Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 7

This was one of the most memorable days of our honeymoon adventure. It all began with some nature videos:
First, a lurking morning visitor:



Nature video 2:
Conversation regarding Mike Vasich's recent discovery:
Me: What Would Carol Vasich Do?
Mike responds: What Would Milt Vasich Do?



"It's all about comfort...no regrets."



Man, what I would've done for a pair of wool socks. 3rd confrontation with poison oak that day. I was doomed. That said, Mike seemed to possess the greatest sense of doom as we hiked through private property due to getting completely lost. He claims that he was "trying to keep it real," but I think he really had this image of some crazy land owner from the boonies attacking us with a shotgun...I kept reminding him that we were in northern California...but he would hear none of it!



Lunch break, "a mile or two from our destination...only 20 minutes away..."



Hours later...



I did get poison oak.

Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 6

On Day 6, we decided to take a long hike out to the Point of Tomales Bay and the ocean. A day that started sunny and warm in the valley turned into a mighty fog along the coast. The highlight for Mike was definitely the Tule Elk. I wasn't as impressed. We also had our second run in with poison oak. The path went from very wide and paved to NO PATH...only brambles. My legs were not very happy. Mike sympathized.




Mike loved the Tule Elk:

Recap of Parent Weekends - Sept. and Oct.

The last weekend in September was spent in Cleveland Ohio visiting the McCarthy parents! It was a union of friends, family, and musicians! Orange Mighty Trio began their short fall tour in Cleveland with a gig at John Carroll University, an evening gig at Barking Spider (a very spiffy bar and music space in a converted carriage house), an impromptu show for the residents at Grandpa Len's assisted living home, and a house concert at the McCarthy's! With all this on the calendar, I couldn't resist making a quick trip to join in the fun.

Additional highlights of the weekend include a trip to West End Farmer's Market, a John Carroll football game, visiting with Grandpa Len and checking out boxes of his old photographs and letters, and running through the Shaker Heights neighborhoods! Here's a couple short vids:





The following weekend, back in Minneapolis, the Vasich parents made the trek to the cities! Saturday was apple picking, buying fall pumpkins and other goodies, walks through the woods, and dinner at Punch Pizza.




Sunday morning was an early one- I had the Medtronic 10 mile race at 7 am!


In good spirits thanks in part to a hot cup of coffee, Carol, Milt, and Mike came out to cheer and support me!




It ended up being perhaps my best race of the 2010 season- 8:08 pace average with a 1:21:09 finish. I couldn't have been happier. The morning was absolutely gorgeous- fog rising off of the Mississippi River and the sunlight beaming down on the runners as we cruised up Summit Ave. It was quite a treat to have the Vasich family out on the course! Mike is really quite an elite marathon fan, and now Carol and Milt know the ropes for future races!

Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 5

Saturday morning, Point Reyes Farmers Market.



This Farmers Market had quite the array of colorful vegetables and flowers, but the most impressive selections were the artisan breads, honey, and burrito booths. In this way, it reminded me of Minneapolis's Mill City Farmers Market. Mike and I ended up purchasing some bread from some local lady bakers.

Ice-creaming making!!! We found a recipe for salted caramel ice-cream in Cooking Light magazine on the airplane to San Francisco. Although Mike has always doubted desserts in "Cooking Light," I pointed out that the only difference here was the use of 2% instead of whole milk or heavy cream. Since it was the only ice cream recipe we had, we decided to give it a whirl:



(It was incredible).

And now, some commentary post trail running around Shell, Pebble, and Hearts Desire Beaches on Tomales Bay. Topics include vultures, small children, and melted spatulas:





Commentary from McClure's Beach on the Pacific:

Views from the coastal trail.

Honeymoon Series: Snippets from Day 2

The daily breakfast quandary- bovine or no bovine?



Solved.



Journey to Mt. Wittenberg:



View from (almost) the top:



Amazing Mountain Creature!



Results are in; Banana Slug is the infamous mascot of UC Santa Cruz.

Honeymoon Series: Snippets From Day 1

Breakfast at the Minneapolis Airport.





SFO!



Tour of "Almost Pi," Point Reyes, California

Honeymoon Sneak Peak

A small gadget appropriately named "Small Wonder" was a favorite wedding gift. We captured many memorable moments from our honeymoon in Point Reyes, California with the mini camcorder! We will share many of the clips here over the next few weeks. So, stay tuned!

Here's our trip crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Just Mike, Molly, and a car full of Trader Joe's groceries (and wine!).