Tall Trees

Trillium Falls 
Redwood National Park

The Beach

It's been raining, and it's supposed to rain again. What better time to head out to Tennessee Valley for a hike. 

Ferry Around the Bay

It's summer once again, that little splash of rain notwithstanding, and the new crop of "summer" visitors should be arriving soon. Now we all know how difficult it can be to find new things for them to do and see. So why not try the ferry?

Our dear friend Helen Doyle recently wrote a comprehensive guide to ferrying around the bay in Bay Nature magazine. It spurred us to take the ferry from Richmond (easy parking) to San Francisco, and then straight back again. 

So why not stay a bit longer in SF? Well, we had to make it back for happy hour at Armistice...

Brag, Brag, Brag #8: Michael Reardon

 So we got out of town. Yup, hard to believe, but we left Luna in the world's most capable and loving hands and headed to Sta. Barbara for an art show. An art show at the Thomas Reynolds Gallery featuring, ta-da!, Michael Reardon. And a bunch of architects who also can paint pretty darn well. 

 We saw family and friends, caught rain and dodged tumbleweeds on the drive, and generally had a wonderful time. The shows up until the end of October, so if you happen to be in the vicinity of Sta. Barbara, I recommend stopping by. 

Local History

Ocean Beach, San Francisco

It didn't start off as a beautiful day - foggy and cool - but it turned out just fine. And we even learned a few things.

So we all know that the Cliff House closed in December, 2020. And that it has mostly been sitting vacant since then, right?

Except, except for a remarkably fun pop-up museum organized and staffed by this relatively off-the-radar organization, the Western Neighborhoods Project.

Titled The Museum at the Cliff, the show features interactive displays of the strange and wonderful history of Lands End, including Sutro Baths, Playland at the Beach, as well as the Cliff House. Music, maps, historic photographs, old menus (watch out - the price of a glass of wine back then was unbelievable!), and other art pieces and artifacts help take you away.

The Museum is only open on weekends (Sat. & Sun) from 11am - 5pm until August 21st, 2022. Tickets are free, but you must get them in advance through Eventbrite.

Playland Cowboy

Kittens and Flowers - Enough Already!

Yeah, we've been pretty much stuck at home these days, and it shows. But sometimes we do get out, even if it's not very far away. 

Like the Cataract Falls Trail on Mt. Tamalpais. We had hoped to hike the Coastal Trail but the overgrown grass obscuring the trail and swarming with ticks (no, I didn't see any, but I just know that they were lurking there, ready to suck my blood) was a huge deterrent. 

As it turned out, the Cataract Trail was a better choice this time as it wandered through dappled shade and small water seeps. Lots of bird sounds, too, to try and identify. I think we'll try this hike again, but next time we'll go when there is a better chance of more water. 

And then there was the visit to the UC Berkeley campus to watch the peregrine falcons fledge. I mean, really, nature in action right in the middle of the city!

The young female had already taken her first flight by the time we arrived, and the young male was not quite ready to take the big step (he flew the following day) but we did hear them and see one of the parents standing watch on the tower. 

There was a lot of drama and sadness with this year's family - disappearing mom, dad killed by a car, brand new stepdad - so I wish them the best of luck.

A Trip East

 I wasn't eager to travel across the country, especially since it involved flying on a commercial airline, but it was my mom's 91st birthday, so you do what you have to do. 

And in the beginning, she wasn't too sure about hosting me, either. 

But we worked it out. Mostly.

I cooked, washed dishes, did the laundry, chauffeured her about and then cooked some more. I would have done some much-needed yard work (I even brought along my own gardening gloves), but the tick situation seemed so dicey, that it just wasn't worth the risk of contracting Lyme disease.

Besides, it was icky-sticky hot and humid (total yuck!), with hazy gray skies and rain (yay!) most every day. 

To ensure my welcome, when cooking wasn't quite sufficient, I made a pair of glass garden towers. She had already collected the glass pieces, I simply had to arrange and glue them together. They were supposed to be shared with other family members, but she thought that the looked really nice in her front window with the light shining through. I have a hunch that these two are going to be staying at Mom's house for a while. I also think that she will appreciate them more than those other would-be recipients.

