Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

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I love fall! I love everything apple cider, pumpkin and when the leaves change color. To celebrate my favorite season, Alex and I took advantage of the Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival. This festival has been around since 1971 and has grown significantly since that time. The town of Half Moon Bay is absolutely charming and they really go all out for this once-a-year event. There are tons of craft booths, food stalls, and different stages set up with live music and entertainment. Everything is set up along Main Street and goes for several blocks.

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Big Sur State Park & Carmel-by-the-Sea

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Last week Alex and I took a trip a few hours south to visit Big Sur State Park. We drove Highway One down pretty much the entire way and did not regret the extra time it added to our road trip. Hwy 1 runs along most of the the Pacific Coastline and was one of the most beautiful drives we’ve done. We had the most perfect weather and made multiple stops along the way.

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Stanford University & Silicon Valley

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Two weekends ago, Alex and I drove down to Stanford University to explore the campus and the surrounding area. I’ve mentioned it before, but I always enjoy touring around other colleges and seeing how their campus’s are set up. The Stanford University campus is beautiful and very spread out! They even have an art museum and church on site! One of my favorite parts of the campus was going to the top of the Hoover Tower. From the observation platform, you can see a 360-degree view. As it was a clear and sunny day, we were able to see the city of San Francisco WAY out in the distance! Alex printed off this self-guided tour map and it was helpful in finding our way around.

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Golden Gate Park

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Earlier this week, Alex and I visited Golden Gate Park where we spent the afternoon exploring. The park is huge - expanding over 1,000 acres. Golden Gate Park is the fifth most visited city park in the United States and is larger than Central Park in New York City! You could easily spend several days sightseeing around this place!

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Haight-Ashbury

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We have been living in San Francisco now for a little over two months and have really enjoyed re-exploring the city. Alex and I headed out to the neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury over the weekend where we wandered along the streets for a couple of hours. The neighborhood is known as the birthplace of 1960s counterculture and the “Summer of Love”. Today, the area still holds a hippie vibe with lots of bright street art, tie-dye, and psychedelic signs.

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Peach Pie

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One of my favorite fruits are peaches and I truly believe there’s nothing better than eating a sweet peach on a hot summer day! As much as I love to bake, I have never tried to make a pie. Homemade pie crust has always scared me, and I prefer to bake things like cookies, cakes and brownies. However, with peaches in full swing at the farmer’s market a couple weeks ago, I decided to take a shot at my first homemade pie crust and bake a peach pie. I used this recipe for the crust and this recipe for the pie filling.

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Sunday in Sonoma

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This past weekend, Alex’s sister Megan, was in town for a visit and it was great having her out for a few days. Summer in San Francisco is typically gray and gloomy, but we have turned a corner and are now approaching Indian Summer here in the city. It was a gorgeous weekend and we could not have asked for more beautiful weather.

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Bread & Butter Pickles

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In an effort to pickle anything and everything I come across, I once again used a  recipe from this book and made two jars of Bread & Butter Pickles.  Thankfully, I was able to find "pickling cucumbers" at my local grocery store.  Pickling cucumbers have a thicker skin, helping to keep their crispness once prepared.  I think these will be good to throw on hamburgers or eat as is.  There is a lot of sugar in them, so I'll reserve these for a special treat! 

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Angel Island

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Last weekend, Alex and I took the ferry to Angel Island, the largest island in the San Francisco Bay.  Angel Island has a deep history and is known as the "Ellis Island of the West".  The Immigration Station on the island was built in order to process an anticipated flood of European immigrants entering the United States during World War I; however, the facility instead served as a detention center for approximately 175,000 Chinese immigrants who came to America between 1910 and 1940.  These immigrants were held on the island for weeks, months, and even years while awaiting approval on their applications.  In contrast, immigrants passing through Ellis Island were processed within hours or days.  While walking around, you can still see buildings and outposts from this time.  

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A Day Spent Being a Tourist

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Wherever we travel, visit, or live, there are always a few touristy things on our list we need to check off.  Places are touristy for a reason and I try not to automatically discount them as "gimmicky" (although, there will always be some which are! I'm looking at you Madam Tussauds!).  A couple of weekends ago, Alex and I spent our Saturday walking around Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman's Wharf and the Ferry Building Marketplace.  It is always nice playing "tourist" for a day and it was fun re-exploring some of the most visited places in San Francisco.

