I ushered in my "official" 40th birthday this weekend (as opposed to the kick-off celebration back in August) with a trip to the East Bay (a.k.a. Oakland/Emeryville/Berkeley). Emmett was to join me but had a last-minute meeting in San Fran on Friday so I spent that day exploring parks in the area on my own. I was not disappointed. The views back toward San Fran and the Marin Headlands as well as the Berkeley Hills from the three different parks I visited were beautiful.

By Friday evening, Emmett had joined me and we spent the rest of the weekend eating at the plethora of vegan restaurants in the area, enjoying breakfast and happy hour from the deck of our hotel room which overlooked the bay, having breakfast with our friend Nady who recently moved to Berkeley to go to law school, and spending time at Point Pinole Regional Park. Oh, and putting up with the mostly obnoxious Raiders fans at the Oakland airport on Sunday. Wow...stereotypes exist for a reason and these guys and gals did NOT disappoint! Interesting people, that’s for sure. But at least they are passionate about something and willing to pursue fun in its name!

Thanks to everyone for their birthday wishes! I'm lovin' 40 so far and can't wait for the rest of the decade to unfold.

Cheers!

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