Lunch in Sausalito

We stopped in Sausalito for lunch on our way home. Sharon, I bought you a cookie! ....but...it didn't quite make it back to the apartment. Sorry. It was beautiful looking out over the bay and seeing San Francisco from the distance. We were able to walk around in short sleeve shirts and shorts, but then my car registered the temperature at 56 degrees while we were going over the Golden Gate Bridge. It is extraordinary how the temperature changes so quickly in different areas here.

Kurt Clearing a Trail

Muir Woods

We made it back to Muir Woods today. The oldest Redwood at this park is 1200 years old, and the average life span is between 400 and 800 years old. It was incredible. However, they won't tell you where the biggest and the oldest tree is located because they are afraid of vandalism. How sad is that! We hiked up a trail to an elevation of 1000 feet. It was the Ocean View Trail. What they forgot to tell us before we started this 2 hour hike was that you no longer can see the ocean because of tree coverage. It was raining at the top, but it was still spectacular. It does feel like we are just specs on this planet standing in this redwood forest. Even though it was a reflective place, Kurt and I managed to have some fun.

Friday Night

What a great way to spend Friday night. We walked Gwenny to the downtown area and did a little shopping. We then spent some time at our favorite Irish Bar. We sat at the sidewalk tables and Gwenny was the hit of the evening with all the people passing by our table. A few beers and shots later we returned home. Kurt of course had to order four different English beers. I think he was flirting with the waitress because she had an English accent. Then again, Kurt thinks it might have been fake. I am thinking it was more than her accent that was fake. Kiki...do you know what I mean? Anyway, so nice to be able to walk home. City life is starting to look really good to us.

Gates of Hell

Cantor Arts Center

One of my favorite places to visit is the Cantor Arts Museum at Stanford University. They have a unbelievable Garden Rodin collection which includes the Gates from Hell. It is a great place to stroll around in the afternoon. The question of the day is...Am I thinking of Kurt or Viggo as I am viewing this sculpture?

Getting use to Apartment Life

Around 4:30 today, just as I was about to go down to the laundry room to fetch my clothes from the dryers, little Gwenny in her own special way was telling me that she really had to go out. I sensed it was urgent so I put everything down and ran to get her leash, hooked her up and ran out the door. After all we are on the third floor so I knew she had to get down to the ground floor quickly. We ran like the wind. Thank goodness I found a gym and a trainer here that I like. I was prepared to take those stairs two at a time if needed. Also, thank goodness that I love my little pug because it was pretty much a false alarm. Oh by the way...did I mention that I put everything down when I hooked her up to the leash? Yes, you guessed correctly...I forgot my keys, and of course I didn't have my phone. Lucky for me it was late in the day, so we just decided to take a walk until the Mr. came home about an hour later. It was actually a very nice time of day to take a walk. I keep telling everyone how smart Gwenny is...I am beginning to think that was her plan all along.

more pictures

Gwenny and the Hawk

Point Reyes National Seashore

The Pacific Ocean is colder than Maine!

Sneaking into Muir Woods

Saturday

Our Saturday started off like it always does…a trip to Starbucks for our Venti ice coffee…okay back in MA it is Dunkin, but Starbucks is my ice coffee of choice here in CA. Where did we go today?....Muir Woods, Mt. Tamalpais National Park, Stinson Beach, Reyes Point National Seashore, and North Beach in San Francisco. I have driven about 5700 miles this month…through the desert, up and down the mountains (experiencing first hand switch backs and hair pin curves as I wind up and down these roads and as many of you know..not my favorites), and over many bridges. I can honestly say I think I am becoming desensitized to all my old road fears.

We could not actually get into Muir Woods because no dogs were allowed. I think they were afraid that little Gwenny would pee on those big Redwoods. We initially tried to sneak her on the shuttle bus in a bag. We got caught! Luckily, the ranger had a good sense of humor. We still drove up to the woods, but they would not let us on the trails..no dogs allowed. I guess they were afraid that a bear or some other wild animal might find her appetizing or something. It was a beautiful ride and we will head back up there next weekend…without the dog.

