Suburban Lush

Tahoe (Take 2)

After returning home from my first trip to Tahoe I mentioned to my parents how beautiful it was. Since they were planning to visit me anyway, we decided to take a trip to Lake Tahoe while they were here, leaving John at home to work.

After much route planning, we decided to do the reverse of my previous trip: lunch and sightseeing in Sacramento and a stop in Truckee to break up the journey on the way there, and a stop to visit family friends on the way back. We hadn’t booked accommodation before departing, and lucked out with a room with a view in Tahoe City, up at the North end of the lake.

The morning of our first full day there Mom opted to explore the cafes and art galleries in Tahoe City while Dad and I climbed Ellis Peak. Only a 6 mile out and back trail, there was plenty of elevation gain which meant spectacular views over the lake. A definite highlight was taking a side trip to Ellis Lake, small but beautiful, on our way to the peak. We managed to miss the trail slightly on our descent and had a stressful 10 minutes where we thought we were lost, but some solid problem-solving led us back to the trail.

After reconvening with Mom late that afternoon, we enjoyed a walk along the lake shore and a meal at the delicious Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company.

The next day the plan was to pack up, circumnavigate the lake, and spend our final night in South Lake Tahoe. The weather was gorgeous and warm, and we stopped at a local market to pick up picnic supplies. Stopping at each and every viewpoint along the way, we slowly made our way around the lake, eating our picnic at Sand Harbor beach and taking a walk at Spooner Lake.

We arrived in South Lake Tahoe, booked into a motel, and the drove straight back out to Emerald Bay. After stopping for photographs (and for Dad to sketch) we returned to South Lake Tahoe for dinner. While the North end of Tahoe is remote and outdoorsy, South Lake Tahoe is (and feels like) a ski resort. Big casinos on the Nevada side, expensive resort restaurants on the California side, we all agreed that we much preferred the North end of the lake. Still, we had a delicious dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, retired for the night, and were on our way back home early the next morning.

While we had colder weather and rain on my first trip to Tahoe, this trip was hot and sunny. It was beautiful in both conditions, and I’d love to go back in the winter.

Lakeside view in Tahoe City

 

Ellis Lake

 

View from Ellis Peak

 

Sand Harbour

 

Emerald Bay

Tahoe (Take 1)

I've had the pleasure of a couple of trips to Lake Tahoe in the last few months, which I realize I failed to write about here.

For the first trip, 4 of us booked a long weekend away in a cabin on the west side of the lake. Despite our best intentions, we didn’t end up leaving home until 5pm on Friday, not a good idea on a bank holiday weekend in the Bay Area. It took us almost 4 hours to reach Sacramento, usually a 2 hour drive, but we entertained each other in the car and the trip didn’t feel as long as it was. We arrived at Lake Tahoe in the dark and popped into South Lake Tahoe (town) for a quick supermarket trip before heading on to the cabin. Driving up the road towards the cabin we were amused by all the signs advising people not to stop on the side of the road under any circumstances. The signs seemed excessive, with barely 3 meters between them. Once at our cabin we settled in, opening beers and munching on tortilla chips, relaxing until bedtime.

The next morning we were up and, after a breakfast of French toast with bananas, bacon & maple syrup, we headed out. Tracing our route back down towards South Lake Tahoe we were stunned by the views we’d missed the night before. Suddenly all of those signs made sense – it was almost impossible not to stop to drink in the spectacular vistas across the lake to the snow-capped mountains on the other side. We stopped at a National Park and walked a couple of miles through the forest to an old lighthouse, before continuing our drive into South Lake Tahoe, stopping again at Emerald Bay and Eagle Falls. After an extravagant lunch of burgers and milkshakes in South Tahoe, we figured that since we were so close to the Nevada border we would nip down and take our photo at the “Welcome to Nevada” sign. We drove to the border only to discover it was marked by casinos but no sign. We looked at the map and discovered that we were almost exactly the other side of our lake from the cabin, so decided to circumnavigate the lake. After a slight side-trip to Carson City (it turns out that when you are circumnavigating a lake counter-clockwise you should keep left at all intersections), a brief stop at a beautiful deserted beach, and a trip to the supermarket (where there were slot machines for gambling – we were definitely still in Nevada!), we made it to the border and discovered to our delight that there was in fact a “Welcome to Nevada” sign at this one.

