New friends, a new place to hike and some good advice.

In September we were invited to go hiking at the Willow Creek Land Path. This invitation was a fun one to accept because it was from a couple that we both have been wanting to get to know.

If you are not familiar with WCLP check out their web site. There are a number of Land Paths that are supported by volunteers so you can both get involved and have access to magnificent places.

Minutes from the start of our adventure we were kindly greeted by this little creature. I like to call him Freddie.


We took several breaks to take in the beauty.

Aah...


This tree was huge.

I really mean HUGE!

Thomas and I have had many conversations about our friends or lack thereof. It is one thing to have friends as a singleton but another to be friends as a couple with another couple. We are childless and when we hit our thirties we slowly lost all our friends. They were off having children and we were not joining in the fun--I suppose. Through the years, we have met great couples but sadly one-by-one they have all moved out of our area. Long distance friendships take on a different dimension.
So were were ecstatic to get along with K&A and we look forward to many more adventures.

At the end of a great afternoon of hiking we were greeted by some good advice. I love how the Universe works.

Sun set out at sea

Tony my brother has been working for a sailing school out at the Berkeley marina for several years now. It is a shame that I haven't accepted any of his invitations to go out for a sail until last week. My excuse not to go has always been RN school. No more, we had such a good afternoon out at sea that I will say yes to any future invites.

So here is the crew ready to go out for a night of sailing fun. Can you say matchy-matchy!


The sea was calm and the wind strong. It made for a smooth ride out.

We talked, listened to music and had an all around good time.

Lily was fascinated with this seagull as it few so close to us and for so long.

Tony kept us entertained, he is a good host.

Thomas' is a pro behind the wheel. He is no beginner at sailing so it was fun to see him in action.

It was a clear night.



We cheered.

The sun set was beautiful.

It's your birthday, it's your birthday!

Today is my 40th birthday and to follow tradition I am posting a picture from a long time ago.
See the picture from last year here!



It has been a great 1st 40!

Trees, Ocean, Spider and Mom.

My mom is in town for a few months. I get so excited when she comes because there are so many fun things to do here in the USA. So when she visits I make a list and we check it twice. My list read, "take mom on a spectacular hike", so we did.

My mother is a great role model for health so I challenged her to a beautiful hike near the ocean. We took her to Pomo Canyon and hiked to and from Shell beach. It was a cool and fun day. The map details say it is a 5.5 mile round trip with about 720 feet of elevation gain each way. I was more concerned about the cold climate, so we packed some tea to enjoy by the beach. Overall it was a spectacular way to visit with my mom.