gas

The other day, I saw this image on a friend's Facebook page.  I've been thinking about it ever since.  While I didn't pay too much attention to gas prices when I had a car, I mean I had to get gas so what did it matter what it cost, I was surprised to see that prices were so low, so recently.  (I also realize this is anti-Obama propaganda.)

Maybe it's just me, but I tend to believe that it's a good thing that gas prices have sky rocketed.  True, I wanted to vomit when I saw how much we were spending on gas on our recent trip to Downiville, but won't high gas prices encourage people to use other forms of transportation?

Like this:

This:

And better yet, this:

I know that here, in San Francisco, public transportation ridership is at an all time high.  This must be related to inflated gas prices.  So, again, I ask, why is this such a bad thing?  I also know that not everyone lives where it is so easy to rely on alternative modes of transportation, but maybe the cost of gas will cause people to be more thoughtful about when and where they drive, and more efficient in their errands.  

I also know that higher gas prices means higher prices for goods and foods.  But, isn't this a price I'm willing to pay?  Wouldn't I rather have higher prices for gas, food, and goods in order to ensure that we are caring for our planet and striving to clean-up our environment for future generations.  Isn't a healthy home the ultimate goal?  

When all other arguments fail, just think of the polar bears.

ottoman update

Life on a budget, means design on a budget.  I love my creature comforts.  Having a cozy and comfortable home is important to me.  Having my personality shine through is also important to me.  Spending little money on accomplishing this can be tricky without making our home look like a page from an Ikea catalog.  

The story of the ottoman begins before Ryan and I even met.  He was shopping up a new dresser on Craigslist.  When picking up his new-to-him furniture, the former owners threw in this little wooden ottoman for free.  

When we were merging our belongings the piece didn't quite fit with my living room vision.  We did, however, need a footstool, and I wasn't really interested in spending money on acquiring one.  It's easier to see the potential in something for your home when faced with a tight budget.  I decided to give this sad little ottoman a makeover.  

I made a trip to our neighborhood hardware store, Cliff's Variety.  Side note, this is the most amazing store in San Francisco.  I could spend hours here.  It's not just a hardware store, it's an everything store.  Possibly the only place in the city where you could restock your toolbox while simultaneously purchasing a new metallic wig and hot pink feather boa.  It's amazing.  

What I needed: sandpaper, shiny black paint, paintbrush, and a drop cloth.  I got the essentials, then walked the three blocks home.

Step 1: Queue up The Tudors

Step 2: Lay out materials

Step 3:  Get to sanding off the ugly light wood finish.  Ideally I would have done my sanding outside, but hey, I live in an apartment in the city, I don't really have that luxury.  

Step 4: Paint it black

Step 5: Reassemble and admire your work

While I was satisfied with the new finish, I really was not satisfied with the stripy pillow case seat cover.  I immediately headed to Crate and Barrel, and looked through their dish cloth selection.  I found this super cute little pear number.  The colors match the rest of our living room, and the pears offer a bit of quirkiness.  

All in all, quite happy with my makeover.  

Ottoman: free

Drop cloth: $1

Sand paper: $2

Black paint: $10

Dish cloth: $5.95

Total: $18.95

downieville: most charming mountain town

It was time to insert some winter weather into our lives, so we grabbed some friends, packed up their car, and made our way to Downieville, CA.  

Downiville may be the cutest town I have ever been to.  It has saloons, not bars.  The hardware guys will flash you a toothless, and genuine, smile.  One family owns both tiny grocery stores and the only restaurant open in the winter.  This place is s-m-a-l-l.  

Ryan is basically our in house travel planner.  He picked our destination and handled the lodging with a few tips from the Weekend Sherpa.  We stayed at the Lure Resort.  A cluster of cozy cabins right on the river.  There's nothing rustic about these cabins.  Gas fireplace, kitchen complete with microwave and dishes, clean towels and bedding.  We definitely weren't roughing it this weekend.

Downieville, is known for it's summer activities and is a big mountian biking town.  The population is 282, but in the summer it can get up to 2,300.  Turns out if you go to Downieville in the winter you'll be the only one there.  You're hard pressed to find much of anything open.  This, however, did not stop us from having an awesome time.

They had gotten quite a bit of snow recently, and there is a small snowmobiling community in the area, so there are plenty of hiking trails where snowshoes are not necessary, although having snowshoes would have given us way more options.  

Our first day we hiked past the Wild Plum Camp Ground.  It was so picturesque.  Hugging the river, and with peeks of peaks (ha!).  It was blisteringly cold, but once we got moving, it was comfortable.  

