Heat wave

We're in Week 2 of a heat wave. The past few days have been spent inventing ways to get out of the house (we don't have air-conditioning). On Saturday, James O. invited me down to the South Bay to hang w/him and his girlfriend Candace. We had lunch at Darda, a Muslim Chinese restaurant in Milpitas. I forgot to take pictures, but the food was yummy. We had 2 dishes w/lamb, a big staple in the Muslim regions of China, and a 3rd dish of soft tofu covered w/egg omelette. After lunch, we headed to the Tech museum in San Jose to cool off and watch Superman Returns in their IMAX theater. It was pretty good, although Lois was kind of an airhead ("How many f's are there in 'catastrophe?'"). Brandon Routh bears a striking resemblance to Christopher Reeve in both looks & manner.

Afterwards, James drove us to nearby Santana Row, an outdoor shopping complex that reminded me of Forrestal Village -- except it was bustling w/activity, populated w/beautiful ppl and live bands. We returned to Milpitas for dinner at a cozy cafe, which is where I took this pic of James & Candace.

My parents took the day off yesterday, so we made a little outing to Marin County -- with Fluffy in tow. Our first stop was the Muir Woods, one of the last untouched redwood forests left standing on the West Coast. But when we got there, we found out dogs weren't allowed in the park! My father graciously offered to keep Fluffy company while my mom and I went inside the woods. We ended up seeing some bambis (deer) alongside the trail, and I saw a black-and-yellow striped garter snake.

For lunch, we went to Sausalito, a cute, touristy seaside community just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Fluffy liked this place a lot better, but she got tired of walking after lunch, so my dad put her in her carrier. Here's a pic of them with the SF skyline in the background.

Then, Fluffy went to the beach! First, we stopped at the Marin Headlands, but it was so windy (and dogs again weren't allowed) that we drove on to a different part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area where we could bring Fluffy. She frolicked on the beach and had a good all-around time. We had to give her a bath when we got home. I think she was exhausted. ;)

Tomorrow I get on a plane bright and early to fly back to Philly. Has it really been 6 weeks? I guess it has. In honor of my time in NorCal, here's my Bay Area Top 10 List:

10. Mt. Rainier cherries

9. In-n-Out burgers

8. Trader Joe's

7. National Parks

6. Fantasia almond milk bubble tea

5. Santana Row

4. Chinese food

3. Alice 97.3 FM

2. White pistachio milkshake at Taylor's Automatic in the Ferry Building

1. Fluffy