Autumn To-Do

Monday, September 30, 2013

Tomorrow's October! How'd that happen so fast??  The days around here are still warm and bright, and September went by in a heartbeat. But I have been waking up in the morning needing extra blankets, and pumpkin whatchamacallits have infiltrated every aisle at Trader Joe's... so I guess fall really is here.


Throwback to UNH Homecoming a couple years ago - the epitome of fall day in New England.

Here are some things I'd love to do this season:

1. Complete a 1/2 marathon
Might as well make this number one! Jim and I are signed up to run our first 1/2 marathon with some friends on October 26th -- the Healdsburg Wine Country Half Marathon. If you're going to run further than you ever have before, you might as well do it with friends, views of rolling vineyards, and massive amounts of snacks and wine waiting at the end. Dressed up like the Super Mario gang (yes, it's Halloween themed, hooray!). 

2. Embrace yoga
I'm rolling this one over from my summer to-do list. Weekly yoga classes are offered by my employer so I know I'll stick with it now, and thank goodness for that! It hurts so good.

3. Attend a fall festival
This shouldn't be too tough, there seem to be a ton of these around the Bay Area lately. Anyone care to recommend a favorite?

4. Make lots of soup
Yummm cool weather means soup weather. I went through a great phase once where I would make a big batch of tasty soup every Sunday. It was so nice to have fresh, tasty soup to heat up for quick dinners throughout the week. Let's bring that phase back! I'll start with these amazing looking Black Bean Pumpkin and Carrot Ginger soups.

5. Camp in the cold
In other words, just camp. Because most places we go will be preeettty chilly at this point in the season (at least at night). And I think I like that. The New-Englander in me is really craving that nippy tent wake-up.

6. Brush up on my DSLR skills
I've been slacking and sticking to "auto" mode - I'm so ashamed! Time to bring back the skillz.

7. Make holiday presents
Telling yourself to "get started early" on holiday gifts is a tale as old as time. Maybe if I put this in writing, it'll actually happen...

8. Drink mulled wine
This has been a Christmas tradition for my family, but every time I have that first hearty, spicy sip I think to myself "why don't I drink this all year long??". So here's to stretching out the mulled wine season. 

9. Get scared
I love love love Halloween, especially the eery, scary, creepy parts of it. Jimmy is kind of a scaredy cat so I haven't been to a single haunted house or seen a single scary movie these past few years!! Who can I get to join me??

10. Make a campfire
Let's end on an easy one. I find myself around campfires fairly regularly so this one is bound to happen, but I might as well make sure of it by putting it on the list! Nothing says fall like snuggling around a fire.


What are your goals this season??

Getaway Weekend :: Sierra Nevadas

Friday, September 27, 2013

Happy Friday, darlings! 

I'm so glad to be getting around to posting these photos of our trip up to the Sierra Nevadas. This place is just glorious. Actually, these are photos from two trips combined since I never got around to posting the first weekend away, and we loved it so much that we returned last week! 

We stayed with our friends  in Taylorsville - a teeny tiny town in Plumas County, smack dab in the middle of the Sierras....in California, USA, Earth. In the middle of nowhere. Actually, right about here (see the star?):


Every once in awhile there is nothing I like more than being in being in the middle of nowhere. It feels so good. Have you tried it lately? Not only does it usually come along with a slower pace of life and a general sense of relaxation, but it also reminds you of how small you are on this big, vast planet. When you're surrounded by nothing but trees and hills for miles and miles and miles, what is there to worry about? I guess a huge part of it for me is the fact that when you're surrounded by "nothing", you're probably surround by nature. Systems that have been around for millions of years, that will keep doing what they're doing regardless of whether you turn in your report or get to the gym or return your library book on time. Humans need this reminder sometimes. 

So these weekends in the Sierras were good. Filled with gorgeous drives, sunsets, hearty meals, hikes, wildlife, dusty roads, creek dips...and stars upon stars. So I'll let the photos speak for themselves, as the simple ones often do.

 


Thanks M&T for hosting us :).

And thanks to all of you as always for checking in!

What does your weekend look like?? We have a few possibilities but nothing set in stone...I love weekends like that. Hoping to cross a few things off the list, see some friends, create something new and be outside 24/7 in this fresh weather we've been having. Have fun!

Currently

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

photo from our getaway weekend in the Sierra Nevadas

Listening to... Anders Osborne. I hadn't heard of him until a few weeks ago, but apparently he's been around for awhile. He uses a great variety of styles I love; Louisiana rock, soulful blues, reggae, etc. Check out Three Free Amigos, Marmalade, and Got Your Heart. I also am loving The Lone Bellow -- Jimmy and I are so excited to check them out on Dec 10th! They only have one album and I like every song...favorites are You Never Need Nobody, Teach Me to Know, You Don't Love Me Like You Used To, and Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold. Care to join us for the show??

