(late) June Wrap Up

flower arrangements by Bloom That for Negroni Week

I like to have a recap of each month so that I don't just let it fly by without some reflection, or at least acknowledgment. Summer is flying by, though, and so much has been happening, and I can't believe it's July (wasn't it *just* MDW?).

June went by so fast because there was so much going on. It started off with Negroni Week, and a friend & I got to attend a special party thrown by Women & Whiskies. I hosted a couple events for my grad program (one bringing together alumni, and another for our incoming & current students interning in the Bay Area this summer). And I also attended batting practice with a couple friends before a Giants game, and we got to walk along the field before the game started!

pre-game!

For more nature-oriented activities, I went camping (for the first time!), up at Lassen. It was quickly followed by another camping trip at Marshall, part of the Point Reyes National Seashore. On the first trip we had a cabin that we drove up to, but for the second trip we kayaked to the beach and set up tents along the shore. Our tent was on a bed of clover and protected from the wind/mist under some pine trees. In the past couple months I've gotten a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and tent... basically I can go anywhere now.

camping @ Marshall, CA

Farewell to a fun June, and cheers to a great upcoming July!

Whiskies & Weekend Walks

This week I had the absolute pleasure of attending Whisk(e)y 101, hosted here in San Francisco by Women & Whiskies. More and more women are drinking whiskey (or 'whisky' if you're in Scotland, Japan, or another country without an "e" in its name, as I learned) and smart companies are taking notice. While I've attended tastings for Jameson and The Macallan, this event was the most educational/enjoyable for me by far. Hosting ~20 women in a fun, nicely decorated venue, with a Bi-Rite spread(!) shows the Women & Whiskies team knows what they're doing. For this class we had the chance to taste Scotch, Canadian, and American Whiskies... and now I definitely feel more knowledgeable about the different kinds. I already ordered a bottle of my favorite from the night. 

Also recently... The weather has been awesome and I've tried to be outside during my free time as much as possible. My legs were sore from this picturesque hike just north of the Golden Gate, and I've been checking out the architecture in North Beach and the Financial District. There is nothing I love more as a city-dweller than being a tourist in my own city and admiring everything it's made of:

The Sentinel Building in North Beach, in the shadow of the Transamerica Pyramid

The Shell Building (1929) reflected in the Crown Zellerbach Paper Company Building (1959)