Happy Friday everyone! I hope you are ready for a great weekend! After days and days of stormy, rainy, cold weather here in the Bay Area the skies cleared out the last couple of days and we had glorious sunshine 🌞. Sunny skies were beckoning me to get outside and do something nature oriented – that’s why when my friend Padmini asked if I wanted to join her on a hike on the Sierra Azul trail off Hicks Road in the Santa Cruz Mountains I didn’t think twice – I just said YES! Continue reading Sierra Azul Hiking Trail. Mount Umunhum Area. Santa Cruz Mountains, California
Category Archives: Off the Beaten Path
Peanuts!
I absolutely love, love, love Peanuts! Not the peanuts, but the cartoon strip Peanuts by Charles Schultz. The one with Charlie Brown, and Lucy, Lionel, Snoopy, and the gang. I don’t know what it is about this cartoon strip that has me smiling even thinking about it 😊😊. Maybe it’s the simple story lines that convey meaningful messages or maybe it’s because the stories are just that – simple life lessons conveyed humorously through the trials and tribulation of a bunch of young kids in their daily lives with their friends. Or maybe I like Peanuts because the comic brings a sense of nostalgia when kids played outside and worried more about which friend to invite to their birthday party, or what games to play. Continue reading Peanuts!
Grape Juice Tasting in Anderson Valley. Mendocino County, California
Anderson Valley Wine Trail is an undiscovered area of the massive California’s wine country that is our family’s all-time favorite wine trail. I say undiscovered because where else in California can one go for wine tasting where the only other customers are another couple? At Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. What makes Anderson Valley so special is that it is a treat for the entire family – kids and adults. Continue reading Grape Juice Tasting in Anderson Valley. Mendocino County, California
Persimmon Picking in Silicon Valley
Last week I went persimmon picking with my friend Basanthi and my daughter Rani to a persimmon farm right here in the middle of Silicon Valley. Seriously, when I say this farm is smack in the middle of Silicon Valley, it really is! This persimmon farm has been here long before Silicon Valley got formed and tech companies started building all around the farm. Today it is the only farm in the middle of hundreds of tech companies right off Hwy 880 and Montague Expwy – which is a funny sight to see! I only know about this farm because for years my friend Basanthi has been dropping off the most luscious, crunchy, sweet giant Fuyu persimmons from this farm. Continue reading Persimmon Picking in Silicon Valley
Granville Island, Vancouver. British Columbia, Canada
Granville Island was an artisanal find in Vancouver. We found out about this creative place from our friends John and Lorraine and their kids Meghan and Mathew with whom we had dinner the night before while vacationing in Vancouver this summer. We were talking and casually asked them where we could find artisanal shops, local goods and farmer’s market type of street or area to roam around in and unanimously got the answer Granville Island! It was obvious this was the place to go for our craving for artisanal faire. The girls and I were excited. We love anything farmer’s market oriented, handmade, and local. Granville Island is a gem of place in Vancouver! Continue reading Granville Island, Vancouver. British Columbia, Canada
Roses Costes on 239 Rue Saint-Honoré. Paris, France
My daughter Sri and I discovered the most charming florist during our recent visit to Paris this summer. We would walk past this florist every evening on our way to dinner. The tiny florist was breathtakingly beautiful. All they carried were roses. Roses in glorious rich colors. Since we always seemed to walk past the florist late at night on our way to dinner, the shop was always closed. But that didn’t stop me from taking these sensational photos. Continue reading Roses Costes on 239 Rue Saint-Honoré. Paris, France
The Allure of Paris. A Walking Tour of Cafes, Patisseries, Boutiques, and Chocolatiers
For so many years I’ve heard Paris described as the most romantic city in the world. Cafes on every corner, patisseries to please us, boutiques that excite us, and art to delight us. I have to say this is the first time I truly understood the allure of the city. I think it’s because this is the first time we really explored Paris and the art museums in a leisurely manner. Our plan to cover one museum a day and leave the rest of the afternoon open to explore was the perfect itinerary. It gave us an opportunity to take a break from sightseeing and capture the essence of Paris. To truly appreciate the charm that is Paris, one has to walk. How else can one stumble upon the talked about cafes, patisseries, chocolatiers and boutiques? Continue reading The Allure of Paris. A Walking Tour of Cafes, Patisseries, Boutiques, and Chocolatiers
Yoga, Art, Paris. A Mother Daughter Parisian Holiday 💐
Bonjour! J’espère que tu as passé un bon weekend. Hello everybody! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and a relaxing 4th of July week. I had an amazing 4th of July week. My daughter Sri and I spent it in beautiful Paris! A one week holiday in Paris to see beautiful art and practice yoga. Does this sound too good to be true?
Continue reading Yoga, Art, Paris. A Mother Daughter Parisian Holiday 💐
Postcards from Italy
The twins Anjali and Rani returned home from a school trip to Italy last week. It was so good to have them home 🤗. I asked the kids if they were happy to be back, and I got a shrug of the shoulders – “yeah” and a sigh. I guess I would sigh too if I had to come back home from a fabulous vacation with my friends in Italy, and then start my summer job the next day 😒. On this fun Italy trip the kids visited Naples, Florence, Bologna, and Rome. Here is a look at some of the highlights from the twin’s memorable holiday in Italy. Continue reading Postcards from Italy
April in Austin
You’ve heard of April in Paris. How about April in Austin? April in Austin is one spectacular experience. Austin, Texas – the capitol of Texas, home of UT Austin (University of Texas at Austin), the tech center of the South, part of Texas Hill Country, wildflowers everywhere, perfect spring like temperatures, warm friendly people, great food, awesome music, and beautiful scenery, Austin is one gorgeous city in April. Continue reading April in Austin
