Greetings from sunny, beautiful California. The photo above is driving down (steeply down!) Van Ness Street towards the San Francisco Bay.
This picture (below) was taken while hiking the fire roads of Mount Tamalpais, in Marin County. San Francisco is pictured in the far background. I am definitely "showing" now!
A view of Mt Tam, Angel Island (I think) and the SF bay. I hiked with my friend Liz, who pushed her two and four year old daughters in a double Bob Revolution jogging stroller. I want to get one of these (so easy to push!) and also have the occasion to use it for weekly hikes. Not so easy in NYC.
I spent an amazing few days in the Bay Area with some of my closest friends and their small children.
Oh, the longing to move back is strong. (If anyone has any advice about how to make a decision like this, I would LOVE to hear it. For now, I know I'm stuck (hmm, does the word "stuck" have any negative connotations for you? Me neither) until after the Lentil arrives. And since I don't go back to work until December, I feel confident I will be there and in my old (oops, current) job until the end of the school year. After that, we shall see.
My friend Mary has offered me the use of her Sausalito apartment and car while she and her husband and adorable baby summer on the east coast, so I am very much hoping to take her up on that the following summer, when Lentil (god willing) will be turning one. I figure that might be a good way to try it out without committing. After that, who knows.
What I do know is the incredible feeling of freedom and happiness, seeing the mountains and beach together, enjoying the warm and sunny weather, and especially, the joy of being on mountainside trails. Something about them just sets me free.
Now I am in Santa Barbara for a few days, after a spectacular drive down 101 yesterday (294 miles on that road, plus a bunch on 580) through farmland and mountains. I am staying with my friend Carrie and her parents (she has her own place, but it's too small for both of us so we are staying over here together) in their completely fabulous home. Carrie is a personal chef and while she was working this morning, her dad took me for a walk on the beach, a mere five minutes from the house. (We scooted down the hill in his Porsche... this plus the house makes me think it must be awfully nice to have money). It was breathtakingly beautiful. And once again left me wondering: why do I live in the northeast? I mean, Vermont is stunning, too.... in the summer. But California is beautiful all the time. And I used to live here. Living here would be a lot easier than, say, Colorado. How did I decide not to come back once graduate school was over???
Come back! I live in the East Bay and I LOVE the weather here! My family lives in Oregon, where I grew up, so I have experienced a lot worse. This is so nice and you can get outside SO much more. I would love to see your pics but they didn't come through for some reason (just little question marks in the middle). I have a Mac, I wonder if that's why?
ReplyDeletePhotos aren't showing up for me, either. I too have been thinking a move back to CA wouldn't be a bad thing. The thought of day-trips to the beach with the kids, just like when I was a kid, is soooo appealing. It's just so darned expensive! But the weather! The flowers! The produce! The ethnic and social diversity! Perhaps we'll both move back and can meet up with all our girls for beach trips! :-)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE northern California. But I am in NYC for my family and my job. I would kill to be able to bike the coast again (I biked from Seattle to San Fran a couple years ago.) Maybe when Elsie gets bigger...
ReplyDeleteAlso... I nominated you for the Versatile Blooger award so if you get a chance come over and check it out!
I live in one of the areas you visited and agree that the weather is great and the living is good. I am thinking of leaving though (we could trade..haha!) because of the expense and the fact that I want to own a home. I would have to look very carefully at the tradeoffs, but on a day like today, when I look out my window and see nothing but blue sky, sparkling water and spring flowers it's a no brainer to stay!
ReplyDeleteI have also nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. I didn't see that you were already nominated until I had posted my nominees. You are popular!
Try again with the photos... they weren't showing up earlier, but now they are. If not, I will fix them when I get home to NYC.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nominations!!!
Claire, I would love to hang out with you in the Bay Area! And as far as the cost of living... well, what's money for but to live in a place that you love, that makes you happy every day? But then, easy for me to say, I'm already used to living in an expensive place.
And yes, sunshine and flowers and sparkling water... what could be better???
Photos were updated!
ReplyDelete