This is the General John Pope, “the very last troopship to sail from San Francisco,” as Carl Nolte (may he write for years to come) wrote in his Sunday column earlier this month.
In Texas, the ship will be scrapped. And there goes a bit of history.
May 18, 2010
May 15, 2010
Breakfast of Champions
Leftovers for breakfast.
This is what we served for dessert when we had company over for dinner Monday. Fixings for this one grabbed from the refrigerator this morning and put together for breakfast. This is the last until I make more. …
Homemade cream puff, filled with homemade vanilla pudding, topped w/ a sauce made by nuking chocolate chips and a bit of butter. (The dessert Monday was a bit less slapped together.)
Breakfast of Champions
May 11, 2010
Tuesday in San Francisco.
Went to the rosé tasting at Butterfly (P33) . Very crowded. Young hip crowd. Deejay. They didn’t ask for the ID they’d told me I had to bring. 
Too crowded for my sensibilities. (I was tempted to ask Rob Lam if I could hide out in his kitchen and have his nibs ferry me tastes of rosé.)
Tasty, but. …
We split early and went down to …P5 for a no-reservation dinner at Lafitte, which opened in April.
They sat us at the counter where we could watch the action in the kitchen. Fun.
We shared an appetizer charcroute plate. (Amazing. Amazing. Amazing. Try it if Russell has it on his menu again.)
His nibs had roasted lamb sirloin (medium rare) because the house had sold out of scallops. I had seared Iberico pork belly and sweetbreads. (Tasty!)
For dessert, we shared an English pea panna cotta (amazing!).
We walked back home and up 223 (who’s counting) steps and then down the path to home sweet home.
Tuesday in San Francisco. …
May 9, 2010
The Kaiwo Maru sets sail.
Cadets in the rigging
Rising Sun flying
Ceremonial farewell from one of the SFFD fireboats
Next stop, Honolulu.
May 8, 2010
The Green Street Mortuary Band
01 May 2010. The band marches up Stockton.
The NPR story begins
Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote a poem about them. Novelist Amy Tan’s mother was serenaded by them as she lay in state. Muckraker Jessica Mitford’s memorial procession was led by them. And more than 300 Chinese families a year hire the Green Street Mortuary Band to give their loved ones a proper and musical send-off through the streets of Chinatown.
May 6, 2010
Busy times at Pier 27
The Kaiwo Maru arrived yesterday and will be moored at P27 until Sunday.
Kaiwo Maru - Japanese four-masted barque
Looks pretty all lit up at night.
Kaiwo Maru as sun sets
Earlier in the week the Golden Bear was here overnight for “a California Maritime Academy alumni reception.” Ah, those receptions. …
California Bear arrives with the tidal bore. 02 May 2010
And for a couple days before that the F/V Frosti was moored at P27. Current task, roaming from San Francisco to San Diego surveying sardines for CalCOFI.
All-in-all a very busy time for the pier.
May 5, 2010
Half moon rising. …
One of the things I love about this perch is watching the way the sunrise changes with the seasons and how the moonrise changes with the phases.
Here are two variants of tonight’s moonrise of the half moon. Well, this morning’s really because it’s way past my bedtime.
Half-moon 2:10A PDT 05 May 2010. The first taken with ISO 3200. The other taken with the “auto” setting and a flash for a fast shutter speed and adjusted post photo. Which is better?
I prefer the second, but the first has its charm, too.
April 28, 2010
April 23, 2010
Views of the Hills
California spring wildflowers
Taken 06 April 2010. Off Cholame Valley Rd, north of Hwys 41/46. San Luis Obispo County.
April 19, 2010
Night coming tenderly …
I always wonder why the GGB gets all the press and photos and postcards and what-not.
I think this view is the best.
[In honor of National Poetry Month, the title of this post a snippet from a Langston Hughes poem I love: Dream Variations]