On the road...

I left SLC in miserable weather and drove south through more miserable weather to arrive in Moab in pouring rain.  Woke up the next morning to this:

From there it was another drive to NM to visit my parents and leave all my worldy possessions in their care.  More grey, overcast weather ensued, but woke up one morning to a beautiful winter wonderland (in mid-April).  The dogs didn't seem to mind:

After a short stay it was time to say goodbye to the immediate family and fly to the bay to see more family; in this case my Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Dan, and cousin Jeff.  La Morinda was hot, especially after the wintery conditions in NM.  The weather even held while I traveled across the bay to stay with Duane in SF.  Unfortunately this trip involved trying to take the bus from downtown to the Haight (where Duane's house is located) in the middle of the afternoon on April 20th!  (If you're not catching the implications of heading towards Haight-Ashbury on 4/20 then nevermind).  I eventually found a bus with enough room (barely) for me and my large duffel bag.  Arriving at Duane's in a haggard, sweaty state I was ready to head to the beach/bar.  $2 pints and a view like this can't be beat:

We had the good fortune of meeting up with our friend Icefoot, who was nice enough to invite us over to eat his fresh caught abalone.  Sweet.  The view from Foot's deck:

The usual suspects:

Going...Going...Gone.

A leprechaun is cooking our seafood:

And feeding us booze:

And a little post-dinner campfire to end the evening.  Life is good.

Woke up this morning to another gorgeous sunrise:

And now I'm sitting in the Newark airport.  My first time in Jersey.  I feel dirty.  Getting on the plane in a few minutes.  Coming up:  The Land of Eire.