Week of April 16: Puppy Love

You all know about our dog Kodi, the 3 year old Siberian Husky. We adopted him into our family about a year ago. His previous owner was an experienced horse trainer with four dogs, so by the time Kodi came into our life, he was pretty much trained. That is not to say that Kodi is a perfectly trained dog... he has his short comings which is pretty much the result of Andrea and my lack of consistency in training. But for the most part, adding Kodi into our life has been easy. I personally think that for us, getting Kodi at 2 years of age was the best way for us to be introduced to the world of dog ownership. However, there are times, usually when we run into a cute, bouncy puppy at the park, when Andrea and I wonder if we had missed some vital dog-owner experience/ritual by not having the puppy raising experience with Kodi. We often wondered if we had missed the best part of having a dog... that crucial bonding window of opportunity that often defines the relationship between the dog and his human family pack. Afterall, everyone loves puppy. And every puppy owner that we have ever come across seemed to be having the best time of their lives. So when our friends Chantel and Peter asked us to puppy sit Stella for the weekend, we both jumped at the opportunity to discover what we had missed. Stella is the cutest 4 month old Chocolate Lab and she was going to be with us for the weekend. They offered us to stay at their chic urban loft in San Francisco about 3 blocks from the Giants' Ball Park. A puppy and a hip loft in the City? We couldn't pack our bags fast enough!

From the very first moment, Andrea and I fell in love with Stella. Kodi on the other hand, tolerated Stella. Stella loved Kodi and followed him around everywhere, trying to lick Kodi in the face every chance she got. It took about 30 minutes and a few grumpy growls from Kodi for the two dogs to establish their boundaries and relationship. Just as we had thought, Stella was the typical puppy. Cute, cuddly, curious, energetic, clumsy, smart... did I say cute? Before we turned in for the night (we started puppy sitting on Thursday night), we took both Kodi and Stella out for their night walk. At the nearby park, Andrea and I were quite surprised to find that Kodi had already bonded to Stella. He was very protective of her and stayed alert when other dogs approached.

The four of us had a great weekend. The weather, for once, was fantastic. We did a lot of walking around, exploring the waterfront along Embarcadero. On Saturday, our friend Monica came over with her puppy, Maverick, a 6 month old white Samoyed. So with 3 dogs in tow, we headed off to Crissy Field where the dogs had a blast chasing each other, running into the ocean, and digging in the sand.

Puppyhood was all it was cracked up to be and more. Andrea and I also discovered the otherside of being responsible for a puppy. It's not all fun and games... its a lot of work as well. I think the biggest surprise for us was the potty training. At the age of 4 months, a puppy can probably hold out for about 4 hours (on average, 1 hour per month of age). However, Stella was not just an ordinary puppy.... she drank lots and lots of water; about 3 times as much as Kodi. So her limit was probably about 2 hours. So every few hours, Andrea and I took Stella out to the nearby park for her potty break. This became a constant exercise for Andrea and I. At night, Peter and Chantel used puppy pads in case Stella had to heed nature's calling during the night. Andrea and I used this method as well. And sure enough, Stella made full use of the puppy pads... sometimes twice during the night!

By the 3rd day, Andrea and I developed a routine and adjusted well to dealing with our new found responsibilities. Kodi had also adjusted well to Stella and even allowed her to sleep with him. Overall, the four of us had a great weekend. If Andrea and I were to have a puppy, we would want one just like Stella. I think this exerience has taught both of us a valuable lesson in the amount of work that goes along with raising a puppy and we definitely have new found respect for Peter and Chantel.

When we got home, Andrea and I were quite exhausted from our weekend in the City. We lounged on the couch, watching TV while Kodi let himself out into the backyard through the doggie door for his potty break. Good boy Kodi!!!

Week of April 9: Big Pin-ping

April 16 is a good day for many reasons. The following historical events have occured on this glorious day:

• 1724: first Easter was observed
• 1912: the Pirates turned a rare 5-3-7 doubleplay (leftfielder covering 2nd base!)
• 1922: Annie Oakley shot 100 clay targets in a row
• 1940: first televised baseball game (WGN-TV, Whitesox vs. Cubs)
• 1947: Bernard Baruch coined the term "Cold War"
• 1956: first solar powered radio goes on sale

But most importantly, April 16 is the day that the man that you all greatly admire and adore, was born. Now, there are other great men born on this date. Martin Lawrence, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Charlie Chaplin, Pope Benedict XVI, and Gerardo (aka Rico Suave) to name a few, were all born on April 16. But how many of these famous figures can say that their birthday was celebrated with a giant dancing bowling pin (OK... maybe Gerardo in his prime)? I'm sure by now, you've all guessed correctly that the great man that I'm referring to is none other than your humble blogger... me!

