Marin in Bloom

Over the last week or so I collected a few decent photos of flowers. This iris was found on a trail that goes to a lookout over the Golden Gate Bridge. This is the same species of iris I found with Sheenie and Alyssa.




I have seen these orange flowers in a few places but do not know what they are yet. They are one of the rarer wildflowers it seems, as a local told me she had never seen one before.




I stumbled onto a patch with not only the orange ones, but pink and melon- colored blooms, some deep red like this second picture and some almost black. A great display of genetic variety and a real treat, indeed.

Point Reyes and My Hiking Hiatus

So, you know you have that one pair of shoes that takes a while to get your feet used to, and once you've got them (your feet) broken in, you're set - I decided to wear those shoes yesterday in Point Reyes National Seashore. When we arrived at the visitor center, we asked the ranger to suggest about a 2 hour hike, and set off on our way. This field is 1.5 miles into our 8 mile hike, and I already knew that the shoes were a bad idea!

Along the way, I learned that these are not space pods, but horsetails. We were each hugged by a small child who was concerned that I was not wearing shoes (so was I - evil chacos). We got very jealous of several people on horseback, and we realized that not only did we forget to bring any food, but it was going to be a long time before we got back to the car.





We got to the coast and got an awesome view of the Pacific, Point Reyes, and the cliffs. My sister, the consummate birder, chased some sparrows around the top of Arch Rock hoping to get their pictures. When a herd of teen-aged hikers, who had forgotten they were having fun showed up, we decided it was time to take off. During the hike back, it became very clear that I will be taking the next few days off to soak my feet! I definitely need to head back to the point to see more that it has to offer: elephant seals, sealions, whale sightings, and spectacular coastlines. All in all our "two" hour hike was not a bad way to top off my sister's mini-trip to the Bay Area.

More Trees Please

It pays to get to Muir Woods early. At 9 am we were one of 8 cars in the parking lot. By 10:30 it was a zoo. People were elbowing us out of the visitor center to ask the poor clerk where to park; the clerk did not care, which was funny. Anyhow, Muir Woods is a beautiful, if highly manicured and managed, tribute to the coastal redwoods of Northern California and to John Muir himself.

After some nature loving, we headed north to Napa. We changed into decent clothes in the dressing room at the new Whole Foods there - what is the world coming to?? Then we tasted at Paraduxx and Duckhorn, courtesy of the fabulous Sheenie, had delicious tapas at a place called ZuZu and finished up another good trip at Stave. :)

Life Aquatic

So my little sister came into town this week, and I have lots to update. First stop after picking here up was Pier 39 to check out the sealions! Loved it! The pier is a lot more touristy than I usually like to go, and the parking is hellish, but we had an awesome time.

We decided to check out the Aquarium of the Bay while we were there and were shocked by how much we enjoyed ourselves. The space is thoughtfully arranged to get the most out of a rather small aquarium. Their main attractions are the two large tunnels where the fish, skates and sharks swim over you.



This is one of the coolest/most disturbing things I have ever seen! This is a skate (original member of the stingray family) egg sac that's had part of the casing removed and replaced with clear plastic. What you see inside is a live, developing embryo. It evoked myriad emotions in us, but it was definitely fascinating to see this most-private of life's stages exposed.

I also had my first "touch pool" experience at the aquarium - I have been to billions of aquariums, and never done it before. I made friends with several of the bat rays and skates there. They felt slimy like those grow-your-own-dinosaur-in-water things. Aside from the amount of small child slobber/snot it put me in contact with, it was awesome!

Hill 88

My friends, Alyssa and Sheenie, came to the Headlands this weekend for a visit. We hiked up to one of the highest points around - Hill 88. Here's our reward, the view down to Rodeo Beach.

We found these columbines, Aquilegia formosa, near the top of our hike. A different hue than in Colorado, and I never expected to see them. As true enviro - geeks, they were just one of dozens of dorky nature i.d.'s we had to stop to do make on our hike. We also saw a sagebrush lizard, wild irises, and scores of crazy people running down the scree trails.

Valley of Flowers

This little slice of heaven is only 5 minutes walk from the parking lot at the office... You'll understand why I'm looking for reasons to stay here permanently.

Veni, Vedi, Vici Vino with Sheenie

Lucky for me, my friends Sheenie and Blad live in Napa. Of course, I had to go visit them, okay, and sample some wine.

When I got there Saturday evening, we got some munchies with wine, followed by some more wine at Stave Wine Lounge. This place is awesome, and not nearly busy enough for how cool it is. Definitely bring your guests to Stave to unwind after a rough day of tastings!

At Sterling Winery, they have giant tanks made out of wood... über barrels, if you will. Sterling also boasts a gondola that takes guests up to the winery, but those pictures weren't quite as nice.

One of several storage areas at Duckhorn's winery. Definitely delicious and classy, and some serious red wines to boot.

Finally, we visited Quintessa vineyards. Here their smaller scale biometric, organic farming approaches yeild some pretty nice wines with wonderful views.


All in all, a great weekend in Napa! (Yes, definitely taken pre-Merlot - no purple teeth!)

Marin Locals

Pretty much every day, these lovely ladies pay us a visit in the yard. There are 6 does in this gang, and apparently they're all pregnant. Super cute pictures of fawns coming soon...

The Headlands are also starting to blossom. In bloom right now are calalillies and several kinds of daffodils. Florist quality blooms are everywhere, and this little snail moved into some prime real estate.

Some of you may even know about my ridiculous love for marine mammals. At least some of these gray squiggles are harbor seals, and they're just five minutes from the house! (This is also why I need a new digital with more optical zoom.)

Other pretty views in the area are:

First Daze

I have now been in Sausalito for a week and it is gorgeous! The Marin Headlands area is breathtaking with rolling hills, dramatic cliffs, and sparkling water. Everyday I am discovering a new favorite hike - and a new place to find cell phone reception. It's a long way from Denver, but it's already starting to feel like home.

More soon...