Happy St Patricks Day in San Francisco

Had a fun St Patricks day here in San Francisco. On Friday we went to the Genentechs Ho Ho. It was a celbration of Irish heritage. They had Irish step dancers, manditory Bag Pipers and of course lots of beer.
The kids and Carina came down and had a good time. Deirdre had her face painted and Liam and Patrick had swords made by a clown who specialized in making objects out of ballons. Friday was a nice start of the weekend.
Saturdays after Deidre and Patrick had Piano lessons we were off to the St. Patricks Parade in San Francisco. It was a little disappointing, we were either in the wrong location or the parade was not organized very well. We saw several groups go by but they did not perform, we moved but still did not have much luck. We decided to leave and were greeted by a $50 parking ticket- Thank you San Francisco police department, we are glad you are on the job!

On Sunday we finish off another room by buying a Dinning Room set over Craigs List. Patrick and I rented a truck and drove to San Jose to pick up the pieces. When we got home we unloaded everything except the t0p of the China Cabinet, I asked my neighbor Walter to give us a hand which he did. He was a former pitcher for USC and he see himself as a bit of an athlete. Well unfortunately he "treeked" his back helping me move the unit. Felt bad about that. Later we went to a party at Walters for his sons 13th birthday and his back was still hurting.

Mom & Dad California midterm election coverage

We had a wonderful time during Mom and Dad visit. A couple of the high lights. We were able to spend some quality time together, were able to see some interesting sites together, the Golden Gate Bridge, Lake Tahoe, we lived through the midterm elections and we were able to have some good laughs. One of the most memorable was the incessant running of a TV ad that featured Bill Clinton pumping a voter initiative. Mom would say- What a good looking man! Carina would agree and Dad and I would be looking for a pail in case we heaved!! This was humorous because this ad would run every hour and would be followed by the exact same behavior! It was a great laugh!!

We were lucky enough to have Mom and Dad over for Patrick Birthday on the October 23rd. We had a great dinner at the Outback restaurant. Dad had to send back his undercooked meat (for a credit and a doggie bag). I thought this was the start of the war against culinary institutions on the west coast. Lucky for all the California restaurateurs, all the food and service for the balance of the vacation was to a quality level that met Mom’s high standards!!

I received a large dose of Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Deal or No Deal. But it was good fun.

We all went to Lake Tahoe for a few days. Long enough to see the Casino’s and get a good look at the beautiful Lake. Every time I go there I am impressed by God’s work. It is marvelous.

Mom and Dad took care of the kids for a few hours on Friday night. Carina and I went to the Harrah’s bar where they had a singer that asked everyone who could speak Spanish to help with La Baba. Carina’s surprised me when she went up on stage, and sang with the entertainer. A great time.

I met Mom, Dad, Liam and Carina in the city to have a great lunch at the Culinary Institute of San Francisco. Wonderful meal and desert. I strongly recommend making the trip to the Institute. The chiefs are students in training to run their own restaurants or working for work for prominent hotels/restaurants. The food is really reasonable considering you are in San Francisco and the service was super.

We went to the Golden Gate Bridge. Had a nice walk from the bridge parking lot to ¼ way through the span. Dad tired frequently. I spoke to both Mom and Dad that they need to stay active. There seemed to be a big change in the physical energy that I observed from observing Dad. We did make the climb up the bridge and then down the bridge. I tried to toss Mom over the edge, but she wouldn’t go. I figure she wants to continue torturing Dad! Ha Ha

All in all the Mom and Dads trip to the west coast was great. Made us miss New Jersey and our families in Jersey. We realize that due to diminished energy level I do not think that Mom or Dad will come to the West Coast again. We are disappointed about that. We are hoping that they will work on staying physically fit so we can see them again and look over the beautiful Bay together.

TERRORIST CAUGHT ATTACKING GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

In a stunning move, Jim and Bridget Hanley from Tom River, New Jersey were observed cutting the secure cable which secures the Golden Gate Bridge to its mooring. Unrepentant Bridget Hanley claims she did it because Ex President Bill Clinton told her to do it in a dream.