On Saturday, April 15, Andrea threw me my first official birthday party ever. Now, I am getting old and my memory is not what it used to be but I just can't recall ever having a real birthday party (my brother Brian claims that he never had one either but I distinctly recall organizing his dinner party at Le Colonial restaurant followed by a cocktail all-nighter at the Rosewood Bar in North Beach... let's see how long ago was that?... LAST YEAR!). Andrea rented 5 lanes at Albany Bowl for my first and best birthday party. About 30 of my friends (I told you I was great) showed up for a night of bowling and fun. Technically, I'm not sure if what we did qualifies as bowling. But no one got hurt and we all had a lot of laughs!

Earlier on Saturday, we stopped over La Rosa Vintage Boutique in the Haight and picked up these fine bowling threads.


Andrea surprised me by hiring Mr. Pin to be the special guest of honor at my birthday party. Dancing with Mr. Pin in front of all my friends, as well as strangers who couldn't resist this 10 foot mascot, was a dream come true for me. Thank you Andrea... I'll be counting the days to your birthday, where I can finally repay you.


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Here, I'm getting down with Mr. Pin. This was the longest 4 minutes of my life. Was it hot out there or was it just me?


I'm so glad that I was able to provide entertainment to all my friends... thanks to my lovely wife!

As the night wore on, things got a little more creative. Amazingly Carol (left) did no worse browling on her knees than standing up... all gutter balls! I think Shannon (right) is describing the recent delivery of her second baby, Kate.

Week of April 2: Cheers and Welcome to California

Each year, about half a million people from all walks of life move to California for various reasons. Some move here for the weather, for a better future, to seek refuge from political oppression, and for love. This week we welcomed Mike and Griesla to California... both followed their hearts to be with the ones they love. Mike has moved from North Carolina to be with Eve, and Griesla, has immigrated all the way from Germany, to be with Eric. To welcome them to our beautiful state, Eve and Eric rented the Bamboo Hut in North Beach and threw a big shindig!

The Bamboo Hut is a fun bar known mostly for its creative fruity Polynesian drinks.

While Griesla (left) is clearly getting the hang of the laid back Northern California attitude, Mike still has a lot of learning to do... Tourist!

This year the Bay Area commemorated the 100 year anniversary of the 1906 Great Earthquake. We wanted to make sure that Mike and Griesla were well prepared like the rest of us. I think the Pepto came in handy the next morning for Mike after his Volcano drinks below.


Unless someone is holding a gun to your head, never finish a drink with fire coming out of it by yourself. Here is Mike drinking a Flaming Volcano. Welcome to California!


Very fun night!

Week of March 25: Oyster Fest

Living in the Bay Area, we take many things for granted. For example, with the arrival of baseball season (Go Giants!) in early April, we expect warm spring weather filled with sunshine, blossoming flowers, and shorts & flip-flops. Food is another thing we take for granted. That is, we can get anything we want at just about any time (except for perhaps Rhubarb in winter). So it isn't surprising that one of San Francisco's first outdoor festivals of the calendar year is the annual Oyster and Beer Festival. What could be better than to welcome spring by slurping down a dozen fresh raw oysters and chasing them down with ice cold beers on a lazy Saturday afternoon?

There is something really wrong here when it is warmer in Bemidji, MN and Grand Forks, ND than it is in the Bay Are in early spring!

This year, our spring weather has been delayed by a series of storm systems that have pounded us with rain. In March, we had 27 days of rain and the forecast for April was more of the same. So when the Oyster Fest weekend arrived, I anticipated a rainout. Our friend Jenny, who lived within a short walk of Fort Mason where Oyster Fest was being held, organized a pre Oyster Fest brunch at her house and prepared a delicious brunch with her boyfriend, Charles. After brunch, with raincoats and umbrellas in hand, we headed to the Oyster Fest. The weather turned out to be good. As the morning turned to afternoon, the sun broke out of the clouds and brought with it more people to the festival. I think I even saw a fair number of people in shorts and flip-flops... crazy Californians!

As you can see, even though the sun was out, we were prepared for rain! Andrea's love for oysters is clearly visible here.

Jenny and Charles even made their own Champagne Vinegar Mignonnette sauce and brought it to the Oyster Fest. Wonder why Andrea is not in this picture?

Mmmm! Here is a raw pacific oyster with Jenny and Charles' Mignonnette sauce.

Even our friends from across the pond (UK), Fergal (with hat) and Simon, showed up for the Oyster and Beer Fest. Actually, they seem to show up for anything associated with "Beer". This is as happy as I have ever seen them.

Nico is describing here what had happened to him when he ate a bad oyster last year. Christina (turtle neck), Lucie (sunglasses) and Carol (hoodie) are having second thoughts about sharing another round of oysters. Doesn't Lucie (another Brit) look smashing with her fresh haircut?