Girls Night Out

Joanne and I went to a wine tasting downtown Modesto. It's a neat little wine shop Russell and I found on one of our outings. A winery from Napa Valley was represented and as always had some very tasty wines. I didn't buy any because it was 70.00 a bottle.....at that rate I would have to make it last several months...and well....we all know that is not going to happen so I just enjoyed the tasting and will go back to my poor mans wine tomorrow. We did however meet the owner of the shop. He also owns the adjacent restaurant and one other one up the street. He turned us on to several up and coming activities in the area that we are looking forward to and will post if we get to do them. And it is never a bad thing to know someone that owns a wine store!!!! After the tasting we went to Osaki Sushi to eat dinner...The absolute best ever...I have been there so much the waitress even knew what I ordered last....ha Then back to the apartment for a little swimming. A perfect end to another of I hope many girls night out!!

The drive to the park

It was about a 1 1/2 drive from Fresno to the park. As you start to climb into the mountains there are incredible views of the valley below. Here are pictures of an orange grove we passed. I don't know if you can see the big fan type things sticking up but they are to cool the oranges down in the 100+ degree weather.

Just more pictures of scenery

Hume Lake

We finally arrived at Hume Lake after a most picturesque drive. I hope you appreciate the pictures. Russell had me climbing up hills to get "the perfect picture". The ones of the mountain and the valley I even climbed down the side of a hill out onto a huge rock and had the most incredible view you could imagine. He did yell down the hill and ask where my phone was so he could call Tiffany if needed!!haha What a considerate guy!!

The View heading down to Hume Lake

Hume lake is in Kings Canyon National Forest. The drive to it was breath taking. We were up 6000 feet at some points in the drive and you can still see the snow on the mountains.

The Giant Sequoia Trees

In this picture you can get a better idea of how large these trees are by the normal size trees beside it. Note that the trees are large but looked dwarfed by the giant.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

On Saturday afternoon June 19 I headed south to Fresno. Saturday night I met some of Russ's friends and we had a very nice dinner at a place called the Cracked Pepper. Wonderful food, wine and company. On Sunday morning we headed to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We decided not to go to Yosemite yet because of road construction. Sequoia National Park is the home of the world's largest living tree, The General Sherman Tree. These trees are really magnificent and the pictures do not do them justice...

Here's to new friends

JoAnn is another traveler I met at work. We went out to dinner tonight and to a movie. Really enjoyed each others company... The movie Get me to the Greek...funny and I think we were the oldest people in the theater!

I spend alot of time at the gym provided by the apartment complex and I finally took time to enjoy the pool today. Good place to relax and read a book after a good workout!! I bought some of the sketcher shape-ups so I will let you know if they really work!!! It's the first ones made that you can jog in so I have been running in them and also wearing them to work...will let you know if my rear becomes high and tight again....if so I am buying stock girls!!!!!

Tag

So I finally got my tag for my car. I don't think it needs any explanation but if anyone is a little slow you can ask for help!!!

San Francisco

We parked the car and headed out to China town. Very interesting area...and as I window shopped I wondered...does anybody really buy this stuff? When you view the pictures keep in mind that we done all the site seeing in San Francisco on foot. I am sure we walked 5 miles if not more. Some of the hills were almost straight up which made it even more of a challenge. I hope you enjoy the pictures although I know that don't show really how breath taking this city can be.

The walk up to Coit Tower

It has been quite a journey to get to this tower. I'm sure it will be worth it!!

Coit Tower

We hiked up to Coit Tower. This was bequeathed to the city by one of the wealthy socialites of the town. The tower was built as an icon to San Francisco's skyline. It sits atop Telegraph Hill which overlooks San Francisco Bay. There are beautiful views everywhere you look. In the third picture the fog was covering the Golden Gate Bridge so that you could only see the very top.

The Wharf at Pier 39

After many miles of walking we have finally made it to the Wharf. This area is a buzz of activity. We found a nice place to eat lunch...of course out side. It had a wonderful view of the bay and plus a great place to watch the sea lions play.

Ghirardelli Square

After our lunch we wondered down the Wharf and found ourselves at Ghirardelli Square. Of course we had to go in and enjoy some chocolate.....and they give away free samples......yum yum

Also the other pics are the view from outside the store. Looking down toward the bay and across the street at one of the many beautiful buildings the city is known for.

Just enjoying the views

The Golden Gate Bridge

Now the Golden Gate Bridge. We were able to enjoy some magnificent views of the bridge because the weather was so clear. There was no fog covering the bridge at this time and not a cloud in the sky. We couldn't have ordered a better day.

Sausalito

We ended our day at Sausalito which is across the Golden Gate Bridge. The view was spectacular looking back on the city. This little area is very quaint with a lot of shops and restaurants. It is world renowned for its Mediterranean flair and breathtaking views and I can easily see why. I hope the pictures depict some of the beauty we experienced. All pictures are the view we had while enjoying a delicious dinner.