When We're Not Selling Real Estate

Or...Baseball, Pickles, Fabric & Yarn

We love selling real estate and helping our clients’ dreams come true, but when we’re not selling real estate, we have other joys, too.

Our biggest joy, without a doubt is being around our seven  grandkids. Two of our three daughters live locally, which gives us an opportunity to see our five oldest grandkids often. As of Fall 2022, they’re 3, 6, 10, 13 and 15 (two boys and three girls). And our daughter & son-in-law in SoCal are proud parents of our two newest grandkids -- Twins! They were born on St. Patricks Day 2022 and are cute as can be! We started our family in our mid-20's, so we’re fortunately still young enough to enjoy our grandkids while we’re still “in our prime.”

Aside from spending time with our kids and grandkids, each of us have a variety of hobbies and activities that gives us an occasional break from real estate. And that keeps us refreshed and sharp when we’re back at work.

When Rod's Not Selling...

Rod is an avid sports nut and outside of family and real estate his first love is probably his beloved San Francisco Giants. He’s been an avid fan of the orange and black since his first game at Candlestick Park back in the mid-1960s. In the spring and summer months, there’s a good chance you’ll find him at Oracle Park, cheering for his Giants. Over the years, Rod estimates that he’s probably attended well over 700 Giants’ games, not only here in the Bay Area but also at several ballparks on the road.

Rod’s love for sports doesn’t stop with the Giants. He’s equally passionate about the Golden State Warriors, a team he’s also followed since the mid-1960’s. His first Warriors’ game was at the tiny Oakland Auditorium back when there were only 10 teams in the league (today there are 30).

When it comes to football, Rod’s team is the San Francisco 49ers. His first home Niner game was back in 1965 at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park. Though, truth be known, Rod grew up as a die-hard Raider fan and went to just about every Raider home game from 1965 until the early ‘80s. But once the team abandoned the Bay Area and move to L.A., Rod immediately switched his allegiance exclusively to the red and gold, a team he’d followed less passionately up until that point. And he’s remained a Niner Faithful ever since.

Although it may seem like it at times, watching his favorite sports teams isn’t Rod’s only hobby.
In recent years, he’s also become quite the vegetable gardener and his specialty is tomatoes. He only grows heirlooms and saves seeds from his favorites so he can grow them again the following year. He always grows about 20 plants, so come July and August, he usually has plenty of tomatoes to share. And if you’re looking for a good recipe for gazpacho soup, let Rod know, too, for during the height of the tomato season, it’s usually on the Herman menu at least once a week, along with Caprese salad and other tomato-based dishes.

Rod also enjoys spending time in the kitchen and being a bit of a Foodie, he loves trying to emulate some of the favorite dishes he’s had in various top-notch Bay Area restaurants. He’s taken a few hands-on cooking classes here and there and along with coming up with some pretty tasty dishes, he’s definitely mastered the art of making a huge mess in the kitchen.

One of his favorite kitchen activities is making pickles, in the style of a Jewish deli (only in a salt-based brine; never with vinegar). His favorites are bright green “New Pickles,” which one of his pickling recipe books calls “little cucumbers that have died and gone to heaven.”

Giants 1 Crop
Warrior Game – A Little Wider-90
giants-4
Tomato 1
Pickles

When Jamie's Not Selling...

Rod is an avid sports nut and outside of family and real estate his first love is probably his beloved San Francisco Giants. He’s been an avid fan of the orange and black since his first game at Candlestick Park back in the mid-1960s. In the spring and summer months, there’s a good chance you’ll find him at Oracle Park, cheering for his Giants. Over the years, Rod estimates that he’s probably attended well over 700 Giants’ games, not only here in the Bay Area but also at several ballparks on the road.

Rod’s love for sports doesn’t stop with the Giants. He’s equally passionate about the Golden State Warriors, a team he’s also followed since the mid-1960’s. His first Warriors’ game was at the tiny Oakland Auditorium back when there were only 10 teams in the league (today there are 30).

