Guys, You Know What?

Enjoy Finnegan's take on this meme.

Beached Whale Pug

After hiking through McNee Ranch State Park, we headed down to the Montara State beach located across the way on PCH. Whenever Finnegan first steps in sand, he freaks out a little bit, squats down (like the downward dog yoga position), and his tail spins around like a helicopter. When in this "frisky puppy  mode", he runs around and kicks up sand everywhere. This in turn makes him run around even more, trying to play with the sand--something that we don't have the heart to tell him will never reciprocate his playful advances. This is exactly what happened once we made our way down the steps to one of the most beautiful beaches with soft white sand. After inhaling more sand than he could handle, Finnegan finally plopped himself down behind me (since I could provide him adequate shade from the sun--a human umbrella if you will) and took a quick nap sprawled out on his side. Finnegan's body form actually looked similar to a beached whale. His snoring did pique the interest of children passing by, trying to get their kites to soar in the air.  Z decided to relax as well and we had a quick break from the hike before driving back into the city to pick up some much needed coffee. Can't wait until this weekend. It is the monthly "Pug Sunday" at Alta Plaza Park in the city and Finnegan can roam around grass hills with his fellow pugs. I'm looking forward to being surrounded by tons of pugs to fully confirm the fact that I am a crazy pug lady. 

McNee Ranch State Park

Hiking. One of the things that strengthened my appreciation for living in the Bay Area was its close proximity to beaches, mountains, whatever you would want for a quick day trip activity outside of the city. Last weekend, Z and I drove about 15 minutes down the coast towards Pacifica on Highway 1 to try out a new dog-friendly hiking trail. McNee Ranch State Park is a beautiful, scenic, and easy hike if you take the Gray Whale Cove Trail north from the trail-head to the incredibly scenic rest bench facing west. This short hike is a wonderful choice when you just need a break from the world. The trail information recommended bringing binoculars in the winter for whale watching. The Gray Whale Cove Trail hugged the coast-line with sweeping views of the ocean and beach down below. Its small dirt path was flanked by the beautiful California wildflowers, blackberry bushes, shrubs, ferns, and succulents. I really wished I had a pocket-sized botanical guide with me, so that I could learn to identify more of the plant life in the area. I highly recommend checking out this hike if you're ever in the area. Z and I are going to try at least one new hiking trail each month and this guide for dog-friendly hikes is an awesome jumping point. Now, for the never-ending picture filled post: