Fort Funston

Weekend Recap

What a nice weekend I just had! It was busy, but also so much fun!

Friday night after work I went straight to the laundry mat, I beat the crowd and got to talk to my Mom on the phone while my clothes dried which always makes the time go by fast!

photo: Knoxville Ballet School

Saturday I had ballet in the morning which was awesome! It was the 4th week of class and finally we have live accompaniment, which I super love. The pianist always adds to the class if you ask me. His ability to read the instructor and know what is coming next and what to play for what exercise is just incredible to me, all she needs to do is look over and say "thank you Robert" and he starts playing. His name is not Robert though, I forgot his name already, ooops!

All of us in class are getting used to seeing each other every week so we are getting more comfortable talking to each other each week, getting to know names, stripping down when barre is over and we hit the floor for diagonals. It is a pretty diverse group of people ranging in ballet experience which is cool.

Sunday, Tim and I went wine tasting with two other couples down in Monterey County. It was a beautiful day to say the least. We drove down to San Jose, jumped in Robin and Kenny's car and then met Erika and David down there. Great wine, great company and lots of laughs along with an incredible picnic lunch with baguette, Pt Reyes Blue Cheese, parmigiano reggiano, prosciutto, walnuts, fresh honey, pasta salad and of course a bottle of wine. Robin, you out did yourself with the spread! Bravo! This wine region is under estimated I believe, it is a huge Pinot Noir and Chardonnay area (yummmm). On top of grapes, there are tons of greens (lettuce, kale, broccoli, garlic) grown in the this area adding to the beauty of the valley. We went to 4 wineries total which is pretty good for a day, the guys went in one car and the gals in another which added to the fun of the day.After a day of tasting (drinking) wine, we ended it with a nice dinner at the Monterey Coast Brewing Company in downtown Salinas. Nothing like some bar grub to soak up the vino from the day. Great day trip for sure, I would do it again in a heart beat.

Sunny Sunday in Petaluma

Today, Robin, Wendy and I went to the Petaluma Antique Faire that was advertised in the March Country Living Magazine. It was HUGE, crowded and HOT. The weather has not been great lately but it was awesome up in Petaluma, the sun was out and so were the people. We walked around a shopped and then stopped for lunch to refuel and walked and shopped some more. I got a few little things, a couple folding measuring sticks for a project I have in mind and a cute yellow ceramic bowl. The best part, I did not pay any of the asking prices, I am pretty comfortable asking for a better deal at these things. Before driving back to the city, we stopped and had frozen yogurt to cool off a bit and then we all hit the road.

Thanks for a fun day ladies! Robin, thanks for driving all the way from San Jose and Wendy, thanks for coming over and through the valley from Napa.

I wrapped up the day with dinner at a Thai restaurant by my house with Tim.

What a great weekend!

Yes, I know the doll heads are creepy, but I HAD to photograph them!

Sunday in the Park

Robin and Kenny came over yesterday and we had a great day around the city.

The day began with me baking a Blueberry Buckle and brewing some coffee so we would have something yummy in our bellies before starting our day. After clearing our plates of all the sweet crumbs left behind from the buckle and finishing our last drops off coffee, we headed out.

Our first stop was The Birds Nest (aka my studio). I had some things to drop off and was going to wait until sometime during the week, but Robin wanted to check it out and that is all I needed to hear, so we drove over. We headed up while Tim and Kenny waited in the car.

Our second stop was Golden Gate Park for a little tramp through the park to see what we could see. We parked by Spreckles Lake and walked around it, looking at the birds, ducks and turtles.

It was super sunny and nice outside, a welcome change from the hovering clouds and on and off rain we have been experiencing. After one round around the lake (its pretty small) we headed over the check out the buffalo pen and they were all out grazing and enjoying the sunshine.