Photos duly taken we piled back in the car and returned to the cabin for drinks, a good soak in the hot tub, dinner, and some board games.

We woke up on Sunday to clear skies. The weather had been unstable so far (we’d been caught in a couple of downpours the day before and it was generally quite chilly) and we had more rain forecast for that afternoon. Making the most of the morning we headed out and 3 of us rented kayaks for an hour, paddling on the beautiful clear and calm lake.

After our paddle and on the advice of guys at the kayak rental, we drove to Chambers Landing: a cool bar on a pier overlooking the lake, where they make their own signature cocktails of slushy frozen peach drowned under a generous serving of rum. We had two each. It was definitely a bar with a view, and as we relaxed we watched as people tossed footballs and played with drones. It was clearly the local rich-kid hang out. 

Deciding it was time for lunch we headed back to the car, and suddenly the heavens opened. We took it as a sign, and decided to spend the afternoon at the local Tahoe Mountain Brewing Company, trying their beer and eating their food (for me: an amazing dish of Ahi Tuna served raw over crispy fried wonton strips and drizzled with a wasabi aioli sauce.) In deference to our driver we didn’t stay in the pub ALL day, and drove back to the cabin in the late afternoon where we carried on as we had the night before: nibbles, drinks and hot tub.

We awoke the next morning to cold grey skies and a forecast of more rain. This made us less enthusiastic about going for a hike, so instead we drove out to the North to a sweet town called Truckee. Truckee is very much an old Western Frontier town with a heritage main street full of adorable buildings and craft shops. I was devastated when the heavens opened, pelting us with a soaking rain, and we had to spend our time ensconced in a coffee shop before running back to the car and driving on.

As we were in no rush to get home, we decided to stop in Sacramento for dinner and sightseeing. We admired the gorgeous state capitol building, and had dinner at a great café right on the river. We were all surprised by Sacramento: no one had ever mentioned to us how lovely it was. It was also MUCH hotter than Tahoe had been, and we were sweltering in the 30 degree heat.

We got home on Monday evening, tired and satisfied after a lovely 4 days.

 

Lake Tahoe

 

 

 

Chambers Landing

 

 

Truckee

 

State Capitol Building in Sacramento

San Francisco Pride

We've attended the Pride Parade for the last 7 years. In Belfast, we felt it was important to show solidarity for a group which is still marginalised and vilified by the politicians. And over the years, it's been wonderful to see the size of the parade increasing, and even more enjoyable to watch the size of the supporting crowd grow.

This year we experienced our first Pride in San Francisco. Of course, there is no comparison - the parade was extravagant and enormous: we were there for the start and stayed for 4 hours and not quite half the floats had gone past when we left. Pride here is more of a joyous celebration, particularly following the Supreme Court's recent decision, rather than a show of solidarity. So much music, so much fun, so much love and happiness, and of course so many amazing costumes.

It was fabulous and fun, and we'll definitely be back next year. It rather felt that this year was a trial run for us (we were with a bunch of friends and none of us had attended before.) We got lots of tips and ideas for how we'd like to approach it next year. Maybe we'll head up for the whole weekend of festivities, and we'll definitely spend time in the Castro district. Watching the parade we were envious of those who had brought water, snacks and chairs. They were clearly seasoned pros.

Still, it was an amazing experience and I was having far too much fun to take good photos. Here are a few which capture the atmosphere though:

 

Hiking in the California sunshine

At long last I have found some hiking buddies. This means not only do I get to go hiking, but I also get to explore more of the Bay Area. And while I've been having fun checking out the places I can get to by public transport, it is exciting to be exploring further afield.

A couple of weeks ago we went on our first walk together, starting at the coast and walking up towards Big Basin State Park (we didn't get as far as the redwoods). We walked up along a ridge with spectacular views, and then back along the creek. It was nice starting and ending at the beach (lots of surfers!) and if the day had been warmer we definitely would have gone for a paddle.

Yesterday we visited Sunol Regional Wilderness. Despite the name, it's not really wild: barns, cows, turkeys. It is, however, beautiful. Wild flowers, golden grass, oaks and elms lining the creek bed.

Golden Grass

 

 

Cows (and dead cow)

 

 

 

 

Beautiful views

Both times we've come back to our apartment after hiking and barbecued, which is something I'm happy to make into a regular routine. The three of us are fairly exhausted and maybe not the best company for John, but it's a great way to end the weekend.

