Monthly Archives: October 2011

Big Sur camping weekend!

Kevin, Lola and I took a marvelous four day weekend to go camping in Big Sur!  We met up with our good friends Brian and Brianne from Long Beach and we had a blast!

Friday, September 30

We left at 6am on Friday morning in hopes of beating the traffic and of getting into the Big Sur area early enough to find a camping site.  Yes, we were those people that didn’t make reservations.

We are in desperate need of a bigger car…Lola could barely fit in the backseat with all our camping junk!  And the other sleeping bag may or may not have fallen on top of her during the ride a couple of times, haha.

Any gloomy morning can be brightened up with a dozen cupcakes!  Kevin baked those for Brianne since her birthday was just after our camping trip.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing dogs hanging their heads outside of car windows.

We made a few stops along the way, taking in the amazing views of the California coast.

I truly love this state.

“Hello!

We drove up and down the coast trying to find the perfect camping spot.  After a few sites told us there were 1-2 spots left but either the campground was too expensive ($65 a night?!) or there were too many bugs or it just didn’t feel right it was approaching 12noon and we were starting to get nervous.  One campground (Kirk Creek) we had passed previously we had heard some good things about but after seeing the sign “Campground full” we didn’t think much of it.  On our way back up the coast in hopes that we could snag one of those spots that we had previously passed up on Kevin said we should just drive through the Kirk Creek campground to see if we might get lucky…and we did!  We actually got the last spot in the entire campground.  And the campground was amazing to boot!

We set up our tent, took a little nap in the sunshine, and while patiently awaited the arrival of Brian and Brianne we decided to start cooking dinner before the sun started to set.

On the menu Friday evening?  Sweet potato chili (recipe here) and cornbread cooked in the dutch oven (recipe here).

Pouring the batter into the dutch oven

Letting the magic happen

We had never cooked anything other than a cobbler in the dutch oven before so we weren’t sure how it was going to turn out.  We had to let it sit for 45 minutes to cook so we decided to enjoy some beverages and watch the sun start to set.

Classy boxed wine from Target

Wine in hand, sun shining

Brian and Brianne pulled up just as the cornbread was finishing up so we could dig in!

It turned out perfect!!

We set our chairs out overlooking the ocean and the sunset, eating our giant bowls of chili and fresh cornbread. Not too shabby!

Enjoying the view

For dessert we surprised Brianne with the cupcakes that Kevin had made…yum!  We played a game of Rummikub and tried to keep warm by the light of the lantern (we forgot to buy firewood that first night, d’oh!)  Kevin, Lola and I hit the hay a little early because of our early morning and because it was so dang cold outside with that ocean breeze.  But it was a great first day nonetheless!

Brianne’s birthday cupcakes

Saturday, October 1

We woke up bright and early and got started on breakfast…breakfast burritos with soyrizo!

Kevin cooking up some breakfast!  Our campsite only had shade in the late afternoon so at just about 8:30am the sun would rise above the hills and we’d get an early start on our suntans for the day.

We left mid-day to drive up to Monterey to pick up a few things (air pump for the air mattress [kind of important] and firewood) and we had lunch out that way as well.  I gotta say, it was a little strange being at a Target in the middle of our camping trip.

We got back to the campsite mid-afternoon and took a short hike down a trail that leads straight from the campground down to the beach.

Beautiful!

Lola is so at home at the beach

B & B climbing the rocks

Brian surrounded by water

Pretty seaweed!

Kevin and Lola always have to climb to the highest point and look down at me for the obligatory photo.  This trip to the beach was no exception.

Lola’s paw prints, the ocean, and the sun setting

We found this cool damned-up area that had a small wading pool and a small waterfall that was just Lola’s size.

She spent a good while “fetching” for rocks (they all sank to the bottom but she never stopped trying to look for them!)

Me and Lola

Lola wading in the pool and me in the background

Brian’s dangerous leap-from-one-rock-to-another-over-a-wading-pool stunt.

I love this photo of Lola.

