Sunday, June 25, 2006

"Now we spinnin', yeah, we spinnin', yeah, we spinnin', now we spun"

Wow! What a weekend. It feels like a long time since I've been so busy...and yet I had most of my day to myself today, too.

So, my adventure Saturday: SlowTalker took me to a kitesurfing competition. It was so cool! There's access to the Bay down in San Bruno, and it apparently gets the most consistent winds in the Bay Area. So it's become a draw for windsurfers and kitesurfers.

The way cool thing about kitesurfing is that they can do these aerial tricks...literally spinning around off the water, then landing down on the water. Most have their boards (the smaller boogy boards) strapped to their feet, but there were one or two who go strapless. This was pretty wild because they'd jump off their boards, then try to land on the boards again. Sometimes didn't work so well. There were people from all over the world, both participating and watching. It was a fun time!

Afterwards, we went for dinner at this older Italian restaurant by the Oakland Airport. We had this really eccentric server, who no one gives sh*t to, it seems. The best part came when SlowTalker asked for the warm spinach salad to be prepared without bacon...They make their salads tableside. We had 3 servers and the salad chef all intently watching the process - along with several exclamations of "Spinach salad without bacon? Unheard of!" I felt like a total rebel kid because we ordered desert...first!

Then we did a lovely tour of the Oakland Airport. SlowTalker told me that the Airport was one of the first active airfields in the country. Amelia Earhart flew out of that field on her fateful journey. And they are thinking of declaring that little strip of the land a historical site because on it is the history of hanger design through the years. We also stopped at the (closed) aviation museum. Outside they have a China Clipper (one of the first commercial passenger planes). That particular plane had been used in one of the Indiana Jones movies!

It was a good day!

Then today, after feeding some cats, I gathered my energy and stuff and headed out to the Pride Celebration in SF. It was very crowded...the crowds started on BART and it was almost impossible getting up the stairs off of BART. Once I got to the festival it was much more sane, but still a lot of people. I only saw 2 floats on the parade route - mostly because it would have been a lot of work to get to the front.

Go here for the pictures (because Blogger is giving me grief again!). Just an FYI, the Pride photos are just the first 11 pictures in the group, but feel free to look at the others if you haven't seen my London pics.

All the sun has made me sleepy and now all I want is to curl up on my bed and read before falling asleep. I hope you all had a great weekend, too!

4 comments:

Aravis said...

Wow, this looks like so much fun! Glad you went despite the crowds? We never have anything like this around here which is too bad, because I think it would be great to go sometime. :0)

Fred said...

Good thing that tree had the warning on it. It might have caused damage otherwise. :)

Great pictures. Glad you had a great weekend.

Hyde said...

Awesome! Thanks for the Hyde Street pic! :)

love,
h

Ethel said...

Sounds like a wonderful weekend! :)