Lonnie Campbell And The Rabbit On His Head

Boris the Bus had the honor of being the getaway car for our friends Yusuf and Ashley, who got married earlier this year in Monterey. Instead of driving all the way back home that night, we decided to stay at a RV campground nearby. We rolled in, exhausted, at 2 in the morning, with “Just Married” still smeared on our windows.

Our neighbors in the RV next to us were curious about us the next morning, fortunately not so much about how trashy we were having our “honeymoon” in a fairground parking lot, but more so about how we magically appeared overnight.

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In Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail

Barnyard animals have been my latest and greatest obsession. So it was only a matter of time before we headed over to Ardenwood, a fully working, historical farm with a ranchhouse, garden, blacksmith shop, and animals – in Fremont (Yes, Fremont. There is apparently more than just Fry’s and Chinese strip malls.)

By the time I left, I made friends with all of the sheep, pigs, turkeys, chickens, rabbits, and goats there, and promised them I’d move in with them someday. Well ok, maybe not. But for now, I’ll pack a sandwich, smuggle in some yummy treats for my furry friends, and pay the small $5 entrance fee to have lunch with them.

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Ardenwood Historic Farm »

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Yusuf & Ashley’s Wedding

Almost immediately after Mike bought the ’71 VW Bus (“Boris”), our good friends Yusuf and Ashley pounced at the idea of Boris being the getaway car. And of course, we were more than happy to be part of the wedding!

A few weeks before the wedding, the wheels were painted, the exterior touched up, and Boris was dressed up to the nines in bright purple flowers (how masculine). But we wanted to make the experience really fun for Yusuf and Ashley, so we also made sure we rolled up in ridiculous ’70s garb and obnoxiously loud disco music. While I was decked out in a psychedelic dress and big shades, Mike was sporting a fake hippie beard and actual homemade tie-dye he made the night before.

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Swagapalooza!

What is Swagapalooza? It’s just about the most fun, casual, unpretentious PR event you can possibly go to. Here’s how it works. You, the founder of an interesting startup, go to Swagapalooza to pitch your idea to 85 bloggers, who in turn, are encouraged to write reviews for their followers. The catch? You need to give away whatever you’re talking about.

And that’s where I come in. I love to photography. I love blogging. And most of all, I love free stuff. My friend Yuichi sent me a link to this article on Springwise, and I knew I had to go. I applied by writing a 512 character paragraph about “What makes you a top digital influencer?” and here I am, with an open mind and a nice, big, empty bag for my goodies.

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Swagapalooza website »
watch it on Justin.tv »

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SF FoodWars: Holiday Fixins-Off

SF FoodWars had the best of the best when it came to side dishes. The theme for the cook-off this time around was “Holiday Fixins” which meant yummy cornbread, creamed spinach, cranberry sauce, pumpkin bread pudding, mashed potatoes…

SF FoodWars is a local cook-off in which any ‘ol person can enter. No need to be a professional chef, or even be a good cook. All you need is a good dish you can rely on to win, and the stamina to make 200 portions the day before. The winners don’t win much in prizes, but it’s a fun event, and all the proceeds go to the San Francisco Food Bank.

From the website:

If shoveling copious amounts of delicious edibles into your mouth sounds like a great time, boy do we have your back. When you attend an SF Food Wars battle, your palate and vote are vital to the cause. Upon entry, you will take on a task of the utmost importance. You must eat, eat again, eat once more, no maybe twice more, okay probably a lot more, take a breather, eat a little more, think about what you ate, and eventually, you vote! Take notes if you need to. Food comas welcome.

I went to the event as an “Eater” (it even said so on my ticket). This was my first time going, although I’ve been trying to get tickets for as long as I’ve known about this event. This event literally sold out in less than 5 minutes. I was watching this event like most people would watch for Madonna tickets. I ended up on the waiting list, and was lucky enough to snag two tickets early on (in case you’re wondering, tickets were $10). The event only allows for 170 attendees, for good reason…so the food doesn’t run out! Even at 170, it was crowded.

I had a great time, and enjoyed all the food. It was a tough call when it came to judging time. There wasn’t one dish there that wasn’t spectacular. Hopefully the next time I go, I’ll be going as a competitor.

