Tahoe- Day 1

A couple weeks ago I went to Tahoe with my dad and his friend, Maddy. It's a three hour drive from the East Bay, which means that you still get the better part of a day after you get there. Our first stop was the lake, of course, where we found a couple new friends.

The irony was that the little guy was a far more enthusiastic swimmer than the retriever.

At Tallac Historic Site, we got to walk on trails by the lake and get a little culture at the same time. This once upon a time resort had a museum and restored cabins capturing the essence from its heyday at the turn of the century.

Here's an old icebox from the kitchen. I love old kitchens.

And old laundry rooms. It makes my visits to the laundromat not seem so bad.

I took the opportunity to snuggle up with Smokey the Bear. We were next to the big fireplace in the lobby, but he didn't seem to mind.

The grounds were full of beautiful gardens to explore.

This is where I would sleep if I lived here- the nanny's bedroom!

When there's more time relaxing on the porch than walking, it's a good indication that happy hour is near. Until tomorrow!

Mitch Visits!

If you haven't heard from me in a while, it's because I've been too busy having fun with my bestie who came for a visit from Minnesota last week. I'm dogsitting, but the pup, Zero, is so cool we let him join the gang and pretty much took him everywhere with us.

Our first stop was Golden Gate Park, where we conveniently parked in front of the Conservatory of Flowers for a brief walk around the Music Concourse.

Time was of the essence, so I got us out of the city to spare my poor friend from my San Francisco navigating instincts. We stopped at Sol Food in San Rafael en route to the beach. I went for a steak combo (though probably a rash decision for take out) and Mitch got the most scrumptious pork chop pressed sandwich that anyone could have ever dreamed up. Yum!

We took a short hike at Pinnacle Gulch in Bodega Bay. I love this place if you have a dog and are short on time, but look out! Parking is super pricey, though I like to think it's for a good cause.

Here I'm helping Mitch identify kelp from jellyfish.

We stopped to say hello to Hitchcock in my beloved Bodega, put on the map with the filming of The Birds.

Wine tasting! But not just yet ...

We couldn't come all this way without the perfect Northern California picture.

The next day we went for a tour and tasting at Korbel.

Then when we couldn't get enough champagne, we headed to Iron Horse for more. (With a little lunch break, of course.) This is a local's favorite I hadn't been to yet, and it has one of the most breathtaking views of vineyards framed by mountains.

Don't worry, I also gave Mitch a taste of Dry Creek (Unti) and Alexander Valley (Hawkes) wines, not just Russian River.

On our last day, we met up with the colony of harbor seals at Goat Rock.

Aren't they cute?

Look out, Mitch found a taffy shop! How is this the one candy I've yet to understand? Flavors like vanilla cake? Apple pie? Is taffy the new jelly bean?

All I cared about was that she send some home to her amazing taffy-loving husband, who cashed in some miles so she could have a spontaneous trip with her kooky bestie in California.

Dogs at the Beach

From a sunnier day at the coast, with curious puppies, spring coastal flora and ice plant like impressionist paintings.

The Kiss

Warning: this post doesn't really have much to do with anything. It's just an excuse to show you something cute. Namely, my roommate's puppy kissing my friend, Chuck.

That's all.

How Punky Brewster Changed My Life

It is not uncommon for me to wake up with a random song in my head, and this morning was no exception. As I let the chickens out and sipped my brewed coffee, a flute tinkled in the background of my brain, an accent to the ongoing soundtrack of my life. What was that ditty from? Oh yes, the interlude music to Punky Brewster, my all-time favorite show as a child. Nothing like an odd start to the day.

A few years ago, I Netflixed a few seasons of the show on a whim. I often revert back to childhood themes and corny movies during times of strife. I also thought it would be wildly entertaining for me and my roommate, who happened to be an old friend from camp whom I knew would appreciate the sentiment.

The memories came flooding back- missing my cat having kittens because I couldn't bear to miss a single episode (those were the days before Tevo), standing in front of my closet each day thinking WWPW (what would Punky wear), and of course, the harsh life lessons ingrained in the show. Lessons such as, don't joke around in CPR class because you never know when your friend might get trapped in a refrigerator and need to be resussitated, and you don't want to be the guy who can't do it because you weren't paying attention. Or the importance of literacy in case your little brother drinks poison and you need to read the label. You don't have to do drugs to be popular. And of course, the subliminal messages of our need to buck the system and rage against the flaws of beaurocracy.

The themes were heavy. Maybe a little too heavy for innocent girls everywhere who had never had to dig through trash for dinner or break into a deserted apartment for shelter. When I watched with my roommate, she realized watching Punky Brewster was the reason she suffered so much separation anxiety when her parents went out. If Punky could be abandoned in a grocery store parking lot, how could any of us be safe? In a chaotic, right-wing time of Reaganomics and a national obsession with money and status, the message was clear: if an orphan and her puppy could make it in the school of hard knocks, then so could you.

But there were simpler lessons, as well. It's okay to be weird. Be yourself, and love who you are. Be a devoted friend.

Punky's indefatigable spirit and iron clad moral constitution set in motion for me a lifelong role model of the kind of person I wanted to be. She was a gal who could see the bright side of things and keep it all in perspective. The adoption agency won't approve of an old man becoming her foster parent? Just another administrative hoop to jump through. Bad things will always happen to good people, and all you can do is keep being good and hope for the best. Do things for others and be the best you can each day, and all will turn out right.

A nice reminder from the adorable 80s theme song on my internal loop this morning.

Puppies!

I'm just want to warn you right now, there is some ridiculous cuteness about to follow. 

That's right, puppies! My roommate just adopted two sweetie pie huskies who moved in on Wednesday (which ended up being one of the happiest days of my life). We've been overwhelmed by the cuteness these last couple days and the house is full of love. (The cats, of course, are less than pleased.)

 Sugar will keep one of the girls at our house and the other will go to her parents so they can still hang out every day. We just have to decide which gal goes where, and what to name them.

 I'm secretly calling this one Bear, and may have whispered it into her ear once or twice.

I'm not even kidding. They are seriously this cute.

I'm determined to be the best dog auntie ever!

I'm trying to keep from falling into a puppy coma, but if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know where I am.

Lucky Dog

Sometimes a dishwasher just isn't enough.