Where did all the people go . . . .

. . . when Frisco burned?
Here's a view of the walkway to cappucino.And some of the fancy houses built along it.

Love your French title, Suzy.

There's nothing like rain so hard it soaks the undos. I never really appreciate that. But maybe it will indeed augur a change in your weather. Guess the WI weather is changing, too. Charlie brought things in or covered them in both SV and RF. We'll come back to a different season.

Here, the weather continues glorious. No love bugs, either. God, they are awful. In WI we have the asian beetle, though (somewhere known as ladybugs), and some places in MN are plagued by clouds of box elder bugs.

So! Yesterday was Chez Panisse day. I picked Mom up at Thea's at three; they'd worn each other (and Gracie!) out with photos and chat. A fine time was had by all. We left and did the Kales/Rose Street drive. Meandered around Berkeley until it was reasonable to park. This time I was better prepared with a fistful of quarters I'd gotten at the Bank of America. Last year we bought stamps and other small things we didn't need to get meter money. Anyway, the meters stop at six, and our reservation was for 5:15, so I was able to stuff one sufficiently to not worry.

Dinner was gorgeous, as it was before. I had: appetizer of black mission figs, two slices of dense ricotta, and a large slice of prosciutto, all sprinkled with fresh mint, black pepper, and drizzled with olive oil; main course of lamb leg, perfectly medium rare, thinly sliced, crisp little squares of potatoes (obviously cooked in duck fat), and a mix of peppers & okra, with black olives; dessert peach & blackberry tart with vanilla ice cream. All was wonderful, except for the tart which was just so-so. I've got to remember that my tarts are a lot better than Alice's and not order them any more. Mom had: appetizer of baked goat cheese (this covered with crumbs, the crumbs also fried in duck fat) with little lettuces (I ate most of one of the two little cheeses, and she polished off every leaf of the greens. I forgot to taste them.); local king salmon baked in the wood oven with eggplant (tiny ones!), cucumbers (lemon cucumbers, actually), purslane (a nice green which grows as a weed in our garden), and yogurt (seasoned with lemon and dill, I believe); dessert of pluot sherbet with gingersnaps. All of that was wonderful, too. The sherbet was amazing. And served with dried orange peel, which gave it a nice tartness and texture. I had one glass of Oregon pinot noir and one glass of a French Bourgueil (which I'll have to look up). Mom had a glass of Oregon pinot blanc. All of the wines were excellent!

A very satisfying dining experience, I can tell you. Everything is served beautifully, exquisitely flavored, and not too overwhelmingly large. It was a pretty big piece of salmon, though, and that we brought back here.

Returned to Alameda by coming down Shattuck to Telegraph, then across 40th St. to Broadway. Very direct. And of course it wasn't dark yet, one of many advantages of eating on the early shift. We were very tired, especially Mom, so we pretty much hung it up before 8 p.m. I read for a couple of hours, though. Very gripped by the Forsytes, perfect for this trip.

Another beautiful day has dawned, and the above photos were taken an hour or so ago, on the little path that joins the MVI to an area where there's a little café and newspapers. It certainly is nice here.