Painting Done!

The painting in the house is all done! My projects, except for little updates here and there are complete.

I love having a bright and beautiful bathroom. It went from:



to this:








My bedroom was OK before, but I really hated the closet, and now it is a lovely blue and a tranquil place:







And my guest room is really working out. It was empty:



and now is filled with color and even has a guest futon:







The Great Room is also all decorated and bright:







It is so nice to have a cozy home, with tomatoes on my tomatoe plants and now a DOG to complete the household. Meet Summer, the 4-5 year old Aussie rescue (she was abandoned to the streets of Hollister) I brought home on Monday.

Yosemite and Summer

I had an adventure during Memorial Weekend!

Drive up to Yosemite

Friday night after work, I headed up to the Dublin Bart Station to meet Gabriella and Alexandra, two Swedish Nannies from the city. I was giving them a ride to the YSC Yosemite Trip.

We got up to Yosemite around 11PM and checked into our cabins at Curry Village. I was in Tent 61 with Petra, Mari, and Alice.



Saturday Hike and Snow

Saturday morning we got up too early (6AM!) and then met up with other YSCers for breakfast and hike planning. Because of the overcast weather, hiking Half Dome was out, so the group decided instead to do the North Dome hike to Yosemite Falls.

As we started out, we saw some of the beautiful valley.



We then headed up the side of the hill. It was a long hike up and it turns out I really do not like up, although it is fun to look down into the valley.



Eventually we made it up several thousand feet of elevation gain to a long flat part of the hike. We walked by a rushing river that was very full. Mari posed by one of them as it started to rain a bit.



As we continued the rain turned to snow, and then it just kept snowing. The group was ill prepared for snow, with some people even in shorts!







At this point, Arne (the guy in shorts) and I decided to head back down the mountain. After a mile or so of hiking and having the path covered by snow, we found our marker.



We then just went as fast as we could down the hill, stopping for some pictures.





Once we made it down, it was time for a hot shower and a restful afternoon. I don't think I was ready for 6 plus hours of hiking in the snow. I went to the lodge to read and relax. At the YSC happy hour, we found out that Petra and another guy got lost on the mountain and called 911 for a mountain rescue. Luckily, they were found by the recuse team and made it out safely. As Petra said the next morning, never listen to a guy when he says he knows the way.

Sunday Enjoying the Valley

After an exciting Saturday, all I wanted to do was relax on Sunday. I got up late and then went for a walk around the valley. We checked out all the cool moss covered rocks.



After lunch in the Ahwahnee I finally saw Yosemite Falls! The last time I was in Yosemite Valley I was young - probably 10ish and so much of the valley was new to me.





After an afternoon of reading, we headed out to the YSC BBQ. It was damp, but no longer raining and a lot of fun with accordion playing, wandering deer, s'mores and even a baby bear.



Monday Come Home and Pick up My New Dog

Monday morning came and it was time for leftovers for breakfast and a long drive out back. Gabriella and Alexandra cleaned their tent and then we headed to the car.



As we were leaving, we saw hints of blue sky and a few more waterfalls and scenic sights.



Then, once I made it home I went over to Fremont to the home of a dog rescue group and picked up Summer. Summer is a 4-5 year old Australian Shepard who was abandoned down in Hollister. She is now my dog. More pictures can be found here.



When I moved back to California I had four goals: get a home, get fit, learn my job and get a dog. With the completion of my house projects, two triathlons and a regatta to get me more fit, and getting more settled into my job, brining Summer home completed my goals. Hooray. Now I just need to come up with version 2.0 of goals.

Memorial weekend was a great long weekend to start off the summer! I am looking forward to all my future adventures.

Paint Colors

It is now time for me to pick paint colors. I put patches on the walls in the 2 bedrooms and the bathroom, to see what the colors looked like.






After looking at these for a few days, I decided on Polar Sky for my bedroom, Sherwood Green for the extra bedroom, and Costa Rica Blue for the bathroom.

I also finished putting plants out on my deck. It is now a really lovely reading place.

Arizona Sun and Fun

At the end of April, I headed out to Phoenix to meet up with Jessica Block for a weekend Adventure in Arizona.

Saturday: Canoing in the Verde Valley

Jess made some fresh squeezed orange juice and we headed off early to the Verde Valley. We were going to the Verde Valley Birding and Nature Festival where Jess was an instructor in a canoing class. I got to take the class.



The morning was spent learning canoing, which was great for me, since the last time I tried to canoe my boyfriend Kevin spent all the time paddling while I slept!



After a nice lunch, we headed down the Verde river. We did crash and flip the boat ( making for a wonderful dip in the cooling water) and run into a few trees and rocks.



Overall it was a wonderful day in a surprisingly lush location.

After the trip, we headed up to the Colorado Plateau and Sedona. I loved the Colorado Plateau on my drive cross country - all those great red mountains in Utah, so it was great to get to see them again here in Arizona. Once we arrived in Sedona, we watched the sunset over a quick dinner and then fell asleep. It had been a long day.

Sunday: Hiking the Vortexes in Sedona

Sunday was a morning to sleep in. We drove by and stopped at the Bell Rock Vortex.



Then we headed out to Boynton Canyon. Boynton Canyon is considered the most "electro-magnetic" and most powerful of the four vortexes in Sedona. We went on a 5 mile hike through the canyon.



Hydration is very important in Arizona!



Given the heat of Arizona, it was nice for much of the hike to be in the shade of trees, before hiking above them for a view of the canyons.



After the hike, we got some treats in downtown Sedona, before heading back to Phoenix and the airport. I had such a great time just relaxing and unwinding and enjoying the beauty of being outside.



It was a wonderful weekend and a good chance to me to reconnect with Jessica and the beauty of the Southwest.

Contractor Work is All Done!

Hooray, 3 weeks later and all of the work is done!

My bathtub area is sealed and the fixtures put in. I love having a nook to place things on. I even got to take my first bath!





My closet is also installed - the prune drying trays are so cool as the sliding doors. It is nice to have a personal touch in the room and also a closet that doesn't have an open gap. It was so odd when I bought the place that there was the opening all the way to the wall, but doors not covering the whole area.





On a non-contractor note, I finally sealed my cutting boards and hung them up in the kitchen. Just sealing them brought out the amazing color in the wood.



Now, I just need to figure out paint colors and get a painter for my rooms!