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SF FoodWars »

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Roadtrip: Day Three

Mike looked around and said, “Let’s get out of here. Now.” The RV park we were staying at didn’t have a good vibe. Contrary to what I think most RV vacationers are like (see left), they were, at least for the majority, very cold.

When we first pulled up to the RV Park, everyone paused mid-bite and stared at us through the diner window. They didn’t wave back whenever Mike waved at them. They eyed me suspiciously when I went to the bathroom. The barista at the cafe looked like terrified of me (me, of all people…come on)

Maybe it was because we were young, or (I hate to say it) the only non-whites, or the fact that we were driving a teeny tiny bus instead of a two bedroom house on wheels. Maybe it was because I was taking photos of everything, or maybe we reeked after not being able to take a shower after camping at a no-water campsite the night before. Maybe we just weren’t part of the tight-knit RV Crowd. Who knows.

(Photo from away.com)

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Roadtrip: Day Two

The downside to camping is not having an available shower. It turns out that the campsite we were staying at had no running water whatsoever – there were spigots and water fountains, none of which worked. And on top of all that, the bathrooms were locked the entire time we were there. Our first time sleeping in the bus was comfortable with the exception of the sweltering heat. It was no better the next morning, because as soon as the sun peeked over the hills, it was a suffocating 90+ degrees, with no breeze.

But we managed. After a quick freshen up at the Visitor Center at the bottom of the moutain, we had an amazing lunch in wine country. We headed west towards the coast for relief from the heat, stopping at whatever looked interesting – which turned out to be an antique store on the side of the road, and the top of a cliff at Bodega Bay, where we took a quick nap. We decided to stay at an RV park at Bodega Bay that night which had running water and a shower (thank god!).

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Roadtrip: Day One »
Roadtrip: Day Three »

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Roadtrip: Day One

There’s nothing like a last-minute adventure. Mike had a Friday off, and a few weeks before that I decided to take it off, too. We weren’t sure what we were going to do but we knew we were going to do something. A week before that Friday, his company announced they were going to have a picnic at Lake Sonoma, about two hours north of where we live. So we thought, why not? And why not make an entire trip out of it?

So other than that company picnic, we had nothing else planned, which felt fantastic. We had the bus to sleep in, clothes, tools (in case something broke on the way), and an entire weekend to look forward to.

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Roadtrip: Day Two »
Roadtrip: Day Three »

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The Art of Urban Beekeeping

The thing about San Francisco is that the people who live here are rarely actually from here. And the great thing about the diversity it creates is that it makes very interesting people (…myself included!). I worked with a designer who was an underground DJ, a project manager at work who lived in the Congo, and a lawyer who has a side business doing gourmet Japanese catering. There’s nothing better than surrounding yourself with people who have so much passion for what they do, either at the job or outside of it.

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Potrero Community Garden Website »

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Urban Ore



Urban Ore Ecopark is part junkyard, part thrift store, and part garage sale.
It has everything you’re looking for, and lots of it. Need a new window? A vintage teapot? A seat from a rollercoaster? They got it, and one in every size and color you can imagine.

This is 3 acres of pure scavenging heaven. A mecca for those seeking vintage building materials, you could also easily spend hours in here and not even notice the rows of toilets and tubs outside. Sometimes, the bargains and finds are so delicious that you want to cry. Other times the cat pee smell and greasy mug handles just don’t make it worth the hunt. If that’s the case, we call it a day and pack it in knowing full well we’ll be back in no time and probably leave with an armload of new treasures.

–Apartment Therapy

The idea behind Urban Ore is zero waste. It is the ultimate form of recycling – they take apart broken cars, saves appliances from houses before demolition, detaches things like school lockers, and makes it all available to the public. They will even pay you for something you bring in – although not a lot, since they often need to restore or clean it. And they do a great job of it – as well as organizing it in the warehouse.

You can find the front door you’re looking for in one of the many aisles of almost-new and vintage doors, and find all the parts you need for installation (door hinges, doorknobs from just about every era, screen doors) without setting foot outside of Urban Ore. It’s a handyman, collector, and environmentalist’s dream come true.

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Urban Ore website »
Article on Apartment Therapy »

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