North to Mendocino

During Bob's Spring Break we took a day trip north to Mendocino. It was the warmest day of the season - 86 degrees at one point! - so a beautiful day for a drive.

First we drove through the vineyards northwest of Santa Rosa. No, that isn't snow - it's a carpet of white flowers!





Then we drove through some redwoods - the Navarro River Redwoods State Park to be specific...



We walked around Mendocino and enjoyed some more flowers. This particular bush was very fragrant and attracting a healthy dose of bees...





Visited the local "grocery store" aka food co-op with an amazing bulk food section...



Purchased a small jar of local (bulk) honey at the food co-op. It seemed appropriate given our encounter with the bee bush...



And drove out on the bluff for some prime sunset viewing!

The Paramount Theater in Oakland!

Who knew there was something in Oakland to write home about? But this is definitely worth writing about! The Paramount Theater in Oakland is a newly renovated, Art Deco theater built in 1931 complete with an organ, several lounges, plenty of plush public space and lots of Art Deco detailing. And they show old movies for $5 several times a month - we got to see "The Wizard of Oz" in Technicolor - along with vintage newsreels and cartoons accompanied by the organ.

Sunday drive down the coast

Like I mentioned in a previous post, we found a little town on the coast south of SF, Capitola, that we're fond of. In fact, Bob thinks he might like to move there - he's been seduced by the beach!









This Sunday afternoon, we decided to keep going past Capitola and ended up in Monterey/Pacific Grove, where we discovered a Monarch Preserve. Apparently the Monarch Butterflies migrate to this area around November, so we didn't see any, but we did find out where to look for them.

A little tour of our new place

We're technically in Sausalito - no, not in a houseboat - but we do have a good view and easy access to the Marin Headlands! Sausalito is know for their floating houses, referred to as houseboats but really they're houses on concrete barges so not boats at all in my book.





The majority of Sausalito is built either on top of the hill, like our apartment, or crawling up the side of the hill. Makes for some creative streets and structures.



Our apartment isn't as unique as some we looked at, but we like it. We looked at one that was so crooked there was a 1" gap between the window glass & frame - that was "unique" in a not so good way. And we looked at one that had a turret and sounds of the ocean - which was unique in a really good way. In the end, this one turned out to be the best fit for the time being.



Interestingly, about the time we got all settled in, Suzanne's working arrangement in AK ended, so we decided that while Bob continues the job search, maybe it's the appropriate time for Suzanne do some studying ... unfortunately those Architectural Registration Exams don't take themselves.

Short trip down Hwy. 1

With spring comes the many, many flowers - especially the carpets of ice plant - along with the urge to go exploring for more.



This particular exploration took us south of SF, down Hwy. 1, past the Pigeon Point Light Station, many ocean views, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz and ended in Capitola. I enjoyed Capitola much more than the more commercialized Santa Cruz, but each to his own.

December on the road

Since JoAnne wasn't ready for us to move in until January, we thought December would be a good time to catch up with some people we hadn't seen in awhile.

First we drove to Montana and visited some folks...



Leon & Karen



Eileen, Seth, Amanda & Merryn.



Next we flew to New Jersey to see some more folks...



take a day trip to the American Museum of Natural History (and the tree at Rockefeller Center) in New York City...



another day trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania - it was cold...



and open some presents.





Then we flew back to Idaho to celebrate New Years...



And headed back to California with a stop in Portland, Oregon to see Craig & Laura...



And a tour of the northern coast of California - including some redwood viewing.

Labor Day visitors

Our friends Logan & Heidi decided they needed a sun break from the SF summer fog, so flew down for the long weekend. I think we actually saw more of San Diego while they were visiting than we did the rest of our stay! We did introduce them to the joys of juicing and sent them home with a box of citrus, so they had a true taste of our life in SD.



We took them to the beach and the Farmer's Market, of course, then to the famous San Diego Zoo...









and to the USS Midway docked in downtown San Diego.



They also got to join us for our first (and so far only) trip south of the border for Sun. morning meeting - that was an amazing experience we heartily recommend... unfortunately we didn't take pictures.

North for a family reunion

We took a quick excursion north to Montana, to attend a family reunion, supply the San Diego Hinkles with some citrus (it's a hard habit to break) and to take in some gorgeous scenery!

First Scenic view - Yellowstone National Park at dusk, when the animals come out to play.




Then onto the reunion...





And some fun with the nieces.



Second Scenic view - Mission Mountains, MT.



Citrus delivery, a quick visit to "the Cabin"...



and wildlife viewing of various types.





Third Scenic view - Ross Creek Cedars, MT





Fourth Scenic view - Hwy. 95, Idaho



Fifth Scenic view - Hwy. 97, Oregon



Sixth Scenic view - Mt. Shasta, California



Quick stop in SF to pick up June and then onward to...

Seventh Scenic view - the Pacific Coast Highway/Hwy. 1, CA.







Eight (and final) Scenic view - Coronado Island, CA and the Hotel del Coronado





As we were relaxing at a sidewalk pizza stop in Coronado, we happened to witness the Coronado Sandman at work on one of his sand paintings. It was too dark for a picture but was a very cool finale to our trip.