This reminded me of freecabinporn.com

With a hike checked off our list, it was time for some football.  We might be escaping phones and computers by heading to the mountains, but come on, it's football playoffs.  Fortunately, we found a saloon on the drive back to our cabin that was having a 49ers/Packers playoff party replete with Jell-O shots and free wings.  Could we ask for more?

The next day we hiked up to a frozen alpine lake.  This was along a snowmobiling path.  Hiking in the snow without snowshoes is like trying to run on sand.  It's hard work, but the effort was well worth it.  I mean, can you think of a more beautiful spot to make a snow angel?

Downieville is a must do.  The drive is a bit far for just a normal weekend.  Next time I think I will hold out for a three day weekend.  Definitely want to come back and explore in the summer. 

foothills on foot

Winter break is winding down.  To take advantage of my few remaining days before work commences, Ryan and I went for a hike in the East Bay using Transit and Trails.  

We left our apartment at 8:30am, grabbed some bagels at Posh, and hopped on public transit.  Muni to BART and 50 minutes later, we were in the quaint hamlet of Walnut Creek.

Walnut Creek offers a free shuttle that winds it's way through the downtown area.  We took this to the far end and shaved about a mile off the front end of our hike.  We walked through a few residential streets until arriving at the trail head at Howe Homestead Park.  

Howe Homestead P-Patch

Howe Homestead P-Patch

We continued on up through the foothills of Mt. Diablo.  The hills are so green this time of year, and the fog added a mystical storybook quality.  Such a picturesque part of the Bay Area.

Knobby oak trees

Whistling Les Mis and reading maps

After 13.6 miles of trail meandering, it started to drizzle.  We headed back into Walnut Creek to watch the Packer's Game in round one of the playoffs at the Stadium Pub.  

The foothills are well worth the 50 minute transit ride, the Walnut Creek bar scene is not.  If we were to do over, I would nix dinner in the Creek and head straight back to San Francisco.  

Posh Bagels: $12.26

Muni for two: $8 round trip

BART for two: $19.40 round trip

Stadium Pub dinner: $29.06

Total: $68.72 for two

tourist club

It's a new year, and with it brings new goals and resolutions.  Why not, make getting outside a priority this year?

Although we don't have a car, that doesn't stop us from getting outside and enjoying all the Bay Area has to offer.  With the help of Transit and Trails, a website and app that Ryan helped develop, we planned a trip to Marin.  I know I'm a bit biased, but this is such a great site that connects users to open spaces using public transit and ride sharing programs.

We kicked off our trip by taking Muni to the Ferry Building.  While we waited for our ferry to Sausalito, we hit up the Saturday Farmer's Market for some trail snacks.  My favorite stand is the flavored almonds.  So delicious and such a variety of tastes, but definitely a splurge.  One bag of almonds is $10.

Orange flavored almonds

 

Even though I take the ferry to work daily, it never gets old.  It offers a different perspective on the city, and a chance to spot some aquatic wildlife.  This particular day was quite foggy and cold in the city and on the bay, but sunshine and warmer temperatures awaited us in Marin.  

Sausalito Ferry

The plan was to take the Marin Stagecoach into the headlands for a hike.  We had some time to kill before the bus left, so we ducked in to the Sausalito Visitor's Center.  It's a small building adjacent to the ferry terminal, but such a treat.  There was a lot of great information, old photographs, and artifacts.  

After the visitor's center, we hopped on the stagecoach and, 20 minutes later, we were in the headlands.  We hiked down an old fire road through redwood trees and down into Muir Woods.  Muir Woods is such an asset, but dealing with parking and crowds can be brutal.  Taking Transit and Trails, and hiking in, allowed us to miss out on the stress of Muir Woods, and we just able to enjoy the scenery.  

At this point, we were hungry and ready for a post-hike beer.  We headed back up the hill and over to the Tourist Club.  This is a great spot to grab a beer, play a board game, and hang with friends, all while sitting outside and enjoying a breathtaking view of the redwoods.  We paired our beers with our flavored almonds and farmer's market carrots.

Post beer break, Ryan and I hiked back to Mill Valley to catch our return bus via the Dipsea Trail.  It's a series of staircases and pathways through the steep neighborhoods. 

Although one of our more costly Transit and Trails trips (thanks to the beers), this hike had it all.  A bit of urban flavor at the ferry building, a taste of state parks at Muir woods, a lively bar atmosphere at the Tourist Club, and the storybook majesty of the famous Dipsea Trail. 

Muni for two: $8 round trip

Trail snacks: $15

Ferry for two: $9 one way (with a clipper card)

Stagecoach for two: $4

Beers: $10
Return bus for 2: $5

Total:  $51 for two