 

St Paddy's Day in the USA

Tomorrow we have our first St Patrick's Day in the USA. But in fact we celebrated at a friend's house on the weekend - a party complete with green beer (a first for us!). Assured that we weren't to bring alcohol as a keg had been purchased, I still refused to turn up at a party empty handed. So I made cupcakes. Irish coffee cupcakes to be precise.

It's surprisingly hard to find a "proper" recipe for Irish coffee cupcakes online. There are lots out there, but they all contain either stout or chocolate (or both), neither of which are ingredients in an Irish coffee. So I made my own, mashing together two recipes and adapting them to my purposes. Espresso cake for the base, Irish whiskey buttercream for the icing. Simple, and delicious.

Irish coffee cupcakes (adapted from Williams-Sonoma). Makes 12

• 1 1/4 cups self-raising flour 
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 6 Tbs. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, at room temperature 
• 2 tsp espresso powder
• 1/2 cup milk

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. 

In a small mix the espresso powder and the milk. Beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy (2 to 3 minutes). Reduce the speed and add the egg and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Bit by bit add the flour and the milk mixture, alternating between the two, beating between each addition. 

Divide the batter between the muffin cups (about 2/3 full). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Whiskey buttercream icing (adapted from The Newly Wed Chefs)

• 1 3/4 cups icing sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

Beat all ingredients together until creamy and smooth. Frost the cupcakes when they are completely cool. Garnish with nonpareils and coloured sugars and serve. 

Just Do It

It's beginning to dawn on me: if I splurged on new running shoes last weekend and got excited about this purchase today

I'm probably going to have to fess up about my running habit.

In order to survive the transition of moving countries, the lack of direction with not having a job, the failing at being a housewife (if not exactly failing at the doing, at least failing to do it without simmering resentment) I've taken to running almost daily. Not that I'm completely new to running. I wrote about it way back in June 2014, and have mentioned it on the odd occasion since then. 

The half marathon I ran last year seems so long ago, and if I'm honest I wasn't particularly happy with my result. My training had suffered because of niggling back issues and I wasn't in peak physical fitness. While I did complete the distance, I didn't feel pride in my accomplishment and I knew I could do better. And once we moved to California I needed something in my life to work towards, and something I could be proud of. 

A while ago I came across the Another Mother Runner (AMR) blog and podcast. And no, this isn't a secret revelation that I've decided to have kids. Its more that I felt I could identify with these people. Most running sites are full of people saying things like "I'd hoped to run my 5k in 23:2 but I only achieved 23:7" and "I was feeling lazy today so I only went out for a 10 miler". While these people are hugely impressive I'm just not in their league. Seeing other people achieve can be great motivation, but not when it's so far beyond what you are experiencing yourself. I love AMR because the people seem normal. Of course there are a few super speedy ones out there, but it is a community of women who are working towards getting fitter, are endlessly supportive, and who understand that sometimes life just gets in the way. And though for me it's not kids/family that gets in my way of a run, I love the sense of community and the advice that is tailored for the not-hard-core runner. These feel like my people.

All this is a long way of saying that in January of this year I signed up their No Limits 1/2 marathon challenge. It's a 15 week training plan, and everyone on the plan started around the same time so the sense of community is great. And though I haven't signed up for an actual 1/2 marathon race, I find that having the plan and sticking to it gives me the sense of progress that I need. Not that some runs don't completely suck, but getting out there each day helps to give my day a sense of accomplishment. And it seems almost ridiculous not to run when the weather is constantly amazing - instead of cancelling runs because of the rain, I now struggle to run in the heat.

2 months into the new regime I'm seeing positive changes. I may not be losing any weight (being at home all day leaves me alarmingly close to the refrigerator) but I'm definitely getting stronger and more toned. My average running speed has increased, and my mileage is going up. I ran over 45 miles in February, the most I've ever run in a month. I've worn out my old running shoes, joined a running club, and tried trail running. And I  finally feel like I can truly call myself a runner.

On a place whose name is in a famous song

Despite the common held belief that we live in San Francisco, we are actually much closer to San Jose.

While complexly outshone by it's famous neighbour, San Jose sprawls at the very end of San Francisco Bay. It has a historic Japan Town, and the beautiful Almaden Valley. It's full of quirky historic homes and lots of independent restaurants and cafes. The city itself is flat, but stops abruptly at the hills which dominate the skyline and feel so close. As a result it does't have that bunched-up feeling that San Francisco does. By far the most famous attraction here is the Winchester Mystery House (we haven't been yet), and the Lick Observatory is a great spot too with an interesting museum and fantastic views across the city. I've heard good reports about the Egyptian museum too, but the weather keeps on being too nice for me to feel like going indoors.

