back to the farm

Once again, Christmas Eve eve was spent on the farm, working on our clay pigeon shooting (even Mom joined in this year), and then toasting the evening with wine and cheese on the levee. This year, we upgraded our trip from the house to the water with a tractor-pulled hayride, and Mother Nature gave us (and the ducks) one spectacular sunset.

oh-twelve wrap-up: fleet week, wine, music, florida and more

October and November are some of the best months in the Bay Area, with warm, sunny weather and lots of outdoor events (turns out it’s a great time to be in Florida, too). Even though it’s now a few months later (I got a little sidetracked), allow me to show off some highlights.


Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park; yoga for a cause in Union Square


The Fleet Week air show (with blue angels, a stealth bomber and more) in the bay


A visit to Ram’s Gate Winery in Sonoma with my aunt, in town from Missouri!


Thanksgiving week in Sarasota, Florida: Watching kitesurfers in St. Petersburg; waiting for the sunset at the Hurricane in St. Petersburg; sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico and creating a gorgeous sky; Siesta Key; Longboat Key; buddies at the Mote Aquarium; a manatee kiss on the aquarium window; a rather random group of animals at the Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota

happy new year

The last few months of 2012 were a bit of a whirlwind, with celebrations in various locations from Florida to Singapore. The most recent – New Year’s Eve – took place for us in Breckenridge, and I was so happy to be there, even though it meant skiing with a broken toe (not fun, but I pushed through the pain).

We stayed at the family home of a good friend with a beautiful setting in a valley across from the ski resort. When the lift lines were too long to deal with, we avoided the crowds with sledding and snowshoeing. Winter fun all around. 

sonoma (a.k.a. heaven)

Sonoma County is just an hour and a half away from me, and I go there fairly often, but I never get sick of it… or sick of taking photos of it. It’s like I think the next photo will be the best or most representative, which it never is but I can’t stop. On that note, here are several photos from several day and weekend trips to Sonoma over the past four months.

From top left: Medlock Ames winery; vineyards at Medlock Ames; Dry Creek General Store (a fave place to grab a beer and have lunch); the laid-back Preston Winery and all its cute touches (four photos); alfresco dining; homemade bruschetta with some local produce; Alpine Lake, which we stumbled upon while taking a windy non-shortcut from Highway 101 to the coast; the dam at Alpine Lake; overlooking the Pacific; Bolinas Beach (ok, this is actually in Marin County, not Sonoma, but it was part of a Sonoma trip); Bolinas; Bolinas main street; Saturday morning entertainment at the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market; great perch for wine tasting at Iron Horse Vineyards; views from Iron Horse; Red Car tasting room in Graton.

summer snippets

A random assortment of photos from this summer, the below represents what went on between our weekend excursions to Vancouver, Lake Shasta, Sonoma and more. From street festivals to baseball games to day trips to a birthday celebration in Vegas, it was a busy, and surprisingly sunny, summer in and around SF.



From top left: a high-flying seagull catching views at a Giants game; pre-gaming with 21st Amendment’s famous watermelon beer (only available in summer); the waterfront Bar Bocce in Sausalito; the annual North Beach Festival; horse races at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley; a breakfast of beignets and café au lait at Brenda’s French Soul Food on Polk Street; Brenda’s wall of vintage mirrors; heading to Off the Grid, the weekly food truck event at Fort Mason; Off the Grid crowds; a windy day (perfect for kite flying) at Marina Green; another Giants game – this time with better seats; another day trip to Sausalito, this time to check out Salsalito, a colorful (and clever) Mexican joint where hot sauce is in high demand; a truly awesome sight – this brave man surveying the Sausalito waterfront on a jet pack!; my baby cousin celebrating her 21st birthday at the stroke of midnight; scenes of the Venetian, Palazzo pool and Bellagio conservatory + botanical garden (four shots); a third day trip to Sausalito (I love Sausalito, in case you couldn’t tell); an afternoon ‘field day’ picnic with friends in Golden Gate Park