Be sure to wear flowers in your hair.
Okay, while I did go to San Francisco, I'm still looking for those gentle people with flowers in their hair.
Earlier this week I was brought out by the James Irvine Foundation to speak a little bit at a dinner for community foundations in California that are participating in their capacity building project. While that all sounds well and good, it also gave me the opportunity to spend a little time in this wonderful city.
There was a remarkable view from the hotel -- the room had a little semi-circle sitting area which gives you a 180 degree view...
Of cousre, I liked this view in particular...
Grilled cheese made with Panini bread! Cari stayed home so I just had to eat something I shouldn't!
I had a few hours to waste before hopping on a plane this morning, so I decided to check out of the hotel and meader the streets of San Francisco (I was trying to find Karl Malden and Michael Douglas).
I found myself walking through Chinatown, which is an amazing place. It's almost like another country...
There are all kinds of stores with foods out front...
And it's amazing how many people are speaking Chinese.
In Las Vegas, the growing Latino community has made signs in Spanish incredibly commonplace. It's so normal that you hardly even notice.
It's the same thing in San Francisco's Chinatown, except so much of it is written in Chinese...
In Las Vegas, we have our Spanish speaking television stations. San Francisco has their own version, but in Chinese...
I must be reconnecting with that small part of the Bicoy heritage that is Chinese!
After walking down block after block of stores and businesses, every single one of which was Chinese in nature and had signs written in Chinese, I came across this most unusual place...
"Little Paris" -- the French Restaurant!
I suppose if you can have Paris in Las Vegas you can have Paris in San Francisco's Chinatown.
I also had the opportunity to see the most crooked street you'll ever encounter...
Lombard Street. It just twists and turns because the street is so steep, that without it, no car would ever be able to go down the street!
And just when I thought my walk would never end, I finally hit water when I arrived at the famous Fisherman's Wharf...
They say that in 1990, for some strange reason, a pack of California Sea Lions decided to sunbathe on the wharf -- and they've never left...
Right off Fisherman's Wharf is the infamous Alcatraz - the island prison...
And of course there's the view of the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance...
But even with all these incredible scenic views, there is one better than all the others...
Ghirardelli Square, home to some of the best chocolate in the world! The picture above is from a very old machine that they still have in working order to make remarkable chocolate.
You can see some of that chocolate put to a very practical use in this most magnificent picture of all...
On this first day of summer in San Francisco, we will have a chocolate "love-in there!"
The equivalent of half the population of Hawaii makes a trip from Honolulu to Las Vegas' McCarran Airport each year. In the period of 1995 through 2000, 1% of the entire population of the State of Hawaii relocated to Las Vegas. Varying studies estimate that anywhere from 25,000 to 70,000 people who live in the Las Vegas Valley are former residents of Hawaii. It is widely believed that Las Vegas has the highest concentration of people from Hawaii of any city on the mainland United States.
And if that weren't enough to make the point, consider our son Kekoa's kindergarten graduation ceremony.
Also known as "Aloha Kindergarten..."
You have to love that we're in the middle of the desert and our kids are wearing aloha shirts, leis, and singing Hawaiian songs.
Of course, while Dad kept moving around the room to get a decent picture, Kekoa celebrated that great Hawaii tradition of giving stink eye...
While the performance of our kindergarten students is merely judged as satisfactory, starting in first grade the kids receive traditional letter grades.
In our son Bretty's case, he is so very pleased to have received straight A's -- one of only two students in his entire class to earn that honor.
In fact, if you look carefully in the background of the picture at the award ceremony below, you'll see that even Katie Holmes took time away from the scientologist (you know, the Opera couch jumping guy who subscribes diarrhea-etics) to attend Bretty's award celebration...
Either that or someone forgot to bring the camera to Bretty's ceremony so this picture was taken at home.
Well, we're pleased to say that David also is a straight-A student and received his certificate from the principal as well...
And as the school year comes to a close for David, so begins that most famous past time for the boys of summer.
Welcome to baseball!
