Exploring Golden Gate Park

Last weekend, I decided to get away from the computer and work and take a much needed exploration of the city.

My destination: Golden Gate Park. I've lived in the Bay Area for so many years, and I have been to bits and pieces of the park, but I don't really know it very well. So my goal: to walk from one end to the other, taking photos along the way.

Ha! It was not to be, especially in flip flops. I guess I figured I used to always do it in Central Park when I lived in NY, but GGP was a whole lot more vast than I expected.

Just made it a little over half way through

I started along the ocean side, walking along JFK Drive under foggy skies. Since I had gone for a run earlier in the day, my legs were already sore, so about 1/4 mile in, I had to take a break at Spreckles Lake. Made some friends with the seagulls.

Continued on, past the Bison Patch (had no idea there were bison in the park), taking another break at Lloyd Lake.

An abundance of seagulls, a few of which took a liking to me, despite the fact that I had no treats. Plus a pair of turkey ducks, which I don't think I've ever seen before.

Along with the bits of wildlife, I was enjoying the bounties of nature.

Then I came across the boat house and Stow Lake. Super cute area, with walking trails that took you up to the top with views of the city. 

A few more random creatures along the way. 

What a crayfish was doing in the grass, I haven't a clue. I picked him up to the glee of some kids, and they passed it around before placing him back in the lake down the road.

I was trying desperately to catch some hummingbirds in action. But alas, this is the only shot that I managed to get.

It was a wonderful little adventure, and I'm looking forward to more visits and more discoveries!

July Mood Board

I don't know, but the last three July's have been awful for me. I thought maybe this one might break the curse, but it ended with such disappointment personally, that I've decided July is just not my month. I've also decided that the letter "J" is my bad luck letter. Must stay away from the J.

Even my July Mood Board is a bit paltry. The tomatoes that I thought were going to come are still green. Just one little guy for July. Not many roses at all. A few dahlias. I had to scrounge around just to get some lavender cuttings. But I did put some work into the garden this past weekend, so hopefully August will bring better results.

So it's goodbye to July and looking forward to better days in August. It helps that August starts with my favorite letter. I have a feeling August will be good.

Yay for A!

(See my inspiration for these mood boards over at Karin A's blog!)

Week 29 and 30, getting down and dirty

Ok, not really, but I couldn't think of anything that rhymes with thirty.

197: Headed over to the folks for mom's cooking. I tend to just inhale everything when I'm there, it's always quite tasty. And there's always some leftovers for later!
198: Mom sent me home with some green beans, so I made a quick stir fry
199: Tuesday night went to a yakitori with friends. This was a tako yaki. Octopus. So if I had octopus Mexican style, would it be a tako taco? (dang, I crack myself up)
200: I made dinner! Hooray. I pickled the one cucumber from my garden and made some pasta. It felt good to cook
201: Different night, same dinner. Leftovers tend to happen when you're cooking for one.
202: My first Happy Hour in god knows how long. Went to a fun hipster spot in Oakland, Make Westing. Or Make Tipsy in my case, as I was extremely that afterwards.
203: Barbecue at a friend's, where there was a ridiculous amount of food. More leftovers for me!
204: A salad with some orzo pasta
205: Leftover hamburger from the bbq with cheese, no bun, and avocado
206: Dinner at the desk (I should start a new series with these photos), take out ramen
207:  Home for dinner, made some pasta with peas and scallops. It was kind of gross, but I was too hungry to care
208: Dinner at the desk, part II. Pho and egg rolls
210a: Missed 209 because nothing was very appetizing to take a photo of. Made up for it yesterday by making a lovely and huge post-run pasta salad. I was planning on eating the homemade popsicle too but I couldn't get it out of the damn plastic, and just the stick part came out. Argh!
210b: Spent all day walking in Golden Gate Park so was too beat to cook. Went to my fav Burmese place for some takeout.

Things seem to be calming down a bit, so I might be able to post some of the photos I took this weekend along with some other projects I'm hoping to resume. Of course, tomorrow is Monday, so we'll see what craziness the work week brings!

Weeks 27 and 28, I'm not so late!

I am actually getting this post up relatively on time! Not that that means I'm caught up with work. I don't think I will ever be caught up, but at least I feel like I can breathe a little bit now.

But my mind is so preoccupied that I missed several days this week and honestly, can't even remember if I ate some days, although I know I did. It's all just a blur. But the photos that I do remember to take will be a nice reminder of what I managed to do when I tore myself away from the computer. (Although you will see that at least 4 of these photos were taken while I was working at the computer, and there were many more meals in front of the screen this week.)

183: Made it into the city to watch some Euro cup and have a ridiculously huge plate of nachos. I was supposed to go back to work afterwards, but that didn't happen.
186a: Completely missed Monday and Tuesday as I was being paid back for taking a little break on Sunday. Luckily, having Wednesday off helped me catch up, both on work and photos. Had a protein-rich breakfast and followed that with a run, yoga, and then a swim!
186b: Big salad post-workout and the computer
186c: Plum chutney and chicken, sort of in the Independence Day spirit with the color combo.
187: Leftovers and a fantastic brew called Winterwit from Almanac
188: Friday lunch in front of the computer. A banh mi sandwich from my neighborhood Pho Garden and some boba tea.
190a: Somehow missed Saturday. I actually took a leave from the home and office and went up to Sonoma for the day. Such a welcome distraction. Sunday, I dug into my plum cake from last week, which was luckily still edible.
190b: A pork and tofu stir fry, just like my mom would make
192a: Missed Monday. I think Mondays are pretty much spent eating in front of the computer these days. Breakfast of an egg white cheese omelette with salsa is pretty much what I have most mornings.
192b: Met up with some friends for dinner at some local Japanese place. I don't think cheesecake qualifies as Japanese, but it was still tasty
193: Sushi heaven
195: Another day missed. Friday evening in front of the computer again. The Signature salad with steak from Jeffrey's and onion rings. Plus a gallon of water afterwards from the major salt overload
196a: Working on Saturday. Pork belly banh mi and a Vietnamese iced tea. (Sorry Piglet!)
196b: Called it quits and went up to the city and tried out Canela. Really tasty tapas and sangria. I had a lot of sangria, it was fantastic!

June Mood Board

Wha???? It's July 8, and I am again behind in posting my mood board. Life is so busy that I'm wondering how long I can keep up blogging. Not even blogging a year and I may have to end it. I can barely keep up with my 366 days of food, much less a whole blog. But it is a nice departure from everyday life, so I may just keep it for that reason.

Alas, June brought to bloom many roses...

The dahlias and hydrangea are starting to bloom. Unfortunately, my hydrangea has never fully bloomed in the past 3 years, I'm not sure why.

The fruits and vegetables are popping up everywhere, or rather dropping everywhere. I have so many plums, and it's been a challenge trying to use them.

I made a plum tart, tastes great with ice cream!

And a plum cake. Thanks Martha Stewart!

One tomato has ripened, I was so excited! July will surely bring much more, I can't wait!

I gave myself a Top Chef challenge, trying to use up just the ingredients from my garden. I think I did a pretty good job!