Happy New Year! A Look (Way) Back...

New years eve at the Palace Hotel (Image: SFPL)

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, I've done so in the past, and by mid-January they were already becoming a distant memory. But I do enjoy the idea of a clean slate, a new year -- nothing written, new memories on the horizon. And it's always interesting to think back about past celebrations, ringing in the years that have now become part of history. For today I'm sharing some photos from the San Francisco Public Library of New Year's Eve 1934 in SF.

Feels Like Winter (Well, a California Winter)

Okay, it's not this cold (Image: bestphotos.us)

There will never be a winter in the Bay Area as cold as the ones I remember in Wisconsin. I still have a very clear memory of dropping a box of crayons in the driveway and them shattering -- because it was THAT cold! This morning one sign read 42 degrees, which may not seem very cold to many, but the wind was howling, which means it had to feel like it was in the 30s.

So, wherever you are in the U.S., stay warm; and here's what I keep in my mug on chilly days.

Foggy Musing: When Fog Envelops the Coast

(Point Reyes Lighthouse. Photo: Library of Congress)

There's something about the way California coastal fog envelops the landscape -- the cypress trees, the waves, the hillsides -- that makes it feels as though I've been transported to somewhere new. And when it recedes, pulling back like blanket, it reveals that I've been in the same place all along.

"Between every two pine trees there is a door leading to a new way of life."*

Yosemite (Photo: Wikipedia)

John Muir
April 12, 1838-December 24, 1914
Environmentalist, writer, and savior of Yosemite

Muir, 1907 (Photo: Wikipedia)

"John Muir will never be fully appreciated by those whose minds are filled with money getting and the sordid things of modern every-day life. To such Muir is an enigma — a fanatic — visionary and impractical. There is nothing in common to arouse sympathetic interest. That anyone should spend his whole life in ascertaining the fundamental truths of nature and glory in their discovery with a joy that would put to shame even the religious zealot is to many utterly incomprehensible. That a man should brave the storms and thread the pathless wilderness, exult in the earthquake's violence, rejoice in the icy blasts of the northern glaciers, and that he should do all this alone and unarmed, year in and year out, is a marvel that but few can understand. These solitary explorations were quite in contrast with the usual heavily equipped expeditions which undertake such work. John Muir loved and gloried in this sort of life and approached it with an enthusiasm and power of will that made hardships and those things which most human beings consider essentials, mere trifles by comparison. He was willing to subordinate everything in life to this work which he had set out to do supremely well, and it is little wonder that he attained his goal."

Don't Go Off the Beaten Trail: Hiking Guides for California

(Photo: Library of Congress. Glacier Point in Yosemite, 1902)

If you got Wild fever this year when Cheryl Strayed's book became a feature film, and want to head out into the wilderness, you may find the Pacific Crest Trail (which starts at Campo, California and ends at the Canadian border -- a solid 2,663 miles) more than a bit grueling. Below are four great sites for hiking options across the state of differing lengths (from an hour to days long) and altitudes (beach side to mountain peaks), and some tips on what you'll need to bring.

California Girl: Chloe Kim Shreds Harder Than You

(Chloe Kim. Photo: Facebook)

Outside Magazine is comparing snowboarder Chloe Kim with Shaun White -- and she's only 14. She's had an impressive career for someone who can't even get a learner's permit -- last year she was named Overall World Snowboard Tour Champion, and is currently sponsored by Burton. Next up is the Winter X Games at Aspen (January 22-25).

Here's a clip of her silver-medal winning run from last year's games:

The Coolest Bar Cart This Side of the Street: Decanter Sets

(Reclamation Etchworks)

I've seen these spirit-bottle sets at a few boutiques and gift fairs this fall, and they're at the top of my Christmas wishlist. Born from a surplus of decanter bottles, and access to a laser engraver, the San Francisco company Reclamation Etchworks grew into a viable business after a successful Kickstarter campaign. And all bar cart lovers rejoiced (or at least I did).

No one will know I bought the cheap vodka.

The bottles can be purchased through the Reclamation Etchworks site. 

We'll see you back here on Monday!

At Least I Made It Out Alive: A Lesson I Learned from Adventure Writer Tim Cahill

(The Western Sierras; photo: Wikipedia)

I didn't plan on writing two reading-themed posts back-to-back, but life happens -- and a writer I admire, Tim Cahill (founding editor of Outside Magazine), faced death earlier this month, and his terrifying story was shared on the Outside Magazine site two days ago. After reading the white-knuckle piece, I thought back on the time I had the opportunity to meet him and learn a few lessons about adventure writing.

What We're Reading: The California Sunday Magazine

This news-oriented publication, The California Sunday Magazine, was born from a pop-up stage performance and debuted earlier this year. An inconspicuous start to what's becoming one of my favorite new journalism sites.

The long-form pieces they're producing are thought provoking (I'm still thinking about this one), and all the stories center around California (and other western states), Latin America and Asia. If you're looking to add a few news-feature pieces to your must read list, head to their site and check out the latest stories. The next one on my list is "Their Town," a story about the fundamentalist community on the border of Arizona and Utah.

Acre Coffee: Caffeine (and Design) Fix

(Photo: Yelp)

Acre Coffee, based in Petaluma, makes a good cup of joe. All their coffee is French pressed, and while I usually grab a cup while flying through their San Francisco Civic Center location, when I'm in Petaluma, I slow down and nurse a cup at one of their tables as long as I can.

(Photo: Yelp)

The walls feature a rotation of art from local artists, changing with the months -- landscape photos that show the peace of the desert at dawn, delicate collages of strong waves. The seating is reminiscent of a time where schools were in large one-room houses, and features (the ever popular) communal table, alongside desk-sized spaces.

Rainy Day Movie Pick: Peggy Sue Got Married

(Wikipedia/TriStar)

It's been a rainy couple weeks, so I've been sorting through my favorite rainy-day movies, and today's pick is Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).

If you haven't seen this Francis Ford Coppola movie -- filmed in Sonoma County -- you're missing out. It's about a woman (Peggy, played by Kathleen Turner) who passes out at her 25-year high school reunion and ends up back in high school, where she gets a chance to do it all again. Can you imagine what you would do different? Or what you say to those who had passed away between then and now?

Check out the trailer below:

Movie tidbit: Peggy Sue's little sister is played by Sofia Coppola.

Daydreaming of Steep Ravine

I spent many childhood summers (and winters, actually) at the Steep Ravine cabins right outside Stinson Beach.

Waking up in the morning, we'd first start a fire in the stove, then later on explore the tide pools before heading down to the town where we'd poke around the shops.  Here are some photos for your Sunday musing:

Photo: Flickr/Willivolt

Photo: Flickr/Willivolt

Strike a Match and Let It Burn

I love a good candle, and recently came across P.F. Candle Co. at the Renegade Craft Fair -- after smelling them all -- I bought a few for gifts and then a few for myself. These 100% soy-wax candles (if you're unfamiliar with the world of candle wax, soy is renewable and it burns more slowly) are my new favorite brand. A couple scents that would be perfect for a rainy winter night were spruce and mistletoe, but my favorites were sweet grapefruit and campfire. 

And as with all the products featured on this blog, these candles are California made.