The clouds of SF

I've continued to lament the lack of breathtaking beaches and mountains in my bike rides since returning from Hawaii. There is nothing quite so satisfying as sharing not only that I biked some longer-than-expected mileage, but that I also saw an oceanscape that would make most postcards jealous. After moping about this for some time, however, someone wiser than I suggested that most people consider Northern California to be quite beautiful in its own right, and that I might be selling the Bay Area a little bit short. Since that conversation, I've gone on some pretty spectacular rides - through the Marin Headlands, around Twin Peaks, up and down in the Presidio, just to name a few - and must begrudgingly acknowledge that San Francisco is quite a lovely place to ride. Lately, in particular, I've been noticing that while the fog is not generally considered beautiful, it seems to sometimes lead to lovely clouds. Some examples below.

 Over Sausalito

 From the lookout in the Presidio

 On Ocean Beach

 From Twin Peaks

At the corner of Gough and Eddy

As old as the redwoods, and other weekend escapades

Many of you will know that I had a birthday on Friday. It was not a major milestone birthday, but it did happen to fall during a clinical block where I, wait for it, did not have any cases scheduled so had a secret day off. Yes, it's true, I lounged around the house eating french toast and watching television in the morning, and then went on a bike ride in the afternoon. It was phenomenal. In honor of becoming old(er?), I opted to bike up to some redwood trees on Friday. I ended up riding up to the young ones near Muir Woods because I had it in my mind that I would bike 33 miles round trip, and the older trees were too far away.

 I stood in the middle and contemplated briefly that, in the scheme of things, I'm not so very old. 

 Later in the day I also got carded when I ordered a beer, so then I really felt not so very old.

Later in the weekend I also biked up into the headlands. My lower body is sore today, but I'm feeling good that I biked >90 miles last week!

Gratuitous cat photos

For everyone in my life who strongly wishes to see updates about the cats, with apologies to those who don't. These are from the past week, in which I have been on a very light rotation with sufficient time to take photos of the cats while doing laundry, reading research methods, and otherwise engaging in non-residency life. 

 Laundry day means blankets on the floor!

This needs no explanation. Left to right: Aleks, Eli