whati… weekend in tahoe

this weekend, kbl and i grabbed a (hybrid) zip car, threw a change of clothes and some snacks in the back - and headed up into the sierra nevadas for a weekend getaway to lake tahoe.

the drive up was some serious beauty.  unfortunately for keith, i alternated between these 2 phrases: ”wowww, look at that view!” & “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!  DON’T TAKE YOUR EYES OF THE ROAD!!!!”  (major switchbacks+major dropoff = major backseat driver.)  

(side note: the sheer delight in his face is not from the view- but from stepping out of the car to see me with my yoga pants tucked into my thick socks.  high altitudes will do crazy things to your mind.)

in 3.5 hours we felt worlds away from san francisco, as we shook hands with a fake mark twain and stepped aboard the m.s. dixie II for a tour of the emerald bay.

it was both beautiful and cold.  we were happy to have hats.  we were happy to have m.s. dixie II’s new england clam chowder bread bowl.

keith’s body reacted naturally to his new environment and he sprouted a fuzzy warm stash to keep his lip warm.

our hotel was incredible- details to come.  we had a relaxing weekend and loved every second of it.  we even loved the rainy seconds, but to be honest, they encouraged an early return to san francisco.  or so we thought.

it had been rainy and partially snowy all day, but once we we got through south lake tahoe we got stopped in a line of traffic being turned around to put chains on their tires.  ”eh we won’t have to chain this rental car” we thought.  ”they’ll make an exception for us since we’re just visitors” we thought.  ”this car is a hybrid, they’ll appreciate our concern for the envinroment and let us through anyway” we thought.

we thought wrong.

we had to suck it up and buy the chains with the 50 other tourists in the chevron forking out their hard earned cash for a bag o’ chains.  who knew?  

after deciding that all we could do was suck it up and move forward (and with some encouraging advice from my dad- thanks da) we slapped those suckers on our little hybrid wheels and headed for the hills- quite literally. 

he’s the cutest chain guy i ever did see.

after a dark and snowy, dark and rainy, dark and foggy drive- i told kbl that for all his hard work he could have whatever he wanted when we got home.  he requested cornbread.  simple pleasures.

we hit a trader joe’s to get the goods for homeboy’s cornbread, and still made it home in time to get our little hybrid safe and sound in its parking lot before it turned into a pumpkin and charged us a $50 late fee.

tahoe, we’ll be back. -gh

p.s. would anyone like to buy some hardly used chain’s for their honda insight?

p.s.s. 30x30 challenge: Day 1

whati… escape to

san. fran. cisco.  where the architecture and the the gg bridge and the sparkles on the bay steal your breath daily. streets are dotted with bookstores, olive trees, twinkle lights, gourmet cafes and eclectic bistros. the galleries, the boutiques, the neighborhoods, the abundance of cheap nail salons and live music…  we got funky people ‘n’ ipads ‘n’ dogs galore. i challenge you to find a weekend where there isn’t a music festival, street fair, or air show.  it’s intellectual, creative, innovative, fun.  

the city by the bay is everything i could dream a city to be.

though honestly, one thing that puts sf at the top of my list is the ability to get out of sf.  pop into a zip car and in 30 minutes find yourself cruising along the jagged pacific coast line, surrounded by redwoods, on a beach or half-way up a mountain.  whether you make a weekend or a day trip of it- stretching the legs outside of the city is refreshing.

on 10-10-10 we took a 30 minute ferry ride to angel island.  we did a mini-hike, ate some turkey sandwiches, drank some fresh ocean air, watched the blue angles buzz around in the sky, tried to decipher waves from dolphins, and then cruised back to the city for a fabulous b-day dinner.

any place where you can spend the day hiking on an island and the evening choosing where to dine from a list of approx. 3,489 restaurants (that’s a fact) is alright by me. -gh

whati…do once a year

  
fallen leaf lake. 

last year it was a bachelor party. this, a birthday party.

pooling near tahoe, fallen leaf lake is the summer lakeside of some 200 homes and 27 zack turner summers. celebrating a dear friend’s bday, we watered all day in the perfect sun. plunged a few stories from craggy ledges into the loud fresh water. read and talked and beered and laughed late past evening and finished spinning itunes under the starbright sky. a quick trip with long friends. thank you birthday man. its been an honor to live and laugh and journey with you. -ct

whati… wish was every weekend

wouldn’t every week be better if it ended (or started??) with a 3 day weekend?  i’m a girl thats alllll about balance- especially when it comes to work and play.  a 5:2 ratio just doesn’t cut it.  thats why this labor day i rewarded myself for all my labor- and made it a 4 day weekend. 

since i’ve only lived out west for a year, every weekend (especially long weekends) presents an opportunity to explore something new. for this one, i threw my bathing suits in a suitcase and hopped on a plane to LA.  

we kicked off the weekend with a hot, rigorous hike up runyon canyon.  though i didn’t complain, i casually mentioned (maybe more than once) that i was thirsty, and under the conditions, could probably drink an entire pool’s worth of water.  

we rode bikes to the beach on more than one occasion.  i sunburned my lips off.  literally- there is new skin on them this week.  i’m thinking about submitting it to a beauty mag as the ultimate guide to having extra soft lips.  1. sunburn lips 2. hold ice to lips for 2 nights straight 3. exfoliate lips 4. repeat 

and before the dull’s labored for ct’s labor day- they met us down here for some sunfun and fancy drinks.  what’s a SoCal beach without a dull life moment?

what compliments a super long weekend better than a super large fashion magazine?  is it fate that labor day aligns itself perfectly with the september issue? i think not.

and when the santa monica marine layer threatened our perfect beach weather? we drank super delicious coffee through our tears at intelligentsia.

we spent an entire day at the getty.  all we could talk about was how we loved the getty.  its still all we can talk about.  don’t talk to us unless you want to hear about how great the getty is.  want to see for yourself? 

we also ate the best. sushi. ever. oyako on main st. in santa monica. the spice factor was through the roof, and my aforementioned sunburned lips were crying as i drooled ice water into my soy sauce.  cute?  kbl’s solution was to sink them into some froyo.  you’ll never guess which one is his.  i like a man who likes his froyo to look like a 4 yr old’s birthday party- don’t you?

i’ll admit it.  i liked LA more than i thought i would.  will i move there?  never.  will i visit again?  yes, thank you.  a warm, beachy break from the chilly little peninsula i call home was the perfect way to spend my mini-vacation. 

oh, and hanging out with this guy wasn’t all bad either.

-gh