Rugged Elegance, LLC: Rugged Elegant Places

Wed, 04 Jun 2003 20:41:54 GMT

The Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network Is Moving! Due to the tremendous response we've gotten, we've decided to give The Rugged Elegance Inspiration Network site room to grow by moving it to a new, improved location: http://www.ruggedelegantliving.com Please re-set your bookmarks as all new posts will occur on the new site. As part of the move we are also transitioning to a Moveable Type content management system, which will allow us to add more editors while providing better search and categorization capabilities. Thank you your continued support. Growth is good. -Tim

Wed, 28 May 2003 23:47:10 GMT

Sherpas Rule Sagarmatha MountEverest.net

When Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa set out this past spring to set an Everest speed ascent record, little did anyone know he would not only break the late Babu Chirri Sherpa's Everest speed ascent record of 16 hrs 56, but shatter it altogether with a time of 10 hrs 56 min and 46 sec -- 6 hours faster than Babu's seemingly unbeatable record.

Fri, 23 May 2003 23:26:52 GMT

Another View of Earth From Mars First Picture of Earth From Mars

A century after H.G. Wells wrote his novel about the invasion of the Earth by Martians, the first photograph of our planet as seen from Mars has been made. It is what Martians would see if they scrutinized the Earth.

This is so good that it deserves another look. -Tim

Fri, 23 May 2003 02:20:28 GMT

First Ever: Earth Seen From Mars MarsToday.com

Have you ever wondered what you would see if you were on Mars looking at the Earth through a small telescope? Now you can find out, thanks to a unique view of our world recently captured by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) spacecraft currently orbiting the Red Planet.

Mon, 19 May 2003 17:23:53 GMT

San Francisco Chefs: The Chronicle's 2003 Rising Stars San Franciso Chronicle:

Every year for the past decade The Chronicle's Food staff has selected a crop of young chefs who we think will soon be stars on the national stage. The group's alumni include chefs such as Michael Mina, Traci Des Jardins and Loretta Keller, whose talent, creativity and skills have put them at the top of the dining establishment. We're confident this year's picks will do the same, in the process shaking up culinary expectations and setting trends across the country.

Fri, 16 May 2003 18:26:01 GMT

San Francisco's New Farmer's Market Minneapolis Star and Tribune

Great food cities and spectacular farmers markets go hand in hand. Everyone benefits. Farmers prosper, and consumers and chefs gain access to fresh, affordable, locally raised foods, sparking the kind of satisfying, knowing-where-your-food-comes-from culinary culture that's sadly absent from so much of American life. Remarkable markets also enrich city living in a way that no number of publicly financed stadium-seating multiplexes could ever hope to emulate. This scenario is far from unreachable. San Francisco, arguably the nation's most food-obsessed urban enclave, recently christened a year-round showcase worthy of its passionate love affair with food and drink. The Ferry Building Marketplace, an $90 million renovation of a tattered, 105-year-old Beaux Arts landmark, is a glittering new home for the city's largest farmers market, several restaurants and shops for more than three dozen of the Bay Area's finest owner-operated artisinal food producers.

Fri, 16 May 2003 06:41:55 GMT

Plates Of Foie Gras, Flattery On The Side Los Angeles Times:

A sparkling soiree sets the stylish tone at a French Riviera movie mecca. Oh, to be a fly on the wall. CANNES, France -- Even with Franco-American relations sinking lower than the Titanic, and an oil slick threatening to literally blacken this preciously expensive seaside idyll, the mood at this fete seems robustly buoyant.

Wed, 14 May 2003 20:57:11 GMT

Smart Eaters Go Wild With Salmon San Francisco Chronicle:

The flesh of this hard-swimming Pacific native tastes wonderful, especially when it's caught wild, in season, close to home. Now is the time. California's wild salmon season opened May 1 and the fishing fleet sped straight out to the Farallones, chasing reports of a monster school of glittering, fat kings gorging themselves on ocean critters.

I recommend indulging in the salmon at Ana Mandara, a high-end Vietnamese restaurant owned by Don Johnson. Make sure to ask for wild salmon, which is much higher in beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids. The atmosphere is wonderful and the fish is out of this world. Eat right. Live better. -Tim

Wed, 14 May 2003 01:27:47 GMT

Parnassus/Ashbury Heights Renovated Flat w/Huge Deeded South Garden SanFrancisco MLS Photos:

$895,000 - Opportunity to live in a house-like lower flat with huge deeded south garden on a double lot. Perfect for those wanting the best of indoor/outdoor living! Detached Queen Anne flat on an extra-wide lot with virtually every room overlooking the huge, deeded south garden. Beautiful gourmet kitchen opens to dining room. Double parlor living room w/fireplace, and second parlor as bedroom. Tall ceilings, beautiful finishes. Master bedroom plus small 3rd bedroom, 1 pkg in garage. Dog ok! 1st showing was Sunday 5/11/03.

Check out this gorgeous 3 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath house-like property listed by Sotheby's Janet Schindler. If you are a San Francisco buyer looking for a great agent, contact Rugged Elegance Real Estate specialist, Kaycee Pomeroy! - Jen

Sat, 10 May 2003 03:21:16 GMT

Met Exhibit: 'Art of the First Cities' AP via CNN:

Visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's newest exhibit immediately see a large photo of a vase almost 5,000 years old -- and missing since the looting of cultural institutions that followed the U.S.-led war in Iraq. "Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. From the Mediterranean to the Indus" examines the flowering of the world's earliest civilizations in Mesopotamia, which is present-day Iraq

Wed, 07 May 2003 05:54:46 GMT

In California, a New Kind of Continental Cuisine New York Times by Mark Bittman:

The dining scene in Los Angeles is dominated by two categories of restaurant. The first is a group of glitzy establishments serving fusion food of a sort known as California cuisine. A few practitioners of this style have made names for themselves, Wolfgang Puck and Michael McCarty most notably -- and justifiably. But most cannot compare to them, and their food, beginning with tuna tartare and ending with warm, undercooked chocolate cake, exhibits the forced, bland hipness for which so many American restaurants are derided. The second camp, which makes Los Angeles a paradise for the adventurous diner, is made up of what are called, often with a patronizing wave, ethnic restaurants. The preponderance of them specialize in the foods of Central and South America and Asia. The excellence and diversity of this group is unrivaled in North America, if not the world. There is also a third, smaller segment, harder to classify. In it are the few impressive, upscale restaurants that are true destinations, a handful of French and Italian establishments that have not been California-ized, and an even smaller number of mostly Asian places that have put some work and money into differentiating their menus and improving their décor.

Tue, 06 May 2003 16:04:42 GMT

Discover Peace & Quiet In The San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Chronicle by Tom Stienstra:

This is what makes the Bay Area great, with countless hidden spots amid 1.2 million acres of greenbelt, 1,000 miles of waterways, 100 miles of coast, 125 major parks and 43 lakes. You can create your own private spot -- and feel the power of place - - any day of the year, no matter what the weather.

You don't need to go far to experience the beauty of San Francisco. The photo above is the sunrise from our front door -- in the middle of the city. -Tim P.S. Please click the thumbnail of the photo to enjoy a larger version.

Sun, 04 May 2003 04:44:14 GMT

N.H.'s 'Old Man on The Mountain' Landmark Falls, Leaving Cliff Face Blank Washington Post:

The Old Man of the Mountain, the natural stone profile that appears on everything in New Hampshire from the road signs to the state quarter, fell from its mountainside, leaving nothing recognizable in the cliff face yesterday. The profile, about 40 feet high and 25 feet wide, was one of the most photographed sites in the state and was considered New Hampshire's state symbol. Two centuries ago, Daniel Webster wrote of the Old Man of the Mountain: "In the mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men."

As a Dartmouth graduate, I mourn the loss of the Old Man of the Mountain but I am fully aware that his spirit lives on in the residents of the great state of New Hampshire and those of us who were privileged to have lived there. "And the granite of New Hampshire is in their muscles and their brains." -Tim

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 18:10:17 GMT

The Seasons of San Francisco As we sat outside Peet's Coffee at Fillmore and Sacramento this morning enjoying our morning coffee, I told Jennifer that I felt 100% over the nasty head cold which I had had for the past two weeks. She suggested that it must be the result of starting to take fish oil again. "Actually, I said, "I think it's the glass of Scotch that I indulged in last night." The UPS truck in front of us just pulled away. The little plaque on the side of the big brown truck said, "Jimmy O'Sullivan. 16 years of Safe Driving." No mean feat here in San Francisco. Congratulations Jimmy! It's been an unusually rainy April here in the City by the Bay. This morning, however, has been beautiful and sunny, although I see some clouds starting to creep in from the south. The weather here in San Francisco takes some getting used to, even though I've lived here for 15 years. I grew up in Wisconsin where we had distinct seasons -- winter and the 4th of July. In San Francisco, the seasons are much different. For one, it doesn't rain from late April until late October. Summers are cold and foggy. September and October are spectacular and the best time to visit. The period from April through June is the second best time to visit because the weather is good and everything is green from the winter rains. November through March is the rainy season and we can get some incredible storms. After putting considerable thought into this, I've come to the following conclusions about the Seasons of San Francisco:

Summer is Winter.
Fall is Summer.
Winter is Spring.
Spring is Summer.

If you want Winter, you need to drive to Tahoe. -Tim

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 01:02:26 GMT

New York: The Return of Fun New York Times: "After a two-year drought of fun, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held its Costume Institute gala last night, and except for those who came in the traditional monkey suit, just about everyone tried to live up to the exhibit's theme, 'Goddess.'" It's good to see the continuing recovery of New York after the terrorist attacks of September 11. -Tim

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 22:22:29 GMT

San Francisco's Top Restaurants Here's an interesting guide to the top restaurants in the San Francisco as chosen by SFGate.com, which is run by the largest local newspaper -- The San Francisco Chronicle. I was initially amazed by some of the rankings, for instance Gary Danko (#19) and Hawthorne Lane (#51), until I realized that these numbers were simply assigned by location and had nothing to do with the quality of the restaurant. There are some notable omissions, for instance I did not find either Aqua or Postrio, which both made Zagat's Top 40 list. What do you think? Let us know via the Comment link below. -Tim

Wed, 23 Apr 2003 23:55:49 GMT

San Francisco: Now Vs. 1958 In "Vertigo" I found a fascinating web site which compares San Francisco as seen in the 1958 movie "Vertigo" to how it looks currently. If you love San Francisco as I do, you'll enjoy this site.

Tue, 22 Apr 2003 22:21:47 GMT

Arena di Verona In the summer of 2001, Jennifer and I saw the opera "Aida" performed at the Arena di Verona, an outdoor amphitheater that dates back to the 1st century. As we sat on the stone that had been warmed all day by the sun, we could not help but feel connected to all those who had sat in these seats for twenty centuries watching gladiatorial fights to opera performances. One aspect of the Arena that stunned us was its acoustics. No amplification was used, but we could hear every sound perfectly. At one point, Jennifer took the last picture of a roll of film. The camera began to rewind and we felt that everyone in the Arena could hear it. We couldn't stop the camera from rewinding, and it seemed to take forever to finish. We felt like drilling a hole in the granite stone and crawling in it. Fortunately, we were able to get over our embarrassment and enjoy the rest of the performance. Thereafter, our response to those who asked about our journey to Italy..."You haven't lived yet until you've gone to an opera in Verona."