Okay, here we go, we got a real pressure cooker going here (Meatloaf)

San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Coast Highway

Wie geht's?

Yes, after the previous posts look at my reading pile, this one's a continued look at the 2007 San Francisco trip.

While there we stayed with Mike and Karin at their home on the Pacific Coast Highway and a beautiful art deco motel around the corner.

Mike's place

view right 

view left

Today's focus is on the bike ride Mike and I took up Mount Tamalpais, lunch with Karin and her dad, our neighbourhood diner, a visit to watch the Giants, and the arrival of some whanau for Fanfa's wedding.

First up: Mike Rowbotham and I went on a mountain bike trek up Mount Tamalpais, enjoyed the views and a band playing in the top hut, along with the best homemade lemonade EVER!

Mike, Jesse's dad, leads the way

SF in the distance to the right - next photos zoom in

The city by the bay

Great sounds and the lemonade was through the doorway

Food is always a requirement (no pictures of food though please). In SF that means outdoor food trucks and sublime diners:

Jacky and Karin (sadly Karin and Mike have since split)

Our neighbourhood diner

Jesse took us to a Giants game: 

Stop offs at Amoeba Records were mandatory

and then the whanau arrived...

To be continued!

Love and peace - Wozza

Summer, Buddy Holly, the working folly, Good golly, Miss Molly and boats, Hammersmith Palais, the Bolshoi Ballet, Jump back in the alley and nanny goats (Ian Dury)

Photo by Erick Tang on Unsplash

50 Reasons to be cheerful in 2017:

• Looking forward, each week, to James Whatley's Five Things on a Friday 
• Christmas visits from the family (Jade, Adam, Samantha)
• Blacklist binges on Netflix
• Reading my newspaper The Walrus Gumboot - courtesy of Paper.li
• Medium.com stories - usually a few gems with each edition, although the message that I'd exceeded my monthly quota was annoying
• Seeing Jerry Seinfeld with Jade
• Morning feel good quotes for/from the staff at morning briefings
• Vox sentences
• Watching Dunkirk with Jacky
• Thomas Oppong's articles via Medium.com
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi 
• Austin Kleon's newsletter that comes into my inbox regularly
• Lunchtime walks with my coach, Liz
• Paul McCartney on December 16 at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
• Lindsay Hope's CD collection will be giving pleasure for a long time to come
• Seth Godin's blog, which comes every day, regularly provides food for thought 
• November trip to Keri Keri for a weekend thanks to the kids
• Dan Rockwell's advice, again every day, has pearls of regular wisdom
• Whatsapp - the vehicle for hilarious fandamily interactions
• Netflix has provided great viewing throughout the year
• The Arsenal victory over Spurs was a tonic in an otherwise forgettable season, again
• Greg Knowles' Seventies Music blog provides a shedload of memories
• Daily writing on my blogs
• Visiting Universal Studios at the start of the year with Samantha
• Regular visits to Real Groovy in Auckland for vinyl 
• Marbeck's Records and JB Hi-Fi are still providing CD fixes
• Messages and videos from Noel Forth via Messenger
• Facebook hilarity from mates Greg Knowles and Kevin Simms
• Driving with Samantha and Jacky from San Francisco to LA along the Pacific coast
• Disneyland with Jacky - the happiest place on earth for us
• IHOP Anaheim and blueberry pancakes
• The view from the top of the Brynderwyn Hills looking towards Whangarei
• Autumn, every year
• Card for my 60th birthday from my staff
• Playing backyard cricket with the kids again
• 366 Days With Wisdom by Venerable Master Hsing Yun
• The Hard Rock Cafes in London and San Francisco
• Finding the new copy of West Bruce and Laing's Whatever Turns You On
• Reading 50 books in the year and fulfilling a goal
• Our new Border Collie, Jerry, and his surviving Parvo
• Seeing Jeanette Thomas at the Macca concert
• The organic Whole Life Cafe in Maungaturoto is a life saver
• Taking the ferry to Russell
• The drive from Russell to Whangarei that takes in the Helena Bay Hill Gallery and Cafe (great, great gardens)
• The spectacular tree outside my ART room
• Seeing Keegan happy and purposeful in China
• The view from our lounge towards the Bryderwyns
• Building the horse yards for Grace and Beetlebaum
• Playing ball chase games with Jerry
• Browsing in Amoeba Records, San Francisco
• Mocha at the Beach Cafe Ruakaka (my cup runneth over - this being #51)

Love and peace and into 2018 we go...Wozza

Love is all you need (The Beatles)

Jacky, Jade, Keegan and I returned to New Zealand a couple of days ago from San Francisco. Adam and Ashley return to Japan from San Francisco soon, the in laws return to Nu Zild during the next week.

We've all been there, as the blogosphere whanau knows, to celebrate Samantha and Jesse's wedding.

Basically - WOW!!

Wow for the wedding (SWMBO called it the best wedding she'd ever been to), wow for the great welcome and love from Jesse's families, wow for Keegan's dancing expertise, wow for Jade's maid of honour speech, wow for how good the Purdy whanau looked, wow for the Kennedy and Rowbotham homes, wow for Amoeba Records, wow for the San Francisco Giants and the Golden State Warriors, wow for Green Apple Books, wow for Mt Tamalpais, wow for Fred's and wow for Bill's diner, wow for the San Francisco metro service and the San Francisco Zoo, wow for Haight Street and the Golden Gate Bridge, wow for Alcatraz and last but by no means least, a big wow for the entire city of San Francisco.

We loved it all, and each deserve their own post which is what will follow in the week to come, inshallah.

Of course the ultimate moment for me was walking Samantha down the aisle and handing her over to Jesse. Both looked suitably stunning and blow me down if something didn't get into my eye during the ceremony.

As I sat and watched (father of the groom) Mike deliver his superb wedding ceremony words I thought about how important love and family always is.

Naturally I thought of my mother and my father, Samantha's grandparents, and I knew how proud they would have been to see Samantha standing there all grown up. Dad got to know all of his grandchildren but I am still sad to think that they never got to meet my mother. And I ached and missed them and was happy and proud all in a contrary mess of emotions.

The overarching emotion was a deep happiness that we could all be together in one place, if just for a few days, to share in Samantha and Jesse's joy.

Love and peace - Wozza (father of the bride)

(Want more photos? Try my facebook page!)