Friday, October 22, 2010

Here (Orange County) and there (San Francisco)

I spotted this name of a small restaurant in one of San Francisco's streets. For some reason, food was not the first thing that entered my mind LOL.


I thought of renting one of these bikes to pedal my way across the Golden Gate Bridge but I'm not used to biking in hilly San Francisco with its chaotic traffic. It was safer for me to just walk in the city and do my biking in the park.


This is the first single-family home I have seen in Orange County or anywhere else for that matter, with a functional clock planted at its lawn. I wonder what the owner was thinking when he installed this? Maybe he is a clock-maker or a watch repairer or just a friendly neighbor tired of being constantly ask the time of the day.

What about the owner of this house who has a drinking fountain in his front yard for passers-by? If you click on the pic to enlarge, you'll see a small basin full of water near the foot of the fountain for animals. In fact, I caught with my camera a squirrel scampering away after taking a quick drink.

I was headed to the Huntington Beach pier when I spotted these black-clad ladies and a gent offering free hugs! I took this picture and kept walking but near the end of the pier, I ran into another group of "huggers" and when one of the girls peeled off from the group to offer me a hug, I offered no resistance. I don't know what the deal was with these free hugs but that gave me an idea. When I got home I told my wife I'm going to make a sign similar to what they have but I'll offer more...not just free hugs but kisses, as well. I'll go to the beach and approach those bikini-clad sunbathers with my placard and I am not going to take "no" for an answer. My wife said if my behind gets hauled off to jail, she is not bailing me out LOL.


My wife and I went for lunch at our favorite Japanese restaurant (not the one with the amusing name LOL) located just a mile from our home. I noticed that the owner increased the price of their lunch combo by a dollar more and correspondingly reduced the serving by about 10%. It is still cheap if I compare the price I have to pay for a similar meal when I am eating out of town or on the road.


Even in affluent US of A, there are still people who are homeless and live at the mercy of others. Very sad.


I usually do not catch anything when I fish at this lake but I never get tired of trying.


This photographer is an amateur photographer's delight....either he is a showboat or he knows his craft better than most.


I took this pic at a political rally in a neighboring city. Clinton came to bolster the candidacy of Congresswoman Sanchez who is running for reelection against a surprisingly strong opponent. We are outside of Sanchez's district but my wife and I went to the rally to see, for the first time in our lives, a US president or Ex-President in person. This guy is charismatic!

23 comments:

docgelo said...

you had me laughing at your first photo here with an appropriate caption. your humor doesn't fail! =)
i love japanese food too and would not mind to eat in that resto with amusing name.

lucky you for taking a shot of clinton and seeing him in action.

RJ said...

I've seen young men and women in the malls here in Australia offering free hugs, too! Hahah! I asked them 'why' they're doing it, they quickly replied, "We're joining an organization and this is part of the initiation." I hugged one lady in Adelaide, and two in Melbourne.

Nice photo of that lake. U

Sidney said...

Can you enlighten me about the meaning of the word "Kiki" ? :-)

Free hugs... always... if it is a beautiful girl.

This Japanes food looks delicious. My favorite by the way.

And yes... President Clinton is an amazing person.

Joy said...

That's a beautiful shot of the lake, Bert! Love it. And your shot of the bento box made me crave for Japanese food.

Hope you have a great start to your week!

Many thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comment. Come visit again tomorrow!

Reena said...

hahaha...natawa ako sa first photo sir bert. bad...:P

but i super like the photo of the lake. ganda! galing ng reflection. i'm amused with the photographer too.

is this where you live? you have a beautiful neighborhood. looks peaceful. :)

bing said...

you surely would not think of food with that resto! LOL

those are beautiful houses with character ha ha

if i am the wife, i would not be bailing you out, too. ha ha

nice pics, bert, and captions!

i love the bento. the food looks yummy!

BlogusVox said...

Food wasn't what I have in mind when reading that restaurant name too.

Isn't it "single-family" an oxy-moron? : )

Photo Cache said...

I declined a "free hug" from a hunky 20-something top less guy in golden gate park. He was flabbergasted and asked why I didn't want to hug him. Funny really.

George said...

Thanks for your tour of San Francisco and Orange County. I enjoy biking, but I don't think I would want to ride one on the streets of San Francisco either.
Let me know how your offer to give free hugs at the beach works out!

RIZALENIO said...

Hahahaha. That first photo made my day.

Seeing Clinton in person? Wow, what a trip.

And Loreta tarpaulin on Clinton's podium, can't help but think of Loreta that made it to headlines years back...and I heard weeks ago that Loreta (or maybe her last name) is now a verb and can be used in conversation.