The beaches were stunning with a mixture of cliffs, hills, and trails. There was actually a hawk following us at Point Reyes, poor Gwenny had to hide under a bench she was so afraid. Okay, so it really didn’t happen like that but it makes for a better story.

We ended this fabulous day at an outside Italian bistro on Columbus Ave in North Beach. We sat there eating, drinking, and watching the scenes for about 4 hours. Teri was able to meet up with an old high school friend for dinner. Our Maitre D’ looked just like Frank Zappa, but he had a very thick Italian accent. He was hustling all the pretty girls on the street. It actually felt like a dinner show. Oh, and Gwenny was a hit on the streets of San Francisco.

Teri in Santa Cruz

Me at the End of the Day

Enjoying the Lighthouse

Our Day in Santa Cruz

Thank goodness I had a quiet week because it has been non-stop since Friday morning. Teri and I headed down to Santa Cruz on Friday. It has a quant little downtown and we met lots of quirky shop-keepers as we strolled in and out of the stores. However, it had one of the best bookstores I have ever visited. I can’t wait to go back and browse. We also visited the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Boy, that is a place you could get into trouble. We didn’t..I am just saying that if you were inclined, you could! We then went in search of a lighthouse we saw from the boardwalk. After many misdirections it was bit disappointing…it looked like something from a miniature golf course. Our travels were successful though because Teri did find her dream house. It was a small little house on the water surrounded by beautiful gardens. It looked like something you would find in England. Now all she needs is about 5 million dollars. I really do not think that I am exaggerating that amount. We came back to Mountain View to meet Kurt for dinner. We walked to our favorite place, “Fiesta Del Mar “, where we enjoyed the margaritas and the sangria. Oh yeah, the food is pretty good too.

Quiet Week

It has been a quiet week. Gwenny and I have been getting reacquainted. We have been taking lots of walks and discovering new places together. Teri is coming tonight for a visit. Looking forward to seeing her and exploring the area a little more.

Quiet Day

Quiet day today. I hung out and caught up on a few things like laundry and paid the bills. Some things never change whether you are in Franklin or Mountain View. I did take Gwenny for a few walks too. That was fun.

Wine Country

San Luis Obispo

Half Moon Bay

Busy Weekend

We had an extremely bust weekend. On Friday Sharon and I went to Half Moon Bay. It is along the Pacific Coast Highway and has many beautiful beaches. Although, I think Maine beaches are just as beautiful! We hung out there for a bit trying to decide whether to go horseback riding on the beach or get a massage at an ocean spa. The massage won out, but I haven't given up on the horseback riding thing yet. I have one major concern...I am pretty sure I can get up on the horse...it is getting down that worries me! Saturday, we met Jessica, her roommate Sham, and Gwenny in a little mission town called San Luis Obispo. It was about a 3 hour ride south of Mountain View. I should have kept track of how many miles I drive this summer because I bet it will be more than I usually do in a year. Sunday was wine country. We visited some beautiful wineries in Sonoma Valley. A note to my friends who know about me and bridges...I drove over the Golden Gate bridge-not once, bit twice, and I actually enjoyed it. Maybe it was because it was so foggy, you really couldn't see too much on either side. Today, Sharon and I are going to hang around Palo Alto, then Sharon will be heading home tonight.

San Francisco and Sausalito

We spent the day in San Francisco and Sausalito yesterday. It was my first time in San Francisco on this trip. We took the Caltrain and then public transportation down to the wharf area. The F- Muni brought us down to the wharf...it was full of colorful people! My favorite was the surfer dude who was going fishing on the wharf...he had a running commentary about life on the F train the whole time. He was actually very entertaining. We then took the the ferry over to Sausalito, and the views were fabulous. I am only slightly disappointed because I never got my Sausalito cookie! They are my favorite. Kurt drove into the city to meet us for dinner. We did the tourist thing and ate in North Beach at the Stinking Rose. Delicious! However, I think after all the garlic we ate, we were the stinking roses.