We kept walking to North Lake and I swear, in each tree around the lake there was a cute little squirrel. They all were posing for photos as well, like they knew we wanted to get them on film. We watched them jump from tree to tree as if they were primates. When we were finished walking around North Lake we went back to the car and decided we would go out to eat in the Inner Sunset somewhere on Irving Street. We ate at Darla's Restaurant and it was deeelish. After lunch we walked around some cute little shops, one of them sold vintage candy and Kenny bought some Zots (remember Zots?), they were soo good, a blast from the past for sure. Cherry, Orange, Grape - so good all of them, I tore up the roof of my mouth eating them! Then we went on a book hunt since Robin and I had spotted 2 used book stores while we were looking for parking. I showed Robin and Kenny what I looked for in a book (in order to turn it into a journal) and they were on the job, I walked out with 4 really cool old books, one of them is French and has some great illustrations (the book is about the United States). Since we took so long in the book store, they guys then wanted to go into a store of their choice....a comic book store, my worst nightmare, I waited outside - Robin joined me not too long after entering the store. We decided we all needed to wash our hands after flipping threw so many dusty old books, but we took a scenic route home and looked at all the huge houses in St. Francis Woods. We ended the evening at our house, just hanging out and laughing super hard at some of the photos in my iphone.

It was a great day! Thanks Robin and Kenny for coming up to the city and for spending the day with us, it was super fun. Shabba!

Floating....

Just got some Malta photos from my Mom today - thanks Mom!
I love the feeling of just floating and looking up at the sky day dreaming. This photo reminds me of hot weather, warm water and salty air. Oh, how I love the sea. I have got to figure a way back there sooner than later.

My Own Backyard

"If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard"

-Dorothy Gale (Wizard of Oz)

I love discovering new places anywhere in the world really, but especially in my own backyard. Yesterday I had to go to the Headlands Institute to check out some future meeting space for work (I love this part of my job). I made the meeting at 3 so I could walk around afterwards and explore a little before heading home to the city. I had been to Point Bonita before but never across the little lagoon and it was amazing. The weather yesterday afternoon was typical Bay Area summer weather, cold, foggy and windy out there on the coast, but so beautiful at the same time.

Here are some things I saw on my little solo adventure:

Point Bonita LighthouseBattery Mendel - I creeped myself out exploring this place alone, it's weird.

On my last photo stop to try and get a photo of the fog covered Golden Gate Bridge this little guy greeted me as I got out of my car and he let me take his photo. Look at his cute little teeth!

Our Golden Girl wearing a fog stole to keep her warm during this cold summer.

I picked the Babe up on the way back home and we went to dinner at Little Nepal in our neighborhood, we were happy to see it was somewhat crowded too, I love this place and had not been since Angela took me here for my birthday a couple years ago.
Such a nice second part of the day it was. I feel lucky to live in such a great place, I am bummed I don't spend more time discovering the rest of my back yard.

Weekend Recap

Sunday night and just taking a moment to reflect on my awesome weekend!

Saturday morning I slept in until about 8 and then went to the market with Tim and came home and had breakfast and then got ready to go out with Debbie. I went to Oakland to hang out a with Debbie, check out her garden and visit with Taffy (her kitty) and then we headed out for lunch at Citron in Rockridge. We had such a nice mellow lunch, great conversation and then decided to take a little walk down College and poke around in some of the shops. The weather was incredible, sun was out, not too hot and not a cloud in the sky. After schlepping around Rockridge we decided to go to the biggest Longs Drugs on the planet (now CVS, but signs still read Longs Drugs). Debbie had heard about it and I wanted to check it out...well, 2 hours later we emerged and it was already 6:00 PM! This Longs is on Broadway in Oakland and literally has everything you would ever need; produce, fabric, yarn, gardening supplies, hardware and everything else a normal drug store would carry (health and beauty aids, medicine, etc.). Funny thing, they had a mini international candy section and they had the Milk N Honees I mentioned in my last post! After the drug store, I dropped Debbie off at home and headed back to the city. Tim and I had a mellow night at home after setting up my pulley system clothes line outside my back door (I got all the components at the drug store).