Thinking about...all of the things I want to be learning all at once! I'm in the middle of a information overload. I want all of the articles and blog posts and lists out there to soak themselves perfectly into my brain. I want a bajillion hours a day so that I have time to learn and practice and apply everything that I have interest in. I've been a chronic link saver lately, my Pocket and my "favorites" folders and lists are filled to the brim with "things to read" or "courses to take".  Sometimes it's exciting; I've always loved to learn! But sometimes it's just overwhelming.  Does anyone have tips for how to deal with the constant overload of info we have at our fingertips nowadays?

Eating... delicious, massive salads. The school I work at provides an amazing lunch every day, and in an effort to get my veggie fill I've been skipping the "hot food line" (doesn't that phrase bring you straight back to high school?) and going straight for the salad bar. But the provided plates weren't quite doing the trick, so I brought in a large red bowl for my salads and now I'm layering and mixing to my heart's content.  Yum.

Reading...The Sun Also Rises (Ernest Hemingway).  I kind of can't believe I haven't read it before, it's been on my "to read" list for-ev-er! But I'm only on page 2, so I'll also share with you my most recently read book- Dark Places by Gillian Flynn. It was really, really good. In a stressful, page-turner, no-sleep-til-you've-read-it kind of way, but not necessarily in a life-changing way. I was just dying to get to the end to figure out the mystery! I love Flynn's writing style, she creates amazing descriptions and gets you to feel empathy for even her most hateful creatures. If you haven't read Gone Girl yet, read that first - it's what inspired me to give her other books a shot.

Watching... nothing lately, but all those shows are starting back up again.... I think I'll go back to New Girl, and Modern Family...and that's it. Let's keep it simple, in the interest of supporting my "learning overload" dilemma mentioned above!



I hope everyone's having a beautiful week. The sun has been shining and there has been a crispness to the air; I'm so thankful to be feeling some fall weather out here in Cali :). More pics up soon!

Euro Gif Surprise!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

This is some sort of holiday miracle. What holiday you ask?? Well since you asked, today is National Chocolate Milkshake Day! Yummm. But that's besides the point.

The miracle is that as I went to add a photo here on Blogger, I saw this secret photo folder called "from your phone", which I've never looked in before. And in that folder, I found these hilarious gifs from our Euro trip circa March 2012. Where did these come from!? Who created them? Not me. If you have the answer please let me know, but in the meanwhile I'll just bask in the delight of these awkward yet joyful gifs of Jimby and I in France, Switzerland and Ireland. 

p.s. please note the awkward last frame of gif #3 and #4. Good stuff.

p.p.s. I have no idea what I was going to originally blog about. 





Getaway Weekend :: "Lost" in Sinkyone Wilderness Park

Tuesday, September 3, 2013


What an escape!

This Labor Day weekend, Jimmy and I traveled north to Mendocino County again. But this time, it was to a part of the state where time stands still, cell service is lost entirely, and you're only invited if you have 4 wheel drive and your own stash of toilet paper. We stayed at Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, part of California's "Lost Coast". This is the part of the state where gorgeous Route 1 veers off the coast, joining up with Highway 101 about 15+ miles inland, so there are no paved roads along the gorgeous coastline. Which of course, is all the better for those of us willing to roll off the beaten track.

After packing up all of our camping necessities we drove the scenic route north, stopping for coffee/scenic vistas as we went, and finally meeting up with our dear friends Danny & Krista who made the drive all the way from Ashland, OR to meet us. It was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time, and here are the moments I'll remember it by - both pictured and not-pictured:

What you see here:
  1. sunflowers and sunshine along route 29 on our way north
  2. strong, strong coffee in a pretty loaned mug 
  3. blueberry pancakes on the fire
  4. our little slice of heaven
  5. alder grove
  6. stripped down on the beach
  7. friends & love
  8.we admired this Osprey, her family, and her pretty nest for at least an hour 
  9. hiking a little tiny piece of the Lost Coast Trail
  10. bird's eye view of the beach
  11. this is why I moved to California
  12. girl chat on the beach at sunset while the boys search for rhinoceros auklets
  13. I could stay in this spot forever and ever
  14. there was a fire in the sky welcoming us home

What you don't:
  1. mixed sounds of the ocean crashing and the alders creaking as we fell asleep
  2. the taste of almond meal/walnut/blueberry pancakes crisped in leftover bacon fat
  3. the look on Jim's face and the accompanying laughter after he accidentally swung a 6-foot tree limb into our pile of dishes at full speed (only 1 plate broke!)
  4. the heat and light of our little beach fire in a sea of blackness
  5. Danny lulling us into dreamland with his hypnotic flute playing
  6. the anticipation/thrill/fear of waking up to the sound of a (probably large) animal rustling around outside your tent 
  7. fire-belly feeling that comes from sipping best homemade whiskey in the world

We found you, Lost Coast! And we'll be back.