Not too long ago, David and Bretty were with me when I stopped in a barbershop for a quick haircut. As a men's barbershop, naturally the only thing on the television was a baseball game. While Bretty was preoccupied talking away with some girl sitting next to him, David was enthralled by the game. This was the first time he had ever had the opportunity to watch a baseball game because other than the famous Red Sox - Yankees battle of the season before last (during which time David was asleep), we NEVER watch baseball. Not ever.
Well, for his first game ever, David couldn't get enough of it. When we got home he immediately flipped through the TV channels and found himself watching his very first Red Sox game.
Thus David became the newest citizen of Red Sox Nation.
And like every good boy who loves the Red Sox, David decided suddenly that he had to play baseball.
Today, batting third in the order in his very first game, he stepped up to the plate...
And so it was that David would get the very first hit of the season for his team...
As his single took him to first base...
For his little league team, the Yankees.
Yes, he is more than a little bit upset about the name.
As one who spent four years in college just outside of Boston, I am a Red Sox fan also (well, as much as I can be a fan of any team other than the Dallas Cowboys). And so it was my sacred duty to teach David to despise the Yankees.
Oh well. Even if he has to play for the Yankees, he did have a blast playing ball...
And his younger siblings were enjoying themselves as well. Kekoa, Nalani and Malia decided to make a train with their chairs...
Until the caboose took a tumble...
And so begins summer vacation!
Exactly 6 years ago today my lovely wife Cari decided she wanted to have 6 children.
I remember the moment very, very well.
Inevitably, after the birth of each our children, Cari would conclude that she wanted another. Usually it took a few days, but at some point or another in the week following a birth, Cari would announce that she's ready to have another baby.
Well, 6 years ago today, Cari experienced the easiest labor she ever had with the birth of Kekoa James. It went really, really fast.
And as I so clearly recall, it was less than 10 minutes after Kekoa had entered this world that Cari announced that she wanted not just another another child, but 2 more children.
See, Kekoa James has been a wonderfully easy child to be with from the very start!
Here is everyone as we're about to begin singing Happy Birthday...
One of the greatest things about Kekoa is how excited he gets over everything in life.
His main gift today was a Gameboy Advance SP, and boy, was he happy...
His brothers and sisters picked out a classic Mario Brothers game for him and he was literally jumping up with joy...
Of course, for Kekoa, probably the best thing about his birthday was that it made him the center of the universe.
For him, that means everyone wanted to watch him play with his new Gameboy...
Here he is leading Mario to defeat the evil dragon Bowser...
Happy Birthday Kekoa...
What a wonderful little boy!
To surprise Cari for Mother's Day, the kids wanted to make her a really big breakfast of all the things we never eat anymore (you know, the UN-healthy but delicious stuff).
Here is Cousin It cooking up a storm...
We were going to do bacon and scrambled eggs. But while in the store, someone else wanted to make Mom french toast. Then another thought of hash browns. I thought cinnamon rolls would be nice, but one of the kids wanted to make muffins. Unfortunately, they couldn't agree on which kind, so naturaly we had to get blueberry and banana nut.
And so was the Mother's Day feast...
And so what do you do after eating a huge Mother's Day breakfast?
Swim off a few of those calories, of course!
We picked up a new swimming vest for Malia and she tried it out today...
And Nalani has finally put away the swimming ring and has graduated to Kekoa's old training vest...
And Kekoa has tossed away the vest and is now swimming on his own!
Of course, it doesn't hurt to get a free ride from his big sister every now and then...
But if you have water, then you have to jump into it. And so began a series of "bombs" into the pool...
There was Alyssa's "peace" bomb (sounds like an invention of Vice President Cheney's)...
Or Bretty's bomb over his sister's head...
Or sometimes they just did it all together...
We do live in the desert. So the sun is always overhead. Of course, some of us tan at different rates than others in the house...
Well, we are all a little bit different.
Consider how many homes provide this as choices for an afternoon snack...
Freshly Inari sushi and Wisconsin cheese curds.
Mmmm good. (Well, at least the sushi).
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