Category: outdoors

Border Collies 2, Geese 0

Posted in aging, California, dog training, geese, golf course, humor, nature, outdoors, relationships, summerLeave a comment

She named you Tru. You are a member of the smartest dog breed on the planet, one that performs in sheepherding trials, one that needs to work every day because you are so intelligent. You are happy to get into a golf cart and ride around the Crow Canyon County Club golf course, looking for… Continue reading Border Collies 2, Geese 0

Interfacing with Nature

Posted in best, biking, California, dreams, hiking, humor, hunting, husband, memoir, nature, outdoors, relationships, survivalLeave a comment

I live in a town that backs up to a gorgeous mountain in the middle of an otherwise flat part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Bicyclists come from all over to climb the mountain and then get their joy ride on the way down the winding road. The hiking here is phenomenal, and the… Continue reading Interfacing with Nature

Don’t Let the Bugs Bug You

Posted in best, California, childhood, children, college, entomologist, entymology, flying, insects, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, nature, outdoors, relationships, science, scientist, Venezuela, worstLeave a comment

When my new science teacher announced on the first day of 7th grade that no one would get an A in his class if they didn’t make an insect collection, I was like, “NOOOOOOOO! I hate bugs!” My mother hated bugs. Her mother hated bugs. They hated mice, snakes, and dog poop, too. I walked… Continue reading Don’t Let the Bugs Bug You

Father’s Day Hike

Posted in boyfriend, California, Father's Day, hiking, humor, memoir, nature, outdoors, relationships, trees, turkey vultures, worst1 Comment

Several years ago on Father’s Day, my three kids went with to their dad’s for a bbq, and I went on a late-day hike with my (now ex) boyfriend. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t believe in rules and always thinks his way is the only way. We took a hike on the west… Continue reading Father’s Day Hike

If There’s Music in the Park

Posted in best, California, children, dancing, drinking, family, fruit, girlfriends, humor, Lafayette, memoir, music, nature, outdoors, relationships, singing, summer, vacationLeave a comment

We’ve waited all winter for this. It’s finally pay-off time. Every town in the Bay Area springs for a summer concert series in its town park, town square, or patch of grass. If a person is willing to drive, he/she can hear free outdoor concerts six nights a week for almost three months. We’ve waited… Continue reading If There’s Music in the Park

The Power of Nature

Posted in act of God, aging, best, California, car accident, care giver, caregiver, hiking, humor, memoir, nature, outdoors, trees, turtles1 Comment

Sun, trees, dirt, flowers — my nose is full of the smell of Eucalyptus leaves. I used to hike twice a month with my senior hiking group called DASH. Then my sis moved in with me so that I could be her care giver. My hiking days stopped except for once last summer when I… Continue reading The Power of Nature

The Classy Meet-up Dancing Bar

Posted in best, bouncer, California, dancing, friends, humor, memoir, music, outdoors, relationships, stilettos, waiter, worstLeave a comment

There’s an outdoor dancing venue behind an Italian restaurant in downtown Pleasanton, a city which sits near a major crossroads of two freeways, north/south 680 and east /west 580, a few dozen miles east of San Francisco. The people come from all over on Thursday nights from 6:00 to 10:00 in the summer for live… Continue reading The Classy Meet-up Dancing Bar