The Marine Mammel Center

I've found a new way to meet people in the bay area who love marine life as much as I do! I've started a 5 week docent training at the Marine Mammel Center in the Marine Headlands.

The center is a non profit hospital, research, and education facility. The most common patients that we take care of are California Seal Lions, Elephant Seal pups, and Harbor Seal pups! We rescue, rehabilitate, and release these sick animals.

This facility is researching why many of our animals have stranded on our beaches. Some examples are diseases such as Demoic Acid (neurotoxin that causes seizures and eventually death), Leptosporosis (bacteria that affects the kidneys), Shark bites, gun shot wounds from fishermen. The list goes on and on.

I've got two more weeks of training to go and then I get to educate people about what this wonderful organization is all about! So far I'm loving it. More details about it later.

These are a few pictures of the facility. The first picture is of a sea lion statue that overlooks Rodeo Beach. The second picture is some of the pens that the animals are placed in. They have underground pools for them to swim in. The third picture is the classroom that we meet in. And the last picture are actual patients called Harbor Seal Pups! These are my favorite!! More about my new side job later=)

Moraga Mosaic Stairway

We've been discovering other ways of exploring the city other than car, bus, or bike. One of them is setting out to climb every Stairway in San Francisco. I heard there were 300 of them! There is actually a book on all the Stairway Walks in San Francisco by Adah Bakalinsky. A patient recommended it to me and said this is one of the best ways to explore SF and it's unique views.

One of my favorite views of the city and the sunset district is from the top of this Moraga Mosaic Staircase! This was a community project that was started in 2003 and finished in 2005. A couple of local artists led the design and then over 300 neighbors helped design each tile! It's an amazing art piece. It starts with an oceanic theme, to land, and then ends with the sky.

After you climb 163 stairs it leads you to another set of stairs. At the very top is an amazing view of the bay, downtown, and the sunset district.

Work Life

I work two days a week in this amazing office that is perched in the hills of Pacifica. Pacifica is a sleepy beach town just a 25 min drive from the city. Half of my room is filled with windows that swing open towards the ocean. I feel like I'm working outdoors with the ocean breeze coming through my windows! On a clear day you can see all the way out to the Farallon Islands. Also, when it's the right time of the year you can spot whales breaching from my window!



The other two days a week I work right in the heart of downtown (Union Square). I work on the 10th floor that boasts amazing views of the city. Of course the city office is a faster pace because everyone is always in a hurry but I meet the most interesting people here! I feel so lucky to have the best of both worlds.