Greetings from Florida!

A few days ago I got back from a visit to Panama City Beach and Destin, Florida. Being back in Florida reminded me of a lot of things I loved that I took for granted while we lived there:

-The beach. I really didn't think moving away from the gulf was going to be that big of a deal for me because I thought I'd be close enough to the ocean in San Jose. But we were lucky enough to see it daily while living in Florida and now it's about an hour and a half away. And the coast here couldn't be anymore different than from the Florida Panhandle. It was so nice to see that powdery white sand and turquoise blue water again.

-The food. I got my fill of oysters on the trip. I'm in love with the things. I don't care for the raw ones but I flip for them when they're baked or fried. I also had tuna dip, fish tacos, loads of shrimp, scallops, a grouper sandwich, hushpuppies, and Blue Bell ice cream. And now I'm struggling to button my shorts. Totally worth it!

-Family. It was so nice to have plenty of time with my parents. My mom and I did quite a bit of shopping and beaching. We would sit on their back porch most nights and talk. I had missed the comfort I feel being in their home, laughing and sharing stories.

-Friends. My friend, Jacqueline, and I spent some time in Destin at the beach, went for a couple dinners, and met our friend, Mary, for a lunch overlooking the water.

Meeting Mary for lunch.

Jacqueline's daughter. She loves the beach and has the cutest swim suits.

-Nature. I didn't realize how much the lack of nature in a big city affects me. There have been many times when Andy will ask what I want to do for the day and my response is something like, "I just want to go sit in a park on some grass with some trees around." I miss seeing green things. And animals.

My parents' backyard, where there are plenty of frogs, lizards, and even turtles.

The sound of chirping frogs that I love. This is actually pretty mild.

It sometimes gets so loud it's difficult to talk over them!

It was great to get my fill of these things before heading back to San Jose. Next time I'm hoping I can have Andrew and Hazel join me. Because even though it felt like I was back home with some of my favorite things in Florida, it just wasn't home without my most favorite person and pup!

The Rock

This post is about Alcatraz Island. So if you were hoping that I was writing about the wrestler/actor Dwayne Johnson who happens to also have the same nickname, you will be very disappointed. While my mom was visiting us a couple weeks ago we toured Alcatraz in San Francisco. This was something I'd wanted to do for a long time, so I was really excited. And since I like to have a soundtrack to my life, here's what's playing in my head right now:

I love the dog drinking out of the water fountain. And the abundance of mustaches.

We took a ferry from Pier 33 (about 20 minutes) and when we arrived to the island it definitely felt a little creepy. We were free to roam the island on our own so for most of our exploring there were very few people around us (the exception was the cell house). This, combined with the cold, wind, and fog made it seem pretty eerie.

The audio tour of the cell house was really good and much preferred over a guide with a canned speech. It was told by the actual guards and prisoners who experienced the prison firsthand and guided listeners around the cell house, explaining what each area was used for and also the stories of events that happened in each area.

 Between B and C blocks

Shower room

Solitary confinement cell

Regular 5x9 cell

 The cafeteria

When we finished the cell house tour, we walked around the grounds and saw several different buildings including the morgue and the residential apartments (where the workers' families lived). I thought the view of the city from the island was really cool. There are night tours of Alcatraz and if we ever go back, that is what we'll do. I bet the view of the city is really amazing then, and can you imagine how scary it would feel after the sun sets?!

Warden's house

San Francisco

The other "The Rock"  
Image found here.

Our First Visitor!

We just wrapped up a great week with my mom who came to visit. It was a busy week so here's the quick highlights. In San Francisco we biked the Golden Gate Bridge (into Sausalito where we also biked around and shopped), visited Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf, and also toured Alcatraz (we'll be back in a bit with more on that!).

We spent a day in the Napa/Sonoma area tasting wine and olive oils. The following picture is taken at Clos Pegase winery in Calistoga.

We also toured the Winchester Mystery House (really lame), saw The Help at the movies (really good), did some shopping, and spent a lot of time playing with Hazel. Here's a taste of these two love birds together:

My favorite thing we did was have tea at this adorable Victorian tea room. Along with our tea we had scones, tea sandwiches, and pastries. So cute (and delicious)!

So that was the trip in a nutshell! We had a great time and can't wait until our next visit.