Tag: postaday

Alcatraz, Pier 39, and Sweet Maple

, , , Food, Slice of Life, Traveling1 Comment on Alcatraz, Pier 39, and Sweet Maple
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/8, 1/2000 sec, ISO640
 “Alcatraz” San Francisco, 2021

This morning we did a very touristy thing: we visited Alcatraz Island. It was a quick ferry ride from Pier 33 to the windy former prison, and there we toured the many buildings, listened to an audio tour of the cellblock, and learned about the Native American occupation. It was fascinating!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/5000 sec, ISO32
 “Approaching Alcatraz” San Francisco, 2021

The island was also a fort in the 1800s and then a military prison, before becoming a Federal Penitentiary. It also brought back memories of watching the 1996 movie The Rock, so we put that on our list of films to rent and watch with the kids.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/4, 1/170 sec, ISO640
 “Broadway” San Francisco, 2021

After returning to the city, we spent the rest of the day people- and sea-lion-watching at Pier 39.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/7.1, 1/1700 sec, ISO640
 “Lazy Day” San Francisco, 2021

I need to mention the breakfast we had at Sweet Maple in the morning. It was awesome! I had the Savory Soufflegg Skillet, which had shrimp scampi on an egg soufflé. Delicious! We also tried some of their “Millionaire’s Bacon” which was also tasty, but bordered a bit too closely to beef-jerky to me to be truly amazing.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800
 “Savory Soufflegg Skillet” San Francisco, 2021

I hope you had a nice day as well!

Travel Day

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/3900 sec, ISO32
 “Engine Work” Austin, 2021

Flight delays! Today we spent many hours sitting in the airport waiting to get out of Austin to fly to San Francisco via LAX. The mechanical problems with the plane meant that we arrived in San Francisco five hours later than planned, but we made it! (And we were all reimbursed nicely by JetBlue for the inconvenience)

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/35 sec, ISO640
 “Personalized” 2021

This is the first time since the pandemic started that we traveled by air, and apart from the mandatory masks and social distancing, it felt just like normal. We’ve all been vaccinated so we feel comfortable traveling now. (If someone in my family was unable to get the vaccination, I’d probably not be traveling, though.) The reason for our trip to California is to check out a few universities that Koa is interested in attending, and of course to relax, sight-see a bit, and visit family.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/8, 1/2400 sec, ISO640
 “Evening Clouds” 2021

During the flight I watched Nomadland, which is one of the movies I am interested in. I’m actually halfway through the book on which the movie is based, so it was really neat to see the big-screen adaptation. The movie was great! And the book (so far) is also excellent. They really give you a lot to think about.

Our Austin-to-LAX flight was delayed about four hours but we didn’t miss our connection at LAX because it was actually the same plane flying the second leg of our journey, so we just had to deplane, wait for the cleaning crew to do their thing, and then re-board. The LAX-to-SFO flight was less than an hour (yay!), then Mariko picked us up from the airport and we all went to our hotel which is very near to Pier 39.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/30 sec, ISO800
 “Blue Hour” 2021

What a long day of travel! After all that effort and stress, I feel like we’ve earned an extra-nice vacation. 😀

またね～

Children of the Sea – Movie Mini-Review

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “Children of the Sea” Austin, 2021

I saw Children of the Sea at the theater with my good friend, and I thought it was excellent! I wasn’t so sure about the character design at first, but the facial expressions quickly grew on me. The landscapes, clouds, and background art were amazing, and the word “Wow” was constantly running around my head.

The story itself was interesting, but I wasn’t a fan of the “2001: A Space Odyssey” moment, as my friend so accurately called it. Still, I liked all the characters. A very fun and beautiful film, well-worth watching, in my opinion.

What I also noted was that the soundtrack is fantastic. Joe Hisaishi captured the mood with a minimalistic orchestration perfectly. I loved it so much. Give the Spotify playlist a listen at the end of this post if you are curious!

I hope you get a chance to watch Children of the Sea, especially if you love the warm summer ocean breeze. 😊

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “Children of the Sea” Austin, 2021
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “Children of the Sea” Austin, 2021

Brake Work

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.2, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 “Mafac Racer” Cedar Park, 2021

In a previous post, I mentioned how the Mafac Racer brakes on Sophie, my Peugeot bicycle, were really loud. Well, I dedicated some time to remedy the problem, with some good results! Instead of a loud screech, the brake now emits a low groan. It’s not silent, but “good enough”. 😁

Using a piece of tape, I determined that the right rear brake pad was the one causing the noise, so I went to work adjusting the angle of that block so that there was more toe-in. This was more difficult than it should have been because the washer that allows you to adjust the angle does not turn easily, but I was able to add a little more toe-in, just not as much as the other pads.

Hitting the rear brakes will work to alert pedestrians that I am approaching which is fine since I don’t have a bell for Sophie. 🤣

Also, I got a frame bag which is nice because I can put my camera and phone in it. And I also found my handlebar GoPro mount, which gives me a good option for filming when out with Sophie. She’s such a fun bicycle!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO800
 “Sophie” Cedar Park, 2021