Traveling to Trinidad, CA

This weekend we drove just over eight hours to a little town in Northern California, just north of Eureka called Trinidad, to attend my junior high & high school best friend's wedding. What a treat it was to not only attend Joelle's special day and visit with her & her family, but also to see a part of California neither Bill nor I have ever seen.

We took our time on our drive up, stopping several times to check out the sights. At one stop, we got to see a redwood tree that you could drive your car through. We didn't drive Pretty Pearl through, as you can see it was quite a tight fit for many of the cars daring the drive:

Behind the gift shop (that was crammed with people buying cheap souvenirs), was a beautiful pond teaming with all manners of life, and save for Bill and I, no other humans.

The pond had dragonflies

and frogs

The weather was warm, the cicadas were buzzing, frogs were ribbet-ing, it was a lovely little spot, surrounded by a redwood forrest.

We are so glad we pulled off the road for the sights!

Malik, the Magic Hound Dog

My sister's dog, Malik the Magic Hound Dog, is such a character, I had to post a few great shots of him.

Malik's thought bubble: "Okay, lady, take my picture. Then will you leave me be?"

"Sometimes my human pets like me to sing with them. I oblige... when I feel like it."

"Seriously, people? Seriously?!?"

Happy Birthday, Dad!

A few weeks ago we celebrated not only Father's Day, but also my Dad's birthday. And it was a birthday that rang in a new decade on earth, so we had to celebrate in style!

Mom, Dad, Toni, and her dog Malik all showed up on Friday for a yummy dinner at Duffy's. Toni had never been to Duffy's Pub, but it's already become a favorite of Mom & Dad's. Duffy's never disappoints: there's always a good burger, beer (or cider), and almost always a chicken sandwich for me!

The next day we spent hanging out at the cabin they rented, playing ping-pong,

sitting around the fireplace,

and generally having a jolly good time.

Sunday, Dad was king for the day! And he was a pretty good sport about it, too.

Bill smoked some beef for shredded tacos and for dessert we had some homemade cherry ice cream, and cupcakes from Miss Delish's. Dad didn't like the cupcakes at all.

The best part of the whole weekend was hanging out with loved ones, having fun.

I hope you had fun, Dad. I know I sure did!!

Point Lobos Graduation

After six months, and more than 120 training hours, I finally graduated the Point Lobos Docent program!! We had a lovely little ceremony at Piney Woods picnic area, where we gathered for a group photo.

After graduation, we had a potluck picnic and a tasty cake.

And of course, I had to pose with my new-fangled docent jacket.

Bill surprised me later that day with a brand new Cannon digital SLR camera, so from here on out, all photos should be from a great camera... whether the photographer gets better is still a mystery :-)

Easter / Date-aversary Weekend

Easter weekend was also our 10th dating anniversary - yes, Bill and I have been together 10 whole, happy, amazing years!

We decided to spend the weekend playing tourist in San Francisco. We stayed at a very nice hotel right near the hub of all things tacky & tourist-y... Fisherman's Wharf! The nice surprise was having the State Historical Maritime Museum right across the street, and they were offering free admission all day. Sweet!

We toured many historical boats, including the Eureka, which had been used to haul American lumber to Scotland, Scottish Coal to America, and finally Alaskan Salmon to America over its 70+ years on the sea.

Inside the dining cabin, a park ranger and docent spent an hour singing sea shantys:

A view of San Francisco from the deck of the Eureka:

That night we had diner at a swanky, tasty greasy spoon about a mile or so walk from our hotel:

The next morning, Easter Sunday, we had tickets to take the 15-minute boat ride over to Alcatraz Island and tour the prison. I have lived in California since I was 2, and had never been to Alcatraz - it was really interesting, and the tour was well worth the money.

It had been a rainy mile walk from our hotel to the departure pier, but the damp morning was worth this beautiful rainbow, which ended on Alcatraz Island:

The stairway up the side of the hill to Alcatraz Prison (visitors are now able to walk the gently-sloaped switchback road to the prison):

Inside Alcatraz Prison Cellblock G:

The horribly enticing view the prisoners had everyday from their prison yard (they call San Francisco Fog City for a reason!):

We had a great time, but will probably avoid the tourist-y areas of San Francisco for at least another 10 years :-)

Point Lobos

Last December I was accepted into the Point Lobos docent program - I know, I know, another volunteer gig. What can I say, I'm a volunteer addict :-)

Point Lobos is a California State Reserve, which is the most protected type of state park in California. Point Lobos is a beautiful seaside park with many trails to hike and a rich history. The Spanish who built the Carmel mission in the 1850s named the area Punto de los Lobos Marinos (point of the sea wolves), and the sea lions (as we now call them) still hang out on the rocks offshore. I have had to study the park's flowers, trees, birds, animals, geology, and history - it was a much bigger undertaking than I though it'd be when I signed up, but I'm so glad I stuck with it!

