San Francisco, California

My trip to San Francisco 12 years ago does not compare to my most recent rendezvous in this fabulous city.  I went to visit my dear friends Genevieve and Kenlee and had an absolutely wonderful time.  It was a whirlwind of a weekend and well worth it.  

Friday when I landed Genevieve scooped me up from the airport and we went for drinks at the Lion Pub.  Be sure to take cash and order the Grapefruit Greyhound.  The fruit is freshly squeezed and the drinks are delicious.  

We had dinner at The Brixton.  Eat everything... it's all delicious.  Gen and I split crab cakes and macaroni and I had the chicken and beet salad for dinner.  Amazing.  

Saturday morning we woke up and went to the coast for the day.  If you've never gone to an oyster farm put it on your must do list.  Hog Island Oyster Farm is a true experience.  Reserve a picnic table, pack a bottle of wine, and spend a few hours shucking your own oysters and enjoying the view.  It's an absolutely beautiful place and a perfect way to spend the day.  

The other must do while in Northern California is take a trip to Sonoma.  I could spend weeks here but only had ten hours before I had to board my red eye back to the east coast.  Scribe Winery was by far my favorite of our stops.  It was rustic, earthy, and I absolutely loved the people that work there.  Our tasting was fabulous, not to mention all of the wines were spectacular.  I managed to limit myself to 6 bottles of vino and am anticipating their arrival at my front door any day now.  

We had brunch at The Fremont Diner.  Between the four of us we managed to consume deviled eggs, the Fremont burger, macaroni and cheese, Nashville chicken, crab chips, chili, and catfish.  Of course mimosas were necessary to wash it all down.   



We also made stops at Sebastiani and Domaine Carneros before my trip to Sonoma had to sadly come to an end.  

I had an amazing time and cannot wait for my next trip to San Francisco.  Thanks for a great weekend!  I'll be back soon San Fran.  xoxo

FloydFest (Floyd, VA)

I am now home from a four day music festival in the blue ridge mountains of Virginia.  FloydFest, cleverly located in Floyd, Virginia is directly off of the parkway and full of breathtaking views.  I borrowed this photo of the venue from the FloydFest website to give you a little idea of what I'm referring to.  

The weather was perfect... well, until the monsoon that happened upon us on Saturday.  Even the heavy rains and mud couldn't stop the music.      

Fortunately for us our camp neighbor had an extra tarp and we had three very capable men more than willing to rig up additional shelter... in the pouring rain, at any cost.  

While the girls... TOOK COVER!

Without the rain there wouldn't have been any trash bag skirts or trench coats

Let's get to the good stuff though.  The music was out of this world and I am now a huge fan of so many bands and highly recommend you look into them as well.  Promise me you'll at least download Jason Isbell music.  I am OBSESSED and you will be too or we can't be friends any more.

1- JASON ISBELL (do it, seriously)
2- Devil Makes Three
3- Megan Jean and the KFB
4- Field Report
5- Spirit Family Reunion
6- Brandi Carlile
7- Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros

You're welcome, ahead of time.

Camping for five days and live music throughout the night isn't everyone's cup of tea... who am I kidding, it's great and you should find a festival close to you too.  You won't regret it.  

Topsail Island, North Carolina

It's summertime which means travel, beach, travel, friends, travel, try new things.  I think you get the point.  It also means visit friends who live less than a football field away from the beach.  Ashley and I did just that this past weekend and had a blast visiting Meredith and AJ at Topsail.  

Our only requirement for the weekend was paddle boarding.  I've wanted to try this for a few years now and Meredith had the hookup.  My only piece of advice is listen to the professionals when they tell you the tide is low, the wind is crazy, and the current is fast.  We had no issues starting out but I'd be lying if I told you we did not need to be saved by two fishermen on a john boat who had to tow us to shore.  I'm quite positive I'd still be paddling if they didn't come by that day.  

double margaritas pre paddle boarding probably wasn't the greatest idea

proof

and we're up!

 We spent Saturday fishing and lounging on the Intracoastal Waterway with Mere, AJ, and their friends Eric, Stacy, and Stacy's mom Melanie.  Our count for the day: 3 sharks, 1 stingray, 1 crab.  I've got my eye on a flounder during our next outing.  Thanks again to Stacy and Eric for the invitation, we had a blast AND I CAUGHT A SHARK!

my catch of the day

all lines out

lucky to live in a beautiful state

by the end of the day I was Fifth Mate but definitely not Captain

great friends and hosts

Captain and First Mate

After a night on the town at the Tiki Bar and sitting up until 4am laughing and talking Sunday was spent sleeping on the beach.  This is the life. 

Mere and AJ... I'll be back.  It was the most wonderful beach weekend possible.