As most of you know, a birthday present to myself was not spending a single day in the new decade working in a job that really just put me in a bad mood. I completely understand the need to earn an income, take care of some regular adult responsibilities, and generally contribute to society. My contribution had become putting together giant documents in pdf format. I think I was using about 0.05% of my total brain power and every day I annoyed another friend/family member with my "I hate my job" complaints. So I quit. Turned in my safety gear, activated the "out of office", packed up (well, shredded) project documents that were already being stored electronically, and turned in my badge. Freedom feels great.
To celebrate my corporate emancipation and pass some time before heading back to the great Sunshine State in mid-December, I have vowed to experience every possible inch of the Bay Area. There are new foods to taste, festivals to attend, occupy protests to investigate. Pax and I have yet to explore a few neighborhoods on foot, and he is just dying to get in a few more swims in the Pacific before heading to bask in the hot summer sun on the brick pavement of 1127.
Hikes and Play Areas:
Fort Funston -
Incredible Views of rolling hills, sunsets, and plenty of room for dogs to play with or without each other. Mine always chooses without. It was a bit of a drive to get there, but completely worth it. In stead of heading straight down the cliff toward the water, I somehow convinced Pax to walk around the area a bit and explore. Since he's not really a fan of other dogs, I didn't know how he'd react to balls being thrown every where and not being able to chase them. His aging self is still the fastest on the playground. He used to get teased about not having a "nose" as he was always losing his ball in the snow or woods. When we're home in Orlando, I have to get my dad's dog Captain to find the lost ones. Captain can hunt those things down even if he never saw where it landed. Potential day ruiner occurred during the first set of waves. After a short, but very steep walk down the cliffs, I released the ball into the first set of waves. Pax pounced, got some salt water to the face, and lost the ball. Whoops. 20 minutes later, out of no where, he finds another one. Whew. Anyway, I know our readers probably don't like the dog stories as much as the baby stories, so I'll spare you the gushiness, but these little side adventures are made 100% better with my best 4-legged friend along for the ride.
Tilden Regional Park & Lake Anza
I kind of love Berkeley. It's amazing there. It was beautiful Fall weather, people were out getting exercise, reading, chatting with friends and it just all seemed so pleasant. Then I stumbled upon the Occupy site. We at Coastal BS have learned our lesson in publicly sharing our political views, but I continue to be pretty impressed with the layout of these occupy sites. They have a library for crying out loud! Not to worry, I kept on moving. There were trails to conquer. When I got to Lake Anza, I noticed that the lake was divided and included a "beach" and swimming area. Pretty cool idea but seemed to be missing a rope swing and blob. Some kinds had jumped the fence and were swimming at the time. Crazy kids - it felt like glacier water. Pax didn't mind and jumped right in, hoping to catch a few ducks that crossed his path. This particular trail led through so many different kinds of landscapes. We hit a meadow, lagoon, forests, and rolling hills in a single 4 mile stroll. We also ran into a pack of dogs being led by one lady. Pax had to just stand there and get sniffed. Poor guy. Don't feel too bad for him though - shortly after that he threw himself into the nearby creek, right next to the "No Dogs" sign. Sigh. He did a few barrel rolls and finally came back, wet and happy.
Lands End
This hike/walk is supposed to be amazing, but I didn't like it. Way too crowded, dog had to stay on the leash, and way too crowded. I have no idea how the person who took the photos associated with the hyperlink got ones free of people. Maybe she photshopped them out? Did I mention how many people were there? Still, the views were pretty amazing. I might head back to do the whole Coastal Trail on a week day (since I can do that now) in order to really get a better opinion of it. Then again, might just call it a wash and explore a new place.
To celebrate my corporate emancipation and pass some time before heading back to the great Sunshine State in mid-December, I have vowed to experience every possible inch of the Bay Area. There are new foods to taste, festivals to attend, occupy protests to investigate. Pax and I have yet to explore a few neighborhoods on foot, and he is just dying to get in a few more swims in the Pacific before heading to bask in the hot summer sun on the brick pavement of 1127.
Hikes and Play Areas:
Fort Funston -
Incredible Views of rolling hills, sunsets, and plenty of room for dogs to play with or without each other. Mine always chooses without. It was a bit of a drive to get there, but completely worth it. In stead of heading straight down the cliff toward the water, I somehow convinced Pax to walk around the area a bit and explore. Since he's not really a fan of other dogs, I didn't know how he'd react to balls being thrown every where and not being able to chase them. His aging self is still the fastest on the playground. He used to get teased about not having a "nose" as he was always losing his ball in the snow or woods. When we're home in Orlando, I have to get my dad's dog Captain to find the lost ones. Captain can hunt those things down even if he never saw where it landed. Potential day ruiner occurred during the first set of waves. After a short, but very steep walk down the cliffs, I released the ball into the first set of waves. Pax pounced, got some salt water to the face, and lost the ball. Whoops. 20 minutes later, out of no where, he finds another one. Whew. Anyway, I know our readers probably don't like the dog stories as much as the baby stories, so I'll spare you the gushiness, but these little side adventures are made 100% better with my best 4-legged friend along for the ride.
 |
| Yes, my feet are in the icy ocean. Worth it. |
 |
| Failed attempt to catch a hang glider but the landscape's not bad! |
 |
| Bliss |
Tilden Regional Park & Lake Anza
I kind of love Berkeley. It's amazing there. It was beautiful Fall weather, people were out getting exercise, reading, chatting with friends and it just all seemed so pleasant. Then I stumbled upon the Occupy site. We at Coastal BS have learned our lesson in publicly sharing our political views, but I continue to be pretty impressed with the layout of these occupy sites. They have a library for crying out loud! Not to worry, I kept on moving. There were trails to conquer. When I got to Lake Anza, I noticed that the lake was divided and included a "beach" and swimming area. Pretty cool idea but seemed to be missing a rope swing and blob. Some kinds had jumped the fence and were swimming at the time. Crazy kids - it felt like glacier water. Pax didn't mind and jumped right in, hoping to catch a few ducks that crossed his path. This particular trail led through so many different kinds of landscapes. We hit a meadow, lagoon, forests, and rolling hills in a single 4 mile stroll. We also ran into a pack of dogs being led by one lady. Pax had to just stand there and get sniffed. Poor guy. Don't feel too bad for him though - shortly after that he threw himself into the nearby creek, right next to the "No Dogs" sign. Sigh. He did a few barrel rolls and finally came back, wet and happy. 
Lands End
This hike/walk is supposed to be amazing, but I didn't like it. Way too crowded, dog had to stay on the leash, and way too crowded. I have no idea how the person who took the photos associated with the hyperlink got ones free of people. Maybe she photshopped them out? Did I mention how many people were there? Still, the views were pretty amazing. I might head back to do the whole Coastal Trail on a week day (since I can do that now) in order to really get a better opinion of it. Then again, might just call it a wash and explore a new place.
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