Appreciation for nature

I've been wanting to go hiking for awhile now, but with our somewhat crazy weather, it hasn't allowed for us to do so.

Luckily the weather this past Saturday was perfect weather for hiking.

Definitely a therapeutic hike.

Fresh air, the warmth of the sun rays against your skin, slight whistling of the calm breeze, birds chirping, tranquil flow of water running through the national park.  Oh, I forgot to mention the mounds of horse poop on our trail.  Aside from that, it was definitely peaceful, unlike the hustling and bustling noises of the city life.  We hiked the Tennessee Valley Trail, which led us to a magnificent black sanded beach.  Families were there with their kids, having picnics and just hanging out while the kids played with the little stream.  We decided that we wanted to bring Henry's little cousins and introduce this spot to our friends.

Sometimes with the chaos of the city, it's nice to escape to somewhere more peaceful and serene.

 California Poppies our state flower

 Almost near the beach

Hiking outfit:

Tshirt: I love Grey's Anatomy (gifted souvenir from a friend who went to Seattle)

Shirt: BR Chambray shirt 

Pants: Lululemon

Shoes: Asics

 Rocks and stone to cross the little river creek.

 Kids rolling a log and playing in the river/ creek

 1.7 mile hike there, and 1.7 mile hike back.

I hope this national park is well preserved and stays for many years to come, not only for our generation to enjoy, but for many generations ahead of us.

We had bought sandwiches from Roxie's for lunch, but I was so hungry I ate half right after we bought it.  Henry ate half when we got to the park.  We decided to finish our other half of our lunch in Sausalito, where we could grab some ice cream from Lappert's after.  It really was a nice day to be out, so we wanted to take advantage of the nice weather and stay out.

We spent the evening at Henry's cousin's house where we had take out from Tony's Pizza and Sotto Mare.  Both restaurants had ridiculous wait times, so we decided to get take out instead.  We also got desserts at Stella's Bakery (all within a block from each other).

The evening ended late with great company, delicious food and grown up conversations.  We didn't leave until about 12:30am.  Boy was I exhausted.

As a result, we ate and slept the whole next day.

 Banh Canh

One of my favorite dishes.  Tapioca based noodles with home made fishcakes and meatballs.  Perfect for hangovers and something delicious to have. I love the softness of the noodles and the simple broth and delicious toppings.  So good, I ate it for two meals.

What a lazy sunday!  I didn't even get to read any...sigh.