August TCRS

This weekend brought the August TCRS on Coyote Ridge. That meant an early Sunday start for us so we could pick up a large cambrio of coffee, 4 dozen donuts and 2 dozen bagels for the runners.

Photo Pam Wendell

The course was magnificent! Described as "... entirely on fire road, approximately 5.5 miles, an out-and-back with gradual climbs and descents." it turned out to be closer to 6 miles, and to my out-of-shape legs, there was nothing gradual about the climb. The boys(including Jakub) ran beautifully (see Pam Wendells's photos).

Downsizing life...

This summer brought us 6 wks of vacation, a huge chunk of time to spend as we saw fit. We began by finishing up a few house projects: deck, chicken coop, painting, decluttering, basically simplifying.

Jakub with his coop. The wood is all from salvaged pallettes.

Once these projects were complete, we packed up the Prius and headed out on the road for a much needed camping, fishing, bumming trip.


Being back, in the comforts of our 1300 sqft house, I have been intrigued at how incredibly content we were travelling around in our little car with just a few essential items. It has prompted me to check out several "Tiny House" and "100 Thing Challenge" type websites. I don't imagine I'll be trucking out all of our belongings but I do feel supported in the general idea that the less you own, the more you have (time to play, space to think).

Check this out and let us know your thoughts.

Wild Horse Creek Ranch 2009

We are back at Wild Horse Creek Ranch for the annual Tamalpa gathering. For Jakub and I, so far from family, Tamalpa has become a bit of a stand-in , this being a kind of family reunion. Jakub reading over my shoulder said this would be a great place for a family reunion, I thought it might work for my parents diamond anniversary but given that is in October and it is likely nothing but snow here that time of year, I'll need to rethink my plans.

The crowd is gathering here in the living room as I type this and it is getting harder to concentrate so I will write more tomorrow with my morning coffee.

New York New York!

I'm writing this post from my hotel room in TriBeCa, on the southern end of SOHO. Though it is one of those botiquie hotels, the air sits in the room and hangs like a blanket; until the air-con kicks in and an ice breeze rolls over me that is. The subway rattles our room on occassion and I wonder if the other rooms of this **** place do the same.

New York is all I expected - vibrant, busy, noisy, energetic. It sucks you into its arms and you release yourself, as though she were a long anticipated lover. For me she is.

Our first day was spent exploring the area around the park and 5th ave. We rode the subway to Times Square, took a brisk walk to Central Park and then a gentle stroll, meandering through Finally popping out at the Museum of Natural History, which sucked us in for a few ours.

My new best friend, wine expert and foodie extodinaire,Jason Alexander, sent me an email that read more like a food review column of what's hot in New York. High up on the list was the restaurant at MOMA, where we looked forward to sipping one of Sommelier Belinda Changs selections. Unfortuntely our gentle stroll saw us arrive 5 minutes after the kitchen closed, with the entire museum being closed on Tuesday. We got creative about food, ate something that was just alright and decided we would satisfy our craving for something great at Del Posto, in the Meet Packing district, at night.

We stumbled over FIKA, a great little coffee shop that makes a cappuccino to die for and, while Peter headed to the hotel for a siesta, I made my way to Strand Books where I spent the rest of the afternoon.

With only a few hours sleep last night, I am afraid I will need to finish this post later. I'll give you my rave review of Del Posto and try to find a card reader to upload some shots.

Bike Heaven? Well my heaven at least....

Jakub and I have been checking out the new New York Times Reader - yes heaven would have NPR and the New York Times, but that is not the point of my post. While reading the Times on a MacBook Pro this morning we came across an article covering a town near Freiburg, Germany that can only be described as heaven.

Soccer moms and commuting executives here, the article says, have given up their cars! Yes, the whole town is car free. California is trying to get a similar suburb off the ground in Quarry Village, Oakland.

Insects and other obsessions

I have adored insects for as long as I can remember, and, unlike many of my passions which tend to fade, my love of insects seems to only deepen. Insects offer endless hours of enjoyment - they are beautiful, bountiful and beneficial. Just check out these recent sightings in our yard (okay I did not take these pictures, Jakub is our resident photographer and he was not about so these are courtesy of Kathy Keatley Garvey, author of Bug Squad, a very cool UC Davis blog).

Ladybug with aphid on her back.

Soldier beetle eating aphids.

These beneficial insects feast on aphids, keeping our garden plants healthy. In recent years people have taken to releasing high concentrations of these beneficials in their yards - putting them to work so to speak. I recently read another human use of insects, though this one is on the darker side - insect warfare. In "The Scary Caterpillar", not to be confused with the sweet children's book, "The Hungry Caterpillar", Jeffrey A. Lockwood, explores historic use of insects in warfare. It is a gruesome yet fascinating account and one that has prompted me to locate Lockwoods book "Six Legged soldiers: Using Insects as Weapons of War."

After reading either Bug Squad or "The Scary Caterpillar" I'm sure you'll agree that insects are amazing!

Blogging , a worthwile habit

I've realized that blogging can become a habit. I started a blog for our office, well technically I kick-started it as it was already set-up but no-one had starting posting. There are now three of us that regularly contribute and I think I enjoy reading the other two writers posts as much as I enjoy blogging.

It has also inspired me to do a little more posting here at plichta.org so keep your eyes out for some tidbits from our daily grind. Speaking of which, I am off to Peet's to grab a cup of Jo.