I’ve been neglecting my new-found past-time activity of blogging on chicken nugget toe because I have found another distraction: YELP! If you are on Yelp, add me. Be my virtual friend. I’m not a huge foodie and I think that’s because all food is pretty much delicious to me unless it’s awful. Which means it’s probably really horrendous. I blame this on my inability to distinguish smells all that well. Basil on the other hand has the nose of a bloodhound. He can tell if someone has had coffee in the morning by the scent of their urine. And he likes to tease and ask me if I’ve had a stressful day after sniffing my head. So romantic I know.

Despite Basil’s back issues and Esther’s hip pains and sleepless night (thanks to Emma), we managed to make it to the top of Carlon Falls during our Yosemite Trip (#2) two weekends ago! I usually get a little bored while hiking but this particular trail is so beautiful – entirely encased in trees and follows the South Fork Tuolumne RIver. It’s a pretty easy hike (4.5 miles round-trip) with only one spot near the finish that gets a bit steep. There is a fork in the road near the end – make sure to follow the path going up or else you’ll end up bouldering like we did the first time.

Yosemite Trip #2 starts tomorrow and I’ve been put in charge of one of the dinner meals. Normally Basil does the cooking in this household but he pulled a muscle in his back on Wednesday and has been a bit out of commission since. I’m hoping he’ll heal well enough for us to still make it on this trip and maybe possibly hike to Carlon Falls. Is that asking too much? We’ll see.

Tony came by my desk yesterday with a little present (thanks Tony!) in honor of my recent lunch adventures.

Saturday night I slept 16 hours recovering from our afternoon at the fabulous extravaganza that is the annual Sunset Magazine’s Celebration Weekend Event at their headquarters in Menlo Park. Sunset Magazine is a favorite of ours “showcasing the region’s unique lifestyle and noteworthy destinations, inspiring people to achieve the dream of living in the West.” Bottom line is that they feature places and adventures that we can actually see ourselves taking without breaking the bank!

Recently finished my 3rd painting (water-soluble oils), a gift for my friend D. Dennis.

On a semi-related note, we went hiking yesterday on Memorial Day at Rancho San Antonio and hiked the Wildcat Loop Trail (3 miles) which was perfect as we had 2 kids in tow. The start of the hike brings you past Deer Hollow Farm where we saw goats, sheep and pigs – no cow or chickens this time, perhaps taking the day off like the rest of us.

Earlier this week (Monday – Wednesday), we Shen’s and the Lee’s headed out to Yosemite for a little camping adventure.

Sitting at the dining room table looking out onto our little garden made me pretty happy today so I felt like sharing. I guess it’s really Basil’s garden – I’ve got a bit of a black thumb and my only contribution is to pick off the lemons or eat a blueberry or two.

Ordered paella for lunch today and looked forward to sitting out in the sun with some work buddies. I was happily chatting and chomping away until I noticed something very peculiar about my meal. Are those maggots I see? They were just hanging out near the sausage and the mussels, and nowhere else. Pushing the thought away, I took one more bite but as the idea settled in more I felt all of a sudden both nauseous and itchy. To be sure and to get validation I shoved my plate toward my lunch buds and yep, they agreed it had to be MAGGOTS. A few dry heaves and a glass of water later, I was ready to get my money back.

After discovering that I had 4 1/2 weeks of vacation saved up and was no longer accruing additional time off, Basil and I decided to cash in our Napa Wine Train gift certificate (thank you Lisa and Harry!) and headed up to Napa last Friday. We stuffed our faces first at one of our go-to local eateries and then started the drive up north. Dinner train reservations were set for 6:30 and we had no plans except to drive aimlessly and see where the day would take us.