I remember back in 1983, several of my friends and I got together and decided to attend the fleet week celebrations in San Francisco on Friday. Now mind you we had never been before, so we didn’t know what to expect. After watching the parade of ships and the air show on Friday and partying with the Navy, Marines and Coast Guards we all decided to make a weekend out of it. We toured the ships, went to the festivals and enjoyed the entertainment. I must say it was one of the best weekends we ever had in San Francisco. All of us still talk about it to this day.
The second week in October, in the San Francisco Bay Area is Patriotic and exciting! Fleet week in San Francisco is one spectacular, fun week. For all you that don’t know what fleet week is all about? Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, the crews can enter the city and visit its tourist attractions. At certain hours, the public can take a guided tour of the ships. Often, Fleet Week is accompanied by military demonstrations and air shows such as those provided by the Blue Angels.
I think if you never been to a Fleet week celebration, you have to go just once.
There are so many activities for everyone to enjoy. I put a few links to those activities. I also advise you to take public transit parking is horrendous.
October is here! I’m especially fond of October, the leaves are changing colors we have Indian summer, it’s my birthday month and there are pumpkin patches all over the Bay Area. My parents would take my siblings and I to the pumpkin patch so each one us could pick out our own pumpkin. When we got home we would crave our pumpkins and roast the seeds. This memory is something that has stayed with me. I passed it on to my son and I hope he passes it on to his kids.
These are some of the top pumpkin patches in the Bay Area.
Lemos Farm at 1230 San Mateo Rd. Half Moon Bay CA. 94019, Lemos is known for family fun.
J.E Perry’s Farms at 34600 Arden Blvd Fremont CA. 94555 is located in Ardenwood Regional Preserve (East Bay Regional Parks).
Nicasio Valley Organic Farms at 5300 Nicasio Valley Rd. Nicasio CA. 94946, is located in Marin.
Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch at 1620 7Th Ave. San Francisco CA 94122. Clancy’s is the very first pumpkin patch in San Francisco.
Clayton Valley Pumpkin Farm at 1060 Pine Lane Clayton CA 94517. Clayton has a play land, train and Duck Races.
Families pack up the kids in the car go to a pumpkin patch near you or go to one of theses. If you have never been to a pumpkin patch, start a new tradition you will never forget.
When I was a grade school kid growing up inCampbell, California I got hooked on flying kites. For me, it was almost as exciting as Christmas morning!
Every February the wind would pick up around my birthday, and upon receiving the new kite I always asked for, my friend Kent and I would spend hours after school, flying our kites as high, as far, and as long as possible.
Eventually, the wind would take one kite, and a telephone wire or a tall tree would take another....so we'd just hike down to the five and dime store and buy more with our allowance money. This ritual lasted us about a month, until little-league season started up!
Looking decades back, I still cherish those fond memories, and this weekend I'm going to re-live some of them at the annual 'Berkeley Kite Festival'. If you happen to be looking for a great way to spend a few hours, I highly recommend this fantastic two-day event!
It happens this Saturday, July 31st and Sunday, August 1st at Cesar E. Chavez Park at the Berkeley Marina, where thousands upon thousands of kites (of all kinds) will fill the summer sky.
However, there's much more to experience at this festival. You'll witness multi-line competitions of the Bay Area Sport Kite League, and also battling kite contests called 'candy drop' and 'rokkaku'.
Traditional kites will also be displayed by special guests the 'Sode-Cho Kite-Flying Society' from Hamamatsu, Japan, and giant creature kite shows put on by the 'Berkeley Kite Wranglers and Friends'.
Visitors can also receive hands-on demonstrations of the latest kite products from 'Ozone Kites', 'Revolution Kites' and 'Prism Designs". Children are also invited to free kite making lessons, while families are provided with thier own, large kite-flying area.
When lunch time comes, a huge array of food will be available, from sushi to seafood, corn on the cob, onion rings, and 'Ben and Jerry's' ice cream, along with an array of souvenir shops to visit. To save a little money, you can always pack a picnic lunch.
Thousands of kites and products will also be on sale, from beginner, intermediate and advanced, to low-wind kites, to exotic parafoils with prices ranging from $16.99 to $599.00.
