Week 22: The Road to the Grand Canyon

It is almost summertime.  For most families, summer usually means ROAD TRIP!  It’s time to pack the kids in the car, perhaps go somewhere new, and have an adventure.

One of the many road trips that I have enjoyed was to the Grand Canyon. It was my first and only time there. Admittedly, this trip was eons ago. So this T-shirt is really old, and I do not remember a lot of the details. My friends and I did not take a hike down to the canyon floor because a good number of us are afraid of height and narrow trails – author included.

We just took a lot of hikes and drives along the rim, enjoyed the out-of-this-world views (reminds me of Mars) and magnificent sunsets whose colors are featured in this t-shirt.  The longer one looks at the Canyon, the more one can start to see the vastness of the beautiful sedimentary layers of rock, and in a very real sense, begin to grasp the immensity of time past; each deposited layer of stone, from the limestone to the sandstone to the shale, represents millions of years of time that have come and gone. Very cool indeed!

A special treat was that we stayed in the park at the Bright Angel Lodge. It was awesome waking up to a truly grand view each and every morning.

Best way to get there from where we live (in the San Francisco Bay Area) is to FLY to Las Vegas and then drive. Although we somewhat cheated since it is only a part-road trip, I think this still counts. Otherwise, it would probably be a twelve-hour drive, without stops. Getting there from Las Vegas makes it a much more manageable four-hour drive. Plus you get to stay in Vegas for a day or two, and you get to see (maybe even tour the inside of) the Hoover Dam.

Writing this post makes me want to visit again. My husband and I have been planning on a 10-day car tour of Arizona and New Mexico (where he has spent a fair amount of time enjoying); for sure the Grand Canyon will be one of the stops of that vacation road trip.

P.S. For a really neat, philosophical read about the first trip on foot through The Grand Canyon, check out Colin Fletcher’s ‘The Man Who Walked Through Time.’

Blogger’s Note: Just a reminder, this is the week of The Kidney Walk in San Francisco. If you have a chance, walk for a cause or support a walker participating in the event. Here's my post about the Kidney Walk.

Week 21: Let's Go To The Movies!

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. It’s the unofficial start of summer – although the cooler temperatures this past week make it not seem like it is. During the summer, one of our very favorite activities is watching movies. It is a great way to escape the intense summer heat.

We are looking forward to the latest films of the summer. We may even watch two or three films this coming weekend. We usually take in the big productions – particularly the Science Fiction, Action, or Fantasy films.  We’ll have Iron Man, Star Trek, and The Man of Steel to consider for viewing.

We usually make it a “date night” (or day). We’ll start with a meal; then it’s off to the movies; finishing our outing with appetizers/deserts and perhaps some live entertainment – good jazz or something, after the movie.

Pixar movies are a big hit in our household, hence the t-shirt (although most of the time Pixar films come out during the holidays).  Actually, I bought this shirt because I like superhero shirts, and The Incredibles are a group of characters that I can relate to. They tried to have normal lives and tried to hide their super powers, but were rather somewhat unsuccessful (sounds familiar to me). If I had a super power, I think it would be sarcasm or my appetite for yummy desert - or maybe both.

Two thumbs up! See you at the movies! 

Week 20: Bay To Breakers

It’s Bay to Breakers Weekend in San Francisco. So I thought it would be appropriate to bring out my Bay to Breakers T-shirts and write about that event. Officially, these shirts, at least the white ones, are part of my regular t-shirt rotation. These shirts are pretty ratty and old, but comfortable. I wear the white ones most often around the house, especially during the summer. The dark-colored shirt, however, have not been seen by either my husband or I for a long, long while.

Bay to Breakers is really a fun walk or run. It is really more like a social gathering on foot. There are bands at every mile, people often ran in their own costumes (e.g. Hawaiian Shirt, Elvis, and other sorts of outrageousness), or as a centipede (i.e. they are attached to each other). Back in the day, floats were even allowed. The floats were hand-made structures on wheels; my favorite one was the moving tiki bar. And in true tiki bar fashion, they had some libations (I think it was only for their own thirsty team though). Lastly, Bay to Breakers was also one of the few foot races where people could run naked. Sadly, the people who ran naked did not look like Ryan Gosling or Halle Berry (they never do).

I kind of miss participating in B2B. It’s almost 20 years since I first ran it. I used to walk or run the B2B every year, but I had to give up running because I realized that running on pavement was creating havoc with my knees (I wanted to save them for my skiing). Also, it was getting way too crowded. Now that I am walking regularly again, I am catching the walking bug once more and, am thinking of registering for next year … maybe.

