Saturday, May 25, 2019
Breakfast at home: I prepared for myself yogurt with diced banana, diced nectarine, unsweetened cocoa, and sliced almonds; one pint of hot water. Patrick picked up a GetAround car then napped. Cut my hair, showered. We drove to Redwood City. Lunch at Five Guys (650-364-3101, 801 Middlefield Road, Redwood City): bacon-bbq burger for Patrick, cheeseburger all the way for me, large cajun fries to share. We liked our burgers, but they were too big. We should order the smaller burgers next time. Also, the cajun fries were too salty for Patrick and too spicy for me. We should order a small order of regular fries next time. To drink we shared a bottled water and a chocolate shake with whipped cream. $33.49. Next we met Chris and Andy at their place for a hike through Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. Patrick brought a book to share, and we brought a bottle of wine and a bottle of Champagne to share. We drove two cars to the Highway 35 north parking lot, dropped one car off, then all four of us drove to the south parking lot. We hiked from the south lot to the north lot—we guessed it was around 6.5 miles. Chris identified plant life throughout the hike, which was almost entirely shaded by redwoods, oaks, and other trees. We saw ants, butterflies (or maybe moths), banana slugs, and various birds, but very little other wildlife. In the second half of our hike Chris discovered a full bag of trash that persons unknown to us had left behind. He carried it all the way out. We all drove to the south lot to pick up the other car, then returned to their place. They prepared drinks; an appetizer of baked goat cheese and nectarines with baguette slices; and a dinner of steamed green beans; quartered, roasted potatoes; and grilled salmon with a guajillo chile sauce. Rumble kept us company throughout, and occasionally we caught glimpses of Gimlet in the back yard. After dinner we soaked in the hot tub for a while then returned inside for almond-orange-blossom ice cream with a pirouette. Patrick and I returned home late. A fine day.