Alcatraz

On BART returning from a fun day at Alcatraz and Pier 39 with Brenda and Bob Boston.

Mission Pizza and Pub

At Mission Pizza. They have gluten free pizza and beer too. Mary is having ham and pineapple. I'm having sausage and pepperoni. Sharing Bards Tale Ale.

Cafe Sparrow

Cafe Sparrow in Aptos, California. 

Supposedly the best restaurant in Santa Crux county. Here for our anniversary. We were here last year too!

Gluten Free Animals

Giorgio's says they have gluten free pizza crusts, but the only toppings they can guarantee gluten free are the vegetables, because they don't know what the animals have eaten? Can you say "unclear on the concept?" Grrr ...

Why

WHY am I at the Saddle Rack? :-(

Birthday?

Mary took me to Disneyland for my birthday. We flew Jet Blue from SFO to Long Beach, then caught Super Shuttle. Had dinner at Naples, GF pasta. Tomorrow we will go into the parks. Then headed back home right away. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Update: Sitting in the Long Beach Airport at 5 am because the shuttle insisted on picking us up at 4:15 for a 7 am flight home :-(

Not your ordinary Gideon Bible

Mary and I are in Branson, Missouri. We have been on the road for over two weeks. We have visited Colorado Springs; Amana, Iowa; Chicago; Springfield, Illinois; Columbia, Missouri; and now Branson.

We are staying at the Comfort Inn (our favorite hotel) West. In the hotel room we found a Gideon Bible, on the desk, opened to Esther 9. There is a note on the Bible that looks like this:

To Our Guests

In ancient times there was a prayer for "The Stranger Within Our Gates." Because we care about our guests, we pray that God will grant you peace and rest while you are under our roof.

May this room and hotel be your "second" home and may those you love be near you in your thoughts and dreams.

May your stay with us be an enjoyable one and may you feel as comfortable as if you were in your own home. Amen.

Sincerely,
Team Members of Myer Hotels

When we found this, we knew we are in the right place.

Bible Quiz

Frank insisted I take this Bible quiz as amusement while we were driving up to tape group.

Rob said I sure "hesitated a lot" considering that I'm supposed to be the resident Bible expert. But some of them were trick questions!

It's elemental, my dear Watson

Is it really possible I have posted only once in the past month? Many apologies. The floor is 99 percent done, and the few remaining trim pieces are on order. Photos and foibles forthcoming, if you can believe me ...

Meanwhile, for your amusement, a nice Flash presentation of a Tom Lehrer classic, The Elements Song.

Mary's job

Mary started a new job last week. She is working in document control (her old stomping grounds) at a startup company in the biotech field. They apparently specialize in non-invasive delivery of medications. Anyway, here is an article Mary forwarded me about the results of recent clinical trials:

"MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Reports Positive Phase 2 Results for its Inhaled Migraine Drug Candidate"
http://biospace.com/news_story.aspx?StoryId=47565

Here is other news from their company:
http://biospace.com/news_company.aspx?CompanyID=852520

And here is their company web site:
http://www.mappharma.com/

Mary is jazzed to be working in biotech. And while she hasn't specifically said so, I think she's pleased to be working in a company that's currently testing migraine meds.