And then we did puzzles. Puzzles and more puzzles. Big and little, small pieces and even missing pieces, we did puzzles each day. I have never been much of a puzzle-maker(?) doer(?) puzzler(?) but my spatial reasoning skills certainly improved during that visit. I'm sure that my mosaic making abilities will also benefit from these puzzle exercises. 

And when the puzzle looks like the French Riviera, what else can you do but open a bottle of rosé and pour a glass?

The High Country

Got our reservation last month in order to visit  Yosemite this month. We skipped Yosemite Valley entirely and aimed for the John Muir Trail out of Tuolumne Meadows. 

On the way up the Tioga Road, we stopped at the Tuolumne Grove. Containing around two dozen mature giant sequoias and a steep climb back to the road, it was a perfect break from driving. Yes, Bay Area traffic is miserable again. And yes, the Yosemite reservation system can make entering the park very, very, very sloooow. Getting out of the car was vital.

The next morning, with masks in pockets for those just-in-case situations, we headed out through Lyell Canyon on the mostly deserted trail. Could not have been more beautiful!

 

The third day we hiked a section of the Glen Aulin Trail before heading back home. Reservations are only valid for three days, so you have to pack in all the adventures that you can in a short amount of time. 

Click here for information about Yosemite reservations.

Got Out of Dodge!

 Hooray! 

We have now received all of our vaccines (for now, at least), and after waiting the requisite extra weeks, we got away for a few days. For me, the first time out of the Bay Area since October, 2019. 

Morro Bay. Quiet. Low-key. And pretty empty during the week. 

I can't say it changed my life, but it was very nice. I truly hope that we all will soon be able to move about safely in our lives.

Five Years Later

It was a beautiful day at Gray Lodge, although a little too windy to be outside for much time. So no watercolor painting for my best guy this time around. We even ate lunch in the car.

But the birds didn't seem to mind the wind at all. They were too busy eating their own lunches.

Traffic was, well, traffic, even on a Monday holiday. So next time, say in the next five years or so, we will be leaving even earlier. Nothing like breakfast in the car...

Paella Valenciana: The Next Generation

When you are lucky enough to spend a college semester in Spain, not only do you get to study hard, but you also have the privilege of travel. Our nephew Ian was very lucky, indeed, to spend time in Santander, and then visit quite a number of Spanish landmarks, as well as make longer forays to Italy, France, Germany and Portugal (I think I got this right).

Santander is bang up against the Picos de Europa, a most dramatic mountain range for hiking and climbing. And it's also located on the Camino del Norte (Northern Way) of the famous pilgrimage route. So for those, like Ian, who enjoy cultural experiences and outdoor activities, a semester in Spain sounds pretty darn wonderful. In this instance, I'm ready to acknowledge that "envy green" is a color I recognize.

And then there's the eating adventures to consider. Not only fabulous Spanish cooking, but also some cooking of your very own. Like Paella Valenciana, for example.

Yup. Ian decided that he would try to produce a traditional Paella Valenciana. Why not? In his own words:

"It turned out great! My only problem was that the rice was still a little soggy, I either added too much stock or not quite enough rice... Either way, it was still delicious. I had to skip the snails too, while I am personally a huge fan some others sadly objected. Next time I think I can pass it off as true Valenciano! Pictures below of course."

He is studying to become an environmental engineer. On the other hand, I personally think that he may want to consider a career as a food stylist.







Photos Courtesy of Ian Cullings

San Diego for the Day

Balboa Park in San Diego is really quite special - great architecture, scads of museums (I think my favorite is the Timken with its gallery of Russian icons), interesting gardens and fun, quirky activities. I mean, where else can you visit "houses" of 30+ countries hosted in little historic cottages?

And in the newly expanded Japanese Friendship Garden, three baby Black Phoebes, clearly just out of the nest, quietly, very quietly, waited for a parent to show up. Hopefully with lunch.

What could possibly cap that?

Perhaps a double rainbow with dinner?

