Thoughts of Spring.

Thanks to Lori over at automatism for asking me to take part in her lovely Snapshot series. This month's theme is Spring...you can head over there to see my post now. And if you are visiting from automatism, welcome! So glad to have you here!

Hope you all get to enjoy a little sun and warmth today!

Birthday Weekend. Part Deux.

This past Saturday, we left Bodega Bay and headed down the coast back to San Francisco. Chris is passionate about his seafood which makes sense considering he grew up near Boston (I am lucky that my tastes have evolved beyond my initial predisposition toward iceberg lettuce, Chili's and Olive Garden that comes with having grown up in Phoenix). So when I mentioned that there might be oysters, really good oysters, to be found along the drive, Chris started salivating in some sort of Pavlovian response.

We stopped in a small town called Marshall. Calling Marshall a town is an overstatement, as its population of 50 is less than the number of people that live in my apartment building. But I digress. If I'm correct (and it's likely I'm not...I could research it, but I'm feeling a bit lazy right now), Marshall is also home to Hog Island Oyster Company and Tomales Bay Oyster Company. Unfortunately, we were not prepared to partake in either fine company. Each location has tons of picnic tables for oyster loving folks to bring mesh gloves, shucking tools and coolers full of additional food and beverages to spend the afternoon shucking oysters. We were on vacation and not only did we not have said tools, we didn't want to do the work.

Luckily, we found the Marshall Store and it did not disappoint. Not only was the food delicious, but 6 gigantic oysters, half a crab, fish tacos and shrimp cocktail all totaled about $40 (as opposed to that crappy meal we had at some Bodega Bay "seafood" spot that was about $60). We ate outside overlooking the bay and it was gorgeous. Chris made it known that if we lived close enough, we would be eating there daily. And that was my long winded endorsement of the Marshall Store.

We then proceeded down the coast through Point Reyes to hit up Cowgirl Creamery (if you don't live in California and haven't tried their Triple Cream, you have my deepest sympathy as it's DELICIOUS!!!). Point Reyes was cute and quaint, even if the vibe came off as "hippies" and new age folks with six figure incomes clad in North Face gear (no offense to North Face). We picked up the creamery's sample pack of cheese (triple cream, goat cheese, blue cheese and a delightful cheddar), some membrillo (quince paste) and some almonds and headed back home. It was a great weekend all in all...it better have been, otherwise I gained three pounds just because.

Birthday Weekend. Part I.

Oh, my birthday weekend did not disappoint. Now, Bodega Bay is a sleepy town...like I think we drove through it in less than a minute, but the hotel we stayed at was fabulous with ocean views and a fireplace in our room. The restaurant there was surprisingly great and I will be craving their potato soup for months to come. Chris and my family treated me to a spa day while Chris golfed in pouring rain and crazy winds (I wish I had a picture of him when he returned...his clothes have yet to dry out).

More than all that, it was just so nice to take a nice long weekend with my husband. Not counting holiday trips to Phoenix, this is the first weekend we've spent together in a year. I kid you not. Our schedules are different and Chris is usually either working or at the studio one day a weekend (lately it's been both days). And when he's home, he's lucky if my laptop isn't attached to my lap for a whole ten minutes. I think we both learned we need to get out of town more often.

More pics to come on Wednesday. Yes, Wednesday as in two days from now.

An April Fool.

Image via Damon Green.

Today is my birthday. The good ol' 3-2. Before you ask, no, no one ever plays April Fool's Day jokes on me. I think I got the first and best one in when I was born. I was due on May 15th, but was six weeks early so everyone thought my birth was a joke. Ha! Beat that suckers.

To celebrate, we are heading up north to Bodega Bay (or as Chris likes to call it, Bodego) for some good food, good wine and good times. Life has been ridiculously busy for Chris and me (hence my woeful neglect of this here blog) so getting out of town for 3 days is beyond exciting. I'll bring my camera along so hopefully I'll have some amazing pics to share that will also be used for an exciting project soon to be announced!

In the meantime, you can see some of what I've been up to here and here, as I've been playing photographer and designer for one of Chris' latest projects. Granted, this isn't anything new, but add that to my normal AT posts and my recent stint of 12+ hour days at work and, well, it's been a lot.

I can't promise I'll be back posting daily, but let's compromise. How's 1-2 times a week for now? I figure sometimes is better than never, right? Please humor me...it's my birthday after all :)