Independence Day in San Francisco

Spent 3 lovely weeks in the city by the bay -- called by the late journalist Herb Caen "Baghdad by the Bay." Really a nice cool respite from sizzling Arizona. It is a truly great place for walking, a bit hilly, compact and scenic and who would ever forget Bill Cosby's plea to St. Peter that "me and a Volkswagen drifted backward into the bay." "You go to Hell," was the reply. Note the $2.00 pints at Kennedy's Pub.

Taliesin West

Frank Lloyd Wright, world renowned architect, tired of winters in Wisconsin and helped by his students, built his winter home and studio in the Sonoran Desert in the 1930's. They used rocks and sand from the site as building materials and took special care to reflect the local terrain in the structure's layout. Here are a few photos I took in May 2009.

San Diego

Made a quick trip to San Diego in November and came home with some nice fotos. The occasion was youngest daughter's birthday and a fine time was had by all. There were Santa Ana winds blowing, those restless winds that have counterparts in the Pacific Northwest (Chinook) and the Scirocco in the Mediterranean. The Diablo winds fanned the flames of the 1991 Oakland Hills fire in Notrhern California.

40 Shades of Green

Tourism and the Celtic Tiger hi-tech and manufacturing notwithstanding, Ireland's wealth is agriculture. Saw the Kilkenny Mart with Seannie Dwyer, an impressive new market for livestock. And one can see everywhere the green fields that nurture Irish meat.
While in Ireland I endeavored to discover the countries of origin of goods for sale in shops and used in restaurants and hotels. I was not surprised by the dominance of Chinese goods as Ireland and China have had a long and productive business relationship. But in the cafeteria at the Kilkenny Mart, all the dishes and cups were from the Homer Laughlin China Company of West Virginia.

Knocktopher

Kilmainham Jail

"MacDonagh and MacBride
And Conolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born."

Kilmainham jail, killed irishmen jail. A wicked place.

Trinity College

Trinity College was sunny and welcoming. The library with the Book of Kells was filled with shoppers and tourists. The campus also hosted construction crews. When on break, the Irish lads went to collect tea and snacks from the cafeteria. The eastern european workers chatted on the lawns.