When it comes to football, Rod’s team is the San Francisco 49ers. His first home Niner game was back in 1965 at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park. Though, truth be known, Rod grew up as a die-hard Raider fan and went to just about every Raider home game from 1965 until the early ‘80s. But once the team abandoned the Bay Area and move to L.A., Rod immediately switched his allegiance exclusively to the red and gold, a team he’d followed less passionately up until that point. And he’s remained a Niner Faithful ever since.

Although it may seem like it at times, watching his favorite sports teams isn’t Rod’s only hobby.
In recent years, he’s also become quite the vegetable gardener and his specialty is tomatoes. He only grows heirlooms and saves seeds from his favorites so he can grow them again the following year. He always grows about 20 plants, so come July and August, he usually has plenty of tomatoes to share. And if you’re looking for a good recipe for gazpacho soup, let Rod know, too, for during the height of the tomato season, it’s usually on the Herman menu at least once a week, along with Caprese salad and other tomato-based dishes.

Rod also enjoys spending time in the kitchen and being a bit of a Foodie, he loves trying to emulate some of the favorite dishes he’s had in various top-notch Bay Area restaurants. He’s taken a few hands-on cooking classes here and there and along with coming up with some pretty tasty dishes, he’s definitely mastered the art of making a huge mess in the kitchen.

One of his favorite kitchen activities is making pickles, in the style of a Jewish deli (only in a salt-based brine; never with vinegar). His favorites are bright green “New Pickles,” which one of his pickling recipe books calls “little cucumbers that have died and gone to heaven.”

knitting-1-smaller
jamie-sewing
reading-1-smaller
Bocce – J

About Rod

  • Hometown – Born in Cleveland, Ohio, moved to California at age 4 and grew up in Castro Valley & San Leandro
  • Schooling – San Leandro High School, San Diego State, San Francisco State
  • Favorite Hobbies – Sports, Growing Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers & Lettuce, Making Pickles, Cooking
  • Favorite Authors – Dave Barry, Michael Lewis
  • Favorite Movies – Back to The Future, Young Frankenstein, Play It Again Sam, Blazing Saddles
  • Favorite Foods – Wood-fired pizza, gazpacho soup, Thai food, hearty soups, pickles, anything made with lemons and almost anything from an authentic Jewish deli (none in the Bay Area…the closest ones are in LA)
  • Favorite Drinks – Water, V-8, Tejava iced tea and an occasional IPA or a glass of zin or pinot noir
  • Guilty Pleasures – Ice cream, pastries
  • Favorite Sports Teams – SF Giants, Golden State Warriors, SF 49ers
  • Favorite NorCal Getaways – Mendocino, Monterey/Carmel, North Lake Tahoe
  • Best Trip Ever – 2007 European Trip, traveling through Germany, Switzerland, Italy & France with close friends

About Jamie

  • Hometown – Born in France, moved to California at age 2 and grew up in San Leandro
  • Schooling – San Leandro High, Heald Business School
  • Favorite Hobbies – Quilting, Sewing, Knitting, Reading
  • Favorite Authors – Debbie Macomber, Elizabeth Berg, Lisa See
  • Favorite Movies – Julia & Julie, Sound of Music, Schindler’s List, Gone With The Wind
  • Favorite Foods – Italian, Mexican, California Cuisine
  • Favorite Drinks – Cosmo’s, Chardonnay, Iced Tea, Arnold Palmers
  • Guilty Pleasures – Having my home completely to myself and sitting down to read a great book. Or shopping for fabrics to create gifts for my family and friends
  • Favorite Sports Teams – I’d rather be sewing
  • Favorite NorCal Getaways: Mendocino, Bodega Bay
  • Best Trip Ever – 2007 European Trip…especially seeing where I lived for the first 2 years of my life while my dad was stationed there and visiting the chapel where I was baptized 50+ years before
CONTACT ROD & JAMIE