Not Quite the Super Bloom

But it's still one of the best and least crowded hikes on Mt. Tam. For this, you have to start near the northern end of the Coastal Trail and then walk towards the crowds.

Take West Ridgecrest Blvd. to McKennan Gulch Trail.  Carefully walk south along the road  ~ 100 ft. to the trailhead, and you're off.

The trail follows the line of the hills - no big ups and downs unless you really want to - and the views out are spectacular. Plus, if you're not feeling particularly kind that day, you can look down on Bolinas and Stinson and tsk-tsk about how all those very expensive homes will soon be under water unless something changes. And changes fast.

 Mid-March was to early this year for the big displays of wildflowers on Mt. Tam. In the past, it has been quite the show, but this time there were only a few California poppies (like three), a patch of Douglas iris and two blooming Baby Blue Eyes. Maybe next week will be better?

Season of Eating

Paella Valenciana

We no longer engage in a whole lot of holiday-related things anymore. Just too old, I guess.

Except for eating. And possibly drinking. Or the other way around.

And truthfully, I've eaten quite well. Just ask my jeans.

But one of the most memorable meals for me this year wasn't over the holidays. Rather it was an early summer adventure in (tah-dah) Anchuela del Campo.

With Ati, of Wild Cat fame, acting as chef.

So, I'm sure that most everyone knows something about Spanish paella (name comes from the pan, blah, blah, blah), considering it to be a seafood dish with maybe some chicken. Not so fast.

Anchuela del Campo

There is also Paella Valenciana, which originated in the wetlands of La Albufera in Valencia where rice is grown. Think of what wetlands contain - think snails, think rabbits hiding in the grass, think ducks (or chicken) and thus, along with the rice, you have the basis of Paella Valenciana.

Chef Ati & Sous-chef Cholo

Plus you need green runner beans, lima (or fava) beans, tomato, salt and saffron. The debate over the correct type of rice may be a cause for bloodshed for some, but we're not going into that here, because I'm already hungry. Lastly, cooking over a wood fire makes it all the better.

To cook, start with the fire and add the proper ingredients in the right order to ensure that everything is perfect by the end. Simple, right? Also, note the plastic bag in the photo on the right - frozen snails from the freezer case of the local grocery. Now that would be surprise here.

And then it's monitor the fire, monitor the liquids, monitor the rice, check back with the fire and monitor everything once again.

While the rest of us sit around and drink cañas, eat jamon and offer encouragement.

MAY WE ALL ENJOY GOOD FOOD WITH GOOD FRIENDS IN 2019!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Rain in Spain Had a Silver Lining

Although Audrey Hepburn would tell you that "the rain stays mainly in the plain," nearly everywhere was wet. So rather than heading north for more days of soggy weather, we turned south. To the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba:

It was a very good decision. 

Further south in the Sierra de Grazalema, the rains had produced the most astounding wildflower displays. The ground was rocky, but entirely covered with blooming plants.

My inner Flower Floozy was never happier.

Identification Resource: Wildflowers of Andalucia

"She's Nutty as Squirrel Poo."

-- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

December, 2017. San Diego Botanic Garden. I was the squirrel.

The nuts - acorns from a cork oak (Querus suber), an evergreen oak, native to the Mediterranean basin. And important to a wide range of life forms, including the common wine drinker (Homo sapiens potator).

Obviously, cork is used as a stopper for wine, as well as for flooring and other useful things. What's critical is that cork can be harvested from the bark of the tree without harming the tree: the tree lives on to grow another layer of cork bark for future harvests.

Acorns w/tap roots

For me, I just wanted to see whether I could get them to sprout. So I loaded up my pockets and planted them in two large pots and waited. And waited.

And waited until I got so impatient (hard to believe, I know) that I dumped out one of the pots and was shocked by the long and sturdy tap root emerging from many of the seeds. Now what?

Reload the pot and wait some more. That was late March. A month later, baby oak trees started peeking out of the soil.

Now I did not need to be reminded (ahem, Michael) that we have no room for another tree. But there are people, a few of whom we know, who have space for a really cool, drought tolerant and handsome tree in Sonoma County. May they live long and prosper there!