Above all, be make sure you take in the breathtaking kite competitions, especially the famous air ballet--where kites tumble, twirl, dance and dartthrough the air, accompanied by fantastic musical ballads.
And, don't miss the exciting kitebattles,where the object is tosever the enemy's kite line(string)with your own line that's been dipped in a glass-like resin!
For added enjoyment, you may want to arrive at the park an hour earlier than planned, to avoid parking hassles. Parking is $10, and includes free shuttle service to all venues--and remember to bring a coat just in case! Tricky winds at a marina may spell chills at the end of the day.
To find the event from Hwy 80 (East Shore Freeway), take the University Ave exit in Berkeley. GoWesttowards the Bay. As you approach the Marina, follow signs leading to the Double Tree Hotel. Go a half-mile past the hotel to the "turning circle' at Cesar E. Chavez Park, and look for the kites in the sky!
Above all, stay warm, have fun and enjoy the time of your life at the 2010 Berkeley Kite Festival! For more information, call (501) 235-KITE or Email Contact:BerkeleyKiteFest.
Who among us can honestly say his or her driving hasn't, at one time or other, elicited "the finger" from a fellow motorist? We've ALL been "flipped off" from time to time.
My first incident happened when I was 21-years old, lean and dressed to the 9's in a tuxedo, heading to my parents house to pick them up for a wedding(not mine). I was about to turn right on to Curtner Ave. from Meridian Ave. in San Jose, California, when this gorgeous girl changed lanes from behind me, pulled along side and swiftly flipped me "the bird"!
I was stunned. (I must have accidentally cut her off.) All I could do was shrug my shoulders, as she flashed a quick smile and sped off. I guess that wasn't so bad, however, what happened two days ago...was even better!
Heading southbound on De La Cruz Blvd. in Santa Clara, California, I eased down to the speed limit as is a daily habit between Martin and Reed Avenue, because Santa Clara traffic cops constantly patrol that corridor with radar. In fact, I had just noticed a motorcycle unit about 100-yards up, pointing his lidar-gun in my direction....when at the same moment, this pick-up truck sped-up behind me from out of nowhere.
The driver laid on his horn, changed lanes and raced by while vigorously flipping me off, as he flew past. Unfortunately, whatever satisfaction he may have enjoyed was short-lived! From my rear-view mirror, I saw the motorcycle cop pull out and blow by me to flag down the fast-fingered driver.
Upon catching up, I noticed the stopped driver's right hand cupped over his forehead , displaying a much more civil gesture! Unfortunately, flipping someone off or getting flipped off seldom ends with a ticket or a peaceful chuckle. Thousands of road rage incidents stem from this foul hand gesture, leading to violence, injury and death...among other things.
Take what happened last year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. An Australian businessman living and working there got mad and flipped off a local driver, who then followed him home, beat him up, and called the police. The local driver happened to be an Arab-Emirates Government official. The Australian was immediately thrown in jail for a month, and then deported along with his working wife.
This past June, a 62-year old New Jersey man was killed after crazily chasing down a young woman who had flipped him off. His front bumper clipped her from behind, sending his car flipping out of control, and ejecting him.
"The bird" can get you into trouble elsewhere, too. At the Canadian Legislature in the province of New Brunswick recently, a Liberal Party official flipped-off a Progressive Conservative adversary during a debate, and was suspended for three days without pay!
Back on the road, the simplest rule is to never, never, flip anyone off! Ignore it, and AVOID danger. But, what about receiving the insulting gesture? A woman in Foster City, California suffered extreme anxiety following her first episode, when a man tailgated and flipped her off repeatedly, before finally turning the corner in another direction. She couldn't stop wondering what she'd done wrong. "Couldn't the man see I was helpless and alone, with a baby in the back seat?", she wondered.
After a week of poor sleep, the woman finally called a handful of girlfriends to see how they handled getting flipped off, and some of thier answers made sense. One would slap the side of her head and whisper the words 'I'm sorry'...which got an "ok, no problem" reaction.
Another woman met the bird by blowing back a kiss, while another, into Yoga yelled back "Go to Yoga" to any naughty hand signals. A final remedy was to pick up the cell phone and act as if you're calling the police! This usually did the trick, and these ideas finally gave the anxious woman some piece-of-mind.
