…Comic-Con.

Once again, Miss T and I headed SoCalward to brave the (not-so-)costumed crowds at San Diego Comic-Con International. For 2010 we only bought tickets for Thursday—which really wasn’t enough time to take in the sights—though Miss T finagled her way back in on Sunday for the end of the show.

For our single-day excursion we had to pick up our registration badges (1 1/2-mile walk over 30 minutes), and then attended a panel (stood in line for 45 minutes, sat in panel for 90 minutes), before spending the rest of the time perusing the exhibition floor (crisscrossed the 10 1/2-acre exhibit hall for 6 1/2 hours). By the end of the day my feet and back were screaming bloody murder.

Along the way we saw so many interesting examples of the “popular arts” that my brain glazed over and I forgot to take photos of things. Some items that did jar me out of my Comic-Con stupor:

Next year I’m hoping to spend an entire day in photo mode.

A few days later, Miss T and I finally made it out to the beach where we were confronted by washed-up piles of sea life.

Then, Miss T braved the Comic-Con Exhibition Hall for one more day while I cooled my heels (and the car) at Horton Plaza.

As always, the whole lot is over at maxpixpix on Picasa.

…at Downtown Berkeley BART.

“Stairs” that move on their own.

A Fremont-bound train.

A Richmond-bound train.

Lastly, another woman on the stairs (she’s heading down).

As usual, larger pix are at maxpixpix on Picasa.

…in front the building this week.

The noise and vibration took quite a toll on several of my coworkers this week. (Hopefully the hole will be filled in next week.)

…on a long pier.

In mid-March, when the Bay Area’s weather briefly turned summerlike—it has since returned to late-winter temps—Miss T and I visited Pier 14 along San Francisco’s Embarcadero.

As usual, just click the thumbnails or view 10 Pier 14 photos at maxpixpix on Picasa.

…Miss T and I shared a rare roast beef sandwich at Il Cane Rosso. Later, we headed over to Macworld 2010—sans Apple Inc. but still worth a look-see.

Possibly the most spartan trade show booth I have ever seen.

Microsoft Office, uh, icons were on hand. I might have been able to get a better photo but was afraid to get too close to them.

After Macworld, Japantown for dinner at Tanpopo…

hiyayakko tofu…

wonton chashu ramen…

…and kyushu ramen. It was all delicious (though I overordered—the wonton chashu ramen was about three chashu too many).

There was also a fair bit of shopping in the Japantown malls and the NEW PEOPLE ARTIST VILLAGE Vol. 2 at the NEW PEOPLE building.

The Peace Plaza Pagoda.

The NEW PEOPLE building (with the ARTIST VILLAGE Vol. 2 scattered inside).

And, a snail that Miss T spied outside of Benihana. All in all, a good last Saturday.

…in Sacramento.

Chef’s sushi mix (above) and a River Cat roll (below) from Miso Japanese Cuisine.

Mmm… sushi.

…of Yosemite National Park.

Earlier this month Miss T and I took our first trip to Yosemite National Park. Of the nearly 1200 square miles of the park, we spent our 2 days exploring the 7 square miles of Yosemite Valley. We could probably have spent 2 months in Yosemite Valley alone.

As expected, we shot hundreds of photos of rocks and trees and maybe a couple dozen photos of wildlife—deer, squirrels, birds, no bears. I’ve whittled our 850 pictures down to 85 Yosemite photos viewable on Picasa or via the thumbnails below.

Of the 3 million+ visitors that Yosemite receives every year, a little more than 4 percent visit in November. If I could stand the cold, snow, and road closures, I’d go in January when visitors drop to under 3 percent.

…non-spooky daytime version.

Miss T and I took a visit to the local graveyard district on Saturday to see if we could catch a glimpse of the wild turkey flock that’s taken up residence in the un-tombstone-inhabited areas of the cemetery. With her superior vision, Miss T was able to espy some of the wildfowl, but I could only make out the occasional outburst of bird squabble as the flock was disturbed by feral cats or perhaps their own internal turkey political struggles.

Since I couldn’t catch sight of the hidden birds, I was content to take some snaps of some of the more obvious flora and fauna (and one barn). Take a gander at the album on maxpixpix or via the thumbnails below.

Gobble, gobble!

…it rained.

On Tuesday, Northern California had its first storm of the fall/winter season—this morning the rain seems to have abated for the most part. Our local news media will report on the “aftermath” of the storm (localized power outages, downed trees, and flooded streets), and will look forward to the next weather-related epic.

In any case, a few photos from yesterday morning, when it was pouring down rain, of an intersection in Berkeley.

I’m laying in supplies for our next major weather event.

…i.e., two weekends ago.

Not too long ago, before fall descended on Northern California, Miss T and I took a jaunt out to San Francisco. It may very well have been the last, nice summer day in the Bay Area. Our stops included the Ferry Building Marketplace, Hayes Valley, and Japantown. As usual, you can see for yourself via the thumbnails below or at 15 S.F. Saturday photos.

Now looking forward to some cold and wet fall weather.

…in Sacramento. In Sacramento?

I don’t know Paris so I can’t attest to its authenticité, but Le Petit Paris in midtown Sac is a comfy neighborhood café that serves up good espresso, tea, pastries, and sandwiches. According to the menu on the wall there’s also beer and wine (which neither Miss T nor I tried) and apparently a monthly singles night—Perfect Strangers (which we also didn’t try).

We stopped in on the weekend—before it got hot, hot, hot—and spent a relaxing hour or so café-ing and reading the paper. You can get an idea of what the boutique/café is like at 5 Le Petit Paris photos or via the thumbnails below.

Ah, comment trés civilisé.

…at the Davis Amtrak station.

I spotted this little feller baking away yesterday in the Central Valley late afternoon/early evening sun. I suspect it will be just as hot—if not hotter—today, and that the little dog will have rolled on.

…at a train station.

Yesterday, I rushed to the Davis Amtrak station and arrived just in time for the train doors to shut and pull away without me. Faced with a 45-minute wait until the next westbound train, I wandered about aimlessly, cataloging the various wonders immediately surrounding the station.

If you’d like to relive my experience, spend 45 minutes flipping through 5 Train Station photos at maxpixpix on Picasa or via the thumbnails below.

Just one of the many things you can do at a train station when there’s no train.

…on the Presidio.

Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire is about a hundred feet tall and made of cypress trees. Miss T and I drove onto the Presidio one afternoon to take a look at the sculpture.

It’s big!