Ohno, that first photo again...Hahahaha.

bertN said...

docgelo, I love Pinoy food first,then everything else comes after Japanese food.

After I saw Clinton "live" and in action, I can see why his popularity is way up there with the American public.

RJ, you hugger you!

I used to recoil being hugged when I was new in 'tate but now that I am fully immersed in the western culture I am comfortable with this social ritual. In fact, I am now a hugger instead of a huggie.

Sydney, "Kiki" is a Tagalog word for that magnificently delightful
treasure between a woman's legs LOL.

Once at a Pinoy party, an American buddy asked me how to say in Tagalog,"Glad to meet you" and I told him if its a woman you have to say, "Malaki and kiki mo". My buddy (not anymore LOL) is still after me.

Joy, they do have Japanese restaurants where you are, isn't it?

Reena, we are lucky we live in the neighborhood that we do but the neighborhood is slowly changing. Sometime ago, somebody stole the tailgate of my pick-up while parked near that lake.

bing, you are not going to bail me out also if you were my wife!

My wife said that if I go to Pinas and get kidnapped for a ransom, she'll give double the ransom demand to the kidnappers if they will keep me for good. If that is not true love, I don't know what is. LOL.

BlogusVox, now that I think about it, maybe it is oxy-moron. However, the real estate industry here use it to describe a detached home with a yard, no matter the size, as differentiated from a condo, an apartment or a plex (duplex, triplex, etc.).

Photo Cache, I wouldn' want to be hugged by a guy either. A gal, yes! Young, old or desperate. Just kidding. Btw, why didn't you let that hunk hug you? I'm sure it is all in the spirit of fun, no mean thing intended.

George, I had to abort my plan after my wife said I'll be camping in the backyard if I go through with it LOL.

Rizalenio, I met some American girls with that name. I never told them what it meant in our language. I always get a kick calling them by their name.

Chyng said...

ok, what does KIKI means there? minsan try nyo dun so we can find out what's behind the amusing name.. hehe

sheng said...

I thought there were no vagrants in the US of A. My thoughts of America is one of a wonderland, paradise, it seems i am mistaken and just like what I found when I was in Cebu, there were people living in the streets too, but that's in Pinas and Pinas is a third world country... hayyyyyzzz, may the Lord bless the world.

bertN said...

Chyng, we'll be in San Francisco next month so I'll go there and try their lunch menu LOL.

Sheng,the US of A is still the land of plenty but some have more, others less, and a few have none. The only difference with the third world countries is that the impoverished ones will never die of hunger - there are plenty of feeding stations operated by charitable organizations and there are readily available government handouts for the asking.

Missy said...

HI Bert- miss your blog ;-) the first photo really caught my attention and there's a lot of name "kiki" in Japan too even in Hawaii (waikiki lol)...but lucky you, you saw Clinton I wish I could see him too. Your lake shot was so amazing, I like it!

bertN said...

Missy, how was your sidetrip to Pinas?

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

that sign on the first photo really cracked me up. Imagine if that was in Manila? Hilarious.

As for the bikes, oh yes, I'd like to cross that bridge with one. In fact, that's on my to-do list should I revisit SF.

escape said...

oh wow! i also learned that bill is coming to the philippines within the week.

bertN said...

The Nomadic Pinoy, that was the first thought that entered my mine LOL.

I'll be spending Thanksgiving in 'Frisco, maybe I can squeeze in a walk across the bridge...I'll leave the biking to you. Btw, I'm enjoying the account of your trip to South America.

dong ho, I think Bill and Hillary give Pinas more importance than they get credit for.

dodong flores 도동 플로오리스 said...

Clinton was here last week but I didn't get to see him :D

I love the most, the lake photo here in this post...

That's a different style of the amateur photographer - he's got better pose than his subject :D

As a cycling enthusiast, I'd love to take that bike for a cross on the bridge of San Francisco...

I speak Cebuano and we have our own meaning for the word "Kiki," here in Metro Manila, the meaning is more severe :p

I'm a regular viewer of GMA7's late night documentary of which one is OFW Diaries. The program once feature vagrants in the USA and how they lived with that plight. Glad to know they are given "meal coupon" (it's actually a Visa Electron debit card that I see - used to pay for their food bill) so these people do not die in hunger...

Dennis Villegas said...

Wow, great photos you have Bert! The photo of the lake especially is a winner! Two thumbs up!

bertN said...

dodong flores, Clinton is full of charisma you will enjoy his presence.

I think as a cyclist you will not only enjoy biking across the Golden Gate bridge but all over California. It is a biker friendly state.

Dennis,thanks for revisiting.

Marilyn R Miller said...

Mabuhay! Nice blog....