Sharon is Here

Sharon arrived last night for her visit. We started today by taking a long walk around Mountain View. I then showed her some of my favorite places to get lost. At one point...I really had no idea where we were. Sharon thought I was kidding around. The first thing I had her do this morning is memorize our apartment number...just in case I lost her! She stopped me short of taping a note around her neck...again just in case I lost her somewhere. I don't why she didn't like the necklace I made her..."My name is Sharon..If found please return to Oakwoods, Mountain View...N301." Off to San Francisco tomorrow.

This weekend at Yosemite National Park

We spent the weekend driving, hiking, eating, and exploring. Saturday we drove to Yosemite National Park..for some reason, I keep pronouncing Yosemite incorrectly. So I have to think of Yosemite Sam and then I can say it correctly. Oh well, I guess all that cartoon watching when I was a kid paid off. Yosemite was spectacular. It was very different than the national parks in Nevada and Utah. Once you enter the park, it still takes about another hour to get to Yosemite Valley where most visitors come to see the sights. However, the drive was breathtaking. I am slowly getting over my fear of long, windy roads and bridges! It seems like all I do here is drive up the mountain and then drive back down the mountain. We then headed over to Sacramento. We mostly visited old Sacramento, an old town right out of the goldrush days. We even had dinner on a steam boat on the Sacramento River. No surprise, the minute we open our mouths, people seem to know that we are not from around here. There is no escaping that Boston accent. Sharon is coming for a visit this week. We really did not do any sightseeing while driving across the country. I think we will make up for it this week.

Back in Mountain View

We have been back in Mountain View for a few days. We seem to be getting adjusted to our new place. Last night we had dinner in Mountain View Center. They close the streets down and have a little party every other Thursday night. It was lots of fun strolling around. Believe it or not (and I know my friends on the east coast are going to be jealous) but the weather has been perfect. It is usually in the 50s in the morning and at night, and during the day it gets up in the 80s. I met a new friend today. He is a boxer from Arkansas named Sassy and absolutely beautiful. Okay...he is a boxer dog. He looks a lot like Daisy except with white paws. It was so nice to make a friend! Gwenny decided to stay with Jessica for an extra week, so we won't be picking her up until next weekend. Kurt and I have decided to go exploring this weekend. Tomorrow we are going to Yosemite National Park and on Sunday possibly checking out Sacramento. Hopefully, I will have some great pictures when we get back. Today's pictures are Kurt and I relaxing in our new place. Talk to you soon. I miss you all. Debbie

Route 66

Mingus Mountain

Elevation 7300

A few more balloon pictures

Kurt and Neil's Big Adventure

THis was our last morning in Sedonna. These are just a few pictures of the boys balloon ride over Sedonna. Two balloons go up together, so some of the pictures are the second balloon traveling along side them. I think you get the point.

Going Home

..or at least back to Mountain View. Yesterday we traveled from Sedona back to Las Vegas. We stopped at an old historic mining town called Jerome. It was high up on Mingus Mountain. It was awesome. We visited a few small quaint stores. One was called the House of Joy. Yes, at one time it was a house of joy, an old Jerome brothel. Very interesting. We also stopped for lunch along the old Route 66. We found this great old town called Seligman, Arizona and ate at the Route 66 Roadkill Café. It felt like we traveled back in time. We then drove by (and on) the Hoover Dam. For those of you who know how afraid I am of driving over high windy roads…I am facing my fears! Currently, we are sitting at the Las Vegas airport and our flight to San Francisco is delayed due to fog. Apparently, that is not unusual, but the delay can be hours. I am trying not to play the slot machines here at the airport. I keep thinking…maybe this will be the one!

Sedona

Kurt and the Seven Dwarfs

The boys riding the mesa wave

Climbing the mesa