As mentioned in a previous blog, the best way to deal with unkind, aggressive driving behavior is to steer clear of it, by driving safely, ignoring horns, verbal insults or the infamous bird flip which can often inflame road rage incidents..
Should danger persist despite avoidance or apology, use your cell phone to call for help, and drive to either a police station or other populated area...but, NEVER drive strait home....at least not until totally clear of of danger. This is all COMMON SENSE. Use it!
Thanks, drive carefully, and stay out of harms way,
It is often more dangerous the first moments after a traffic accident, than during the initial collision. I witnessed a close call Thursday afternoon in Santa Clara, California that reminded me of this.
I was coming out of the lobby of a company I deliver to daily at the intersection of De La Cruz Blvd. and Martin Avenue which runs just west of The San Jose Airport. A two car accident had just happened at that intersecting stop light. I know because I was only in the office five-minutes, and was just returning to my car.
Two badly damaged vehicles were facing south, side by side on the right portion of the intersection and light. Both drivers had been escorted by witnesses to the south lawn of a strip mall across the street, and while dazed and shaken...neither looked seriously injured.
However, I did notice heavy traffic sifting through the intersection at a bumper to bumper pace, passing very close on both sides of the vehicles. It looked like another accident waiting to happen, and almost did!
As the sirens began sounding in the distance, one of the drivers got up from the lawn and began to stagger crookedly toward her car, probably to retrieve something...and came dangerously close to getting struck down by passing motorists.
Luckily, a transportation officer grabbed her just as she was about to stumble and fall. This could have been a disaster that's happened many times before! All it takes is a victim wandering recklessly without realizing they're in shock and/or suffering from a concussion. Add to that rubber-necking drivers who often smash into one another as well as roadside pedestrians.
Years ago I was a passenger during a t-bone collision in East San Jose that left me pretty beat-up and bruised. We were all very lucky, however, I do remember waking up sitting on the curb after blacking out! I also had a caring bystander standing by to catch me after I began to stumble around in the intersection...with a concussion.
Here are a few ways to avoid a potential second or third accident at the same scene. If you're there to actually help out, carefully secure yourself and any victims far away from traffic or other danger....while consoling and comforting them until help arrives.
When driving past an accident, be cautious, courtious and aware of obstacles, pedestrians, the car in front of you, and any traffic instructions. Help out by being careful....and don't rubber-neck! That way we'll always keep it down to just ONE accident, which is bad enough as it is.
Half Moon Bay is on the Pacific Coast, you have forested hills on one side and the beautiful coastline on the other. It is 28 miles south of San Francisco. Half Moon Bay is known for its Pumpkin Festival in October. It attracts hundreds of thousands of people. If you have never been you must go at least one time, you will be glad you did. People come to Half Moon Bay to enjoy its panoramic views of the ocean and the fine cuisine.The Half Moon
Bay Brewing Company is a place to go eat and listen to live music. With all
the people visiting Half Moon Bay Streetwise Special Delivery Courier Service is there for your Same Day Delivery 24/7. Our Half Moon Bay Courier Service supports businesses with Rush Deliveries in the surrounding bay area. We are there when you need us. Streetwise Special Delivery a Half Moon Bay courier service, serving the beautiful pacific coast City of Half Moon Bay.
SHOOTING AT A TOLL BRIDGE It was a tragic state of events that happened August 11, 2009 on the Richmond San Rafael Bridge in California. A man pulled onto the bridge shoot a man sitting in his truck on the side by the toll gate and pulled up to toll gate and shoots his girlfriend. I can’t even imagine how the commuters felt seeing a man with a gun shoot two people, let alone the toll takers. I feel for the toll takers, because they are so vulnerable. They have to deal with armed robberies, random shootings and breathing in car fumes all day. If this kind of thing keeps happening, the toll booths should be bullet proof where you have to put your money through a slot. I am sure this will give the toll takers peace of mind.http://cbs5.com/local/toll.taker.shot.2.1124999.htmlhttp://sfappeal.com/alley/2009/07/guilty-plea-in-gg-bridge-toll-shooting-and-robbery.phphttp://a.abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/state&id=6960404 LM
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