Hiking the Volcano & Fiscal Stimulus

Where were we last week?

Hiking the lip of a volcano in Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve.  Yes, but where is Sibley?

We hiked it in the afternoon, after I spent the morning at Stone Mountain and Daughter Fabrics with owner Suzan Steinberg in the green sweater.   (Steinberg. Stone Mountain.  Get it?)  She and her dad opened the store in 1981, but I didn't start shopping there until 1986, when my former boss used to send me over for sewing supplies*.

I wanted to take the whole button inventory home with me, but the Cotton Shop by my house has a good selection of buttons.  I opted to buy a whole bunch of woolens (which don't sell well at the beach), a silk/cotton poplin and some fabulous knits home.

Then I met Mark and Iris at Shakespeare and Company Books.  We also visited Moe's Books.  Mark went to Amoeba while Iris and I checked out the offerings at Hat Fetish.  She got the hat, but not the glasses.

These, sadly, did not come home with us.

By then, we were ravenous.  I inhaled the cornmeal waffles and fried chicken at Brown Sugar Kitchen.  Note the collard greens and black-eyed pea salad in the background.  All polished off quickly.

After we ate, I chatted with chef/owner Tanya Holland.  She said that she might open up in LA and some people had suggested West Hollywood or Redondo Beach.  I squealed, "Yes, please!  Redondo Beach needs you!".

Then we hiked on the side of a volcano and came downhill to this sunset.

The Golden Gate Bridge is probably a dead giveaway.

* My boss at the costume shop at Berkeley Shakespeare, now California Shakespeare.  But if I had mentioned which boss above, that would have given away our location.

Did you know the Berkeley and Oakland hills were volcanic in origin?  It hadn't occurred to me.  But it makes sense, given their proximity to Mt Diablo, which is clearly volcanic.

Hatfetish.com is actually the internet storefront for brick and mortar Berkeley Hat Company, which I also learned about while working in the costume shop.  The really skilled craftspeople used to buy wool hat blanks and magically shape them to match their vision.  While they were busy, they sent unskilled labor (me) out to buy supplies.

We later crossed the Bay Bridge to go to grandma's house for Thanksgiving.  Bad Dad and I love to pat ourselves on our backs for selecting parents that live in top vacation destinations.

We bought so much fabric and so many books, plus two big straw hats, we were not sure we could pack them into the car on the way home and still see out the back window of the Prius.  Fortunately, I have masterful spatial skills.

We were aided by the fact that we left some stuff behind for my mom.  We also met up with my sister in law (and Iris' cousin) en route and gave her a cooler full of food to take down to Bad Dad's parents in San Diego.  I gave Iris' cousin her pink leopard print hoodie.  I could kick myself for not taking pictures of Iris and H together in their matching hoodies.  Perhaps I can do that later this month.  The adorableness needs to be documented.

7 days, 6 nights, desert, East Bay and SF Peninsula.  Whew.  It's good to be home (and done with the laundry).