You're a winner

In my travels over the last weekend, I picked up a number of items. I am now offering you a chance to win these items. It's really simple. Indicate in the comments which items you would like to have a chance of winning. At the close of the contest, I will select the winner(s) by random drawing.


1. The first item is a book about the Sardine Factory. It's mostly about the history of the restaurant but it also contains some recipes.


2. A baseball cap from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.


3. A blank book from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.


4. An octopus keychain also from the Aquarium.


5. And the final item from the Aquarium -- this lovely stuffed penguin. Sorry but I'm a sucker for penguins.Oh, and if you want the cat, I'm willing to throw him in as well.


6. A set of cards and a couple of bookmarks from Point Lobos State Reserve.

And finally if you like all of them, simply state "all of the above" in your comment and you will be entered into each of the drawings. Otherwise just indicate the numbers in which you are interested.

Entries for the contest will close in one week on October 18, 2009 at 12:00 noon.

Beginning and end

Stepping into the Sardine Factory on Friday evening was like stepping back into time. The service reminded me of going to Ernie's and Victor's with my parents as a teenager.


I saw seated in the Conservatory.


I started my meal with their famous Abalone Bisque. My only regret it that I got a cup instead a bowl. Next time I will not make that mistake.


At the end of my meal, I ordered a latte. I thought it was cute that they included a little biscotti with it.


For dessert, I ordered the Italian Trio -- tiramisu, cannoli and spumoni inside of a white chocolate cup. Everything was perfect. The cannoli was light and airy. And I even liked the spumoni. I usually don't as to me it can be the ice cream equivalent of fruitcake. When I was about halfway through the desserts, the busser asked my opinion of the spumoni. He then said that he too does not normally like spumoni but for some reason likes that served at the Sardine Factory.

You may have noticed that I did not include my entree. This is because I made a bad choice. It was perfectly good but just not my cup of tea. A gentleman at a nearby table ordered my other choice and it looked absolutely wonderful. He ate every bite and told the server that it was great. Next time.

Oh, and in keeping with the theme of my aquarium visit, all of their seafood is sustainable. And yes, I will be returning. I will have more abalone bisque. And perhaps I will also try their Calamari Puffs.

Afternoon at the aquarium

This was inspired by David, Maddie and Boy Toy. Every time I go New York, David and Maddie swear that we are going to the zoo. Here's the problem. They always get dronk and then can't get up until late in the day. So yesterday I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for them.



I timed my arrival to coincide with the last penguin feeding of the day.

I originally took a photo of these lovely creatures but then decided that they really deserved video.


Otters!!!!





They even had an exhibit of birds that live along the shoreline.





Now I understand why folks rave about the place. And they're really great about emphasizing environmental issues and what each of us can do to make sure that these creatures continue to exist in the wild. For years I have used their Seafood Watch to make dining decisions -- because not all stores color-code their seafood like Andronico's does. And now the list is available as an iPhone app so now I always have it with me.

So yeah, if you haven't guessed, I see more trips to the aquarium in my future.

Early bird

For some reason I was up bright and early this morning, so early that the sun hadn't even risen yet. So I patiently waited for the first light.

Now I'm going back to sleep. I am on vacation after all.

Bay to bay

Tonight after work I left the San Francisco area to head to the Monterey area for an extended weekend. Last year my dad had reserved a unit at the timeshare. Actually it was a reschedule. He and my stepmother were supposed to be going to Cabo San Lucas last September. Then her health issues came up. At the time, my dad was still hoping that she'd recover and so he just rescheduled for this year -- in the Monterey area instead. After my stepmother's death, he decided that he didn't want to use the time anymore and so now it's basically mine. I didn't have enough vacation time to come for the whole week that was booked so I figured I'd make it an extended weekend. And now I'm thinking about next year. Leaning toward New Orleans.

I tried to take a photo for y'all right after I checked in but the sun was much too low in the sky at that point. That's OK. I'll take more photos for y'all tomorrow during the day so that you can get a clearer view.

The problem was that I was on the beach. If the moon was full and it had been later in the evening, then maybe I would have been able to take a successful photo. The beach is a one to two minute walk from where I'm staying. And all you want to do is walk along this particular beach. Because this is my Pacific after all.

Update: Apparently at least one of last night's photos sort of came out. But my post from this morning will still give you a much better idea.