Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Lemon Butter Club - SF Chapter!!!

Friday - August 21, 2009 - It's been long overdue, but we've finally decided to take a trip to the Bay Area. I can't believe it's been over ten years since our last visit there. So we packed ourselves into the truck with the Lai's and Lydia. San Francisco, here we come... Well, almost! We had to detour to the Gilroy Outlets for our shopping spree!!! I still can't believe that our group managed to buy about twenty (20) Coach purses, wallets, bags, etc.!!! And we haven't even made it into the city yet!!! It was a whole lot of fun!
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 006 Gotta get a big shopping bag!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 007 The more we buy, the more we saved!!!

We've made it to Darci's place...
Here's one of our first conversations we had when arriving in SF, it went something like this:
T: Gross, what's that smell?
K: I'm not sure, but it's really bad.
L: Poor Darci, I hope she doesn't have to smell this all the time.
B: It might be coming from those dumpsters.
(a few minutes later...)
K: Darci, does it always smell this bad in SF?
D: What smell?!?!?




*** The mystery of the smell continues ***

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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 013 Darci, John, and Lydia
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 014 Boy, these hills sure are steep here in SF!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 015 It's a good thing Derrick decided to leave the truck at the bottom of the hill. Ok girls, I'm on my way!!!

At last, we've made it to our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Center. It was a really great hotel too. Special thanks to Vince and Rodan, you two made our stay extra special!!!
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 023 Hank, enjoying our room.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 034 Check out the blimp!
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 050 Guess which one is mine?
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 055 We're having a very late dinner at Taylor's in the Ferry Port.

***After dinner, we went back to our hotel room, turned on the news, and OMG, this is what we saw:
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Okay Darci, we knew that awful smell was not in all of our imaginations! Now we know the truth, mystery solved! It turns out, some people were cleaning sewer drain pipes. SF was on the down wind side. Lucky for us, we came in town just time for their cleaning! Ughhhh!!! At first, we thought your neighbor's trash cans were the culprit, but it faintly smelled by our hotel too! We're so glad that smell was only temporary, and it wasn't going to stay this way forever!


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Saturday morning, we had decided to run across the street to the elaborate Farmer's Market they had at the Ferry Port. It was so much fun looking at all the merchandise available.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 065 Photographer Hui Wen
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 066 The Blue Angels are magnificent!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 063 Is this really a restroom?
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 075 Poem by Zack Houston
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 068 We couldn't get a poem out of this guy! Imposter!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 077 Lobster mushrooms, they say it tastes like lobster in soups and stews, but at a fraction of the cost of real lobsters. Hmmm, might be worth a try... someday!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 096 MOOOOO!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 097 Soy ice cream, looks yummy like the real thing... But how does it taste? Hmmmm.

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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 106 Is this Lamborghini Diablo your new dream car?
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 102 The girls look like they want one too.

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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 110 What? We have to walk up that hill to find Chinatown?!?!? Ugh!!! It's a good thing I wore my heels!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 114 Are we there yet?
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 117 I think we've found it!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 116 Fortune cookie factory! They have colorful ones too! Fresh and yummy.

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Lemon Butter Club - San Francisco Chapter - Meeting at PPQ Dungeness Island - Saturday, August 22, 2009
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 137 LBC, this is what it's all about!!! I can't believe we ordered five (5) of these babies! Delicious!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 140 Yummy!

Here are our newest LBC Members:
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 138 William
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 141 Lily
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 142 Danton
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 143 Amanda
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Poker night and hanging out at Robert's...
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 144 Kerwin and Pauline
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 146 Jack and Spencer
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 149 Sue and Lily
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 150 Danton and Andy
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 151 William, you make the best cappucchino and froth!!! We're all hooked now!!! Thanks!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 152 Sue, William, and Darien

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Sunday morning brunch at Canton Seafood and Dim Sum Restaurant (http://www.cantonsf.com/)

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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 158 Lobster chow mein!
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 163 Sammie, Amanda, and Loreen
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After a great Dim Sum lunch, Robert deciced to join us for some tourist attractions. Our first stop was at Lombard Street. Just two days ago, this street was decorated as a full sized Candyland Game. Too bad we missed it. At least we got to see it on a beautiful clear day, and PTL, no more stinky smell!!! ;-)
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 190 Who are those good looking people in the middle of the road?!?!?
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 193 The Lais
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 195 The SooHoos (Thank you Robert, for standing in place for Stevie)
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 202 We're at the end of the road!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 218 This beautiful wall of ivy is actually the side of an appartment building!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 220 This sure beats the graffiti writing!

Second stop, Ghirardelli Square for some yummy chocolates!
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2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 234 We stopped for an ice cream, hot cocoa, coffee, and french fries break.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 237 Foil man was pretty interesting.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 242 I just loved this!!! ;-D
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 243 Big hat was Sammi's great find.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 244 Tired out from the walking and the shopping. Or maybe they were crashing from the previous sugar rush?!?!?

Third stop is Fisherman's Wharf.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 252 Panda family with Traci.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 253 Lil' Lion and Kristen.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 254 It's all about the seafood!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 256 Turtles
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 258 Crabs
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 276 Lobster
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 264 Bears (not seafood, but cute)
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 271 Hot clam chowder bread bowls really hit the spot! It was getting pretty cold out there!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 281 Fishes!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 282 Alligator!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 286 So that's how they do it!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 291 Vuala! The baby alligator needs a face now.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 298 Pier 43 Ferry Arch, currently under construction.
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 299 Look, that bird escaped Alcatraz!!!


Finally, we've made it to Pier 39!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 309 Just in time for some hot mini donuts!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 310 Thanks Robert. These were really yummy!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 319 Pier 39's natural sea lions attraction!!!
2009-08-31 SF and LV trips 314 Zoltar predicts something "BIG"!!!

I can't believe our weekend in SF is over. Now that most of our kids are grown, we'll have more time to travel and visit friends near and far. May God bless us with prosperity, good health, safe travels, and lots of great deals!!! Meet you in Vegas!!!

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