Life on Pine

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bbq & biking

Kate ParrishComment


saturday we were pleasantly reminded that austin does indeed get hot. real hot. i imagine when summer rolls around we will not be so willingly hoping on our bikes – so let's start taking advantage while we still can.

our day started with a stop at mellow johnny's for espresso and a quick brake fix {mine were broken and you, um, kind of need those.} this place is really awesome. afterwards we biked to the east side where we had lunch at micklethwaits. the bbq scene here is getting pretty crazy {wake up at 6 am to get in line type crazy}, so we were grateful to find a killer place that was comfortably crowded. to digest we wandered the neighborhood and found a few vintage shops we now love – olive and sam hill.

^^ we slowly made our way to zilker park via the hike and bike trail, and spent the rest of our day playing frescobol, throwing the football, and making friends with other people's doggies. we can't commit to our own quite yet.

^^ one of the goodies we picked up at sam hill –incense that make your house smell like the middle of muir woods. i could sniff this all day long in a non-creepy way. 

big sur, carmel and the esalen institute

Kate ParrishComment

saturday morning we woke up slightly in pain from halloween to my alarm reminding me it was time to try and reserve a spot at the hot springs that night. 50 minutes and 97 busy signals / re-dials later, we were booked. the things we do ?? carmel + big sur are two of the most beautiful places in the bay area, and we really don't take advantage of them enough. that being said, we booked two nights at one of the coziest airbnb's and dedicated our weekend to hard core relaxy time. personally, i was most excited for the springs mentioned above. they are only open to the public (20 people per night) between the hours of 1 am and 3am. super exclusive and special, obviously.  
 

for dinner we made late reservations at big sur bakery and loved it so much we went back the following day. the food was delicious and the atmosphere made me feel like i was in switzerland. after stuffing ourselves with mussles and pecan PIE {fall i love you so much please never leave me!!} we downed a few espressos and made way to the esalen institute for our middle of the night adventure. 
 

^^ no cameras {or clothing :) } were allowed down at the springs, so this is the only photo i have. imagine this in pure darkness with shooting stars above. probably one of the coolest things i've done and  i highly recommend to anyone looking for a really really really' awesome night. 
 

 

elk & oysters

Kate ParrishComment


as lovely to finally have c + e out to visit {especially after their recent engagement!} we spent our friday night catching up at the biergarten wrapped in blankets {sf summer might be gone for good? sigh...} and later had dinner around the corner at the oh-so-cozy bar jules. a mellow night to start of a great weekend.

 

saturday was spent at some of our favorite sf spots – fraiche for breakfast, hiking with the tule elk, lunch at hog island oyster/cowgirl creamery, and mvbw on the way home. 
 

and finally – a night out in the mission. we had gin and tonics at home before dinner at hog & rocks and drinks at homestead + southern pacific. a perfect way to spend a saturday! 
 

healdsburg & geyserville

Kate ParrishComment

this weekend we took a little staycation before things get kinda crazy in our worlds. saturday was pretty much perfect – we've been dying to go to healdsburg for.ev.er, and by 11am we were already up north and buckled into a little pick-up truck heading towards the russian river. we spent our afternoon canoeing, drinking my favorite beer, swimming, and admiring the insane scenery. i would recommend everyone do this asap if you're in the bay area.
 

afterwards we made our way back to our home for the night which was part of this crazy complex {all available rentals in complex included in that link} that is really just too hard to explain. an egyptian themed pool party with exotic birds, if you can imagine? after pool time we cleaned up and went to dinner at campo finathis spot couldn't have been better – outdoor seating, awesome food and cocktails, delicious dessert, and bocce ball.