Happy Anniversary: San Francisco & Muir Woods

For our 11th anniversary

we dropped the kiddos off with their

aunt and uncle

and headed to our favorite place in the whole world:

San Francisco!

The first day we hit the Mission District

for some serious foodie advenuturing,

the second day we reserved for

hiking in Mt. Tamalpais and Muir Woods

and exploring Mill Valley.

It was...

perfect!

Cannoli-time!

{Too bad it wasn't the best we've had!}

Our "Best Thing I Ever Ate" stop...

"Mr. Pollo"

The Chef's Tasting Menu came highly recommended

by Chris Cosentino

and can I say,

we are so glad we made it here!

It is the tiniest restaurant I've EVER been in

{picture room for 6-max}

but the variety and complexity of the dishes

that poured out of this tiny 2-man kitchen

was amazing!

We counted our good fortune in being the first

one's in the door,

getting front row seats,

and settling in for culinary masterpieces

plate after plate!

As we finished our last bite-

we heard the chef turn away the next couple to walk in the door.

After one service,

he was done and off to shop

for dinner service!

Here's the restaurant from the outside.

Totally inconspicuous but do not be deceived!

Note:

If you plan on going,

arrive before they open to be first in line.

They WILL turn you away within minutes

because they're already full.

Bring cash!

Be mindful that halfway through our meal

we realized some of the music was

just as punchy as the food!

Also,

leave the kiddos at home.

This meal is best savored with your sweetie!

The rest of the day we spent on our feet

exploring this fabulous city.

We love to window-shop,

and go inside and peruse all the insanely priced

shoes, furniture, etc.-

Question:

Who actually buys this stuff at these prices?

Crazy!

Photo opp for my boys at home!

With all of our strolling we worked up an appetite. 

We foolishly thought we could get in to Nopa on a whim-

turns out they suggest you make reservations

at least one month in advance!

Then we hit Foreign Cinema,

again full,

but definitely,

like Nopa,

high on the "To Visit" list!

Finally we settled on two local favorites,

take out pizza from Delfina's Pizzeria

and dessert from Tartine Bakery.

I am now a fan of Proscuitto and Arugula Pie

and Passion Fruit Lime Bavarian Cake!

Can I say how excited I am

to buy the Tartine Cookbook

 with my ever growing Swagbucks?

Woo hoo!

Can't wait!

With goodies in hand we cross the bridge!

And there she is...

Home sweet home!

The Pelican Inn...

the closest thing to visiting across the pond!

This would lead you to believe that we jumped in our jammies

as soon as we arrived-

afterall,

it was nearly 11 PM!

But no,

this picture was taken after our pitch black walk to the ocean.

It was beautiful...

cold...

but so worth it!

Party pooper!

And yes,

I amused myself by waking him!

Enjoying the gardens...

The Pub

Breakfast on the patio

with a roaring fire...

Bangers, Broiled Tomato, Bacon, Eggs, Toast...

Samuel was in hog heaven-

literally!

For me,

English Porridge...delicious!

Ha!

I hit a Bulls-eye!

Then I nailed him in chess!

What a GREAT day!

I never beat him in chess!

Another shot for the memory books!

Love that I always see a crazy goofy car

when we hit the road together...

Our "hike"...

{smile}

Samuel took a ton of shots of this huge crow.

I spared you by posting only two...

Heading down to "Pirates Cove"...

Love these!

It inspired us to make our own!

And it stood!

After our hike,

we lounged a bit on the beach and munched on treats. 

This doggie took a notion to befriend me.

Obviously, he doesn't know me well

or he would have known:

We can NEVER be friends!

{Sorry, kids, not dogs,

have wormed their way into my heart!}

...

 Later we checked out Muir Woods

-we'll definitely return with the kiddos-

and ate at the Muir Woods Trading Co.,

another "Best Thing I Ever Ate" recommendation

from Tyler Florence.

We love you Tyler,

but seriously,

save your money and make a banging grilled cheese

at home!

After a tour of downtown Mill Valley

-a charming city-

we headed home!

...

I love you, Samuel!

You are the love of my life!

Happy Anniversary!

xoxoXoO

me

Miner's Ravine

Determined to get in a little day hike,

we hit Miner's Ravine late in the afternoon.

