This past Sunday, James and I, along with about 20 fellow bike riders, braved the 90-degree heat wave, notoriously pot-holed San Francisco streets, and of course the Cesar Chavez St. "Hairball" in search of the finest cuppas our fair city has to offer. An overwhelming craving for pupusas at Balompie had us veering off after the Coffee Bar, but it was a jittery, jaggedly, great time. Big thanks for Frank Chan, our photo-taking, espresso sipping guide, and of course to the awesome SF Bicycle Coalition for leading and organizing the tour! The interactive "Map" provided by our friends at Flickr lets you re-enact our adventure: http://www.flickr.com/photos/geekstinkbreath/sets/72157616987027189/map/Enjoy these documents our our little group's adventure! P.S. That's my beautiful bike in the foreground of the first slide you see- you can see James and I in the background!

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Beginning around September to October of each year, a wonderful incubation takes place in the soil. Seemingly overnight, the plentiful fog and the rain bring forth a kaleidoscopic display of sometimes edible, sometimes poisonous, but always otherworldly and wondrous fungi. Of course mushrooms and fungi are always present in our world, but in the fall and winter to early spring they tend to reveal themselves to us more readily. Since I began hunting for them about a decade ago, I've never lost my wonder at these strange and beautiful life forms. For the past few years, I've made a point of going on a few solo mushroom forays around Christmas time-- usually to Butano State Park or to Point Reyes National Seashore -- my favorite spot on earth (sorry folks, that's as specific as I'll get!). I find it's a great way to remind myself of the simple pleasures in life, even amidst all the bluster and mayhem of the holidays. Here are some pictures of my latest Christmas foray. Enjoy!

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