The Ghost of Halloween Past

Yup, it's that time again - Halloween! I normally LOVE any chance to dress up but I just wasn't feeling it this year. So since I need to come up with something by tomorrow, I thought I would post some of my previous costumes for inspiration.

Alice & The Madhatter

Gangsta & Flapper

President of the Tooth Fairy Union {I had business cards too}

The Beastie Boys from the Sabotage music video

Robots

Superheros on strike for better health care

Also, tonight will be a super special bike ride - Halloween Critical Mass! This is the ride that takes place on the last Friday of every month. Bikers ban together and take over the roads, riding wherever we please. And since it's Halloween, you can expect even more costumes, naked people, and pimped out bikes than normal. I'll post pictures in a couple days, don't you worry.

Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

Sometimes...

Sometimes I go to the art store for thread and buy something that I completely absolutely do not need because it's just way too fun.And sometimes I stop wondering if I can climb the cat tree and just do it.And sometimes I go to staff meetings and indulge in a halloween red velvet cupcake even though everyone around me is getting sick.

"Sometimes" can be such fun times!

Sunday Swing & Hiking

On Sunday Dannon and I rode our bikes over to Lindy in the Park, the free swing dancing party every Sunday in Golden Gate Park. Hooray for free fun!Then we took our friend Kelvin up to the Redwood Forest in the Oakland hills for some hiking.On our way home we stopped at the Mormon Temple to enjoy the amazing view. The Oakland skyline is right in front, then the bay, then the San Francisco skyline is behind that, all with the fog rolling in. Beautiful!

{Click on the pic for a better view.}

And why is the speed limit around the temple 9 1/2 mph?...???

Yup, it was a pretty full weekend of adventuring. Hope you all had great weekends too!

Saturday Bike Ride & Fall Festival

Saturday afternoon Dannon and I met up with some friends to be a part of the Global Day of Climate Action bike ride. There were 350 of us who took over the streets and rode the current shoreline, and where the shoreline will be in 20 years if we keep going the way we are. Part of the demonstration was to promote better forms of transit - riding a bike is way healthier for our bodies and the planet. Woo hoo! And the other part of the ride was to raise awareness that if we can't change our polluting ways all of us in the coastal cities will soon be riding our bikes under water. Which is why we all rode in various underwater themed outfits.

Like this guy who had floaties:
I tangled myself in seaweed {which I cut from fabric... real seaweed is super slimy}
Dannon fashioned a snorkel out of straws and tied driftwood to his bike.
Most people had bathing suits and snorkels, and there were bikes with speakers playing fun music, and this girl in pink had a bubble-maker on her bike!
We also rode past the filming of the tv show Trauma. I've stumbled on that tv set a couple times now and it gets me every time. What?! A horrible accident with a car on fire?! Oh no!... wait... nope... they're fine, they're actors.
It was a great experience which helped me feel more comfortable riding my bike in different parts of the city.

Later that night Dannon and I went to the Berkeley Fall Festival. It was a good ole fashioned appalachian time! Dannon played fiddle with the band and I ran into some long lost friends from college.

And see that guy playing banjo below? I've known him since I was a kid and he is pretty much the most creative person I know. He's close friends and backup musician for Sufjan Stevens, and he has his own band, Half-handed Cloud. He'll be playing on Halloween night over at the Purple House in Berkeley if anyone lives in the area.

Happy Friday!

So far the plans for weekend adventures include:

* Friday Night Bread & Jam {supper and music with friends}
* The Underwater Bike Ride {to raise awareness about climate change}
* The Berkeley Fall Festival
* Football Watching {go Colts!}

But we'll see what really happens. It's always exciting to make plans and then see what life decides to do with them.
Hope you all live life to the fullest this weekend in whatever you do!

Drool...

I LOVE these paintings by Matte Stephens! And I especially LOVE the clever titles!

Alfred was obviously underdressed for his induction into the Adventurers Hall of Fame

The Abernathy family was happy yet a little surprised that Humbert the rare red sweater wearing elephant was out for viewing
Lillian playing with an abstract thought

Charles Eames as a log

Lord Admiral Hiratio Byrd following his true dream became a florist after the great war

Treasure Island Music Festival Bar-B-Q!

Sunday was the big event and it was more wonderful than I could have imagined!

Here was the view of the stage from Dannon's backyard:

We could hear everything perfectly from our bar-b-q-ing {don't you love the fire pit Dannon built?!}:
It was just a short walk over to the edge of the island where we had a perfect view of the stage! *
Here's a shot of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros:
And here's Beirut:
If we got tired of looking at the stage, we could turn around and enjoy the view of the city {and some sea lions playing off the coast}: *
We also got to see another gorgeous sunset over the golden gate bridge just before The Decemberists came on {and yes, they performed their entire rock opera - The Hazards of Love. It was awesome!}

The best part of the day was all of our run-ins with the musicians. A bunch of the bands took group photos right by Dannon's backyard. Also, Dannon's backyard, and the coast where we hung out, were all a part of the backstage area, so musicians were constantly walking past us. We got to say hi to Edward Sharp and Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of The Flaming Lips!
It was such an awesome day full of fun music for free, yummy food, and great time with friends! *
* These pictures were taken by my talented friend John. Thanks John!

Lands End!

We had such a great weekend! The Treasure Island Music Festival was a blast, but more on that later. Saturday night Dannon and I roamed around Lands End - the very northwest part of the city. It's such a lovely spot with bluffs overlooking the ocean, old bath ruins, tall monterey cypress trees, and a beautiful hidden stone beach.

The best part was watching the sunset over the ocean.

We even had the perfect sunset soundtrack by David, a mandolin player with whom we made friends.
It was magical!

Treasure Island Music Festival!

It's that time again - when they set up a giant stage in Dannon's backyard and bring in a bunch of awesome bands! So this Sunday Dannon and I are having an all day tailgating, bar-b-q party. The lineup on Sunday includes The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, and Beirut! And in preparation I've put together a little mix tape of my favorite songs from the bands we'll be seeing:
1. The Rake's Song, The Decemberists
2. Elephant Gun, Beirut
3. Two Weeks, Grizzly Bear
4. 40 Day Dream, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
5. She Don't Use Jelly, The Flaming Lips

I can't wait! Hope everyone else has a great weekend!

Reason #146 Why I Love Living in San Francisco

San Francisco is full of homeless people. Most of them just sit and beg tourists for money, but a few get creative. Like this guy who taught his animals to live in harmony. He trained a rat, cat and dog to all hang out together, and on top of each other! Tourists pay a dollar or two to take a picture. He even has a website... Amazing and innovative!