Weekend Recap and Some Thoughts |

With nowhere to go – considering the relentless fires all around the bay area, I felt extremely sad when I woke up Saturday and scrolled through the local news, about the parks, the redwoods, the animals, the air, and all things in distress due to the fires we have yet to contain in northern California.

Twenty-twenty has topped one of the worst for the twenty-first century and we are doing everything to stay positive, focused, upbeat, and push onward.

After breakfast, we headed out to Burlingame, to the post office to ship some care packages to a loved one in the military. The quaint village, I’d like to call it, was covered in smoke, and the air quality the most unhealthiest, making it near impossible to walk through Burlingame Avenue without gasping for air, or feeling the need to rub our eyes. I figured since we were unable to venture out anywhere along the coast, or even through trails inland, we would instead head to the Central Park and hang out at the Japanese Garden for a bit before heading back home. Not realizing how extreme the smoke filled air stagnated above the trees and the surrounding areas.

I thanked the trees for holding the smoke at bay, so that for a little while we could explore and pretend that everything is okay and will be okay.

Upon entry to the Japanese Gardens, we were greeted by this beauty who is now wearing a mask – don’t worry its a statue

We crossed over the first bridge only to discover it was time to feed the Koi fish in the pond

Which we were fortunate enough to witness, appreciating the wonderful display of enthusiasm

We venture in, but from the smoke you can almost see in the photos the constant orange hues everywhere

We sat on a bench for a bit and tried our best to meditate, although deep down I was worried about the animals 15 miles or so away trying to escape the fires between Half Moon Bay and Monterey

On Sunday, we decided to stay in San Francisco and walk through Golden Gate Park, since all the warnings about the fires all around, road closures and more. We figured the walk might do us good, in particular to help clear all the negative thinking. So we walked on, veering to a path, which I’ve often wondered about, as to where it leads. Discovering that it was a shortcut to Stowe Lake. A place we normally took a longer way to get to.

We walked through the lush pathways soaked from the fog, the moisture worth breathing in without a mask for a few minutes

This visual of the Stowe Lake, with hazy and smoke filled skies most worrisome for the wild birds who’ve made this space their sanctuary.

My favorite view of a bridge that reminds me of England, The Cotswolds in particular

We crossed the bridge, and headed to the waterfall and stood on the pathway, allowing the dew from the gushing waters to simply soak our faces. This spot is perfectly therapeutic

Because it is the best spot to see the waterfall

Get a glimpse of the exotic birds

Climbed to the highest point, Strawberry Hill, and got a birds eye view of the lake

Met wonderful puppies, and talked to tourists who are stuck in the U.S. and local families taking their children out on paddle boats, and having to explain why wearing a mask is so important