California

We’re back! The jet lag is receding, a huge surge of client branding work is starting to slow down, souvenirs are distributed to friends. Almost back to real life…with the exception of two very special visitors. As we do almost every year, we’ve taken on two of Rob’s nephews for a week in the “big city. This…

Anne wrote in for help with an upcoming weekend get-away on the Central Coast. My hometown and a super beautiful part of California: I have been combing your blog for trip ideas, as we will be staying in Morro Bay over Memorial Day weekend and I always love your San Luis Obispo posts. Any chance…

Last year, Rob and I were jetlagged in Istanbul for his birthday – his 40th! – and didn’t do much to celebrate. So this year, it was time for a huge bike ride and beach party with a bunch of friends. I coordinated with super helpful volunteers from China Camp State Park in Marin to…

One of Rob’s favorite mountain biking races of the year happens to be in his hometown of Fresno, right before his birthday. Big Sandy is a great weekend escape where we get a double-whammy of visiting his parents and riding with friends. Plus, spring is quite lovely in Fresno, with lots of wildflowers around and warm,…

It is big news that Mark Bittman from The New York Times and various lovely cookbooks has moved to the Bay Area!  His simple, delicious farmer’s market recipes have been an inspiration and now that he’s released into the wilds of California, I can only imagine how exciting things will get. After reading his column…

California is SO big that sometimes I forget about the areas to the furthest North and South of the state. Way up, almost at the Oregon border, is the 14,000 foot high Mount Shasta, surrounded by miles and miles of forest. Rob, Nicole and I drove up on Friday night for a weekend of skiing,…

Didn’t this year’s holiday break feel tremendously long? Such a nice chance to relax and ring in the new year! After a week of fun with family and lots of mountain biking at the beach, Rob and I packed up for a week of cross-country skiing in Tahoe with friends. Sit tight as we get…

A highlight of my birthday weekend in Pescadero was making dinner for our 15 guests using local ingredients and a blazing hot campfire! Nothing tastes better than what you’ve cooked with friends over a wood fire under the Milky Way. Menu: Grilled Harley Farm goat cheese Artichoke garlic bread from Arcangeli Grocery  Chile verde pork loin…

I’m the luckiest duck there is to have had such a wonderful birthday party this year! To celebrate my (gulp) 35th – Rob and I invited 12 friends down to Pescadero for a weekend of elegant camping at Costanoa Lodge. Beach hikes, mountain biking, adorable kids, gourmet s’mores, goats, cake for breakfast, midnight saunas, impromptu…

It’s October in the Bay Area. All the fun outdoor events are scheduled for these few warm, sunny weekends. Fleet Week, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the Treasure Island Music Festival and, for the first time in 17 years, an open house event at the NASA Ames Research Center. I wore white Levi’s skinny jeans, a J.…