After a quick drive (4.5 hours...zoom), we're here in San Diego. It's overcast and a bit gloomy, but I don't care. It's not nine million degrees outside.

After a quick stop at Brian and DJ's last night, we went out for happy hour at Top of the Park. Wall to wall homos, and a great view of Balboa Park. Then we knocked on the door of the condo shared by our favorite Phoenix boys and went up for another couple of cocktails.

Afterward, we hit Phil's BBQ. I gotta say that was the best barbecue meal I've had in awhile. A bit more upscale than the hole-in-the-wall ambiance of our favorite Phoenix place: Honey Bear's. This was stylish and busy, and the food was excellent. We each had ribs. I had ribs and chicken, which was served in pieces as opposed to the usual pulled-style meat I'm used to. Plus we shared a pile of onion rings: beer-battered thick cut onion rings piled high, with a side of ranch dressing. Perfect.

Labels: bbq, food, sandiego, vacation

The Food Network always has to justify when they add butter to a recipe. Tyler Florence making French onion soup: he throws a stick of butter in the pot and apologizes.

Plus he says "tho'"... "I'm gonna tho' it in the pan." Cute.

But cooking French with his Southern-slash-New York accent is kinda crazy.

Jason has been working on the yard. New rock, new grass, tinkering with the sprinkler system, new plants. It's one of the big items on the to do list before we can sell the house. Looks pretty good, although the sprinkler system isn't covering correctly in the front. There are brown patches where the grass isn't coming in as nicely as I'd like.

And I got my new specs today. First time in 20 years or so that I've had new glasses, and my first pair of plastic lenses. They are a little crazy for distances... objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.

Labels: home, me

In Boise last night, doing my traditional stopover on the way to Gooding. Walked from the new Hotel 43 downtown across the parking lot to the bar for a couple of beers. I was very underdressed (flip flops and shorts) for the cool May weather.

Hotel 43 is quite posh now. Redesigned with a bit of style. The red and black zebra striped carpet in the halls was a questionable design choice, but the rooms are warm and comfortable, with excellent amenities you'd find in an upscale establishment. They've even fixed the bathroom lighting that was so horrible first thing in the morning. The beds are fluffy and soft, with tons of pillows and a feather top mattress.

A few gripes: still the same old bad coffee in the room, the showerhead is anemic and without water pressure. And the front desk answers the phone "This is _____, how may I inspire you?" Yech.

Now, off for breakfast and to Gooding to see mom.

Labels: boise, vacation