Time...

I am going to take a break from posting for awhile...

Bad Blogger

I know, I still owe details of the second half of our week in SF... I'll get to them and more pictures, one day...

Meanwhile life does go on. While in (and on the way to/from) I was reading Michael Thomas Ford's latest novel "Changing Tides" It was great and now Jim is reading it and can't seem to put it down...

A great read and as always, Ford keeps you guessing for a while...

After I finished "Tides" I started "First Person Plural" by Andrew W.M. Beierle. Jim had been reading it and we just swapped books when we were finished.

Another well written book with an interesting twist: Conjoined twins, one gay, one straight, and a life full of overcome obstacles...

That's all for now...

Over and "Out" from Toano, VA

Where did September go (Part 1)?

Ok, we're back! San Francisco was AWESOME! Eight days may be a little long to stay for a visit, but we made the best of it...

Our flights out we uneventful and after grabbing a cab from the airport, checking in to the Parker Guest House , and unpacking, we started the exploration of the city by the bay. As we walked up towards Castro Street, this is what greeted us:

This is the corner of Castro and Market, the people on the left are coming up from the Muni, which became our best friend. The Castro is not conveniently located to any of the popular spots in the city except for.... well.... The Castro itself. We realized almost immediately that we were either going to have to walk or rely on the SF Municipal Transportation System. For those of you that have been to San Francisco, you know... Only half of the walking is fun. For every downhill stroll, there is an equally steep uphill climb, and it gets old really fast. Someone at the B&B recommended getting a 7 day Muni Pass, which allowed us unlimited access to the subway, buses, streetcars, and even the cable cars. It was a steal at $24 each, since the cost of each trip, each way (down to the Wharf area) was $1.50 and the cable cars alone were $5 each way.

Saturday afternoon, we took the "F" streetcar down Market Street to the Embarcadaro, and then down from the Ferry Building (Pier 1) to the heart of Fisherman's Wharf (Piers 39 and higher). Where we grabbed a cable car and of course, had to stand on the runners like the true tourists we were. We had dinner on the Wharf and then headed back to the Castro for a nightcap and bed.

Sunday was a whirlwind of tours. We took a motorized cable car tour first, to get our bearings, and then took off walking... and walking...

These are the public toilets (free) which go through self cleaning cycles after each use. The doors open and close automatically, which is one of the reasons I never used one....

Jim didn't want to bring a jacket (he thanked me numerous times during the week for talking him into bringing it)... There are a zillion little micro-climates in SF, you can be in 80 degree sun one moment and turn a corner and be in the 60's... These were taken down near Fisherman's Wharf.

Me at the end of one of the piers (Alcatraz in the background). It looks cloudy in the picture, but it was actually pretty early in the morning...

Of course we had to visit Coit Tower, on the top of Telegraph Hill... The views were spectacular, although the climb (on the streets) to the base took the breath out of both of us.

For those of you that have read the Tales of the City books, take a look at the next picture and tell me if this doesn't fit the description of Barbary Lane...

This was taken from the top of Coit Tower looking down the hill... I think I see Ms Madrigal!!

After a day of walking, we heading back to the Castro, and the wine social at the guest house. We met a great guy there, and afterwards headed out to explore the bars, shops and restaurants on and off Castro. We had dinner at the Sausage Factory and popped in and out of a few of the local watering holes... By 9:00pm on a Sunday the clubs and streets were packed with people...

Monday morning was spent recovering from Sunday night's wine social, drinks before dinner, wine with dinner, and drinks at each bar we visited... Jim lay in bed, while I went down to the garden and pretended to read "Changing Tides" (the newest from Michael Thomas Ford) which is actually very good and is set in Monterey.

Monday afternoon we set out for the Wharf and the Park Service's official cruise TO Alcatraz... There is only one cruise that actually takes you to and drops you off on the island. We chose to go on one of the evening tours which has more narration and offers access to parts of the prison that are not open to the public on the day tours.

Before boarding the cruise on Pier 33, we headed over to Pier 39 (which is a huge shopping and restaurant complex right on the bay). After the earthquake a few years ago, the sea lions migrated into the bay and took over the marina at Pier 39... These guys are the noisiest, stinkiest... and most adorable creatures...

We had a great time on Alcatraz and the views of the city at night were spectacular. The views from inside were not as great!

