of the city from boyhood, and I have to struggle to accept the reality that the city is great on its own merits and not as some fantasy from my childhood that never existed.

Perhaps it is because we spent a lot of time way from the usual tourist precincts but on this trip I found that I really became entranced by San Francisco. It began to move from the mythological city of my childhood to a city that I as an adult can appreciate and enjoy.

We explored the Mission District and we went down to the farmer's market at the ferry building. It is sad to report but the farmer's market in San Francisco far outclassed any type of market that I have seen in Iowa. We sampled a type of olive oil flavored with truffles that was absolutely fantastic. We have plans to order some to be shipped for us to have in Iowa.

As a cosmopolitan city, there are always major events. The President's Cup golf tournament was played during the week we there. Even though Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson played, we did not see them. Our trip also coincided with fleet week and the sky above San Francisco roared as the Blue Angels thundered above the city. During the fleet week there is an air show and a parade of ships. The picture below shows an SFFD fireboat and a U.S. Navy ship.

No vacation is complete without a ballgame and this year's ballgame was the Atlanta Falcons vs. the San Francisco 49ers. It was not a fun game because the Flacons stomped the Niners 45-10. However, the experience was great. We had a good time with some wild fans and just hanging out. Candlestick Park is starting to show its age but in a league of ultra modern stadiums it is fun to visit an NFL stadium whose claim to fame is the greatness of the team that plays there and not the bells and whistles of the scoreboard.

We stayed at two great places. In Sonoma we stayed at the Jack London Lodge. The rooms had a quaint and rustic feel but they were nice and comfortable. The breakfasts on the patio was nice and the hot tub was very nice. In San Francisco, we stayed at the Cornell Hotel. The Cornell is located at the corner of Powell and Bush; Right on the cable car line. It is a small but comfortable hotel. While we stayed there, it felt like we were staying at an undiscovered gem in the heart of San Francisco.

I like food and we ate out well. We ate at Guy Fieri's restaurant Johnny Garlics. It had the feel of a chain restaurant and was kitchy because it was an outlet for the Fieri empire but the food was good. Liturgygeek has a friend that owns a restaurant in Sonoma called Maya. The pork chop was amazing and one of the most flavorful pieces of meat I have ever eaten. We ate supper twice in the Mission District. The first place was an Indian place called Dosa. I am not a big fan of Indian food but it was very good. The other place is called Foreign Cinema and it was great. It is the type of place that can only be found in San Francisco. The food was fantastic and they play movies on the wall while you eat. Finally, the best breakfast I had was at Brenda's French Soul Food. The had beignets to start and then large servings of New Orleans style breakfasts.

Well, that does for my summary. There was too much we did on the trip to give an adequate summary. Oh well, I guess I will have to make another trip.

Read Liturgygeek's summation.

Blogging Grand Rapids, Summation

On Wednesday night, I returned from Grand Rapids.  I spent the last part of my trip looking at lighthouses.  On Monday, I drove to the towns of Grand Haven and Holland to see the lighthouse on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan.  It was a cloudy, windy day and the waves broke hard against the pier.  

Tuesday was a quiet day and I spent most of the last day of synod around Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids is nice little city.  The eating was spectacular.  I recommend, eating at Bistro Bella Vita, The Sunset Grill, and at the BOB.

My favorite moments were seeing the watergate tools at the Gerald Ford Museum and hearing Barbara Brown Taylor.

I am glad to be back and have a happy 4th. 

Blogging Grand Rapids, The Return

Today, I accomplished a lot.  I helped a couple cement their relationship and led them to make plans to marry.  Since these plans are not fully public, I will refer to the the people in this couple as man and woman.  Man is a good friend to liturgygeek and someone that I know as a casual acquaintance.  Woman is somebody I just met this week.  We had a good conversation on Friday night and we discussed how to conduct a long range relationship.  Last night she was part of the group that went out to supper at Bistro Bella Vita.  When we got back to our hotel last night, liturgygeek and I both said that we thought highly of woman.  I said if man does not marry woman, and marry her soon, then I would have to beat up man.  Liturgygeek relayed the message to man, and this afternoon they confirmed their wedding plans.  All thanks to me and my willingness to use force to bring forth an epic romance.

Some of you must be asking, "Backbencher does this trip have a soundtrack?"  The answer is a resounding yes.  The soundtrack is the Dave Matthews Band new Album Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.  This is a great and funky album.  This a perfect album to crank up in the car stereo and drive through Western Michigan.  The song Why I Am(track 5) is just a great party song; which is kind of neat considering the song is a tribute to Leroi Moore the band's saxophonist who died last year.  The whole song, and really the whole album, just captures the hope that many of us have that the resurrection and life to come will be a party with music, dancing, and plenty of good drink.  

Even More From Grand Rapids

Yesterday was the day that I actually spent doing synod related stuff.  First off was hearing Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson.  Filing what I call the Bill Moyers Slot in the synod line-up, Robinson talked about race; specifically he focused on the diversity found the African-American community.  His talk got a little wonky at times but still good.  Robinson's best moments came when he talked about new development in the the African-American community; for example the increasing immigration from African countries to the U.S.  According to Robinson this group of African immigrants are most educated and well-off group of people to ever move to the U.S.

