Doggone fun at Fort Funston

We decided to start our weekend off early and headed up the coast late Friday afternoon for some fun at the beach. Destination - Fort Funston National Park

Fort Funston is an old military reservation that is now a protected area with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservatory. It offers paved and non-paved trails through the dunes with beach access. More importantly, it's dog friendly! Honestly it was more than dog-friendly it was like a dog haven. There were dogs of all sizes walking and running free amongst the dunes. And the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

Brad and John at one of the old Fort entrances which leads to the dunes and trails above the beach.

We wandered around on the paths and even though there were a lot of people and dogs there, we didn't cross a lot during our exploration. Some of the paths wind through cypress trees and had an ethereal feel - almost like we stumbled on a hidden enchanted forest.

Traycee, Tweenee & John in the "hidden" forest. John and Tweenee are obviously more interested in exploring than posing for a picture!

After we explored the trails and dunes we made our way down to the beach and that's where the real fun began...

 

This was John's first off-leash beach experience and he enjoyed it!

After our fun at the beach, we headed to West Portal and found cute little downtown area with restaurants and shops. We decided on a Mediterranean place named Bursa. It was a great choice!

It was in an old renovated building that had high ceilings and interesting architectural detail. The atmosphere was cool with a mix of modern style that complimented the old construction. 

The service was good and the food was fresh and delicious. We had hummus with the most amazing homemade grilled pita bread and they kept it coming hot from the grill when we ran out. We could have emptied 3 plates full but stopped just a few delicious pieces into our second plate. The stuffed eggplant was amazing - half an eggplant stuffed with stewed tomatoes and topped with pine nuts and a sprinkling of feta cheese. It was full of flavor and melted in our mouths. Veal kabob was also good.

Fort Funston was a great time... We will be back!

John says, "You said we'll be back, but when? When will we be back?"

Petaluma, California

We wanted to get out of town for the long Memorial Day weekend and decided to jump in the car for a road trip. Destination: Petaluma, California.

Our main attraction to Petaluma was Lagunitas Brewery, but we found other fun stuff there as well.

Our first stop was downtown area. We decided to roam around and let the dogs stretch their legs. The downtown area is full of restaurants, cafes, shops and an abundance of antique stores. We came across a beautiful old church in the middle of town and had to stop for some photos and to admire the detailed stained glass windows.
 

After our initial stroll we decided it was time for a coffee. We chose a place named Acre which was right in the heart of downtown. The decor was modern and clean with an industrial loft feel and the coffee didn't disappoint. We had our usual soy cappuccinos and they were smooth, flavorful and silky - wish we were having one right about now!

Of course we needed something baked with our coffee and headed to a small bakery just across the street named Bovine Bakery. The aroma of fresh baked goods was intoxicating. We ordered the scone du jour, blueberry scone and a slice of  polenta crusted quiche. The scone du jour was tasty - a mix of mango, vanilla and walnut. Unfortunately, the rest of the items fell short. But the stop was not wasted as we met a local who filled us in on some attractions we shouldn't miss while we were in Petaluma.

He was an interesting old guy; a retired Architect from San Francisco. He moved to Petaluma with his wife and their two adorable wire-haired dachshunds less than two years ago. He pointed us to the river walk, a park in the middle of town, a 4x4 block that was filled with Victorian houses and told us not to miss Petaluma Pete who was playing the piano on the street within earshot of the bakery. We took him up on all of his suggestions.

Gorgeous Victorian house, Petaluma Pete and old Creamery wagon

We came across a Wabi Sabi mural in Putnam Plaza.The artwork was crafted by teenagers and adults with disabilities. One of the writings read, "Nobody's perfect. Not you and not me. All we can do is be Wabi Sabi". Wabi Sabi means Perfectly Imperfect.

We picked up some cheese at the Petaluma Creamery. The goat cheese and the Quark were our favorite.

Cow keeping watch over the town from the roof of the Petaluma Creamery

After our trip to the creamery we decided it was time to head to Laganitas Brewery which was just a few miles away. The brewery grounds were buzzing with activity. Their brewing facilities are onsite so there were trucks picking up deliveries. The brewery itself had a concert feel with people milling about on the grass area with beer in hand. We decided to start with a couple of Lagunitas t-shirts to commemorate our visit - they were very nice.

On to the beer... we each ordered a flight of four so we could sample various brews. Here were our picks:

Brad: Censored, Imperial Stout, Brandy Barrel Aged Stout & Saison
Traycee: ETWAS, Farmhouse, Kriek & Brandy Barrel Aged Stout

One of the fun things about Lagunitas is that they are dog-friendly. So, after we found some seating, we brought in the dogs so they could enjoy the experience too. John found a couple fans at the table next to us and got lots of attention - including a couple of fresh roasted peanut treats. Tweenee wasn't quite as popular this time, but she still had a good time.

After some refreshing brews we headed back into town and decided on Speakeasy for our late night dinner destination. It was a very small place but they had room at the bar, so we cozied up. The decor was modern meets prohibition era with exposed pipes, dark hardwood accents, an old stained window and various pictures from the '20s-'30's flanking the walls. The menu consisted of small plates and we decided on edamame hummus with pumpernickel crostini,  the sweet and spicy pork belly and a chicken dish - all were very tasty. We finished with maple bacon doughnut holes. The doughnut holes were ok - I think either our expectations were greater or we were overly full at that point. 

With full bellies, we headed back home. It was a great trip overall and we'd like to head back up here someday to take in more of the scenery.