1-15-09 Thursday (Freakish Pigeons)

I don't think we'll make much of an early start again today. We'll get up at 8 or so and still manage to get a late start. I guess we dilly-dally on the Internet.

Last night I went to bed later than I would have liked. I was trying to get the video done and even with the shortcuts I took, that didn't go quick enough. After yesterday's adventure, my lower back, legs and feet were aching. Yeah, old, out of shape, fat, whatever the reason, it sucked.

It's a little after 10am and I finally convinced Jim to get into the shower already! By the time he's finished, we get into SF via BART, we'll be ready for lunch, then we'll stop and eat. So basically, it will be around 12:30pm before we actually set out to do some of the excursions.

Yesterday, we both wore long sleeve thin shirts. In the backpack we had light weight windbreakers for the evening. This time, I'm gonna wear a sweatshirt since being near the water does offer some cooler temperatures as I found last night. Taking public transportation does have its disadvantages for limiting what you want to carry around all day.

Aside from some blogging, I walked Dasher while I'm waiting for Jim to get ready. It's the 2nd time I've spotted a Humming Bird here. I finally spotted a feeder. I'm tempted to get a feeder for the RV.... shhhhh don't tell Jim.

We're back from our trip into SF. As I approve comments I notice that everyone has been to SF. Dang. Well, for the very few who have never been, I present to you, Our Day.

I must share these photos of this pigeon. It had a freakin' mohawk! I've never seen anything like this. It's a freak amongst it's bird friends, I'm sure. Can anyone explain this?

The first thing we did once arriving in SF is to eat. See, read above, I knew that would happen. We went to the Rain Forest Cafe because it's cool, oh and we had a coupon too. Buy one entree and get an appetizer of the day for free. Shut up, we're on a fixed income. We needed to know what it was in case it was something icky. We planned to split the entree and the appetizer. We asked the bimbo hostess. She said, "Oh, I don't know". What seemed like eternity, complete with cricket noises, expecting her to say "but I'd be happy to find out", merely ended with Jim finally asking "Well, how do we find that out?" She replies "upstairs, in the restaurant". After another eternity, several blank stare blinks later, Jim finally says "well, can you find out for me?" She did. We went upstairs, were seated, and the rest of the experience was delightful. We sat in an aquarium type area, surrounded by plenty of colorful tropical fish. By the way, the appetizer of the day was... call them, I'm sure they'll know.

With full bellies, we went to Pier 43 1/2 to board the Golden Gate Bay Cruise. Nice cruise, it circled the bay, went under the Golden Gate Bridge, around Alcatraz, and back. The cruise was narrated on an audio headset. It cut out here and there but overall was very informative.

Awesome pic, huh?

Just a few piers away, we made it just in time for a trolley tour. Another informative tour that went through several neighborhoods.

There wasn't enough time for the other excursions so off to Ghirardelli Square where Jim and I split a sundae. Yum!

Below are some street freaks for your entertainment:

Below: Here's an interesting restroom. Very cool and electronic.