Trip to NY

Just dreaming of taking a vacation.



I spent some time looking through places to stay on Homeaway. The site advertises private owners apartments with the cost ranging from $100-200 a night or $900-1000 a week.. often more affordable than the local hotels. When my husband and I visited Buenos Aires in Argentina we rented this way. Thanks to the exchange rate we were able to book a flat in Buenos Aires for a week with the total cost being $350...absolutely fabulous. So now Im thinking Brooklyn New York.

emma

via heiress in training

Ive been watching the new BBC version of Emma. Its a fabulous adaption. If your interested watch it here. enjoy.

Cha-chee-cha

via wide open spaces

After reading this I am craving an "Arrested Development" marathon. Friends. Popcorn. & maybe some good chicken impersonations. Genius.

Into The Woods

Sequoia sempervirens!

On another mini-trip husband and I ventured across the Golden Gate Bridge to Muir Woods where we visited the California Redwoods. We were both in awe of how breathtakingly still it was. Somehow all the sound of the world seemed to be sucked out from the woods. Walking through the ancient forest sent us to another place where God's glory took command. Looking up into the branches hundreds of feet above we wondered what their stories were and what they had seen as most are 500-800 years old and the oldest being 1,200 years. A Park Ranger gave a brief history of the park, which husband and I found fascinating. Especially the part about a railroad that took people from the park up to Mt. Tamalpais, whose tracks were so steep and switch back that the ride down became one of the worlds first roller coaster rides! Being in the woods brought back a lot of memories for me as I spent some time when I was young running through the redwoods playing hide & seek. It was magical then and I was happy to discover that the feeling years later was no different.

None but Shining hours

Husband and I took a mini trip home to So-Cal to attend a family wedding (family on his side). The Groom was one of husband's cousins and the guests were primarily family members. As for the wedding itself it was beautiful and probably the nicest I've been to (other than my own of course :) ). But what struck me the most about this wedding were the people who were there-the new "family" that I had married into. I left that evening after dancing, laughing, drinking, and just having a good time thanking God for how incredibly blessed I am to be a part of such a remarkable family.

( from left: cousin, husband, sister in law, me)

Symphony in the Park

Stern Grove is a beautiful park in the Sunset district of SF. Its one of those many areas where you can become so engulfed by nature that you forget your in a lively urban city. During summer they host free concerts in the outdoor ampitheater and I finally got a chance to make it to one last Sunday. Playing was the San Francisco Symphony. They did a lovely tribute to Roger and Hammerstein as well as some classical pieces. It was a fun experience and I hope to go again soon.

Sausalito Bike RIde

We got on the road around 12 in the afternoon and made our way to the Bart.
The Bart took us to the waterfront at the Embarcadero where we started our trek towards the Golden Gate.
Stopped at Crissy Field one of my favorite local spots to catch our breath, watch the kites, and see the picturesque view of the bay.
After a mostly "uphill" ride we made it to the bridge and prepared to bike to Sausalito on the other side. We made it and although, by the time we reached our destination we were both exhausted - it was a fabulous ride. In Sausalito we ate clam chowder, perused art Galleries, explored the local neighborhoods that reminded us of Santa Barbara, experienced pistachio ice cream, and took a nap in the park.

There is a ferry that takes you back from Sausalito to SF. It only holds 35 bikes per trip and runs infrequently. Unfortunatley our trip took place on a holiday weekend and everyone else apparently had the same great idea as we did and biked to the city across the Golden Gate. So when we expected to be home by 7pm we really made it home by 12am. Luckily we had no time schedule to make , so sitting and reading as we waited hours for the Ferry wasn't so bad.


It was a great day.

Bay to Breakers

I believe this was the 15th time husbands grandma has participated in the race. Amazing!

This is the first beaver dam I have come across in any race. We had to jump over the logs held by the "beavers" in order to pass.
It wouldnt be a race in SF without the hills. Looking back all you see is a sea of people.Dressing up as the "swine flu" was the popular costume of choice this year.

Sharks swim down stream...
... and Salmon swim up stream.
Husband and our dear friend find the SF chapter of their Alma mater along the race.

SF Zoo

Nevada Stories: The American Flats

The American Flats are located in the Comstock up near Virginia City, Nevada. At one time, when California was rich in gold & silver, the town was growing so fast that the residents petitioned the State Legislature to have the Capitol moved there. But when the gold and silver dried up, the town blew away and there's nothing left of it. The ruins that are there are what is left of the 20th-century gold & silver refining mills. Now it's a place where people venture for curiosity sake. To tell ghosts stories, and admire or take part in the grafitti art that has come to cover the ruins. While on our weekend excursion to Tahoe we went with friends to visit the flats and stopped at the local Saloons for some bloody mary's and whisky.

De Young

Chhihuly mom!



Dear Bank of America;
Thank you so much for kindly paying for our tickets to the fabulous De Young Museum. We greatly appreciate the gesture and wanted you to know that we are a little bit more enlightened after our brief tour of the arts. Lunch was great too.