Spring Boutique

I'd like to take a moment to plug an arts and crafts show that my sister will be selling her art at.

This Saturday, April 24th the

Spring Boutique

will be held at the Campbell Community Center.

1 W. Campbell Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008

Auxiliary Gym

9am to 4pm.

Over 40 artists with handmade gift items will be there including my sister Lisa (AKA Feltypants). Check out her art at: http://feltypants.posterous.com/

Be sure to check it out!

The Grey Hornet

I'm not much of a plane or ship enthusiast but for my father's birthday on Sunday we took him to the very manly Hornet, a World War II aircraft carrier in Alameda. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I did and didn't feel too out of place.

The ship was full of historic aircraft:


The Hornet was also the ship that picked up the astronauts from Apollo 11 & 12 (the first time we went to the moon). Could you imagine being crammed in that tiny capsule for days waiting to be picked up?

After the capsule, the astronauts must have felt like they were living in the lap of luxury while they were quarantined in this tiny trailer for three weeks.

If you go, be sure to get a tour of the flight deck:

I found the art for the ship logos pretty interesting too: Walt wuz here!

All of the airplanes had folding wings so they could fit as many as possible on board:

The helicopters had folding propellers:

After the Hornet we went over to Oakland to check out Jack London Square. Unfortunately, I have to give it a thumbs down because it was a big snore fest. Unless you are going to catch a show at Yoshi's don't bother. Oakland, you need to do much better.

Castle Rock

Earlier this year Jeff and I bought a California State Parks membership and yesterday we used our free passes for the first time at Castle Rock State Park. Castle Rock is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains and has some of the most amazing rock formations I've ever seen.
This is Castle Rock Falls.

Rock climbing is huge in this park and rock climbers are everywhere.

Some gentlemen encouraged Jeff to climb up a rock formation. These guys were very mischievous and told Jeff that if the rope was in his way he should just untie it. Turns out there was a climber attached to the other end of the rope. Hahaha...

Some of the rocks are super easy to climb around. This one had a little hidey hole that we climbed in. All in all, it was a good day indeed and I'm looking forward to doing more hiking as the weather gets warmer.

Rosicrucians vs. Fry's

San Jose is fortunate enough to have the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum for residents and visitors to explore the ancient world. Take a look at some of the cool architecture and exhibits:



But, no need to make your travel plans just yet - you can save yourself hotel and airplane expenses by visiting your local electronics superstore.

Here is a picture taken at the Rosicrucian:
Now here is a (crappy) picture from the Fry's Electronics in Campbell:
Again, Rosicrucian:
And Fry's: The similarity is creepy isn't it?

Rosicrucian:
Fry's:
By the way, I'll have you know that taking pictures in Fry's was the scariest adventure I've had so far. I thought that at any moment I was going to be stopped for shoplifting every time I stuffed my camera back in my bag. But, fear not, my mischief went unobserved by the crack security team there.

Rain Delay

Unfortunately, this weekend's adventures have been postponed due to inclement weather. Hey, I'm not a mailman - rain, sleet and snow will definitely keep me in bed with a book.

Check out the rainstorm we had today:

In fact, it was so bad it was raining bicycles:
Bud-dum-bump! (slaps knee)

How to equip for an adventure

I'm sure that ever since you started reading my blog you've been dying to ask -"Hilary, what the heck do I bring on my own adventures?" Well, I'm glad you asked! What follows is a non-comprehensive list of stuff to bring when you create mischief.

First of all, guide books are a great way to start your adventure: Of course, these aren't required. Just go for a walk somewhere, anywhere!

Advenures usually require walking or standing, so make sure your feet are properly dressed: Hmmm... time for me to get some new footwear.

Don't forget a cool hat to block the sun and/or rain:

It's important to have the proper bag for your adventure. My current fave is the yellow one, I got it at Cirque du Soleil a few weeks ago when they came to town. (Ovo is a great show by the way.)

It's important to have snacks and wet stuff:

There's other miscellaneous gear you may want to bring: The highest I got my pedometer was 32,000 steps.

Don't forget the tunes!

And, of course, be sure to share your adventure with someone you care about:

Goliath the Robot

I did a little research on the giant robot sculpture in Pacific Heights.

Apparently his name is Goliath and he has quite a history. Check out this article: http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-01-08/bay-area/17275467_1_goliath-robot-sculpture

Poor Goliath!

Pacific Heights

Yesterday I was back in San Francisco for a stairway walk in Pacific Heights. This is the Lyon Street Staircase.

There were lots of (skinny) people running up and down the staircase to get their exercise. I was out of breath climbing up it once at a leisurely pace.
It does offer a gorgeous view though.

And once you think you've climbed the darn thing it turns out there's another section to scale.

One of the things I love about San Francisco is that random art awaits you around every corner. This piece is called Migrant Heart and is part of a 2004 project involving 130 "Public Hearts" on display throughout the city.

The homes in this neighborhood are magnificent. No, this is not a hotel, somebody actually lives here.

This is the entryway of someone's home. I bet you thought it was a church.

And, of course, what home is complete without a greenhouse in the front yard?

Speaking of front yards and random art, the homes in this neighborhood display art as if it were no big deal. I thought about editing out his man parts but how mischievous would that have been?

Other yards sported art that was a little more mainstream.

Other pieces of art were functional.

And some homeowners incorporated art into the building itself.

On my way back I went down this fun road. And, of course, I slipped and went sliding down. This time it was on my knee instead of my rear.