On Retreat.

I'll be on retreat for the next week in the San Ynez Mountains above Santa Barbara at White Lotus Foundation.  It's one of my favorite places on the planet, and I'm excited to go and recharge.  Sit in hot tubs, do yoga, eat delicious food, go on hikes, and return clearer.  I'm sure this will be a highlight of my year, and I'm just delighted to return to a place that's had a huge impact in my life over the last couple of years.

Heading to New York.

I'm heading to New York this weekend!  Dan and I are always excited to visit New York, and we especially love to visit together.  We'll be visiting with friends and seeing all of our favorite spots.  Plus, I get to see my sister!  Hurrah!  

 

I'm really looking forward to this trip and getting to do all of my favorite New York things.  See you next week, or something.

Porcupine.

Dan gave me a print of this photograph for my birthday last year, and I, being the lazy bum I am, just got around to framing it.  It's so cute, and I love looking at it first thing when I get out of bed.  How can this not make you cheerful?

It's by Sharon Montrose, and I love her whole series of animal prints.
(That's just the image, I haven't gotten around to taking pictures of all my artwork hung on the wall yet.)

Glen Canyon Park.

I had never really explored the neighborhood of Glen Park in San Francisco.  So my sweetie and I decided to have a mini-date to go on a mini-hike through Glen Park Canyon.  After almost ten (10!) years of living here, it was high time that A. I explored someplace new, and B. that I made it to this little canyon, full of people and dogs.  It's set back, close to public transit (BART) in a cute neighborhood filled with beautiful homes, adorable shops, and loads of dogs.  Walking, new things, each other and some cute pups: perfect combination for a little date.

 

   

Afterward, we strolled through the neighborhood and stopped in a cute cheese shop to pick up some necessities (Gruyere swiss and Nutella for crepes tomorrow morning).  We even have plans to go back for a dinner date sometime.  Great discovery!

20 x 200

I'm on a bit of a decorating kick right now-- not sure why.  Probably something to do with the new year.  So, due to my need for art and nesting, I just got my first print from 20x200.  Prospect Park in the snow.  It's so pretty, right?  And really, only 20 bucks!  I put it in a frame I already had, so with shipping it was less than $25.  Awesome!  I can't wait to hang it on our bedroom wall.

The Sledding Hill By Joseph O. Holmes.

This has me really excited for my trip to New York in April.

New Phone.

Big news in my life!  New phone!  It's a Droid 2, and I couldn't be happier about the decision to take the Android plunge.  My blackberry was downright awful, and am over-the-moon for my new phone.  It's so pretty!  And has all these fun apps!  And a touchscreen!  I love her.  More than I should love any piece of technology (or want to for that matter).  I took all my Joshua Tree photos with the cool Polandroid app.

Joshua Tree.

My sweetie and I went to Joshua Tree National Park for New Year's camping with a passel of friends.  It was very beautiful and very cold.  Campfires, hiking, outdoor cooking, wandering around in the desert.  And hanging out in the hot tubs in Desert Hot Springs.  Fun!

 

Joshua Tree, Self-Portrait

 

Rocks, My Handsome Man

 

Desert/ sky/ the entirety of creation (or what feels like it.)

 

Hiking in a Joshua Tree desert; Me at camp with my friend, Scott

 

More beauty.  Really, the landscape is just unique.

Polaroid.

Dan, my partner, gave this to my a couple of months after we started dating, in my Valentine’s Day card (2008).  It’s one of my most prized and treasured mementos.  Every time I look at it, it catches my heart.  He is so the cutest.

(Taken at the SFNLG office.  Learn about the work the San Francisco Chapter of the National Lawyers' Guild does here.)