Walking among the Ents

One day when we were in California, we headed up north, crossed the gorgeous bridge

and traveled a lovely, windy portion of highway 1 to end up at Muir Woods

Many of you may recognize this as featured in the recent summer blockbuster Planet of the Apes.
Yes, we did indeed stand on the same bridge that James Franco stood on. omg.
Anyways, it was one of my favorite days of the trip, and of course my pictures don't even begin to do any justice to the beauty and the grandeur of these amazing redwoods.But as always, that didn't stop me from trying:

After a 1-2 mile hike (seemed like 10 miles to my pregnant self) up a big hill (up and up and up Mt. Everest to my pregnant self), we were rewarded with some amazing views. Yes, my first time to Northern Cali, and I was impressed with it. For sure.

A lovely morning in Fog City

We recently arrived home from a wonderful trip to California. We spent the first half of our stay in northern Cali near the bay area. We spent Saturday exploring San Francisco, and started off the morning at Pier 1 taking in the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the Ferry Building Farmer's Market. This morning was one of the highlights of my trip, which is why it's the subject of my first Cali trip blog entry.
I love everything about farmer's markets, from the beautiful fresh flower arrangements

to the free samples of luscious fruits and veggies, and the plethora of unique locally grown organic produce. I've been to many farmer's markets in the midwest, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen these for sale (and I got to taste one for the first time too!)

I was delighted by these lovely fresh salad blends, which the merchant would frequently replenish with a new sprinkling of nastirtium and other edible flowers - what a unique and beautiful touch!

In the midst of browsing the many vendors' products (which my manly husband and brother just loved), we sacrificed a half-hour of our time to wait in line for a cup of fresh-brewed coffee here:

My goodness, was it ever worth the wait! An interestingly attired barrista (who just looked like she belonged in the Fog City) took our orders and prepared each cup which was individually brewed on the spot (hence the long wait in line)

I do believe I have never had a better mocha latte in my life. And check out the beautiful swirl-leaf pattern in the foam

Wow - that cup of coffee paired with a scrumptious brownie..mmm...perhaps THE highlight of my trip. My compatriots agreed I think...

As we continued to walk along the pier, we came across many local fisherman

and crab catchers (I'm guessing there is a more accurate name for them), one of whom was kind enough to show us his catches of the morning

and let my brother hold one (possibly a highlight of his trip?)(my brother, not the crab catcher)

And we got a nice view of the city and a great group shot from the pier

Indeed, what a lovely morning in Fog City it was