I usually head into San Jose for meetings, and usually take the opportunity to have a bit of a wander around. It's always worth it. In San Francisco I often get the feeling that I should be enjoying every little thing, and that everything should be appreciated by virtue of it being in the city. In San Jose expectations are set a little lower, so it's a genuine pleasure to stumble across something beautiful. 

Todays finds were:

A retro service station  

 

 

Beautiful old homes

 

 

And a dilapidated one

 

 

And a gorgeous church (sadly closed on Tuesdays so I didn't get a look inside).

 

And of course, if you mention to anyone from outside this area that you are going to San Jose, they inevitably start singing. And yes, I do know the way thank you very much. Just take the 522 express bus.

One year of marriage

I've just been told by a friend that I fail at anniversaries. I didn't demand flowers, nor did I demand gifts. Apparently that's the whole point of celebrating. Heck, we didn't even have champagne (in fact, we didn't have any alcohol at all). 

So, how did we spend our first wedding anniversary? With quality time together. Cheesy much?!

John and I met sometime in March, but neither of us know the exact date so we've never had on official dating anniversary. Our birthdays are both in March, so we knew we'd already be doing presents twice that month. Still, we usually tried to go out for dinner and call it an anniversary celebration, but it was always very low key.

Since we now have an actual date to celebrate, we thought we should do something to mark the occasion. We looked into going away for the weekend, but we haven't bought a car yet and car hire + hotel seemed a bit too expensive. We sat down together the other week and discussed our expectations and agreed: no presents, not just dinner out, but a day spent together doing something fun. The obvious option: a day in San Francisco. The city (we're locals now so have to refer to it as such) is an hour away on the train. The train runs hourly so it doesn't require much planning. Basically ideal for a relaxed day out.

We had a lovely time: lunch out, strolling around in the sunshine, heading to a movie as the afternoon cooled off, then back to Sunnyvale for dinner. It was pretty much perfect.

Afternoon drinking

It’s all well and good to have routine, but when someone in your neighbourhood invites you to check out the local Korean supermarket and then have a couple of drinks mid-week it’d be silly to say no!

We met our neighbours the day we moved in. They moved into our complex a week before we did and are new to the area too. He works at a software company (it seems that everyone here does) and she is currently unemployed.

We’ve caught up a couple of times, but today was the first time it was just us girls. We’d previously chatted about our love for ethnic cuisine, so the suggestion of a supermarket run seemed natural. Needless to say our freezer is now nicely stocked with yummy food.

It seems only natural that grocery shopping was followed by a couple of drinks in the apartment. Heck, lets not pretend I’m a responsible grown up all the time!

Keeping Busy - Volunteering

I miss having a job: the social aspect, the challenge, the daily routine, the sense of accomplishment. Oh yeah, and I miss the pay cheque too! So, to fix all of the above problems except the pay cheque, I've joined two organizations as a volunteer. They are both small organizations with no paid staff, and it feels good to help out.

Volunteer position #1 - Development Officer at Chemists Without Borders (CWB)

CWB is a group of chemists working to "solve humanitarian problems by mobilizing the resources and expertise of the global chemistry community and its networks" (yup, I stole that off their website). A lot of the work they do involves chemical education and raising awareness about poor water quality resulting from chemical contamination. As Development Officer I am working to create and implement a fundraising and awareness raising campaign for them. It's pretty interesting work, and luckily I don't need to know anything about chemistry.

Volunteer position #2 - Grants Coordinator with the Family Alliance for Counseling Tools and Resolution (FACTR)

FACTR is an organization whose work is a little closer to my heart. They work with recent immigrants and refugees in the South Bay, providing counseling, advice and community support. I originally contacted FACTR as they were looking for grant writers and experience with grants is a definite gap in my CV. The organization is local in San Jose, and meets monthly. I coordinate a group of volunteer grant writers and research which grants we should be applying for.

Having done volunteer management myself, it is nice to actually be a volunteer. It keeps me busy and it gives me a sense of purpose. Plus there's the added bonus that since I'll be looking for work in the non-profit sector it will look great on my CV.