Views this week: Couple reading in hammocks in the park and book folding art Baby ducklings and baby egrets  Foggy Mt Tam and farmers market strawberries  Views from Pt Pinole Regional Park  Views from hike on Mt Tam watershed by Phoenix Lake Gratitudes this week:

It’s been over a week since I got back from my hiking trip and I haven’t been doing a whole lot. I felt like I was starting to come down with something before the trip, mainly a sore throat and I managed to keep it at bay. But once I got back and my body…

I spent a week walking the Camino de Sonoma from Sonoma to Fort Ross with my friends Michele and Julie. It was an incredible trip! We camped in the evening and hiked during the day, shuttling our cars so we only had to carry our day packs with water and food.  Day one was Sonoma…

I went to an incredible art exhibit at the Bedford Gallery of artwork done by disabled artists from all over the Bay Area. They were amazing, easily some of the most creative work I have ever seen! I was blown away by so many of them, including a blind artist who does gorgeous beadwork and…

I just got back from three glorious days at the West Point Inn (WPI) on Mount Tam with my friend Julie. We came up here in May last year, but just for two days, and getting that extra day really made a difference. We got out for hikes, saw some beautiful dawns and sunrises, played…

I was back looking after my buddy Rosco in San Rafael for a few days. In between our wanders in the neighborhood, I popped down to downtown San Rafael to check out the open art Studios and found a classic car show on Fourth Street. My dad and my son Kieran would have loved to…

My mom and I went to a really interesting talk last night about the history of Tamalpais Valley, the area of Mill Valley where I grew up. The presenter had lots of old pictures and maps. We found out the street next to us was originally named Main Street because they planned that to be…

I had a fabulous afternoon at the Ruth Asawa exhibit at SFMOMA. I’ve always been fascinated with her globular, woven metal hangings, and this exhibit had dozens of them. But I also got to check out some of her clay life masks, her drawings and print work, and the doors that she carved for their…

I heard this longform poem on a podcast the other day and bought the book it was in because I was so blown away by this piece, I can’t wait to read other things the author, Chloe Garcia Roberts, has written. ‘The opposite of the wilderness is the hearth, the home light, the fire of…

It’s been a couple of weeks of ups and downs. One day when Mom and I were running errands she fell hard, knocking herself out briefly. The staff at the nursery we were outside of were wonderful and an ambulance arrived quickly.  We spent the afternoon and evening in the emergency department. Even though she…