Week 19: Thrifting

My husband loves to explore our local thrift shops. He often finds treasures there – mostly clothing and knick-knacks. Since it’s spring, we will be exploring thrift and hospice stores.  This week’s shirt is a result of one our many thrift store adventures. 

It is also a bonus since this shirt is Hawaiian-related.

We usually explore our stores nearby our neighborhood.  Shopping at thrift stores is great for finding bargains for each of us and our home. Thrifting helps the environment since it is a way to reusing unwanted items, and it also often benefits a local charity. The thrift store that we frequent most often (Anna’s Attic) benefits a Hospice and Palliative Care of Contra Costa’s Program for women in the advanced stages of breast cancer.

The Hospice has a good selection of clothing. In addition to t-shirts, polo shirts, and jackets, they also have dress shirts and slacks, blouses, dresses, and even suits. Of special interest to us, they also have "Hawaiian Days" where all Hawaiian and other tropical-themed items are 50% off the regular greatly discounted price. You can expect us at the thrift store on those (not that we need more Hawaiian clothes) days! I think we bought this shirt on one of the Hawaiian Days. My Hubby has the biggest selection of Hawaiian shirts – ever! He really knows what to look for in an authentic, quality "aloha shirt": coconut buttons, double-stitching, classic print patterns, a matching pocket, and of course, classic shirt labels like, Aloha, Kahala, Kamehameha, and Paradise. I think he should do a blog about those shirts next year!

Oh, and just to mention, if you’re not in the mood to buy something, you can always give something away. Over the years, we have donated shirts, suits, slacks, jackets, books, and some jewelry.

For more info on thrift stores around the Bay Area, check out thriftstorejunkies.com. For more Lava Blues Shirts, check out alohafolks.com

Week 18: Let's Go Giants!!!

With the baseball season now in full swing, my baseball fanatic hubby requested me to post something about baseball, specifically, about the San Francisco Giants. Although I am not nearly as knowledgeable about baseball (though learning) as my husband, I have come to watch my share of games, enough to enjoy the players, the chess-like strategy, and the ambiance. That’s why I have a Giants baseball t-shirt.

We are actually watching the game against the Dodgers as I write this blog (Apologies for your loss, Los Angeles Dodgers Fans).

My husband has been a long time Giants fan, long before their recent Pennant and World Series successes. He rarely misses a game on TV, which makes me a baseball widow during the season (It’s okay; he’s an aikido widower all year long).

The Giants have always been composed of a lot of colorful and often rather endearing personalities. This year, the Giants include Pablo “The Kung Fu Panda” Sandoval, Brandon “The Giraffe” Belt, Hunter “The Reverend” Pence, Tim “The Freak, now the Geek” Lincecum, Buster “the clean-cut, boy next door & National League MVP” Posey, and Sergio Romo (no nickname for him – just great 9^th inning pitching to close it off). To support their favorite player, fans going to the game often wear team colors along with, yes, even a panda hat (in black and white OR orange and black) or a giraffe hat. Back in 2010, when we had Brian “The Beard” Wilson as a closer, a good number of fans would show up at a home game sporting a pair of sunglasses and a ZZ-top fake beard!

2010 and 2012 have been awesome for the Giants and the Bay Area. The Giants have taken it all the way, winning both the 2010 and 2012 World Series. 2010 was the first time the San Francisco Giants won the World Series since they relocated from New York City in 1958. Each of the World Series Parades down Market Street was just incredible! The cheering and screaming crowds were huge; it was as if everyone in the Bay Area was there to see it!

I am fascinated with Giants fans. They are both quite supportive and superstitious about their team; they have lucky t-shirts, they paint their nails orange and black (all year, not just at Halloween), and some even dye their hair orange. My husband does not have a ritual, but I have done my part – as I do not (any longer) post anything on my Facebook account while they are playing. I found that whenever I root for the Giants in Facebook, it jinxes them, and they lose. I still tweet during the game though.

I just hope posting this in my blog won’t hurt their chances in the next seven days.

I really like this shirt. It's long sleeved which is perfect for those cool (or cold) San Francisco nights at AT&T Park, especially when the game goes into extra innings.  It also keeps you warm on the ferry ride from Oakland's Jack London Square to McCovey Cove (our favorite way of getting to/from a home game - no bridge or parking concerns, just a nice ride with a great view) and then back. Lastly, it also has a great design on the sleeve, which matches my orange nails perfectly.