A Month in San Francisco

I have the upstairs unit of this huge flat.

My pal Brenda arranged for me to house-sit at her neighbor's place in the Castro for a month, how could I pass that up?  

It's a great neighborhood to wander around in, and Brenda knows everyone on the block (neighborhood dinner-club at one of their homes a few houses down last Sunday) -- it's all very Tales of the City. 

I took the day off from work on Friday and headed across the bridge to Muir Woods and then to a lookout point over Muir Beach, great drive on Highway 1. 

Another [birth] Day in Paradise

Enough was finally enough. Vaccines administered, booster in arm, time to go. Masked up, boarded a flight, and stayed at this small hacienda outside Puerto Vallarta for the better part of a week. Came home unscathed by the plague, ready to keep venturing out. Don't know when, don't know where, but I'm ready to cross borders again. 

Hacienda Maria-Elena

 

Kitchen assistant, Fernando, who served meals, drinks, and snacks; my new best friend.

Spent the week alternating between this spot...

...and this one. 

This was the view I had when I looked up from my book(s) from the couch;
five books in five days.

Jen and me.

So Many Views of Mt. Adams

Took a long drive East/Southeast toward Mt. Adams last week for a few days of [mostly] radio silence, reading, walking, and... not working. Been a while since I've had any real R&R. 

I really dislike the word "glamping" but I very much like the idea of being in a campground setting while staying within four walls, sleeping in a bed, having a bathroom and a kitchen, and gazing through a huge picture window to appreciate the outdoors. I definitely wouldn't call this "camping" but I'm not going to use that other word either. 

There was a town a few minutes down the road (using the word "town" loosely; three streets and a general store) but this felt like the middle of nowhere. I would often drive for 20 minutes without seeing another car. 

all the huts are positioned so windows don't face windows of other huts. 

there's a toilet and a hot shower behind that door!

everything you need to prepare a meal - or you can grill outside. 

one word: cozy. 

there are over 40 huts on this property - all laid out so as not to intrude on anyone's solitude. 

  

Turns out there's an Abbey/Buddhist temple/Druid Sanctuary out in the middle of nowhere/rural Washington so I stopped in for Tuesday services.

Buddhist temple / barn... fine line.

grounds at the abbey.

While driving from the hut outpost to the abbey, I passed a sign for a National Wildlife Refuge, so I drove in one day to see what kind of wildlife might be hanging around. I ended up going for a long walk in the woods. 

this is the only wildlife I saw, a tiny snake near the parking lot. I'm afraid of snakes but this one was more like worm. I'm also afraid of worms. 

A Wedding in the Family

This all took place in August and some of the photos are watermarked, but you get the gist.