Here is yet another attempt to keep friends and family updated on our activities without resorting to boring discussions about the weather (“It’s 10 below in MN? Wow, would you believe it got up to 66 here today?”) or work (“So Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo, eh? What would you call them then, Microhoo?”).
Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area I have:
- driven 80 miles/hour on the freeway and wondered, “am I going too slow?”
- had lunch at Yahoo and breakfast at Google
- become enamored with cooking and experimented with a new dish at least weekly
- documented my cooking exploits digitally by taking photos from multiple angles of nearly everything I’ve created.
- started writing what will one day be The Great American Novel
- experimented and made nearly-sugar-free chocolate chip cookies!
- walked the Lyon Street Steps and seen Senator Feinstein come out of her house
- discovered someone quoted me in a blog post about things one realizes as they get older.
- locked myself (and Dave) out of our building and had to buzz a neighbor to let us in.
- biked along the Stevens Creek Trail and the marshes near Google and NASA
- attended a Girl Geek Dinner at Google
- biked 20 miles up to San Mateo and taken the Caltrain back
- learned how to make thai iced tea
- added nearly every restaurant in San Francisco and the peninsula to Reviewsby.us
- driven through the mountains to Santa Cruz on a nearly empty tank of gas, gotten stuck in an hour long traffic jam behind an accident on the way, counted two porsches waiting in the jam, and made it home safely to tell the tale.
- made an awesome video about life since the move, but really it’s mostly just a music video
- gotten new wheels on my bike and then taken an extremely geeky photo of myself and my like-new ride
- read over some of the writing I had done and realized I’m not an awful writer after all!
- begun to rediscover my passion for writing and photography
- realized that I don’t have to have a paid job to feel good about myself and proud of what I do
We are now taking suggestions for future adventures. What are your favorite things to do when you’re in this area?
A little bit of wisdom 
if you haven’t already, you should go to point reyes nat’l seashore (www.nps.gov/pore). you can see tule elk running around, and there are some really beautiful beaches. and a lighthouse. i miss it 😦
Hi! Loved your review of your time here (especially the geeky photo of you and your bike)! I agree with heading up to Point Reyes. It’s amazing. I was there in April, and the beaches were basically empty besides Army and me! (It was very cold too…I brought a scarf, mittens, a hoodie, AND a flannel jacket.)
I would suggest driving down to Monterey/Carmel-by-the-Sea: sure it’s touristy, but the beach at Carmel is my favorite, because it’s so beautiful.
Also, why not do the 17-mile drive? Stop by our place in Morgan Hill before you go there, too! (We’ll be having a gathering at our place sooner or later.)
Also, I like Willow Glen (which is not too far from where we met up in Campbell). It has a place with wonderful hand-made ice cream and custard AND two Greek places!!
Army and I JUST LAST WEEK found out about a neighborhood that runs along 101 called Silver Creek…full of mansions and computer companies. It was fun because it was beautiful and grean and hilly.
Do you like to hike? I LOVE it– Henry Coe National Park (down here in Morgan Hill) and Henry Cole (Sp?) Park down by Santa Cruz are great. Also, check out the Mystery Spot (near Santa Cruz) for some really geeky fun and the distinct smell of Sulphur. Aww, yeah!
Gilroy – the garlic capital of the world! And Casa de Fruta south of Gilroy.
Muir Woods (or any redwood forest, but Muir is the closest), for beautiful foresty goodness. Yes, there will probably be busloads of tourists in the parking lot. Somehow, when I got surprisingly-not-very-far into the woods, it was all silent…very cool.
I second Monterey/Carmel. Walt and I had a lovely three-day weekend there about two years ago. To note: several other people had told us to expect to spend a whole day at the aquarium. I think we spent less than 3 hours and were perfectly satisfied that we saw everything (even with an extra visit to the sea otters, of course!) Also, the ocean/beaches are absolutely gorgeous…I took one of the best naps of my life on one of them 🙂
Oh, and you should visit a wine region…Napa is gorgeous, but expensive. Amador County is more down-to-earth…pretty much every vineyard has free tastings.
We should plan a fun day trip!
Awesome suggestions, guys! I’m starting to feel as though my weekends will be booked up for a while. ;0) I’d totally be up for a day trip, Katie! And I do love to hike, rannyrooster. Expect me to hit you guys up soon for some weekend fun.