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All posts for the month October, 2011

Search For Yosemite Sam

Posted by golfkat on October 20, 2011
Posted in: Cultures, Travel. Leave a comment
How many times have I been to Yosemite National Park, unable to find the irascible Yosemite Sam?  I am quite determined to find him on this trip, albeit a short one day and one night visit to perhaps the crown jewel of our National Park System. 
 
Yosemite Sam is an animated cartoon character in both Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon series from Warner Brothers.  His name is slightly alliterative, and is obviously derived from Yosemite National Park.  He can be characterized as mostly grouchy, as well as a gun slinging cowboy or gold prospector.  I think the San Francisco Forty Niners mascot, Sourdough Sam (originated in 1946) is a predecessor to Yosemite Sam, perhaps an older brother or Uncle. Anyway, Yosemite Sam has an intense hatred of rabbits, particularly one by the name of Bugs Bunny.
 
Yosemite Sam.png Yosemite Sam   Sourdough Sam
 
He has appeared in a total of 33 short animations, and has survived all of them.  Sam was created back in 1945 by Friz Freleng.  Freleng created Sam to be a more formidable foe than the bumbling but lovable Elmer W. Fudd.  Sam turned out to be violent and aggressive.  Sam is without doubt, an outlaw, rather quick-witted, but still prone to the same tricks that Bugs has used for decades.  But would you believe that Sam has a spiritual side?  He often tells Bugs to “say your prayers.”  Sam had his own comic book from 1970 to 1984.  Of course his cartoon voice was none other than the famous Mel Blanc. 
 
So, as we climb El Capitan or Half Dome, we will keep our eyes and ears open for Yosemite Sam.  I expect the crowds to be somewhat less than usual, though we should catch the beginning of the fall colors extravaganza.  The last time we drove up here, a gray fox walked up to the car and stared at us for at least 15 minutes.  Then, as we meandered through the Yosemite Valley, it began to snow.
 
 Fall color in Yosemite   Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir
 
Yosemite became a National Park in 1890, but remained under state control. In 1906, Yosemite was taken from California, and placed under Federal control by President Theodore Roosevelt.  When the National Park Service was formed in 1916, Yosemite was placed in their control.  We have John Muir and Robert Underwood Johnson to thank for their relentless drive to protect Yosemite.
 
For Californians, we tend to take Yosemite for granted.  But just about EVERY foreign tourist, as well as out of staters, want to visit Yosemite, along with Disneyland, Napa Valley, and Monterey/Carmel.  For us, it is just a short drive, even a day trip during the sunny season.
 
My question revolves around the bears and Yosemite Sam.  If he cannot handle Bugs, how is he going to handle the likes of Yogi and Boo Boo Bear?  Do the bears know that Sam likes to hang around the famous Ahwahnee Hotel and harass tourists from France?  For that, I applaud him.
 
It was yet another pristine day here in Paradise.  A day trip or overnighter to Yosemite is definitely good for the soul.

It Never Rains in Seattle!

Posted by golfkat on October 10, 2011
Posted in: Food, Travel. Leave a comment

“It never rains in California…..” according to the Eagles.  It never rains, or hardly rains, when we visit Seattle.  It is easy to spot tourists in the rain.  We are the only one with umbrellas.  Seattleites rarely carry an umbrella, rather choose a stylish trench coat and rain fedora.  They seem to have the panache and style of old San Francisco.  On the other hand, the Bay Area has become sloppy sheik, to the point of losing its “style”.
 
I have several raincoats and even a couple of wool overcoats, from my days on the road.  And I am armed with my trusty Tumi bumbershoot, perhaps the best one ever made.  Having played golf in the rain in Scotland, I learned that the umbrella is called a “brolie”.  And perhaps the best make shift rain protection is the ten gallon plastic garbage bag.  I got caught in the rain at the US Tennis Open in Flushing Meadow many years back.  My cousin and I stole a couple of bags from a food booth.  We poked holes for head and arms, and slipped them on.  We stayed dry all the way to the train and taxi stand!
 
But rain hardly stops us from our normal activities here in Seattle.  Most venues that we enjoy are walking distance.  Anything further (or is it farther?) and we jump of the city bus, which is free in the downtown corridor.  But this is a great walking city, despite the obstacles of homeless, and pigeon poop.  One year, I got blasted by pigeon poop, to the point where I had to buy a cheap T-shirt, just to get back to the hotel!  And of course, when all else fails, and the rain goes postal, jump in an Orange Cab.

 
One of the best free venues here is the Seattle Public Library.  Again, overusing superlatives in Seattle, it is the most magnificent library in the universe.  Free newspapers and free internet are what attracts me, along with the dramatic design.  It was designed to resemble a stack of books.  It makes Harvard’s library look like a sand box.  And though the Library of Congress in Washington, DC is much larger, Seattle’s is simply real and spectacular, according to Sidra (Terri Hatcher on Seinfeld).
 
Shopping around town.  I saw that famous Penang born designer, Jimmy Choo, has a line of ridiculously priced men’s shoes at Nordies.  It looked to be in the $400-$500 range, with uninspired designs.  But soon a rather dichotomous dilemma appears.  Why do men’s shoe sales not provide the same bargains as women’s shoes?  The answer, according to my shoe girl experts:  Women have so many styles, men’s styles stay rather stagnant, and retailers can get away with it since men generally have fewer pairs of shoes!  Not good reasons in my way of thinking.
 
We began our Sunday morning with breakfast at Lola’s.  We saw our old friends, Vlek and Lori.  We met a new waitress, Lacey, who is getting her Master’s in Nursing.  She is from Hawaii, and has lived in California, and New Orleans, before ending up here.  She is a bright and beautiful young lady.
 
