Tide Pools

We are spending our long weekend in San Luis Obipso and are having a wonderful time.  Chris's parents are off in Wales playing so we are down here with 'just the kids', Chris's brother Matt and his lovely girlfriend M, having a grand time.  We all piled in the car yesterday and headed out for a light walk and some time at the tide pools in Montana De Oro out near Los Osos.  We picked a favorite trail that meanders along the cliffs for a while with a detour down to a beach with a great bank of tide pools.  The tide was out and we had a great time balancing on the rocks, finding sea creatures, acting goofy, and having time to catch up.  On the walk out we also saw a group of seals swimming into the cove and a pod of whales spouting blasts of water into the air.  What a perfect day at the beach.

Chris and I on the trail at a lookout.

Chris and his brother inspecting tide pools.

A hermit crab visit, the pools were filled with them!

A glorious purple starfish eating lunch.

Crazy Busy

Acckkkk!! What a busy few weeks here. Time just seems to go zipping by when you are running from one thing to the next in work, play, and everyday life. To quickly catch up, here are a few of the Play items I / We have been doing lately:

- Playing tour guide to Chris's family + two 16 year old foreign exchange students over the long weekend. In less than 24 hours we.... stood in line for an hour at the Powell street trolley turn around, rode said trolley to the Wharf, walked to Pier 39, stared at 100s of sea lions, went to Coit Tower where we took in murals and an incredible 360 degree view, walked Little Italy and China Town, shopped 'till we dropped at Union Square, and drove over the Golden Gate Bridge (2x).

-Discovering 'Movies on the Square' in Redwood city and enjoying both Casablanca and The Sound of Music with my Husband and friends in the beautiful CA evening weather.

- Going to about a half dozen Picnics and BBQ's for birthdays, holidays, reunions, and just becauses in wonderful parks and backyards, with tons of old and new friends.

- Taking in Hitchcock movies at the historic and fully restored Stanford Movie Theater, which has someone actually play the organ in between shows.

- Heading out to Half Moon Bay with friends to hang out on the beach, watch the waves come in, the sun set, and to enjoy a good bottle of wine.

- Heading out for simple dates with my husband like Pizza by the Slice and strolls.

- Hiking at Rancho San Antonio Park after work with friends (and lots of bugs, ick).

- After one year of moving, pinching myself and realizing that yes, this really is my life.

Beach Day

Yesterday after work I drove out to Half Moon Bay to meet a group of friends from work and head to the beach.  It was a gorgeous drive, on my own, with the sunroof and the back windows of the car open, winding my way over via the 92 through the hills and eucalyptus groves.  It was sunny right up to the point that I pulled into the beach parking lot, which was under a cloud of fog.  I met one of my friends there and we ambled along the gravel trail down to the beach.  

We set up camp near the back of the beach as the tide was coming in and the waves were crashing in.  Some friends were recovering from a rough day, so it fit the mood.  It was actually comforting, enveloping with the fog and the sound of the crashing waves.  Wine, blankets, sandwiches, and kites were produced.  I discovered the sand was riddled with little bits of sea glass and spent about an hour collecting a pocket full varying shades of brown, green, blue, clear, and aqua.  We stayed on the beach for hours watching the ocean calm and the fog get thicker and thicker, talking about the day and future plans, teasing each other and giggling before getting chilled and making the trek back to our cars.  

 

Mummy Weekend

Yesterday we all loaded on to the train and headed up to SF.  After a lovely lunch at Lulu, we went up to the SF MOMA and saw the Ansel Adams and Georia O'Keeffe show which was extraordinary but very crowded.  We all met up at the rooftop garden at the top of the MOMA which is filled with interesting sculpture, plants, amazing sky and building views, and lots of good people watching.  It was a lovely surprise as I had forgotten completely that they would be opening that this year and it was a good place to process everything from the exhibit.
This morning we lounged about for a while nibbling on farmer's market strawberries, peaches, and cherries before heading to breakfast at the Ingelside Cafe in San Carlos.  We each had an egg dish in some form or another and then split a stack of sinfully good chocolate chip pancakes.  
Then mom and I packed up and went for a lovely long walk on the beach out at Half Moon Bay, which was absolutely perfect.  The water was cool, sand clean and firm, a slight breeze was blowing.  There were interesting sights like this purple kite tied to a log flying on it's own with no owner around, children running and playing near the water's edge, jellyfish, and a few lonely surfers.
We walked about half-way down the beach, sat and enjoyed the sights for a long while, then walked back to the car.  We are mid-way through fixing dinner now.  Another Jamie Oliver recipe, this time for chicken, potatoes, and tomatoes, and Mom is creating a squash and garlic sauté that smells heavenly.  One last night sitting around the dinner table, chatting away, then Mom is headed home tomorrow.  What a good visit.