Sunday, woke up at about 8 and packed our bags for the beach. Our goal was to be out of the house by 9 and we left 10 minutes early! We wanted to get to the beach before the crowds even if it meant sitting there wrapped in a blanket for an hour before it heated up. We stopped on our way in Mill Valley at Whole Foods Market and got some sandwiches for lunch (and some water and chips). I know a short cut to Stinson Beach that avoids Highway 1 so we took that and were at the beach about 15 minutes later. Our timing was perfect, we got free parking on the street and walked to the beach. It was clear and sunny at 10:40 AM no having to endure the fog burn off before baking under the sun. We set up our chairs and blanket, read our books, people watched and ate lunch. It was incredible. Super warm and sunny outside. I had been checking the weather for days and it paid off! At about 1:40 PM for the first time in our beach going history Tim said, "I think we should go, I am getting burned." Ironic thing is Tim was just saying a couple hours earlier when I offered him sunscreen that he never burns, he just gets darker (he is already pretty dark naturally). Poor guy, the combination of the wind and sun got him more on one side than another. We headed back to the city, beat the traffic and stopped on the way home for some ice cream that we will have in a few minutes. It was a great day, I love the beach, I love hanging out with Tim and I loved that I may have somewhat restored my fading Greek tan!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too!

PS - my clothesline ROCKS - hung some clothes that I washed when we got home.

Beach Day

Today we went to the beach!

It was incredible! Weather is great - HOT, HOT, HOT - tomorrow it may cool down a little so today was the perfect day to get some sun. A nice rest after staying up until 3:15 AM with Christina talking at the table outside last night and then getting up early this morning. Whatever, I am on vacation and am so happy, this trip couldnt have come at a better time.

How many people can you fit into a compact car/hatchback in Greece? Try 6! Serioulsy, we did it today, it was hilarious. Christos and I were in front, Christina, Frankie and Angela in the back and Peter in the trunk/hatchback part (Peter is Christos second cousin and soooo cute).

Back at home now, with a lightly baked crust from the beach and getting ready for dinner. Tomorrow will be busy, we are having a party tomorrow night here at the house so we will all be getting ready - I can't wait. My nights here have been epic, staying up with Christina outside talking and smoking (yes, I am on vacation)! We are waiting for Angela to get caught up with sleep and Frankie back on a schedule and she will soon be roped in on the all night talk fests.

A shout out to my sister Emily, get on a plane pronto and get your booty here! You would love it and we are missing the other piece of the sisterhood of the traveling Mediterranean's. Opa!

Jewel Tone Purple

21/31

I feel so blessed to work in a building that is surrounded by flowers, bees, fountains and art.

Harmony with Horses

As most of you know, I am a horse lover like none other. I had to stop riding a while back due to lack on money in the budget (it is an expensive sport, hobby, love).

Anyway, back in the spring I found this great workshop online called "Harmony with Horses" in West Sonoma County. I had planned on buying the workshop for myself for my birthday but Miss Wendy beat me to the punch and purchased it for me. Well, after a couple of cancellations due to rain, I went to the 3 hour workshop this past Saturday and it was incredible. I can't even explain what happened there but it was magical. It is all about personal intention and working on the same vibrational plane with the horses. There were 5 of us in the class and we all had the option to do a couple exercises testing our intention and personal space with the horses. Horses are so amazing, they never judge and can tune into what is going on in your head and I have never experienced that as much as I did on Saturday. I mean, I was tight with Apache, my relationship with him was intense and full of love and lessons - I felt him and he felt me - we needed each other at that time in both of our lives. The exercises on Saturday were in a nut shell, us as single humans, moving horses with nothing but our minds and intention. If you are intrigued or interested in hearing more, call me and I can lay down some examples. I know that I am going back to do more - I learned so much about myself and learned that I have a lot of work to do in order to become more confident in all aspects of my life. It was very revealing to say the least.

