Pulgas Ridge

We had another incredible day of hiking today. We went just outside the city of San Carlos to Pulgas Ridge. It wasn't at the top of our list in terms of places to hike, but poor Dexter has been getting the shaft lately, so we decided to find a place that was dog friendly. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed hiking. We haven't really done this since leaving Colorado, and I just love it!

Of course, we discovered that our time with Merrick in Muir Woods - you know, where our almost 3 year old actually hiked the trail and we actually went some distance - was an anomaly. Today he walked about 20 yards in an hour. Dexter wanting to run up the trail and pee on everything, mixed with Merrick wanting to pick up every rock, stick and flower in sight, was quite the challenge. I finally just gave in and let Merrick do his thing. Once I did that it made the day a lot more enjoyable. There will be plenty of time for us to do some serious hiking when he gets older - I need to enjoy and soak in his curiousity and imagination while he's little!

Merrick had to climb up every tree and hang from its branches, pick 'rosemary' (no idea where he got this from, it wasn't rosemary), and find walking sticks. Sticks were also used as 'blowers' (you know, like the blowers you use after you mow the lawn to get grass off the sidewalk/driveway). Oh, and he had to take a lot of 'rest breaks' because that's when Daddy let him drink water out of the Camelbak. For those that don't know, a Camelbak is this contraption you wear on your back, like a backpack, but you fill it with water and it has a tube you can drink from - very handy.

Pictures of our beautiful day below:

Ahhhhh, Springtime

One of the first things that sold us on this house was the back yard. The owner landscaped it so well, and it's just so beautiful back there with the soft, lush grass and the tangerine tree. In St. Augustine the grass was thick and not very lush at all, in fact it felt like walking on nails (okay I exaggerate, but just a little). This was a little hard to get used to since the grass Kentucky Blue Grass we had in Colorado was relatively soft. Well the grass out here...I don't know what it is...but it's like walking on carpet!

When we moved here in December we talked about how many times we would have lunch or dinner out back once the weather was nicer...well the time has finally arrived!

The great thing is, I swear there are no bugs here. It's unbelievable. For a person who can't stand spiders and other disgusting creatures, this is a dream come true. I don't want to jinx myself, but I think since we have been here all I've seen in terms of bugs are a few ants in our back yard. And they were tiny ones - the ants in FL would tower over these little guys. It really makes eating outside more enjoyable when you're not the one being eaten.

Check out our oasis below...

Muir Woods and Sausalito

What a beautiful day we had today. We decided to get up a little early and make the hour trek up to Muir Woods in Marin County - just across the Golden Gate Bridge - to go for a little hike. This was the first time we've tried to do an official hike with Merrick, and we really thought he'd 1) take an hour to go 50 yards because of the distractions, etc. and 2) end up on Craig's shoulders for another 50 yards before he was OVER it.

I was so amazed at how great he did! We did a really nice hike and he trekked the entire way up, probably about 3/4 of a mile. Then he walked about halfway back before ending up on Craig's shoulders. For a little 2 1/2 year old, he did incredible.

Craig and I both love to hike, and are looking forward to all the places we get to explore out here. We're going to look into getting one of those backpacks that can hold Merrick, and we'll try for some longer hikes. I'm so excited for our family hiking trips!

After our hike, we decided to stop at a restaurant in Sausalito overlooking the bay. Amazing -- the views were absolutely incredible. Jealous yet? :) A few pictures of our day below; if you click on the picture it will expand to a larger view.

Punchy

Just a little footage from the other evening when Merrick and I were getting a little 'punchy' after a long day. To give context, he got out his doctor kit so he could 'fix' my knee as it was sore from running. At that point, I asked him - "Merrick, want do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor? Professor? Or nurse?" After that question, he decided he would be a doctor, and his name would be Dr. Sufessor-or-nurse.

I especially love the part at the end where he tells me to 'open your ears'....who on earth taught him that one --Craig is in big trouble.

Becoming California-tized

So let's start with the bad...the things we don't like about being in California:

First and foremost, we REALLY REALLY miss our family in Florida and that is taking some time getting used to. Oh man, we REALLY miss our family! Of course we have family in Colorado and Maryland as well that we miss a ton, but the move didn't really change this very much since we've been out of Colorado for so long.

Second, the cost of living. Craig and I figured out that if you take a house in St. Augustine and add about $1.2 MILLION to it, you'd get the value of the same house where we live. You think I kid? You think I exaggerate? Trust me, it's truly that bad.

But wow, we've figured out why some of that premium on the cost of living is justified. This place is amazing! The weather is so perfect for both Craig and me -- not too hot, not too cold. We can quickly drive to anywhere we need to go. The scenary is incredible. The education system is amazing - in fact sometimes these schools go a bit too far. The diversity of the people. The produce - TO DIE FOR! And the restaurants -- overwhelming. Of course given the cost of living, I don't think we'll be spending as much time in the restaurants as we used to.

What we are really loving though is the ENDLESS amounts of things to do. It is just unbelievable. You've got mountains, beach, city, culture, and lots of kid-centric places. Although sometimes just living life and taking care of day to day things gets in the way, we have tried to make a point of going somewhere new almost every weekend. We haven't even scratched the surface of all the things there are to do.

One of the things we typically like to do on Sunday mornings is head to our farmer's market in Mountain View. We take the wagon, walk around with Merrick and pick all our produce for the week. We are so spoiled. Below are a couple pictures during one of our trips to the farmer's market.