Free Beer For All!

Last week, Z and I took the red-eye flight out to Boston, Massachusetts for his cousin's wedding. Most of Z's family lives on the East Coast, so it was lovely to see everyone since the last time I saw them all was a couple of years ago.  We arrived at around 7:45am and then we headed towards Jamaica Plain--a historic neighborhood in Boston founded by Puritans seeking farmland to the South. This area is rich in history (like all parts of Massachusetts, of course) and I fell in love with a myriad of old brick buildings and trees dripping in fall foliage.  After not getting much sleep earlier in the week due to midterm season at school, we thought that we might as well stay up as to adjust to the time difference sooner. We decided to check out the Samuel Adams Brewery. We are not huge fans of the beer and will not usually order the beer in a bar setting, but hey! The brewery was down the street, walkable, offered free brewery tours, and beers at the end. You can't really complain about that!

I am completely fascinated with the brewing process--one of my favorite experiments in Organic Chemistry during my undergrad was brewing beer that we were able to taste test at home. I learned some good facts to use in case of Trivia Pursuit/Jeopardy need regarding the differences between manufacturing different beer types, and then was able to sample the different seasonal beers on tap.  Now for the touristy photos of Z being awkward in front of various beer-tour props and signage that serve as evidence of our adventure:

After drinking beers in the early morning/afternoon, we then drove down to the little town of Newburyport to get ready for the wedding rehearsal dinner and cocktail hour. This vacation was definitely a whirlwind of non-stop activities. Stay tuned for more!

Sunset in the Outer Sunset

 This weekend was not too eventful, but that was fine with me.  On Friday, Z and I tried a new Indian restaurant in the Outer Sunset called Guddu de Karahi. Everything that we ordered was delicious, so we will definitely be back here again to try out different curries. You can never eat too much Indian food and I think  Z would agree with me on that. We usually never make it over to the Outer Sunset as often as we would like to, so there are just so many more restaurants and shops that I still have yet to visit. (Including Outerlands, the General Store, and Toyose to name a few.) I snapped a couple of photos while the sun was setting on our walk over to the restaurant.

The rest of the weekend (instead of studying for my Microbiology exam and lab practical coming up...ARGH! Why do I always do this to myself?) was spent watching marathons of Gilmore Girls, The Walking Dead, and Masters of Sex. on Netflix, and then taking photos of my spoiled pug, Finnegan. He is becoming such the model and knows what to do when I have my camera out. Smart pup! Hope you all had a nice weekend!   

New Beginnings

 I have been wanting to do more blogging as of late, but have never really been able to do that since all of my cameras are film based. While I love the look of film and how one must really compose the shot before clicking away, I needed something that would save more money since developing film these days is pretty costly unless you do it yourself. I was able to save up some money and as a birthday gift to myself (and I guess Z too since he and Pig Dog are all that I ever photograph), purchased a Fujifilm X30 to carry along with my during my travels and document my boring life. (Guys...really my life just consists of work, school, pig dog, and now watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix...good-bye productivity and social life!) I did not want something too complicated to work and would rather have something with that vintage feel that could fit easily into my purse. Later this month, Z and I will be heading to Boston for his cousin's wedding and for once I would like to document one of our trips since I  have never been to Boston. (When I picture Boston, all I can imagine are row boats and docks reminiscent of Dawson's Creek...my favorite tween-show. 100 percent accurate, I know!)

As soon as the package arrived at my door, I charged up the camera and took some portraits of Z, Finnegan, and then later on my walk around my work's area. So far, I really like the handling of the camera and how easy it is to customize to my preferred settings.  I'm so excited to go on more adventures and finally open up that clothing store I've been wanted to do since my closet is practically exploding and begging me to sell some stuff ASAP.  Stay tuned for most pug over-loaded posts to come! Happy Friday!

We're In Paradise...Paradise, CA!

 Finnegan, Z, and I all have our birthdays in the month of September! It is always quite the birthday month! I'm lucky enough to actually be born on the same day as Z, so we try to plan a trip for our birthday every year as a gift to ourselves. This year, we decided to check out a small town about 30 minutes east of Chico called Paradise. We had heard about this hike along the Feather River over old log flumes (water troughs used to transport lumber along the mountain) and was intriguing. The trail is metal/wood catwalks constructed over metal flumes scaling considerable heights; as you walk downstream some of these heights can be 100’ above the river. The flume often is partially filled with water diverted from the Feather River that flows downstream to the Kunkle reservoir. The trail meanders through a variety of habitats including drier chaparral and scrub, and outcroppings of serpentine and associated plants, and wetter mixed hardwood-coniferous forest consisting of Douglas fir, Incense cedar and Big-leafed maple trees. At the end of the 2 mile hike in, we would reach a swimming hole and grounds to have a picnic! Excited for some warm weather, we packed up the car and headed to this quirky small town and stayed in a dog friendly motel. Finnegan didn't seem to mind the room's decor too much. His bow tie matched its Americana theme perfectly!

 

 

 

I forgot to take any photos of Finnegan swimming because it was just too hilarious to watch. So instead, I leave you a photo of him looking completely terrified trying on his life jacket.

 

After spending one day out and about in the wilderness, we visited various antique stores and boutiques the next day. I was able to find two Griswold cast iron pots in excellent condition. I like Griswold not only because it is durable, but the metal is also lighter than other cast irons. I am looking forward to some great meals once these pans are re-seasoned. I was also able to find a cute skirt and top from a local vintage shop as well that I'll photograph later. Overall, Paradise was a beautiful small town and we would definitely come back again. We had a great time using the town's name in various puns/sayings and it is definitely always nice to get away from the busy hustle and bustle of San Francisco for the weekend.

Summer Fun!

 

I know that summer is already over, but here are some highlights of the past couple of months. I went down to SoCal to visit my dear old friend from high school that is currently pregnant and awaiting the arrival of her first baby. It was lovely to see old friends and reminisce about high school/college years.  Z and I stopped by San Diego and revisited some of our old regular spots and of course--enjoyed one too many burritos. The Mexican food in San Diego is definitely superior to that found in San Francisco. I have searched for taquerias that are similar to the flavors of salsas and meats in San Diego, but my search has been fruitless. If any of you know of delicious places here in the Bay Area, let me know! 

At the beginning of August, my Grandpa celebrated his 88th birthday! All of my aunts and uncles (there are so many of them--total of 8 kids!), came to California and I was lucky to spend time with everyone. We went to Santa Barbara and Solvang (a cute tourist Danish village located on the central coast that my family used to live near and visit quite frequently when I was growing up).

August also was a month of change for me. I chopped off a couple of inches of my hair and joined the long bob club and got fitted for glasses so that I can drive at night. Overall, it was a busy summer and I'm ready for fall to begin even though right  now it decided to become summer in the Bay Area with our warm temperatures. I am sitting here writing this post wearing a dress (with no tights), a light cardigan, and sandals. What the heck! That almost never happens. Gotta get back to letting my pasty legs see some form of sun while it lasts. Toodles!