This entire experience made me miss Apache - I had a good cry afterwards. I just cropped this photo below and noticed that I named it "true love" when I originally loaded it on my flickr (4/20/07), that makes me sad. One day we may meet again, you never know. I know that each horse I meet will teach me something new about myself, Apache was the first and will always have a special place in my heart. Sniff. Lump in my throat.

Jess, if you are reading this - we have to talk about this, I want to share what I have learned. I think it would be cool to add to the potential equine program.

Getting Chilly

There is a nip in the air these past few nights and it is getting darker earlier. I have to admit I love the fall and changes of season. We don't get too many changes out here, but summer to fall is always welcome in my world. We get some leaves turning but the thing I like the most is feeling like I need to get into bed earlier and pull up an extra blanket and a good book.
I took this photo Monday night from the top of the staircase across the street from my flat.

Into the Woods

Still inspired by the wonders of nature on our vacation to the mountains, Tim and I decided to go on a hike yesterday and enjoy the great outdoors. I mean, we have the best areas in Northern California and they are no more than a car ride away! We are truly blessed to live here.

We went to the Tomales Bay area of Point Reyes National Seashore and took a hike that lead to three little beaches. I had been out there before to Hearts Desire Beach, but was alone and freaked myself out on my hike so it was nice to relax with Tim walking behind me with a large walking stick. The hike was supposed to be 4.6 miles but we made a short cut on another trail so it ended up being about 3.2 instead. We had a great time except for the 1.6 mile short cut was all uphill on the way back to the car. Kind of funny, we kept laughing though and our spirits were high as usual and we pressed on. I think laughter can get you through anything. At the end we both felt really good and plan on going back out soon to check out another hike in the area. We have a book that we are going to make our way though and keep notes, etc.

Some highlights of the hike were:

Large hive of bees in a dead tree

Using brute strength to lift an entire tree out of the way of the trail (ha ha)

Little beach full of jelly fish that we launched with a stick back into the water (we had to try and save some of them)

To wrap it up we took the long way home along the coast (I know a lot of short cuts through West Marin) and got salads from Whole Foods Market for dinner that we enjoyed with some wine we had at home from our recent trip to Napa.

Back to Reality

It has taken some time for me to get back to reality from my wonderful vacation!

It was so nice to hang with my family and get to the mountains, I LOVE the mountains.

I don't want to give too much away, so here are some highlights:

• Fabulous weather the entire time (no fog at all!)
• Dinner at Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. outside
• Lunch at Sam's outside on the water
• Strolling through Sausalito and looking at jelly fish in the Bay
• Riding the carousel with Mom in Golden Gate Park
• Mom, Dad and I, cheering when Tim walked out of his office to kick off his long weekend vacation!
• Wine Tasting in Napa
• Picnic in Napa with home made lunch and Dean and Deluca desserts
• Getting "pulled over" in Napa, or so we thought, ha ha!
• "You know the routine" - inside joke
• Tasting (drinking) WAY too much wine
• Listening to James Taylor through Yosemite on the way to Mammoth Lakes
• Aunt Linda, George, Kelley, Matias and Edwardo in Mammoth
• Hiking around at 11,000 feet on Mammoth Mtn.
• Seeing a Momma and Baby Bear near Twin Lakes
• The Tiger Bar in June Lake
• Linda and Kelley's dinner on Saturday night
• Yosemite Valley on the way home with Tim
• Kissing BayLee when we got home
• Sleeping in my own bed after our trip
• Having one last day open before returning to work

For those of you reading, I have to tell you, that a vacation with the Lemke Family is a LOT of fun. We laughed so much, got some sun, drank some wine and had a blast!

I am not glad to be back, I have to be honest. Being in the mountains reminded me of my climbing days and weekends of packing the car and letting the adventure unfold in front of us. I didn't know Tim during those times but am hoping to incorporate a little more of my past experiences in the outdoors back into my life.

Here are some photos from our trip.

The above photo was taken from the car as to not disturb Momma, hence the reflection.