With the approaching Thanksgiving holiday, it is always a good use of time to reflect on what is important to you and those you care about. In addition to the obvious, friends and family, here are some things that I’m thankful for this year:
HP Pavilion and the fact that I can see a Sharks game one night and then turn around and see a famous band or act the next night
The California weather in November
That I am a 4-hour drive away from the slopes in Tahoe and a 20-minute drive to the beach
Seeing our San Jose skyline starting to grow
Not seeing Ron Gonzales anymore
Tasty San Jose tap water
The Quakes returning to play in San Jose
Sleek downtown high-rise housing and condos
That we are not Detroit, St. Louis or Oakland (even if we dropped to the third safest city in America)
The quaintness of the shops and restaurants of downtown Los Gatos and downtown Campbell
The European influence of Santana Row (and I am thankful that I don’t have to take the exit off Highway 280/880 to get there)
San Jose’s passionate, loyal and knowledgeable hockey fans that fill up the Shark Tank each night
Our city’s parades that celebrate holidays and events
Wine tasting in the Santa Cruz Mountains
The Improv Comedy Club for always providing a great, fun night with excellent acts
The beauty of the Los Gatos Creek Trail
The opportunity to play golf around every bend on a standard course and our proximity to world-class courses
Those who serve in our city’s government, although they often become a target for special interest groups
O’Flaherty’s and Trials—pubs that won’t sell out to make a quick buck
The neighborhood associations that work to create a community where they live
Japantown for its food, authenticity and amazing culture
And finally, for those people in our city who are willing to stick their necks out and take chances to make San Jose a better place.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Single Girl,
I’m thankful for all the following,
Family
San Jose Inside
Guadalupe River Trail
Our Beautiful Redwood Forests
San Jose Water Co. logging restrictions
Hiking trails thruout the bay area
Save the Bay Organization
San Francisco
Wineries of our Central Coast
Xmas Tree Farms
Our State Parks
Calif. Clean Steelhead Streams
Our weather
Beautiful Views from both Summits
Tahoe
Santa Cruz
Guadalupe River clean up organization
Coyote River clean up orgaization
Ocean and Bay Fishing Charters
Henry’s High Life
Metro
Golf Courses
San Jose Athletic Club
Jacuzzi, steam and cold plunge
Hiking Friends
Good health
Walking Friends
Reasturants of choice
Great Fire Deptartment
Great Police Deptartment
Political Sunshine
MHC’s New Board
Mariachi Festival
San Jose State
National Hispanic University
Children’s Discovery Museum
Christmas In the Park
So Many people that Care!
The Village Black Smith
Those are some good choices, but there are many parts of Oakland which I wouldn’t mind seeing here in San Jose. Crime stats don’t tell the whole story.
Pay your garbage bill!
Single Gal:
“Sleek downtown high-rise housing and condos?” How did that make the list?
I for one, am grateful for sprawl. You see, with sprawl, you get to have a backyard that kids can play in, etc.
I’m grateful for family, friends, and good health…and, like Single Gal, I appreciate the people in our city who stick their necks out to make San Jose a better place!
Pete Campbell
Fungus-resistant fan palms
I’m thankful for my parents, who conceived me on the back seat of a car with automatic transmission, allowing me to grow up to be a shiftless bastard.
Wonderful San Jose list! I am thankful for:
*The diverse group of people that live in our great city, who make it unlike any other city in the country
*Kick-a*s shopping at Santana Row and Valley Fair
*The best big-city parking anywhere
*Awesome taquerias and pho joints—we do it better here
*Feeling safe (most of the time) thanks to our “safest big city” status
*Being able to pay my way through college since SJSU tuition was a bargain compared to other states’ colleges
*Getting away with wearing short sleeves and short skirts in Nov.
I’m grateful for my children who make my toils worth it. In fact the return for my efforts is a million fold. I can’t imagine what I could have possibly have ever done to deserve the joy that they bring me.
I’m also grateful for my wonderful wife who I’ve shared the building of our life with. She makes everything in my life and the lives of our children better in every way. While we struggle over the day-to-day, there isn’t a single first principle that we don’t share.
What about excellent garbage service, at a low, low price?
Thankful for:
* Unpretentious neighbors
* Street trees
* bikable residential and commercial streets
* The Central YMCA
* The Amtrak Thruway bus to Sta Cruz
* Great and big variety of private schools
* A mayor and council person (p.o.) who dare to speak the truth about hard problems
* the neon lights of Western Appliance on a fall sunset
Happy t-day all!
A few years ago we would hike the hill above Kennedy Road on days too wet to ride. One cold morning we happened to spot something hidden off in the brush near the top of Priest Rock above Los Gatos. Low and behold it was a case of beer – ice cold, one or two cans missing, the rest unopened. Needless to say we each popped one and covered it back up and carried out the cans. Starbucks would have been better but this was not bad.
Later we learned it must have been left from the TGAM party up there. This is how we first heard about it.
Some years back, ten, maybe fifteen or more, a few riders out to burn some calories before going home to carve the turkey rode up from Kennedy Road to the top of Priest Rock. I believe it was the gal that lives just off the trail to the left about a half mile up who offered them some food or an invitation to join her. They thought that was cool and did it again the following year. And so a tradition was born. Friends invited friends; other heard about it, and now it’s a big deal on Thanksgiving morning. Everything must be carted up the grueling 4 mile climb by bike or boot.
Earlier this week a riding buddy was chatting up someone at his gym and reminded him about this event; and so he called us Wednesday evening and said, “Let’s see what all this silliness is all about.
Thursday morning bright and early we met for coffee in LG; later parked on lower Kennedy Road and biked up to the trailhead. We hadn’t planned nor felt much like riding all the way up; but once warmed up and in the flow of things; the curiosity aided by the warmth of the sun was pulling us to the top. And what did we find; at least 200 mountain bikers, a few kids, two guitar players, roast turkey, all the fix’ns, wine, beer, 3 or 4 rangers and a very civilized affair.
One experience from the day that this 66 year old will never forget . . . .
Half way up, a beefy looking chap with a huge pack on his back is mashing his granny gear for all he’s worth on the steep grade. I offer to take his pack so he can hurry to the top. He says “not a chance, it’s three liters of wine and plastic wine glasses”. Later near the top, I’m grinding away safely in my happy zone and I hear him say, “On your left.”
I recognize the voice as that of ‘wine guy’. As he pulls along side breathing quite hard, I look over as he goes by me. He’s walking his bike. I really hate it when that happens.
We were back at the car by noon and home for the Official family bird day thing.
Life is good here in the valley of silicon.