This weekend was productive, and relaxing, and everything good that a weekend should be. It feels lovely just saying that.
Our garden is starting to grow and with the warmer weather, we're starting to make use of our backyard more and more. This backyard has been a work in progress since the first day we moved in. It was hideous. It won't win any landscaping awards in its current form, but it's leaps and bounds above where we were and best of all it's functional and usable space.
On Saturday we were going to go to the Oakland Museum but they were closing at 2 p.m. for a gala and several of the exhibit areas were closed to the public in preparation for the event. Then we decided to drive into SF to go to the Legion of Honor museum to see a couple of Victorian exhibits but then Twitter reminded me that it was Bay to Breakers weekend so we decided to stay on our side of the bridge. We've been wanting to go to St. George Spirits for years (they make my favorite domestic single malt whiskey), so I threw it out there and a couple of hours later we were pulling in to the hangar, on the former Alameda Navy base. For $30/person you get a small sampling of 8-10 different liquors and whatnot and an hour-long tour of the distillery. We started with gin and finished with absinthe. Yup, absinthe!
St. George's Absinthe Verte is the first domestically produced absinthe since the ban in 1912. And it's lovely. Alan's not a fan, but I was hooked.
After the distillery, we grabbed a snack at Safeway and then headed over to Crown Memorial Beach in Alameda. It's not the mighty Pacific, but the water was gently lapping at the shore and the sand was soft and warm. Perfect for another nap on the beach! (Because clearly I haven't learned my lesson about beach napping without sunscreen.) I was quite shocked to see a number of people actually swimming in the bay. To each their own, I guess. For me, it's all about looking and hearing.
We finished the night with white bean & chicken chili and some movie watching. All and all, a great Saturday afternoon. One of the best ones we've had in awhile, in fact.
