I haven't spent time with my friend Kim (former NY roommate) in way too long, so we planned a hiking adventure for Saturday afternoon. I took the BART to her in Oakland, where she picked me up, and we headed to Volcanic Park. It was a scenic drive up the mountain, and the weather was incredible (much warmer than SF!). We picked up a map and started walking. Passed a sign that warned about different types of snakes, as well as what to do when you come upon them...and should you get bitten...so yes, it made me slightly anxious. And by slightly, I mean, "Hey Kim, so we should probably start walking and be sure to make LOTS of noise as we go." Luckily, there were a lot of other people around and several dogs as well. We found a quarry and with gorgeous views:
We continued on our way...only to realize that we had just completed and loop and were back in the parking lot! Oops! This time, we just picked a different trail and started heading up again. Found a water tank and volcanic debris (bedrock?)...and realized it was a dead end. Thus, we headed back down again and took the third and final trail option from the parking lot. A little while later, it got pretty steep, and we were excited for the views of San Francisco to be had...until we came to a fence. Maybe 20 feet below the crest. Back down we went!
This time, we went off-trail a bit and found a steep, windy road, a small lizard...and a baby snake. UGH. I grabbed Kim as it went into the grass and quickened my pace, assuming the mama wasn't too far behind (I don't know the answer to that...we didn't stick around to find out!) As we neared the top of this trail, we heard a whirring sound and realized that, yet again, this was a dead end, leading to a generator, radio tower, and private property. Hiking fail. However, we did get pictures as if we were able to see gorgeous San Francisco near sunset:
After seeing another baby snake on the hike down, it was time to go. That, and we also had big plans - a movie on the lawn of Washington Square Park (no, not flying back to NY - there's one in SF as well!) I got a shot of the light hitting the Bay over the city on our drive down:
Kim and I grabbed dinner in Oakland and wine for the movie, parked her car, and took the BART back to the city. The movie was "Midnight in Paris," which I had actually seen before and really liked, so I was excited to see it again in this setting. The picture below is blurry, but the screen was set up in the park with a massive crowd watching and concession stand off to the side. We met Kim's friend from college and my friend Joanne (her husband, James, and Adam were med-school roommates!), bundled up in layers, and enjoyed the show. A perfect ending to a fantastic day.
Sunday morning, I drove Adam to the hospital so that I could have the car on Sunday. He didn't have to be there until 7:45, so we even got to sleep in a bit! I then met Joanne again, this time for brunch in a different neighborhood--the Marina. It was nearly 80 degrees and beautiful, so I was happy to be near the water. After a yummy brunch, I went grocery shopping and spent the afternoon alternatively baking and grading. The result?
Granola for me and pumpkin loaves with cream cheese frosting for Adam and his co-residents. (Ok fine...we saved the big one for us and they took the 4 smaller ones!)
Adam finished up around 8, and I picked up him and we went to meet his co-resident, Siri, and her boyfriend, Nate, for dinner in the Mission. Though it was late and had been a long day for poor Adam, it was a very very fun dinner. We both connect to Siri and Nate and we are all experiencing similar effects of moving to a new city with a non-medical significant other. It was great to feel like we're not an anomaly here :)
Ok, so I haven't done this because I know Adam will probably freak out (or just say "Oh Alison"), but I have to brag about him for a second. This summer, he took a Spanish language test for when he works at SFGH (county hospital), and passed to become an official interpreter for patients! He has a certificate, and now that he's working at the General, he gets to use these skills. In addition, he was specifically invited to attend a talk by a visiting doctor last week, and while he says "it doesn't mean anything," I thought it was very exciting - he's a rockstar! He also enjoyed the talk and got a lot out of it, so he was clearly asked to attend for a reason. Finally, I got this in a text message today:
It just looks official and is pretty awesome. His first nameplate!!
Ok Adam, I'm done :)
We're looking forward to a low-key week in preparation for a BIG weekend - the Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park AND both of us have Monday off as well. 3 whole days here together for the very first time. We're brainstorming big plans for Monday!
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