half moon bay

mike and i took a fall drive out to half moon bay. loved driving past the huge pumpkin patches (pumpkins for a dollar!) and wine tasting rooms, and through the village. to get back home we drove back down the coast. we stopped in at a farmstand in a barn selling produce, baked goods, and pies. also in the farmstand was a young guy on a bicycle who was riding down the coast without a plan or destination. i guess some things about the california coast never change.

los gatos wine walk

long overdue, a post about the los gatos wine walk. i was very excited for the opportunity to try so many south bay wines all in one place. local wineries teamed up with los gatos retailers to offer wine tastings while you shop. we ventured off the beaten path to find sarah's vineyard, which was stationed in a lingerie boutique of all places. the representatives from the winery couldn't understand why they weren't getting more customers.

downhill winery lived up to its expectations with its earthy reds. downhill winery was stationed in los gatos gourmet, a lovely little shop with fresh cheeses, sandwiches, and a great wine selection. i'll definitely be back.

fleming jenkins was a new find. their tasting room is in a great building on west main street. their rose was my favorite, although everything i tried was yummy.

left bank

where: 377 santana row
date: sunday, september 5
time: 9:50 pm

san jose flea market

this one deserves a lot more photos than usual. mike and i biked to the san jose flea market a few weeks ago. it is the largest open air market in the country, with eight miles of aisles. i was very excited. i was about to participate in a 50-year tradition, and shop in a treasure trove that is visited by over four million people a year!

the san jose flea market does not live up to its reputation. i'd say about 90 percent of the merchandise is the same -- stand after stand of identical merchandise. the same padded underwear (what?), american flag paraphernalia (of course), and oddly-styled furniture (is that three types of fake suede? why yes, it is). that said, it was still an awesome experience. just in a different way than i expected...

sorry mom

my mom told me that she didn't want me riding a bike because she didn't want me to get hurt. i believe her exact words were that no mother wants their daughter riding a bike, and that for every person on a bike there's a worried mother. well, sorry mom. i've been riding a bike recently. but don't you worry one bit. mike says i'm an overly cautious biker. if yielding to a pregnant lady crossing the street is being overly cautious, then i guess i'm guilty.

thanks, becca, for the good deal on the bike. i apologize in advance if you get angry messages from my mom for enabling the cycling.

before:

after:

ZER01 art festival, downtown san jose

where: e. santa clara street & 4th street
date: thursday, september 16
time: 7:53 pm

summertime in connecticut, part two

PART 2
one of my favorite times of year to visit my parents is the summer (my other favorite times are spring, fall, and winter). the trees are green, the farmers market is open, the lake is sparkling, and dinner is enjoyed at the beach. visiting them in the summer really makes me appreciate the landscape in which i grew up. this summer, mom and dad borrowed kayaks from a family friend so i got to go on my first kayak ride. kayak ride? do you go on a kayak ride? maybe it was a kayak trip? we didn't really go far enough for it to constitute a trip, i don't think. anyway, it was delightful. i hadn't been on the lake since my days on the high school crew team and it was great to be back out on the water.