Tuesday was my birthday, and we did more walking and exploring, cable car riding, and chocolate eating and shopping...

The cable car museum and powerhouse.. If you look at the I-beam you can see the words "California", "Mason", and "Powell", the 3 main lines. The white machines in the foreground are actually keeping the cables running all the time.

No visit to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Ghirardelli Square. While the actual chocolate factory has moved to Oakland (I think) the shops and Ice Cream Parlor were wonderful... Another free sample??? Sure.

We had a late lunch at E & O Trading Company and then headed down to the theater district to see "Mama Mia" which was awesome and very entertaining. Jim had us sitting 4th row center, I had a grand 52nd birthday! Thank you Baby!

Ok, this is taking longer than I thought... Wednesday through Saturday events will be detailed in my next post!

Over and "Out" from back home in Toano, VA

Nine Days and Counting

In nine days, Jim and I will be off to San Francisco for a week... I am getting excited about revisiting, and even more excited about seeing the city with a gay perspective.

We are staying at a highly recommended (gay) B&B in the Castro, have plans to see Mama Mia on the night of my birthday, have booked trips to Alcatraz and the Napa Valley and plan on filling the balance of our time exploring this fabulous city...

The last time I was there was 20 years ago, while I don't expect things to have changed all that much, it will be interesting to see the same things through different eyes...

Jim has never been, and as the "planner" he is, has lined up all sorts of things to do and places to visit... I do love having a significant other that likes to plan... I can do it at work, but I am more the spontaneous type when it comes to time off... I know we will more than likely use his itinerary as a guide, but also know we will stray as we run across an unexpected event or place.

Between now and next Saturday we both have our respective work to deal with, packing, and all the things required to be away for a long week, so posts may be sparse...

Over and "Out" for now, from sunny Toano, VA

ps: any advice on places to go, things to see, would be welcome...

I am an Aristocrat

Ok, I was visiting over at Karen's blog, and I saw her title and a link to this silly website...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Viscount Thomas the Festive of Much Bottom Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

I'm not sure exactly how to interpret the title, but... if "the foo shits, wear it" ...

Over and "Out" from a busy day off in Toano, VA.

What a handsome couple

We attended a friends wedding on Sunday and had a great time. As the only gay couple there, the comments (and compliments) we got were very interesting, and very accepting...

On a more somber note, "Buster" (one of the owners of Club Z2, in Richmond) passed away on the 24th. Johnny and Buster were there for me as I came out to the world a couple years ago. I spent many a late night shooting pool with both of them and talking...

We'll miss you Buster! Rest in peace...

Over and "Out" from my neck of the woods: Toano, VA

I can ONLY Imagine....

Over the past few days I have been re-evaluating my connection with the higher power that some call God...

I was raised, was married (the first time), and raised all of my children as a fairly good catholic. Some years ago I had a falling out with the church. The thought that I would not be forgiven for being gay and happy somehow just didn't seem to demonstrate the teachings of the faith I had always been a part of... Yet Pope John-Paul II assured me (at the same time he condemned me) that the priests involved with children of their parishes, caught years after the fact, would all be forgiven, as they knew what they did was wrong. What a relief... I wonder if they asked for forgiveness before or after they were caught?

I tried, not too long ago, to re-enlist in organized religion. I found an Episcopal church that I really liked the feel of and really liked the similarity to the service I had always been a part of. I began dating Jim (long distance) shortly after and found that I was spending more and more time in Williamsburg, hence missing the services at my new church in Richmond.

Eventually I moved to Williamsburg/Toano and left St. Thomas and the attempted re-connection with faith behind... It has only been over the past few days that I have realized that faith is not something that can only be had by entering the doors beneath a star or cross. It truly is something that travels with you wherever you go. Like FATE (which I also subscribe to), FAITH is a part of what makes me.... me.... It's not something you get in return for placing coins or checks in a basket, it's not something you can teach yourself to do, it's something that you just have. Sometimes it hides itself deep inside and comes out only in times of other emotional distress, other times it hangs on the edge of your shirt sleeve for all to see...

While visiting The Way I See It (one of my regular reads) I listened and watched two versions of the following video. I have always enjoyed the original, however, Wynonna's story and rendition is truly inspiring, soulful, and hanging right there on that sleeve for all to admire:




Over and "Out" from Toano, VA