Day 233: Tree

Day 232: Front Porch

It was a beautiful day, so after a walk with the dogs, we decided to sit on the front porch, reading and writing.

Day 231: Noise

I was trying to take a picture of the dogs barking, but you can't really tell what they're doing...

Day 230: Jack London Square

Ashley and I went to Scott's (seafood restaurant) for lunch at Jack London Square. It's one of the nicer parts of Oakland. ":)

Day 229: note card

A thank you note card I made with a photo from our highway one trip with Granny and Aunt Rosie.

Day 228: Pine Cone

Day 227: Pumpkin Pie

Day 226: Artichoke

Day 225: Chapter 23

Day 224: Comfort Food

When I'm having a bad day or in a depressed mood, this is what I want to eat: pesto and pasta. One, it's carbs and I do love carbs. Two, it's super easy to make and when I'm feeling blah and don't want to cook, that's important. Three, it's yummy.

Day 223: Monkeying Around

Day 222: Rain

Despite it being the rainy season for the San Francisco area, today is the first time we have seen rain since we've been here. When it rains it pours... for the next four days.

Day 221: Friends

Both boys are tired out from the trip down south.

Day 220: Bixby Bridge

The Bixby Bridge south of Monterey Bay. This is day two of our trip down highway 1 to see Big Sur.

Day 219: Pebble Beach

Day one of Ashley and my trip down highway 1. We paid the $10 to do the 17-Mile Road drive around Pebble Beach. It was beautiful. I sure wouldn't mind living there.

Day 218: Rearranging

Ashley decided we should rearrange the living room so that the sofa faces the window. It's so much better this way.

Day 217: Sunrise

Ash and I got up early, took the boys, and drove up a big hill behind our apartment complex to watch the sunrise. It was pretty cool.

Day 216: Bay Bridge

After dropping Aunt Rosie and Granny off at the airport, Ashley and I stopped on Treasure Island (mostly because of the name) and I took this photo of the Bay Bridge.

Day 215: Pacific Lighthouse

Granny, Ashley, Aunt Rosie, and I drove down coastal highway 1. The scenery was spectacular. We stopped at Pigeon Lighthouse and I took this photo. I did not alter the photo at all. This is how it came off the camera. I think it might be one of the most amazing photos I've ever taken.

Day 214: More Redwoods

Granny and Aunt Rosie flew in a for a couple days to visit. After picking them up at SFO, we drove down the crooked mile (which was a little scary) and across the Golden Gate Bridge. Then we drove up to Muir Woods National Monument so that Granny could see the redwoods.

Day 213: Open Window

It was a beautiful day again. After our long walk, I opened the window to let in some fresh air.

Day 212: The Condo

I said I was going to post pictures of the condo (apartment, whatever), but haven't really posted much. So, here is an outside view of the condo. That's our front porch with a slider (where the big spider was). Behind the stairs (which go upstairs to the unit above us), is our door. The front porch is big, but we don't use it for two reasons: 1) it's open to the front entrance area, so we can't let the dogs out there because they'd escape, and 2) the woman who lives above us is inconsiderate when it comes to watering her plants. We always know when she waters the jungle (seriously, not only does she have plants up there, but she also has a couple trees and bushes) because our porch ends up soaked.

Day 211: The Hill

This is the hill outside the apartment complex that Toby, Rodney, and I climb at least once a day (sometimes twice). I know you can't tell in this picture, but it's a pretty good hike. If we walked straight up without stopping (which isn't possible for the boys--there things to pee on after all), I would probably be a little winded. When we do the hill twice, Toby is significantly slower on the second time up. ":)

Day 210: Big Ol' Spider

Today was gorgeous. It got up to 67 degrees. It was so beautiful out that I decided to open the sliders and let in some fresh air. The slider on the front porch is janky. The stupid door won't stay in the track. While I was outside kicking it into place (which made Rodney bite at my feet--I think he didn't realize they were my feet), I discovered this guy. I haven't really seen a lot of bugs or other critters in the area, so I was impressed with his size (check out his shadow) and as long as he stays outside, he's fine, but if he comes inside, I'll kill him. (I have strict policies when it comes to spiders.) Like I said, we haven't really seen much wildlife. The only wild animals I've seen in our complex are birds. Granted, they're giant black birds that make scary cawing noises and have such big wings that you can hear them flapping, but still... no squirrels, bunnies, nothing. I don't even see road kill. Perhaps that is due to mountain lions being in the area? (By the way, we did finally see some squirrels yesterday when we were at homeless point.)

Day 209: The Bulb

On the way to the grocery store, we decided to stop at Albany Bulb because there were supposed to be junk sculptures... We didn't really see much of that. We did see a lot of graffiti--some of it very cool, some pretty lame--as well as a hobo village... or encampment... something like that.

Day 208: Baby Quilt

Since I'm not home to do quilt day, I brought a baby quilt to work on.

Day 207: Vacuum

You know you're an adult when you have the furniture company trade in your TV for a vacuum. ":)

Day 206: Long Walk

Took the boys for a walk again. I love that this is where we go for walks (way better than City Forest) and that it is so close to the condo. I also love the warning signs at  the trail-head about mountain lions. On today's walk, Ash and I discussed what we would do if a mountain lion came running down the mountain at us. ":)

Day 205: My Job

This is where I work. Those are my assistants... um, they're on break right now. Until I find a job outside the home, my job is writing my novel. (I'm over 50,000 words now.) So, this is where I work. I have a computer and a phone, but I don't have a desk. Notice the Dr Pepper. It's a good place to work, though it doesn't pay very well.

Day 204: What are you typing Aunt Jen?