2016--->2017

And so another year ends. Twenty-Sixteen was a fast and strange year. Some things planned didn't pan out. Maybe next year? 

Time drifted by. Before we knew it Linda was making Christmas Cut-outs.

Sand, Fleas and Seafood

Thanksgiving is the time of year to be in Ft Bragg.

If there's one thing my boy loves, it's a dirt bath.

Happy Twenty-Sixteen Halloween

This year, I picked out the most misshapen, oblong, mutated, bulbous and just plain weird pumpkin I could find.
It was time for a mutant Jack-o-Lantern!

San Fran For Clock DVA

There were a lot of bands playing in San Francisco this fall, but we really only could afford the time and money for one show. Between The Legenday Pink Dots (seen them multiple times already), Swans (I was not overly impressed with their last record) and Clock DVA (never seen 'em and we've been fans for giong on 30 years), Clock DVA was chosen. And it was awesome.

First stop, lunch with the pups.

...

For Labor Day, we went back to the same spot we went to for Memorial Day, only to find that the cows had thoroughly pooped up just about every square foot of flat terrain out there.

Tagged and Abandoned

On my way back from the Meteor Crater, I drove past this abandoned gas station along Route 66 and had to bust a U.

Apparently, the place was called Twin Arrows. I found some more info here.

Meteor Crater & Fun With Facial Hair

So in August I had to go to Flagstaff, AZ for work. On Sunday I drove out to the see the meteor crater.  I also had a fine set of mustaches grown in shit-kicker style.

I guess it's this way.

Japanese BBQ: A Failed Attempt

Most of the time, when you read postings like this on the Internet they are how-to success stories. People seldom dedicate entire blog entries to their failed attempts at doing something new. I figure failures are often times as important as successes, so why not.

Since visiting Japan for the first time, I've been pretty obsessed with Yakiniku (焼き肉). We've all heard of Yakiniku, and we all know what it is: Grilled (yaki) Meat (niku). While we were in Japan, we ate at a number of restaurants that served you a platter of delicious raw meat that you cooked up to your liking right at your table. Also included in the meal were various dipping sauces and other tasty things to lay upon the flames. Add a few frosty cold Shandygaffs and some nihonshu, and you are in gastronomical heaven for the better part of an evening.

Anyway, for several years I have wanted to buy one of the special stoneware Japanese barbecues and some of their special charcoal with high hopes that I could replicate some of the splendor of Yakiniku at home.  So when we visited LA in July, I finally pulled the trigger on said Japanese cooking accoutrements. A couple weekends later, I tried.

PROBLEM 1: MEAT
Getting REALLY good quality meat in Reno is hard. Getting meat even remotely close to the stuff they have available in Japan is pretty much impossible. I tried to find some beef cheek and some uncured pork belly and this was the best I could do. We also diced up a filet, some chicken, and to add to it all, we picked up a few shrimp and scallops.

Another 4th in LA!

We didn't take a ton of pics on this trip, but here are some highlights from Pismo, Paso, and Los Angels.

Cool metal art.

Solo Camping...Part 3

Landscapes and textures.

Solo Camping...Post 2

When there are no herps to focus on, I point at flowers. The first one is my favorite.

Solo Camping...Post 1

As spring was coming to and end, I knew I had one last chance to get out and herp the Sierras before the real summer heat kicked in. So headed out for a weekend alone to find a snake that has been eluding me for nearly 10 years.

The 4Runner.

Boating

Linda likes boats.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping - Post 3

Monday morning it was time to head out and go home.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping - Post 2

The next morning we ate a nice breakfast and broke camp. I like finding new spots to camp each night. So we headed for a spot me and Tom camped at a couple years back.

Memorial Day Weekend Camping - Post 1

Perhaps it's like getting out of jail. Nah, maybe that's a little extreme. I guess it's more like being let out of school. Getting outta town for a three day camping trip was exactly what the doctor ordered.  Now I am back in my cube and all I can think about is restocking the coolers, filling up the tank, and heading back out again. Such is life.

So anyway, Friday after work we split and drove north. We arrived in the dark at our first destination around 10pm and promptly setup for the night and crashed. The next morning I would try and fail at fishing the ponds but that was OK since I would much rather catch snakes anyhow. So we broke camp and headed out to a more secluded area away from all the people that were congregated at the ponds.

This is the first of four gopher snakes we would encounter over the weekend on the roads.

The Mouth Is A Terrible Thing Not To Taste

So, at 40 years old, I need a wisdom tooth out that has been giving me trouble. I never really had any issues with my 3rd molars until now, which sucks.  I decided to just yank them all so I don't have to deal with anything like this again in the future.

I thought 2015 would be our last...

...but wine country could not be resisted. A few pics from Passport 2016.

Had to drive through this...

You can't go wrong in PV...

For this year's Mexico installment, we returned to Puerto Vallarta.

PPV Racing in the Mint 400

Good times in Vegas for the Mint 400

PPV Racing #8142.

Behind the Cellar Door

Shenandoah Valley is fast becoming my new favorite wine spot.  The "Behind the Cellar Door" wine tour weekend is much like the Passport to Dry Creek used to be.  That is, quaint and not overly crowded.  And this spot is only two hours from home. Here are a few shots from this years event.

Happy cows.

Things that happened in January and February...

Luigi pulled.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2016 begins.