Farewell to Lefty O'Doul's, for Awhile, at Least

While I was in San Francisco this week during one of our recent ferocious rain storms, I popped into Lefty O'Doul's to take cover and for one last lunch.

Although all of the 400 pieces of baseball memorabilia that usually cover the walls and fill every nook and cranny of Lefty's have disappeared, it still had its usual comfortable feel.

The hofbrau cafeteria line was busy with other hungry customers in here for one last Turkey dinner or Corned Beef or Pastrami Sandwich.

I had my "usual," a Corned Beef Sandwich on Rye.

I must admit, it's been a few years since I last ate at Lefty's and, now, I'm regretting it.  My sliced-to-order hot corned beef sandwich has to be the best corned beef sandwich in San Francisco.  The corned beef was hot, moist, and lean...everything I want in a Corned Beef Sandwich.

Why have I been going to Wise Sons and Max's most often for my Corned Beef "fix" when I should have been going to Lefty's?

The future of Lefty O'Doul's is not certain. It is scheduled to close on February 3, 2017.

The restaurant dates back to 1958 when baseball player Francis "Lefty" O'Doul opened it in San Francisco as a place where family and friends could come to eat and meet sports stars.  Lefty was born in San Francisco and played in the Pacific Coast League as well as for several Major League teams.  In 1929, he had the highest batting average (.398) of any National League outfielders in the 20th century. 

The owners of the restaurant's building are in dispute with current owner Nick Bovis who's been running Lefty's since 1998. Bovis says that he has the rights to the Lefty O'Doul's name and all its 400 pieces of memorabilia and will reopen this fall in a nearby location.  The building owners say otherwise and that they are planning to remodel this site and reopen it as their version of Lefty O'Doul's.

The only "decorative" item remaining, is a Marilyn Monroe statue in one corner of the back dining room.

I guess all we Lefty's fans can do is to stay tuned. BUT, if you can get over there in the next two weeks for a sandwich or platter of hand-carved roast beef, ham, corned beef, pastrami, or turkey, you will not be disappointed.  Lefty O'Doul's is open every day of the week from 7 a.m. until 2 a.m.

Swim A Mile for Women with Cancer October 2016

For the 19th year, I swam the Swim A Mile for Women with Cancer, a fundraising event for the Women's Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) in Oakland California. The Swim takes place on the first weekend of October each year.

 I swam in Honor of 47 people and in Memory of 37 people.  Those I honor/remember are friends and family of those who sponsor my swim. Many are my personal friends and family

My team of five, "Beverly's Angels" were Pam, Amy, Janet, Harriet, and me.

The weather was threatening at times, with showers every so often.  But, as long as there is no thunder or lightning, swimmers have no problem with raindrops...we are quite wet already!

After the swim, here are the four of us feeling very accomplished.  Team member Harriet was not able to swim this year but became our official photographer and cheerleader.

We all got GOLD MEDALS for our accomplishments!

And, then, we enjoyed the good food and company on the lawn by the pool.

Many thanks to all who sponsored me in the Swim A Mile.  So far, I've raised over $3000 for WCRC and know that more donations will be coming in.

Looking forward to Swim A Mile 2017!!!

My 103 year old Friend Sue, gets back in the pool

Today was a big day at the Heather Farm Pool and for my longtime friend, neighbor and swim buddy, Sue. 

For at least 8 years, Sue has been talking about getting back into the pool. She was regularly swimming with and competing for the Walnut Creek Masters team well into her 90’s, at the 6:45 a.m. workout.

At age 103 year and 4 months, she continues to be a woman who does not take “no” for an answer. Each morning, rain or shine, cold or hot, she walks about a mile around her neighborhood, a neighborhood that includes some hills!!!

A few years ago, she moved out of her house to an nearby Assisted Living residence, right in the neighborhood.

She’s been regularly heckling the Activities Director to organize a swim at the Clarke Memorial Pool in Heather Farm Park, the pool where Walnut Creek Masters trains.

Today was the day she got her swim wish.  She swam at least 6 laps, doing both freestyle and backstroke.   One of her backstroke laps clocked at 1:05:03!!! She’s already planning her return when she plans to give her butterfly and breast stroke a try.

Arriving at the pool with her friend Michele

Suited up and ready to take the plunge.

Masters swim buddies Felicia, Donna, Beverly, Michele, and Martha came to cheer her on.

Michele and Martha help Sue into the water…She had expected to just dive in, but was convinced to use the stairs.