Then it was on to Barbara Brown Taylor.  Rev. Taylor talked about the importance of narrative in the age of Twitter.  The focus of her talk was the need for people to engage in a narrative that gives meaning to their lives.  She talked at length about how being a southerner means that she is immersed in a culture that is narrative based and one of those narratives is the Bible.   Taylor was great to listen to and as always its nice to have a southern voice at these proceedings.  

After a lunch at Quiznos I went with Pope Laura to her Rep. John Conyers (D-MI-14) talk about H.R. 676.  H.R. 676 is the house version of a bill to bring single-payer healthcare to the U.S.  Rep Conyers looked a little tired and scattered during his presentation.  However the bulk of his point is that healthcare is a continuation of the Civl Rights Movement.  A single payer would be cheaper because any raise in a person's taxes would be offset by savings in health care costs.   There would also be a health tax on the top 5% and 1% of earners.  Conyers said he would vote for a bill with a public plan if the public plan is strong.  He also said there are plans to offer an amendment to the House's "tri-committee" bill to make the single payer be the public plan.  One of the interesting things was Rep. Conyers snark and seemingly contemptuous attitude toward President Obama's healthcare plan.  Conyers said he remembers when Obama supported single payer as a state senator and "I have the tapes" where Obama supported a single payer.  He also said that the strength of the public option depended on the President and "my former colleague" White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel.  Conyer's tone indicated that he doubted Rahm could write a bill with a strong public option.  Conyers did give Laura and I a nod when he mentioned Obama's victory in the Iowa Caucuses.   Sitting with Pope Laura was great because at one time she worked as a staffer for a Senator and she gave a these little insights about what the staffers were doing.

The rest of the day was taken up by a great Italian place.  A group of us went to supper at Bistro Bella Vita.  I recommend the Spaghetti Bolognese.  So far two good places to eat and one just kind of so-so; 2 out of 3 restaurants is not a bad ratio.

Blogging Grand Rapids, Cont.

Yesterday, I did my usual napping, reading, and working out.  In addition, I also went to the Gerald Ford Museum.  I enjoyed seeing the mock-up of Ford's Oval Office and his Cabinet Room.  The two most interesting items were some of the tools used in the Watergate break-in, and the stairs to the helicopter pad from the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon.  My only disappointment was that the gift shop did not have any WIN(Whip Inflation Now) buttons.

A brief note about the food so for.  The first night I ate at an Irish pub.  I ordered a chicken sandwich but the bacon on the sandwich overwhelmed everything.  Last night I ate at the Sundance Grill and this place was much better.  I had a ribeye and a slice of key lime pie.  The consensous around the table was the pie was to die for.

Blogging Grand Rapids, Day 1

Liturgygeek and I are in Grand Rapids Michigan.  She  is attending the 27th UCC General Synod and I am in Grand Rapids.  I have one rule about attending religious conventions and that is too attend as little of the convention as possible.  

You can follow liturgygeek's synod activities at her blog or at the blog of the Iowa delegation.  If you want to know what the husband of a Synod delegate does then stay tuned as I adventure around Grand 

Rapids.

Unless some current event catches my attention then I am going to take a little break from following world affairs.

Today I went to the airport to rent a char, checked out a bookstore, ate lunch at Moe's(Welcome to Moe's!), worked out in the hotel fitness room, read, napped and watched Brazil vs. South Africa in Soccer.  Tonight I will probably eat supper with liturgygeek and friends.  Tomorrow I plan on visiting the Gerald Ford Museum and perhaps later I will Take the Skinheads Bowling.

Historical Site

Kudos to officials in Dekalb County, Georgia for naming the site of the first ever Waffle House as a historical landmark.  Now college students and late night partiers will have a pilgrimage site.  2719 E. College Ave. in Decatur, GA is now a holy place. 

Chicago

I came back home from Chicago today after a great 4 days in the Windy City.  This was my second time to visit the shores of Lake Michigan and I was reminded again that Chicago is a great city.  For me, it ranks up there with New York, Washington D.C., and San Francisco as my favorite American cities.  After my trip this week I am more fascinated by Chicago than ever.  In honor of the great time I had, here are Carl Sandburg's immortal words:

Hog Butcher for the World

Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat

Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;

Stormy, husky, brawling,

City of the Big Shoulders:

They tell me you are are wicked and I believe them, for I have seen your painted women under the gas lamps luring the farm boys.

And they tell my you are crooked and I answer: Yes it is true I have seen the gunmen kill and go free to kill again.

And they tell me you are brutal and my reply is: On the faces of the women and children I have seen the marks of wanton hunger.

And having answered so I turn once more to those who sneer at this my city, and I give them back the sneer and say to them:

Come and show me another city with lifted head singing so proud to be alive and course and strong and cunning.

Flinging magnetic curses amid the toil of piling job on job, here is a tall bold slugger set vivid against the soft little cities;

Fierce as a dog lapping for action, cunning as a savage pitted against the wilderness,

Bareheaded,

Shoveling,

Wrecking,

Planning,

Building, breaking, rebuilding,

Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with withe teeth,

Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,

Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a fight,

Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and under his ribs is the heart of the people, Laughing!

Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating proud to be Hog Butcher, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and Freight Handler to the Nation.