I have had the opportunity to take a lot of pictures while studying Point Lobos. Here are a few of my favorite.

Seaside Painted Cup (a native, Spring flower) overlooking Carmel Bay:

A Monterey Cypress tree with a green algae (which has beta carotene that makes it red) called Trentapholia clinging to its lower branches:

A succulent called Bluff Lettuce clinging to some of the granodiorite (a metamorphic rock that formed when dinosaurs roamed the earth) near Cypress Point:

A path through one of the many meadows:

And finally, a short video of one of the many coves during a stormy day:

Christmas Vacation in Texas

We were lucky enough to spend the week before Christmas in Texas with Bill's Mom, sister Becky & her family, and brother Brian & his family.

Becky took us to the Christmas tree farm where there were many rides for the kids to enjoy. We were able to ride on a roller coaster, and watch the kids play on the "Monkey Jump" ride. Here's a video of the quick loop around on the roller coaster:

And a few photos of the family. First up, Amber:

And James with his dog:

And last, but not least, a great picture of Bev & Ashleigh:

While in Texas, we also spend several days hanging out with Brian, Rebecca, and their girls. While we were there, we got to visit Brian's fire house, and got a few great shots of the girls.

First up, Peyton:

And Raleigh with her Uncle Bill:

And lastly, us gals after our scarf crafting session:

What a fun time with family!!

Pretty Pearl

It has been many months since we've posted on the blog, so I thought it high time we do some catching up!

This year, Bill & I both turned 40. While I took Bill on a mini-vacation 10 minutes away from our home, he did something really amazing. Bought me a new car!! I have named her Pretty Pearl, and she is really pretty :-)

It's another VW Jetta, but this one's a wagon (which we've already used to haul many things: bikes, lumbar, massage tables, etc. and a turbo diesel. I've been getting on average 35+ MPG and it's one of 2010's "green cars of the year!" That said, it also has a huge sun roof that pretty much uncovers the entire top of the vehicle.

But my favorite surprise addition is the fancy satellite radio - I'm now addicted to it! Good music on the radio in Monterey is really non-existant. I still listen to NPR everyday, but now I can hear some groovy tunes when I feel like it! :-)

Where in the World is Zippy Alexander?

Why, hiking in Big Sur, of course!

Happy Halloween

Evidence that you're never too old to have a blast carving pumpkins!

Five Years Went by So Fast!

Last Friday was our 5th wedding anniversary. Yes, you heard that right, it's been 5 years already: where did the time go? Well, as they say, time flies when you are having fun, and Bill and I have sure had a fun five years - aside from one scary Labor Day week, anyway.

We had thought about going away for the weekend, but since we had just gotten back from a lovely week in San Francisco (HA!), we decided to stick closer to home to celebrate. What better place to celebrate than Roy's in Pebble Beach at sunset?

I had made reservations and they asked if we were celebrating anything special, so I told them we would be there for our anniversary. When we showed up, we were given a necklace of pukka shells, and had personalized menus.

We had an awesome table, overlooking some of Spanish Bay's beautiful golf course & the ocean.

We had a terrific glass of champagne as we nibbled on edamame and waited for our appetizer and then entrees. They were really helpful, making sure Bill was able to order something tasty and gluten-free; not always an easy thing to get when going out to dinner these days.

The weather was perfect, and lo & behold - no fog!! The sunset was absolutely gorgeous!

The folks at Roy's had one final surprise for us... a personalized creme brulee - Yum!

Electric Cars go Vroom Vroom Vroom!

Several weeks ago my parents came up for a visit. I had kept my eyes and ears peeled for something new and exciting for us to do during their visit, and that's how I learned about the first annual Concours d'fromage held at Laguna Seca raceway. The event had an all-you-can-drink/eat wine (5 wineries) and cheese (15 cheese makers) tasting on Saturday night, benefiting Heifer International. We gorged on wine and cheese; a fun and filling time was had by all!

Our ticket to the Concours d'fromage got us into the special electric car & motorcycle races held at Laguna Seca the next day. We showed up early enough to get a good look at many of the homemade, prototype, and expensive factory electric vehicles before they hit the raceway. Bill and Dad had fun talking to the technicians tinkering with their electric cars.

After the races, we got an up close & personal look at one of the Teslas at the raceway. Dad chatted up the owner, who then asked Dad if he wanted to take a quick ride in the Tesla.

Here is how that part of the conversation went:

Owner: "Would you like t..."

Dad: "Yes!"

And off they went!

Dad came back from his ride in the Tesla with a giant grin plastered on his face. Yay!