Another year of adventures

In the 4 years I've had this blog(!), 2012 was clearly my most dismal for keeping up with things. TWO posts?! One about the narwhal?? Pathetic. It isn't for lack of things to write about. But it's been a whirlwind, and I have no idea where all the time is gone. It's been a different sort of year. I've had the same address ALL YEAR. It is also the first time in a long time I've gone a whole year without using my passport. I did get it renewed though- 10 years, 17 countries, and 50 stamps later :) But local adventures abound, and I wanted to share the highlights and hit the ground running for 2013!

12. Zip lining in the Redwoods of Northern California. You don't have to go to an exotic location to have an adventure! I spent the New Years with some of my favorite people in the quirky town of Guerneville on the Russian River and we zipped around the canopy of some of the tallest trees in the world! (At least, Redwoods are. These were still plenty substantial). Though it was cold and foggy most of the day, the sun came out, the setting was spectacular, and our guides from Sonoma Canopy Tours were top notch!

11. Harry Potter Marathon. We thought watching the first 3 movies was impressive in 1 night... but then we watched the final 5 in a non-stop, projected on the wall, home made pasties, butter beer, thai food filled day in my friend's living room. It was epic, and we will pretend that the dvd didn't skip during the final scene of the final movie where Harry finally defeats Voldemort... 

10. Snow tubing. A bunch of friends from UCLA bought a groupon type deal for snow tubing at Mt. Baldy, pretty much the closest snow to LA. It was an awesome day to feel like a kid again, snowball fights and all.

9. Pig-nic. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I agreed to pick up some equipment from my friend and colleague who was going to be at a picnic for her guinea pig fostering group. A pig-nic is more strange and wonderful than anything I had ever imagined.

8. Camera Obscura. My parents came to visit and we took a wander down at Santa Monica beach. I thought I remembered seeing a sign on a building about a camera obscura. This is an old school pinhole type camera on a large scale. The building has a tower with mirrors and a board that the image is projected onto. There is a wheel to turn the "camera" around a 360 degree view. It is an oddity, with the entrance through a senior center, and really felt like a hidden gem in the city.

7. Peddle Boating in San Francisco. It was one of those perfect, spontaneous days of being a tourist in your own city. Lunch at Outerlands (an excellent Outer Sunset "hipster casual" restaurant) was followed by a day in Golden Gate Park (partially inspired by my inept navigation and getting totally turned around in it). We rented a peddle boat on Stowe Lake, stopped to visit the herd of bison, saw the cherry trees in bloom, and fell in love with the city again.