Unocchio goes to the beach

Going to the beach is always exciting... even if it is cold and foggy... who cares?
Now that's not to say I would jump in the ocean on a day like that but I did see others in the water. I did not hit the water.
There is something mystical about the fog hovering over the hills and mountains .... then on the beach side the waves are making the ocean music.... and then there is the smell of the salt air.... so what's not to like.... a visit to the ocean beach is a wonderful part of life.
Today the fog was a little cooler and hung around for a little longer but look over there in the north sky... it's blue...the fog is burning off so this afternoon will be sunny and warm... just right for the beachers.
This was only a part of my tour of the loop of West Marin County. What a great trip. There will be more for you on the blog in the coming days..... stay tuned.

Landing on the Hill Top

Finally landed in Lake

Port on the hill top. These are the views ... kinda a panoramic take. View from my cabin site

will be towards the West. Notice the vary old water tower. Nice breezes from up here .... we are sitting ... great sun rises and sunsets ..... walnut trees .... fig trees... wild turkeys roam on the property ... deer come to visit ... beautiful barn owls live here .... view of the second largest lake in CA .... seems good to me.

Foggy Day and more

On the West end of Santa Rosa there are farms and vineyards. It is situated just right for the ocean fog to roll in every morning (at least while I am here). It is cool and refreshing then burns off by noonish to present us with warm August days. Not really too hot right here, altho I hear not too many miles away it gets quite hot....... I'm going to investigate that in just a few hours. Warm days and cool nights always feel good.

This is still California so we are bound to see vineyards and here they are.

Farmers markets are everywhere these days and probably a good thing. Local produce picked ripe... sweet and delicious ... then there are the craft people. Sebastopol has a very interesting farmers market. I notice everywhere the food vendors at these markets serve different styles and tastes showing the local flavor.

The music at the market is always interesting. You never really know what you'll find. In this market there were music booths and there was a bandstand which provided a variety of groups throughout the day ... mostly jazz of sorts.

All this right down town Sebastopol.

You're thinking... if he was in school ... how did he get to the market .... soooo ... sneaking out of class, eh? Well, I did not sneak out of class. They gave us a generous lunch break so we walked over to the market which was only a couple blocks away. I had my lunch in a bag so I ate it quietly during the lectures.

I'll never stop studying and learning. I am thankful to the lovely people who teach and present the material. The people who teach and present the info are always such a joy which helps a lot when trying to cram in so much new info into 2 days of intensive learning... then there is the meeting of new friends .... all adding to a fuller and better life. Thanks again.

Keep on learning.

Sebastolpol in August & Someone's Art Works

Today a trip to Sebastopol California ... Gravenstein apple capital of California. They are delicious... tree ripened! Just had to get me a bag. I will be snacking on them for the next week.

Fine symbol of local craftsmanship. Lots of local artists........

Very interesting fire hydrant. Never saw one like that before .... no ... I did not have some urgent use for it.



Not every town has an organic bagel shop on main street..... but there it is!




Lots of colorful old buildings.

Just had to show you these ....... The local scrap iron sculpturer displays his work on highway 12. This is just a sample. There were many many others hanging out there.

You have a good day.

....

Making the way Northward

Life has many good things .... for an old geezer it is always a pleasure to be surrounded by beautiful women... heh heh



Here you see my beautiful daughter, Annie .... Who lives in the lovely Sonoma County area of California.

Living in the country is sooooo enjoyable. Spectacular views... warm days and cool nights.

Fresh veggies and wonderful backyard gardens

Finally the sun sets on another exciting day ..... can't wait for tomorrow to dawn

Traveling on

Hi ho.... hi ho
it's off to the Redwood Forest I go ..... and maybe to the coast to get away for a few days



But did I mention there was this little stop first ..... at Waikiki ....
The Waikiki Dentist
Wow... doesn't that sound great?!

Over the hill and down the road it's off to the house that Brad built ... Brad the Dentist, who designed and built his own house.

Then we motor over to the Waikiki Dentist office in Rosewille, with Doctor Hall. Dr. Smith and Holly the Hygenist. No one particularly likes going to visit the dentist, however, a trip to Waikiki is truely a very pleasant experience,




oK...ok...
so going to the dentist is not such a big deal ... they pick and scrape and dig and shoot all these ugly pictures on the monitor ...

Then they tell you of all the stuff they're going to do to you the next time you come in so that you have anziety, stres and turmoil for the next couple weeks anticipating the "slight discomfort" they suggest will be coming ... and translated they are saying
"this is going to hurt like hell" but we won't feel a thing ... ha ha

Unocchio & Baron hike the High Sierras

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gilmore Lake

Gilmore Lake in California is a backcountry lake in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, to the west of Lake Tahoe in the Desolation Wilderness. It can be reached by hiking west out of the Glen Alpine Springs trailhead near the town of South Lake Tahoe. This lake offers great fishing for Lake trout.

UV says, "Now that seems like a reasonable hike to me. "




Here is the view from the Glen Alpine Springs trail head.

The trail head is about 7000 ft .... we are headed up to Gilmore Lake which is about 8100 ft.

The first part of the hike is thru the forest of pines, aspen and junipers.

Baron packed the food and drinks ... the geezer packed the camera equipment .... the dog... well she didn't carry a thing this trip ... next time she gets to carry a dog back pack.

The trail was a steady upward climb for the 1000 ft. We were glad it wound it's way around the rocks and hills.

The ol geezer enjoys stopping in the shade a couple times on the way up.

Baron said "what is that 'Bugle Boy' shirt"

Bugle Boy was a brand popular in the 1980s founded by Dr. William Mow in 1977. It declared bankruptcy in 2001
However, that shirt in the picture was dragged out of the closet ... having been put there in the 80's. Some folks have clothes that have been around for quite some time. Hey... they're still good. Look at it... like new... comfortable... and it still works!

So who cares if no one even remembers "Bugle Boy"?

The biggest thrill for the dog was retrieving sticks from Gilmore lake. It seemed like there was no end to how many times she wanted to fetch that stick ... always bringing it back to Baron's feet so that he could toss it again.

The first thing we wanted to do after arriving at Gilmore was to sit on a log and sip some water. Arriving is such a relief.

Off in the distance you will see Suzie Lake ... at quite a lower altitude. This may be the destination of our next hike... stay tuned.

What a pieceful setting. There were few people here today. We met about a half dozen campers who had back-packed in and spent the night at Gilmore. A special permit is required for overnight camping.

Ol Geezer stands on the dam wondering why part of it has been broken out ... also contemplating his careful steps over that area to the center of the dam.

Happy to be here.

Baron stands on a rock dome ... the view was spectacular!

Time to head on home ... a long hike ahead and a much longer drive back to San Francisco.

Take a break ..... go jump in the lake ... or just go take a hike. :-)