Knowing the sun would set quickly,

we gobbled our goods

(string cheese & salami)

and then hit the trails.

We oogled the pretty homes on the hillside,

disrupted a parade of skittish turkeys,

climbed a sweet overlook,

and

I fell flat on my face!

Awesome!

Seriously,

good family times,

And the bonus?

Only fifteen from home!



Crazy Thanksgiving: Kings Canyon + Sequoia National Park

Last year,
for Thanksgiving break,
we backpacked in Point Reyes with family
and had the best time!

We were definitely bitten by the
school-break-travel-bug,
so this year
we opted to put our
National Parks Pass
to good use and visit
Kings Canyon + Sequoia National Park!

We've never visited a park
in the off season and
were really looking forward to,
one, the solitude and
two, seeing the park
in a whole new light.


We scored a great deal on a rustic cabin,
and quickly prepared for what would
be our first foray
into staying in the snow!

A rainbow!

What a nice send-off!

And away we go...

This is beautiful country,

and as we settled in for the long haul,

we couldn't help but notice the weather changing...

and the temperature dropping!

Home sweet home!

But why stay in when there's

a winter wonderland right outside our door!

Wow!

Talk about a little heaven on earth!

Samuel's face is so funny here!

He was amazed that there were icicles,

much less icicles this big!

We are so not snow people!



After our snow play,

and in honor of Thanksgiving,

a turkey feast...

on the floor!

Even trips to the bathroom proved magical!

And a nice bonus,

the bathrooms were pristine and super-toasty warm!

Really!

Back in the cabin,
open rafters provided the perfect way

to store gear and dry wet clothes!

Some weren't too keen on the accomodations... :)

Packing up fo a day of exploration!

Today,

Moro Rock!

But first,

the kids burn some pre-hike energy by

scrabbling around...

Now this is hiking!

If only we could pull the boys on all of our treks!

Iris,

the only child without boots!

How did we overlook this?!?

Luckily I brought all their socks from home!

Yes,

the boys still exclaim over every little mound,

"I'm on Half-Dome"!

And up we go...

On most of the rock

the sun had melted all the ice and snow.

But near the top,

was another story all together.

I served as Scout to see if it was

safe for everyone to go up.

And as you can see,
it was a "go"!

We met a fantastic older German couple-

"Gunter", was the gentlemen's name.

When we asked if he had been here before,

he pointed to all the surrounding peaks in a

sweeping gesture and said he had summited all of those!

Amazing!

He took particular interest in the kids,

and was especially concerned that no one fall off the rock.

As you can see from above,

that was a genuine concern!

One of the worst spots on the trail...

really though,

I promise it was not as bad as this looks!

The trek back was murderous

with nightfall settling in,

three kids that needed to be carried,

and a sled that was out of comission

thanks to a hole!

Luckily, we had someone

-or I should say, three someones-

waiting to welcome us home!

Note:

As cute as they appear to be,

they are not! 

Owen "relieved" himself in

the night off of the porch

and in the morning

we found a frenzied scrabble in the snow!

Yuck!

Goooood morning!

Time to explore

General German's Tree Trail

and a hike around Hume Lake!

It appears that only the disabled are allowed...

a perfect fit for Samuel!  :)

Bear tracks!

We followed them for awhile and then realized that

probably wasn't a very good idea...

Hmmm...more bear...only this time cub tracks too....

Not good!

I pushed everyone hard.

We needed to get out of here!

For some,

the hiked proved to be too rigorous...

Others just needed

some refreshment...

Salami, Cheese, and Ritz Crackers on Sourdough?

Anyone?  Anyone?

Gabriel followed suit with his own concoction:

 A Brownie Bar and Salami on Sourdough-

and then rejected his own creation...

Note the dome at the bottom of the photo...

Big Baldy, indeed...

{he he}

Midnight snowmen and sledding gave way

to giant burgers...

...which of course is the perfect segway into

a perfect breakfast of powdered donuts!

Our trip was fast coming to an end,

but before we left,

the kids begged for some final runs

down the mountain!

We had the time of our life,

and where previously I was a total baby about snow

-too cold and wet!-

I actually liked it!

H  A  P P Y  T H A N S K G I V I N G !