We had to get some exercise, so we walked across town to Uwajimaya in the International District.  It is down by Union Station, and the two sports stadiums.  Today will be a little crazy with a Seattle Seahawks game against the Atlanta Falcons.  Atlanta is led by former Cal Bear great, and All-Pro, Tony Gonzalez.  He also played basketball when he was at Cal.
 
We finally made it into the most famous noodle joint in Seattle, Samurai Noodle.  It is, contrary to public opinion, not owned by the Samurai School of Discount Travel.  But it does have the best ramen this side of Maui and Sam Sato’s.  Most of the time, with a line out the door, we decide to go elsewhere.  But today, on a Sunday, only four people were inside.  Of course, that meant that most of the tables were occupied.  The joint is about the size of our closet.  Another must stop on the gourmet’s gallop through Seattle.
 
For some reason, we see many large groups of tourists this weekend.  Even the old, faux original Starbucks in Pike Market had a line about fifty people long.  As you know, that is not the original Starbucks store.  But it is located in the same area.  Please don’t tell the tourists!
 
We even noticed that Jack’s Fish Spot has re-opened across from Pike Market.  Normally, we get a scallop and chips lunch there when we visit.  Of course, Jack was off in Hawaii or Timbuktu.  The slightly remodeled place was hopping, even for a Sunday.  I have no explanation for why all these places are so busy in the middle of the off-season for tourists.
 
No shoes yet, but I did buy a rather unique shirt from my friends at The Finerie.  Known locally by the fashionistas, Finerie touts many local designers in their store on First Avenue.  They also have many charity events throughout the year, produced by none other than Wendy Wood Productions.  And most fortunately, we count Wendy Wood, as well as Michael and Tanya as friends.  The best thing about their wares, nobody else will be wearing it!!!!!  And we have been invited to a special party on 11/11/11!
 
So, dinner at Cuoco was simple and delicious.  We started with a baby greens salad with nectarines, huckleberries, and candied pecans.  We opted to stay simple, and both had the agnolotti, a smallish sized ravioli about the size of a finger nail.  It was filled with a lamb, veal and rabbit combination, and lightly tossed in butter.  (Sorry about the rabbit, Donna).  We had a rather interesting fennel and preserved candied cherries as a vegetable side.  Outstanding. We topped it off with some pannna cotta and boysenberries and some rather strong decaf coffee. 
 
We had to cab it there due to rain, but walked back in rather nice conditions.  Monday is another busy day.  Meeting friends for both breakfast, and later, a big celebratory dinner at Lola.  It cannot get much better than this!
 

Basking in Basque

Posted by golfkat on October 7, 2011
Posted in: Cultures, Food. Leave a comment
Reno is a rather unlikely place to find one of the few remaining Basque restaurants in the western United States.  The Santa Fe Hotel is located in beautiful downtown Reno, directly behind Harrah’s at 235 Lake Street.  I once took a group of clients here for dinner as part of a user group meeting.  Very few of them knew what to expect, and even fewer enjoyed the experience.  I think most clients expect a big steak and lots of expensive Cabernet.  Not this time!
Most people do not know much about the Basque people or their heritage in America.  Let me provide some background.  The Basque region is located in the Pyrenees Mountains, between Spain and France.  Even the rather boring and pedantic Rick Steves likes the Basque region.  In Spanish, it is called Pais Vasco.  It stretches a mere 100 miles between Bilboa, Spain, and north to Bayonne, France, on the Atlantic coast.
 
The autonomous Basque community consists of three regions, Alava, Biscay, and Gipuzkoa.  Under Spain’s present constitution, present day Basque is called Navarre.  There over 2 million people living in the traditional Basque region. The official languages are Basque and Spanish. As the Basque have migrated, they have spread world-wide.  In the US, the main Basque regions are Boise, Idaho, Reno, Elko, and the three San Joaquin Valley communities of Bakersfield, Fresno, and Stockton.  Most people are familiar with the Wool Grower’s Inns, located in these three Valley towns.
 
 
 
The typical Basque cuisine consists of lamb, beef, and fish grilled over hot coals.  Add to that, bean dishes, pasta, salad, cheeses, and some tapas.  The meals are often served with apple cider, and sparkling win.  The table serving are almost always family style, with large bowls of each course or dish.  Txakoli is a sparkling dry white wine, also grown in Chile.  A typical aperitif is Pecon Punch, made from grenadine, Amer picon orange bitters, soda, brandy and ice.  A few of those can pack a wallop!
 
But this is not a fancy cuisine, rather it is a very hearty and filling meal.  Often times, the remaining Basque farmers arrive in the dining halls to have their big meal of the day.  Large portions, and lots of cheap house wine are the order of the day.  On a Friday or Saturday night, some dancing or Basque music will rear its head.  We often had lunch or dinner at the old Wool Grower’s Inn in Stockton when I was going to school.  For the volume of food, it was a great bargain for voracious, though poor university students.
 
According to the 2000 census, there are about 60,000 people of Basque origin in the US, with most living in California.  Most of the sheepherders in California during the Gold Rush days were Basque. Basque clubs are also commonplace in the US with over fifty spread across the country. 
 
Famous Basque people:
 
David Archuleta (American Idol fame)
 
John Garamendi (past Lt. Governor of California)
 
Jimmy Huega (Olympic skier)
 
Ted Williams (Former Red Sox hitting great and Hall of Famer)
 
Jedediah Smith (early Western US explorer)
 
Paul Laxalt (former Governor and US Senator)
 
John Arrillaga (Silicon Valley businessman and philanthropist)