a no plans kind of day

morning walks along the beach

enjoying a moment

taking a break

a colossal breakfast burrito 

delicious

this is all I need

great books

Stinson Beach

what a sweet moment and then there is Marc

 father like son

braving the cold waters

lovely signs

a must stop

tastiness in a bottle and box

scenes from a small town

enjoying a cold beverage

Summer

vibrant colors

taking a stroll

an impromptu stop for some bubbly

and dessert wine

dinner time

Yum!

making pizzas

wood fired

ready

right from the oven

simple is always BEST

Fontina 

A No Plans Kind of Day!

"One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating.  And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends."

-Laurie Colwin

Curvy roads, crisp morning walks along Stinson Beach, a pit stop at Marin Sun Farms for sweet potato fries and raspberry soda accompanied by an impromptu stop at Point Reyes Vineyards ... this was a Saturday not to forget. Later, Marc and I enjoyed homemade wood fired pizza with our sweet friends and toasted to Summer with some bubbly and dessert wine. I love setting out on adventures with friends who are ok with having no plans because we always seem to end the day toasting to something grand!! Cheers to that! What are your favorite kind of days? Are you a planner or do you fly by the seat of your pants? 

ice cream season

rich dark chocolate and raspberry

all smiles

deciding 

a gelato adventure with a friend

gabbing about goodness

candied ginger and almond

Here!

three scoops of greatness

YUM!

What is it about ice cream

(gelato)

that can turn a bad day 

into

 a sunny day?

 Or,

 why does ice cream

(gelato)

 bring you right back to childhood?

 Summer is coming to an end

 but

 my ice cream consumption will not be ending

 ... 

HIP HIP to that!!

 Happy Monday SWEET PEAS!

 Bisous!

ALWAYS finish your Dessert

Yes Please!

amazed

dessert

the lady finger was pure perfection

digging in

what was left 

FINISH YOUR DESSERT!!

 This is a must in my family. 

Last week,

 Marc and I

went to one of our favorite restaurants

 ...

 CHOCOLATE

 in

 Santa Cruz.

 Not only do they have amazing entrees

 BUT

 their desserts are out of this world

 or

rather,

 their truffles are the size of tennis balls

 ... 

huge.

 Their truffles are AMAZING. 

We ordered a dark chocolate rose truffle

 and

 the combination of rose and dark chocolate

quite frankly,

 was pure perfection.

 I actually thought it tasted a bit fruity.

 The truffle was so good that I did not want to share.

 Marc had a Frida

 .... 

a Mexican mocha topped off with fresh whipped cream

 and

an incredible lady finger.

 What is it about dessert that brings you right back to childhood? 

Marc and I ate in silence

 ...

YES

 ... 

we did not say a peep

 ... 

the result of enjoying amazing desserts. 

So,

 please tell me

 where is your favorite place to get dessert

 or

 what is your favorite dessert? 

After all of my running, 

biking

 and 

swimming,

 do not worry I still love dessert

 ... 

it is a must!!!!

 Bisous!

make sure you always TRI

The Polka Dot Cap

my friends call me Line

Look at all the people

time for the bike

headed out

finishing with my tongue out

!

I was telling the guy in yellow to FINISH STRONG!

DONE!

This past Saturday

 I completed my TRIathlon!!!

The Details

...

 I had a small bowl of fresh oatmeal for breakfast

 drizzled with a small amount of brown sugar.

(this is my go to race day breakfast)

 The previous day,

 I stayed hydrated and drank water,

 water,

 and

 more water

 .... 

this is one of my fitness secrets.

STAY HYDRATED!

  When I got to my TRI

 I was a bit nervous

 and

 asked myself several times

...

WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?

 Standing on the beach,

  goggles in hand

 and

 looking over my shoulder at more than a 1,000 people

right then and there,

 I officially declared myself NUTS!!

 I was in the fourth wave for the swim

 and

 made sure to start in front.

 I swam most of my life

 so

 I felt GREAT about the swim. 

The water was warm,

 surprisingly clear

 and

 all in all amazing. 

Don't get me wrong,

 I did panic at one point

 after swallowing a ton of water

 but

 took deep breaths,

 defogged my goggles and kicked like a machine.

 Swimming in a lake is by far better than swimming in a pool. 

The bike was next and I cruised,

 admired the scenery

 and

 loved every minute of it.

 The bike route took us past vineyards

 and

 the weather could not have been better. 

When I got to the run my legs felt like jello.

 However,

 what saved me was my trusty old fuel belt.

 During the TRI everyone was so encouraging

 and 

the atmosphere was inspiring

...

 that I couldn't help but smile.

 When I crossed the finish line my spirits were high 

...

 there really isn't anything like finishing a TRI. 

I thought about how this past November

 I couldn't even run 2 miles without stopping.

And,

 I now know,

 that to enjoy life BALANCE is key. 

And for me,

like I said before

 ... 

I work hard to eat good food :) 

Thank you for all of your comments on my last post

 ...

all of you are so encouraging.

 Is there a a goal that you want to TRI? 

I would love to know.

I have a couple of tasty recipes to share with you this week 

and

 one little surprise for all of you!!

Happy Tuesday.

 Bisous!