We headed back up to camp to get started on dinner while the sun was still out.  On the menu Saturday evening?  Cheese enchiladas, cilantro lime rice, and avocado/tomato salad (courtesy of B & B).

Brianne cooking the enchiladas in the dutch oven!  We weren’t sure how it would turn out so we kept our fingers crossed.

While B & B were cooking, Kevin and I decided to go sit and watch the sun set (something, we realized, we haven’t done much together surprisingly!)

Those clouds were amazing!

After the sun set we were happy to find out that the dutch oven is the perfect place to cook enchiladas!

Cooked to perfection

Eating by moonlight

Dig in!

That night for dessert we had the ultimate camping treat…s’mores!

Sunday, October 2

We woke up bright and early to find little muddy paw prints on our storage bins and even on the side of our car…crazy raccoons!  Luckily they didn’t get anything (that we know of).

After a yummy breakfast of pancakes and bacon (or fake sausage for the veg-head over here), we left mid-morning down the road to Sand Dollar beach and picnic grounds.  It was pretty overcast and chilly that morning but luckily the clouds burned off and we had a good dose of sun for the majority of our time there!

View of Sand Dollar beach from the top of the stairs

Stairs down to the beach

Brianne, Brian, Lola and Kevin testing out the water

Brianne at first thought those were bear paw prints until she realized that Lola made them, haha!

I took a few portrait photos, the only one I was missing was Brian!

Brianne

Lola

Kevin

Kevin and Brian braved the coooooold waters and went swimming for about 30 minutes.

Lola watching Kevin and Brian in the water

Eventually Kevin and Brian made their way out and Kevin immediately made a new friend (some other dog, I swear that guy is the Dog Whisperer!)

We made our way back up to the picnic area for some lunch.  After eating, Brian and Kevin decided to attempt to hop over a 4.5 foot tall fence.  Surprisingly, they both did it (after many attempts, I might add).

Alley-oop!

I don’t think so, sir.

Me taking a self-portrait in between their attempts to jump over the fence.

Success!

Kisses from Lola over the fence

A view from below

B & B!

Back at the campsite we sat and tried to soak in the final rays of the sun.

Looks like I got a bit of a tan from the beach, hallelujah!

On the menu for Sunday night?  Burritos with Spanish rice and more of that amazing avocado/tomato salad (courtesy of B & B).  And for dessert?

PEACH AND BLUEBERRY COBBLER straight from the dutch oven!! (recipe here)

That crust was so good!  Next time we just gotta let it cook a little longer but otherwise it was amazing.

I thought I’d take a picture of our dish-washing station…Brianne, Kevin and Brian hard at work!

Group photo by campfire!

We had such a fantastic time…not only did we score an awesome campsite, the weather was lovely, and the company was superb!  I think we should probably put in our reservation now for this time next year at Kirk Creek, what do you say B & B?  🙂

Our new hobby: Rock climbing!

Kevin and I decided to check out a local rock climbing gym to see what all the fuss was about and soon found ourselves in love with a new sport!

We’re now members of the Touchstone Climbing association and so far we’ve only climbed/used the gym facilities at the Great Western Power Company site in Oakland (it’s less than a mile from our house just on the other side of the lake…we even ran to/from the gym one day for a workout.  Yeah, we’re hardcore).

About a month ago we took Jessie on a guest pass and had a good time climbing with her…

View from inside the gym, the large gray tower to the left is an old smokestack that measures 150 feet tall

We decided to start out with some bouldering (climbing a short wall without being attached to any ropes and with a drop mat at the bottom)

Kevin doing some interesting moves

Jess taking a break to smile for the camera

Wouldn’t you know, me and Jess bought the same rock climbing shoes! Hahah.

Getting strapped in! Until we’re “pros” we have to show the staff that we know how to rope up as both a climber and as the one who is belaying the climber

Jessie making her way up the wall (she got a little over half way!)

Me making my way up. I had a little harder time this day so only made it up about half way (maybe a little less). I think there are good days and bad days when it comes to climbing, just like with every physical activity!

Kevin on his way to the top!

He did it! He’s a total natural.

