It's official...

I have pneumonia, and so skipped Art Murmur last night and the hike I was going to do today to rest.  I did, however, get a lot done....

"Excuse me, your dorkiness is showing..."

Last weekend I went hiking in a park here in Oakland.  Again, who knew that this is 10 minutes away?!?

Hiked to a lake

Closed to cars, open to hikers and bikes...

5 months out of the year!  For a newt!

The view from a snack stop with the bay in the distance

Yep, we actually rode the mini train.  It was fun to see how excited the kids got!

 Sunset over the bay

Way off in the distance, between the big trees on the right, is the Golden Gate Bridge!

My city at night.

Pootz loves Saturday mornings: I don't make the bed because I wash the sheets.


xoxo

Boston!

I'm back in Boston for Thanksgiving and so happy to see my family!  Unfortunately the trip involved sleeping on this bench while waiting for the plane:

I'd rather not do that again.

My friend Tom is watching Pootz.  They are fast friends!

 Saturday night I got to see Sista Monica and Acoustic Honey at the place where I'm taking voice lessons.  The best part?  The women in the front row dancing away!

This quartet was playing Bach on the street Friday night.  It was lovely!

More photos when I get back from Boston! Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo

Pootz takes good care of me when I'm sick and makes sure I'm resting

So fun!

Ok, I know I often say that my life is great, but that's because it is!  Oakland ("The bellybutton of everything up-and-coming") is proving to be a vibrant city that is having growing pains and major accomplishments, not to mention minor little beauties.

One of these beauties is the Piedmont Piano Company (http://www.piedmontpiano.com/).  I first went for a Brazilian jazz guitar concert, which was incredible and Tuesday took my first voice lesson there.  I loved it!  The teacher has an incredibly rich voice and it was so fun to do something totally engrossing but not physically demanding.  More to come!

There is, dangerously, a small outlet strip mall close to work.  Pootz loves when I go shopping and come back with crinkly bags he can play in.  Apparently he also loves shoes....

Pootz and boots

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving with my coworkers at a Mexican restaurant and then a relaxing weekend before I head off to Boston early Tuesday!  Horray!

xoxo

Busy!

Dinner overlooking the Bay

Nothing particularly exciting, but really enjoying the area.  I've decided to stay in Oakland for a year to see if the Bay Area is a place for me to stay.  I'm pretty happy about that :-)

Mom and Dad stopped by on their way back from Japan

Pootz helped me build his climbing shelves

I went to the Matt Davis trail to the Steep Ravine trail, which began and ended at the beach, climbed through a redwood forest and across amber waves of grain.  Pretty iconic....

Stinson Beach

Amber waves overlooking the ocean

 This part of the trail was too steep for anything but a ladder!

Pretty

Wow, redwoods

Two neat old cars on the same night!

I love living in a place that has a pretty little flower arrangement in a bathroom.  In an alley!

Big comfy cat

Fall sunshine in Oakland!

Super-creepy bust at dinner with my friend Tom

Could apply to cats as well

My Saturday lunch spot. So pretty!

New hair after Saturday lunch.  Getting used to it!

Went on a walk around Lake Chabot last weekend.  There is a path that snakes around the entire lake, up in the Oakland hills.  This is 10 minutes from my urban apartment!

My only real excuse for not posting sooner is that I've had a horrible cold from the nursing home.  Hot and spicy soup is a cure all (along with lots of sleep and water!)

xoxo

Catching Up

I haven't been very good about posting lately, but have done quite a bit! I was in Seattle to see everyone there before Kem, Alex, and Pat left, went home to change my name, and got to go see part of the America's Cup sail boat race and the wave organ. The organ amplifies the noises of the water sloshing up on shore through a series of pipes that are embedded into the walkway. Apparently it is best under the full moon and at high tide, but I did get to hear some gurgles. This is such a neat place!

Little and big pleasures

Ahh...quiet Saturday morning....gotta love it!

The historic Fox Theater ceiling

I went to a concert last night, which was fun: upbeat, happy music and giant yellow balloons!  What's not to love?


xoxo

Out

with two handsome men! Brent stopped in on his way back to Spokane and Tom is a new friend from my apartment. We had a great night wandering around Oakland.
Yesterday I did a bunch of errands on foot, generally reveling in living in a sunny, walkable city. Then church and dinner out. So fun!
Tomorrow I start a new job: still in Oakland, but new nursing home. I'll keep you posted.
Xoxo

Happy October!

xoxo