Went on a couple of fantastic hikes at Jack London State Park with Julie today. In just a few miles we wandered through the ruins of the winery, into eucalyptus groves, past vineyards flashing their fall colors, then into a beautiful redwood forest. Later we checked out Jack London’s gravesite in a peaceful knoll (his…

While we were in Arcata Annemarie had a great time catching up with friends and visiting old haunts, I loved getting to explore a new place. It was gorgeous and foggy on my morning walk which made for beautiful views. Annemarie had a good time with Poncho the cat who came to say goodbye to…

This morning I saw the full moon on my morning walk. Annemarie and I drove out to Fern Canyon, part of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. It was a sunny, blue day, the coast was gorgeous with the sun sparkling on the water. It is such a cool drive out to the canyon, about 7…

I was able to spend a good portion of today outdoors, despite the on and off rain. While Annemarie was still sleeping I walked around the neighborhood while it was still relatively quiet. I love all the old houses in the area and how artistically many people have done up their houses and yards. Annemarie…

Annemarie and I headed up to Arcata today for a few days of catching up with friends (her) and hiking (me). We had our usual stop at BurtoNZ in Windsor to pick up bread and New Zealand food – I got a sausage roll. I can’t wait to actually have one in New Zealand soon!…

Went on a butt kicker of a hike today with my hiking buddies. We started at Samuel P Taylor Park and hiked the Ridge Trail up and over San Geronimo Ridge and then down White Hill open space ending up at Browns Bridge. It was an 11 mile hike with almost 2000 feet of elevation…

We celebrated two birthdays – Annemarie turned 25 today and my nephew, Cameron, turned 11 yesterday. It was the first time in over two years that my Mom and all of my sisters were able to all be together and most of the nieces and nephews were there too! Cam had a few friends over…

On this morning’s walk I saw a boy riding his bike to school with a helmet so big he had to tilt his head way back so he could see out of the helmet that was sliding over his eyes. Also saw a preschooler still in his PJs helping his dad sweep the leaves off…

Had a lovely day with Annemarie today. She made breakfast sandwiches for us with her homemade bagels which were delicious. We went for a walk around the Lafayette reservoir. It wasn’t crowded and was great to amble around while we talked about our plans for the rest of her time here and when I come…

I found a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond in a little free library – it was one of my favorite books as a kid. I went out for a walk right before sunset on Halloween night so I could see all the kids in their Halloween costumes, though there were just as many…