Kevin’s Kitchenaid

A couple of weeks ago Kevin passed the final oral and practical exam needed to earn his aircraft mechanics certification!  It was a wonderful end to a big chapter in our lives.

We’ve come a long way since the middle of his second semester when I posted this short post about him aceing his midterm.  Two years of schooling, Monday through Friday evening, plus Kevin working Saturdays and Sundays.  I can sit here and lament about how awful it was without him but I can only imagine how hard it was on him working/going to school 7 days a week.  And now that his final exams are done, he’s now a certified aircraft mechanic!

So shortly after he aced his exam we went out to our local home goods store to purchase something that Kevin’s had his eye on for years to celebrate…a Kitchenaid mixer!

And of course I documented his first attempt at making cookies using it…

Kevin taking his Kitchenaid out for its maiden voyage!

A true baker requires lots of tools

Lola waiting (in vain) for a bit of cookie dough

Mmm mmm mmm!

So I forgot to take a photo of the finished product (chewy, gooey chocolate chip cookies) but just take my word for it that they were amazing.

How I love that little baker aircraft mechanic of mine.

Somewhat related to Kevin’s baking…but probably not enough of a story to make into it’s own post…

For Kevin’s birthday in early September I tried my hand at making a New York cheesecake and I’m happy to report it turned out pretty darn good!

I followed this recipe to the T and we were super happy with the results.

Not too shabby, eh?

Check out that golden crust, mmm mmm mmm!

The happy birthday boy

Oh how I wish we had some leftovers tonight! 🙂

No dogs allowed

Moving to Oakland has been a bit of a culture shock when it comes to having a dog.  We were plain spoiled living in San Francisco with their 35+ dog-friendly off-leash parks and their countless other parks that are accessible to dogs on leash.  This is one of the biggest things I miss about living in the city.

Oakland has a total of 5 dog parks and just about every other piece of grass in the city is off-limits to dogs.  It doesn’t even matter if the dog is on leash, our little Lola is not allowed to set a paw on the grass.

Granted, living in the Bay Area we are still pretty spoiled compared to other cities across the States.  Even with our measly 5 dog parks in Oakland, surrounding us are cities that have as many (or more) dog-friendly spots that we’re just a quick drive away from…and we have been taking advantage of those spots!

Joaquin Miller Regional Park

This is an amazing 500-acre park set in the Oakland Hills with miles and miles of winding trails.  It’s a great place to let Lola off-leash except we have to pretty careful for the joggers and mountain bikers.  Kevin and I have gone to this park twice now and each time we can’t believe that this amazing forest is just minutes from our apartment near downtown Oakland.

Kevin getting a whiff of wilderness (I don’t think he knew I was taking this photo when he bent down to smell that fallen tree, haha)

Sun through the trees

Me ‘n Lola

Piedmont Park

There is a small city surrounded by Oakland called Piedmont and they have a great park that allows dogs to run off-leash.  The trails are mostly paved but when you’re in the park you’re surrounded by a huge canopy of trees that no matter how bright and sunny it is at that time, it’s cool and shady in the park.  The creek running through the middle doesn’t hurt the view either.  Kevin and I have gone walking the trails and me and Lola have gone running a couple of times as well.  This is a little gem!

Alameda dog exercise area (aka Alameda dog park)

Now sure why it’s got such an official-sounding name, I just call it the Alameda dog park.  This is a huge fenced-in dog park just minutes from the beach on the island of Alameda and the best part is it’s only a 10 minute drive from our apartment.  I take Lola here at least once a week and she has a blast running around with the other dogs.

No dogs allowed…

After a trip to the Alameda dog park last week Lola and I drove by the beach in Alameda and I couldn’t pass up such a beautiful sunset so I pulled over, brought Lola out, and had to tie her up to the fence because of the “No dogs allowed” sign that greeted us.

“No dogs on beach”

Lola didn’t seem to mind!

That girl is always happy, no matter if she’s tied to a pole or not.

Sun setting over Alameda

Can you spot San Francisco in the distance??

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