San Francisco Love

The City

Lands End Labyrinth

Thursday’s plan was to do a hike along Land’s End. It’s one of Zack and Susan’s favorite hikes in the city and, this being the week to celebrate them, it made sense to torture our out-of-town family members on this mildly strenuous and painfully beautiful excursion. By Thursday I was starting to feel human again (thank God!)…

 

Rock Climbing and Trampoline Dodgeball

Sadly, I can’t really provide much commentary on these photos because instead of enjoying being out with everyone, I was stuck at home vomiting my stomach through my nose after eating some tainted food at the Academy of Sciences the day before. On Tuesday the plan was to go to Mission Cliffs, which is a pretty…

 

California Academy of Sciences

Two weekends ago my brother got married (so happy for him!!) and the entire week prior my mother and sister, Naomi, and her entire family stayed with us. That’s a total of nine humans and three cats in a two bedroom one bathroom apartment. Originally, my mom thought that she’d get a hotel nearby for the time that Naomi…

 

Crissy Field—Weekend Fun With New Lenses

I’m in the market for a new lens, but I don’t know which one I want. Do I get a fixed lens or a zoom lens? L series, non-L series? f1.2 or f1.4, or 24-70 or 24-105? Since I have zero experience with any lenses outside of the one my camera came with, I decided to rent a couple that I’ve been eyeing to give them a spin.

 

Lands End Part 1

It was another glorious weekend in San Francisco and we started our Saturday early with a hike on Land’s End. We arrived at the Cliff House shortly after 10am and it was already starting to feel warm. Our notoriously late friends (we love them regardless!) were running an hour late so we had some time to enjoy the sea breeze…

 

China Town—Chinese New Year Flower Fair

The beautiful weather will not let up. We’ve had nothing but warmth and bright sunny skies for months and there isn’t a cloud or drop of rain expected in the forecast. I know the skiers in Tahoe aren’t happy nor are the farmers who depend on winter rain to irrigate their crops through the dry summer months. But this girl? Nope. You won’t find her complaining. No siree. Today was another one of those glorious days and I spent the late morning through afternoon with my brother and his fiance. We spent most of this time chatting about their upcoming wedding plans interspersed with browsing for items that could potentially…

East Bay

Berkeley Hills Hike

Friday was a jam packed day—first we needed to visit the ceremony and reception site, which was at the Berkeley Botanical Gardens, to sort out some logistics and meet with the coordinator there. It was a toasty 77 degree day and we all enjoyed sitting on these benches at the entrance to the gardens soaking in the morning sun…

 

Berkeley Botanical Gardens Wedding—Redwood Grove

No matter how small or well organized they are, if you’re directly involved, pre-wedding prep always seems to be stressful or, at the very least, insanely busy. And this wedding was no exception. So as you would expect, up until the very last minute we were all running around like crazy setting up, but when it was final go-time…

 

Rock Climbing Mount Diablo

One of my favorite things about living in California is the copious abundance of natural beauty that surrounds us. From the oceans and cliffs to the mountains and valleys to the redwood forests and crazy hot deserts that stretch on as far as the eye can see. I don’t even think you need to be an outdoor enthusiast to be impressed with the glory this state has to offer. In early February a group of us went climbing on Mt. Diablo—as the name perhaps suggests, it can be quite sweltering there in the summer, but at this time of the year it’s pleasant enough for some serious outdoor activities…

North Bay

Coastal Trail Hike

There are sooo many things I LOVE about living in the Bay Area. I could ramble on all day about the numerous things, but the two that I was reminded of while hiking two weekends ago are the pleasant year-round weather and the amazing natural beauty. Ever since I moved here eight and a half years ago I’ve been..

South Bay

 Highway 1 to Santa Cruz

This past weekend was just plain gorgeous—warm and sunny. Exactly the way weather should be when I don’t have to be cooped up in the 11th story of an office building toiling away under fluorescent lights. Seeing such a glorious forecast, I had reserved a rental car earlier in the week so that Alex and I could explore a bit outside of the city…

 

Thousands of Elephant Seals at Ano Neuvo State Park

Just 50 miles south of San Francisco along the Pacific Ocean lies Año Nuevo State Park. Years ago it was an important site for the Ohlone people as they lived, hunted and gathered food on the land and from the sea. When the Spanish arrived in the late 1700s the typical colonialization story unfolds where the Ohlone were baptized, forced into Catholicism, and ultimately ended up dying from exposure…