The only proper substitute for a bike ride....the beach.

Saturday dawned and the rain seemed to decide to hold off for a bit. We had the girls for the whole weekend ( which never happens) so we did the only thing that made sense....we planned a huge meal we could all make together and piled in the car and head to the beach.

The weather at the beach was the kind that I love most, where its all foggy and gray, no sign of wind and its suprisingly warm!

It wasn't long before socks coats and layers were abandoned by a landmark log and running and jumping in the waves became the activity of choice...

Naturally no trip to the beach would be perfect without a stop at wildflower bakery....

Even Opal left her preteen doldrums and cracked a smile...

On the menu for dinner: Ham and Cheese Puff Pastry (sorry for the sideways pic my computer is not cooperating.)

Meatloaf, Mash Potatoes, and Brussell Sprouts ( can you believe I had never made meatloaf?)

And Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie....I think we burned thru like 3 or 4 sticks of butter last night making dinner. It kinda makes me a little gaggy when I think about it but then again maybe thats why everything tasted so good!

This morning its pouring rain again so my plan to go burn off some of those calories via bycicle are pretty much foiled. Coming up on two months now since I've worked a decent ride in. Just my commute back and forth from sebastopol with Violet. Driving out to the beach reminded me how much I love riding my bike there and how different everything looks when you are not inside a car. I need to set a goal for myself...every chance I get grab the bike and go for it. Even if its just for an hour. There has to be a worthy hill around here somewhere....