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Spicy Dill Pickled Vegetables

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I love a good pickled vegetable - pretty much in any form!  From cucumber to okra to radish to carrot.  If there are pickled vegetables nearby, there's a good chance I'm eating them.  This is the second time I have pickled vegetables myself and used a recipe from this book.  I usually eat them with a meat and cheese plate or on sandwiches, but they are delicious just on their own as well.  

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I ❤️ New York

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I love New York.  We lived in Manhattan for seven years and have so many wonderful memories and amazing friends who continue to live there.  I still can't believe we left over four years ago!  Each time we go back, I always have a list of favorite places and I constantly struggle with balancing visiting our "old haunts" and taking the time to explore new ones.  Alex and I have gotten better about trying at least one new restaurant while in the city and then re-visiting all of our old favorites.  

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Sometimes things just do not go as planned...

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We had originally planned to spend Saturday doing "touristy" things in San Francisco - Ghirardelli Square, walking along the Embarcadero, and the Ferry Building.  But after waking up at 6:00am (we are naturally early risers and even more so now that Alex works on East Coast time), we decided to head out to Muir Woods and do a nice, long hike.  We both have been missing traveling and thought a beautiful hike through the woods would do us well. 

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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Since moving back to the States, I have been itching to get back into baking!  Currently we are living in an Airbnb, so I am without all my baking equipment.  Luckily, the Airbnb host does have a few baking staples including: mixing bowls, spatulas, and oven mitts.  I did have to purchase a few items in order to continue my love of baking, especially since my beloved stand mixer is in storage!  For the time being, I ordered a hand mixer from Bed, Bath and Beyond and am doing it old school!  I also purchased a large baking sheet, measuring cups/spoons and some parchment paper. 

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Lands End Trail

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We have officially been in San Francisco almost two weeks now and are enjoying re-exploring this area!  The weather has been pretty great the last couple of weeks (surprisingly!) with clouds in the morning, sun in the afternoon, and clouds rolling in again during the evening.  I remember when we lived here ten years ago, we did not see the sun for almost two weeks after we moved in July!  As I type this, I'm looking out our bay windows and there is not a cloud in the sky!  What a difference a decade makes! 

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Australia & New Zealand Favorite Memories & Highlights

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Over the past six months, Alex and I have been able to see, explore, taste and experience so many beautiful and amazing things while traveling around Australia and New Zealand.  During the last few weeks of our trip, we started reminiscing and looking through pictures which led to a discussion of our favorite memories and highlights.  Below is a compilation of our favorite memories and experiences we shared during this time.  

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Homemade Granola

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I'm still getting used to our new kitchen and wanted an easier recipe to begin with.  After some thought, I decided to whip up a batch of homemade granola.  My mom always has homemade granola in her pantry at home and I love having it for breakfast when I'm in Omaha.  I used this recipe and was pleasantly surprised with the end result!  I did overcook it a bit, so in the future I would not let it sit in the oven as long (it turns golden pretty quickly!), but the taste was the perfect combination of crunchiness, nuttiness and sweetness.  I can see myself making this again many times in the future! 

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Goodbye Australia

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We have officially left Australia and are back on the homeland!  It has been an amazing adventure and I feel so fortunate to have been able to see so many places over the past year.  Australia has always held a special place in my heart ever since I studied abroad there 14 years ago.  And, after this trip, I have even more appreciation for the beauty and kindness of this wonderful country.  

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Daintree Rainforest

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Alex and I arrived in the Daintree Rainforest on Tuesday after leaving Cairns.  On the way, we made a few stops at a couple of the smaller resort towns including Palm Cove and Port Douglas.  Palm Cove is a beautiful little beach town about twenty minutes from Cairns.  We each picked up a smoothie for breakfast and spent the morning walking along the ocean.  It was a peaceful way to start the day.

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Cairns

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Alex and I arrived in Cairns on Saturday afternoon.  Cairns is our second-to-last stop in Australia before heading back to the homeland!  When I studied abroad 14 years ago, my parents came to visit over my Spring Break and we spent a few days in Cairns.  I honestly can say I did not recognize much of the town and it felt like I was exploring it for the first time all these years later.  

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