Coach Steve provided Sue with a WCM swim cap and came by to offer a few swim tips.

Lots of laughter today.

After a few laps on the kick board, Sue decided to add fins.

And, she takes off…

Next up, several laps of backstroke

And, some rests between sets.

Posing for her fans.

The Activities Director and several friends from her residence cheered Sue on and were inspired to, perhaps, return for a swim or water aerobics class themselves.

Happy Swimming to all!  

IT WILL KEEP YOU YOUNG!!!!

Washington DC, May 2016

May took me to Washington DC and some nearby Virginia suburbs for a quick visit to see Sister Virginia and other friends and family.

No visit to DC is complete without going to some of the Smithsonian Museums.  The Smithsonian, founded in 1846, is the world's largest museum, education and research complex.  Admission to its museums is free. Most of its 19 museums are in Washington DC. 

The Renwick Gallery, a branch of the larger Smithsonian American Art Museum, exhibits American contemporary craft and decorative arts from the 19th to 21st centuries. The Renwick has the distinction of being the first building in the United States to be built as an art gallery. It is directly across from the White House.

I've not been to the Renwick before and wanted to see the current exhibit, WONDER, which celebrates the reopening of the Renwick after a two-year renovation. Several leading American contemporary artists were invited to create works specifically for this exhibit. 

Virginia, Kathy, and I stand among artist Janet Echelon's looming spires that she created by stacking index cards.

Virginia was intrigued to be able to walk into the monumental structures by Patrick Dougherty that the artist created on site from tree samplings.

One of my favorite works is by Janet Echelman who created volumetric forms of hand-woven net that hang across the entire 100-foot Grand Salon.  She used colored lighting that constantly changes the mood and colors of this piece.  Many visitors lie down on the floor to take in the light show that this work becomes. 

Of course, no American crafts museum is complete without at least one piece by glass artist Dale Chihuly.  This Seafoam and Amber-Tipped Chandelier is part of the Renwick's permanent collection. 

For lunch with friends John and Kathy, we went to the nearby Exchange Saloon which boasts being DC's Oldest Sports Saloon. It's proximity to the White House, as well as many museums, makes it a popular spot with locals, visitors, and sports fans.

The only other Smithsonian museum we had time for was the Freer/Sackler, the Smithsonian's Asian Art Museum. 

We went specifically for the Turquoise Mountain: Artists Transforming Afghanistan, a small exhibit that chronicles how a British organization, Turquoise Mountain, has transformed the destroyed Murad Khani district of Old Kabul from slums to a vibrant cultural and economic center. Turquoise Mountain enabled Afghan artists and artisans to restore old Kabul. 

The Turquoise Mountain exhibit will be at the Sackler Gallery through the end of January 2017.

For lunch after the Turquoise Mountain exhibit, we went to the USDA Cafeteria, which is open to the public on weekdays. This is the place for in-the-know tourists wanting an inexpensive healthy breakfast or lunch. The menu choices change weekly and on each day of the week. There is a Hot Bar, an Asian Bar, a Barbecue Bar, and a Soup Bar, as well plenty of sandwich, salad, and dessert options.  

You do have to go through a quick security check to get in, but, it is worth it for a tasty meal for well under $10 a person.  I think the 6 of us in our group ate very well for closer to $5 a person.

As might be expected at the USDA, the cafeteria is decorated with vintage nutrition posters that seem to be as true today as this one was in 1918.  

Each year, on the first two Saturdays in May, the European Union hosts a free open house at all the Embassies in the Union.  

Despite long lines to get into the Embassies, we braved it.  At each Embassy there are cultural exhibits as well as food and drink tastings. It was fun and interesting. Here is the line outside the Portugal Embassy. 

Of course, given the current uncertainty about what countries will remain in the European Union, it is possible that we may have attended the last such open house.

I'm a fan of the Le Pain Quotidian restaurants that are all over the world.  There are several in Washington DC and we had lunch at the one  around the corner from the Portugal embassy.  My meal was the daily Baker's Lunch.  This day it was Avocado Toast, Gazpacho, and a Chickpea Salad. Virginia had Quiche and Salad. 

Some of our other memorable meals were 

a Lobster Roll lunch at Ford's Fish Shack.

and,

celebrating Virginia's birthday at  Coastal Flats.

On Saturday morning, we went to her local Farmer's Market where I was intrigued that most vendors were featuring Wild Ramps, a sort of onion that, to my knowledge, only grows on the East Coast.

And, the final highlight of my visit was meeting her almost-one-year-old grand daughter, Italia.