Marina Park, Emeryville, CA

Marina Park in Emeryville offers wonderful views of the San Francisco Bay and Bridge to the west as well as the Berkeley and Oakland hills to the east. There's a parking lot where you can park for free for up to four hours, picnic areas, restrooms, and a marina full of boats. It can be a bit windy and chilly because of its location right on the bay waters, but the views make up for that. I suppose the sunsets from this spot would be spectacular  - unless the fog rolls in first! I took a walk along the foot path and found these scenes to photograph...

Next time you want to get out of the house and enjoy some fresh air at one of the Bay Area's many fine urban parks, head on over to this one, but don't forget a sweater.

Bucks Lake, CA

Once again I was fortunate enough to be invited back to my friend's beautiful cabin on Bucks Lake in Plumas County. As is usual for the month of August, the weather was fabulous and the temperatures warm and dry. Unfortunately, there was a large forest fire raging just one canyon away, but thankfully the flames and smoke never made their way over into Bucks Lake territory. What's there to do at a remote cabin? We mostly just relaxed and whiled away the hours on the massive deck which overlooks the calm lake waters; we did force ourselves out of our lounge chairs occasionally to do some kayaking, swimming, hiking, and exploring - oh yeah - and drinking at the local tavern. That's what a mini vacation is all about, right!?

Sunrise on Bucks Lake...

It's hard to see, but there's the cabin behind all those trees...

 Early morning light warming up the deck...

 The shoreline and beach near the cabin...

  Shadows and light interacting...

 The lovely view from the deck...

 By the beach...

 Ahhh! What a view!

Kayaking around the lake is a popular past time...

Hiking around the lake is fun too...

The general store nearby...

 It has everything you might need...

  Except a working telephone...

 The wildflowers were still in bloom along the trails...

 The meadow and mountain views are worth photographing...

Thompson Lake is the water supply for many of the cabins along Bucks Lake - but no swimming allowed...

 A gorgeous sunset brings an end to my mini vacation...

Bucks Lake Wilderness Area is close to Quincy and not too far from Lake Amador. If you want a quiet place to frolic in the water or forest, try Bucks Lake. You can camp, rent cabins, or stay in a little lodge. And it's only a four-hour drive from the SF Bay Area - and much less crowded than the ever-popular Lake Tahoe. I think it's a nice alternative.

Want to see what it looked like one year ago? Click HERE.

Filoli Mansion and Gardens

The Filoli Mansion is located in Woodside just 30 miles south of San Francisco. It's a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and one of the finest remaining estates of the 20th century. It's open to the public; the entrance fee is only $15 and that gives you access to the gardens, mansion, gift shop and cafe. 

The mansion was built in 1915 for Mr. and Mrs. Bourn, a prominent San Franciscan family. In 1937 it was purchased by the Roth family, a wealthy shipping family from San Francisco, who eventually donated the estate to the National Trust.  You can join a guided tour of the grounds and mansion or just stroll around on your own. The day I chose to go was filled with bright sunshine and brilliant blue skies.

There's much to see and admire on this property and the gardens change with the seasons. Apparently, the color schemes change yearly and festivals are held periodically throughout the year, too. The following photos are mainly from the gardens. 

The welcome sign...

A view of the front entrance to the mansion...

Looking up at the ornate ceiling of the portico...

A view of the mansion from the lower terrace...

A fountain at the retail nursery...

Inside the Garden House...

The view of the Garden Shop and clock tower...

The door leading to the Sunken Garden...

A tribute to the woman who nurtured the gardens and donated the estate...

Views of the Sunken Garden and Reflecting Pond...

One of the many walkways...

Inside the Walled Garden...

The Wedding Place...

A passageway from the Walled Garden...

The Sunken Garden with the clock tower in the distance...

The color scheme this year seemed to include lots of orange...

The swimming pool - no, it's not heated...

A row of trees outside the Walled Garden...

The High Place - the highest point on the property. Those columns are actually ballast from salvaged ships...

Gardners doing what they do...

The patio at the cafe, which by the way serves delicious food...

A majestic oak tree - there are many on the property...

If you'd like to see photos from the interior of the mansion, I've posted those in my Instagrid feed. Do you know how Filoli got its name? It's from the first two letters from the key words of Bourn's credo, "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life." Words we could all live by!