Warriors v. Titans

Beyond hiking, our weekend was full of sunshine and social delights. On Friday night we met up with friends for two-for-one burgers (barbecue chicken with pineapples and bacon…yes, please!), and we started our Saturday bright and early at the farmer's market.

It was a farmer's market that could compete with any in the Bay Area. We came away with bouquets of yellow and maroon calla lilies, bushels of hydroponic basil, a block of cumin gouda, and a dozen free range eggs. Dominic also volunteered me to play a fundraising game of chess against a necktied 11-year-old. He was a titan and I was clearly not much of a warrior—this kiddo mopped the board with me in about four minutes of timed play. 

I recovered myself esteem later that day in a burlesque dance workshop I attended with some of the ladies around the marina. We pranced in boas, learned to remove gloves with our teeth, teased each other with feather fans, and even crafted our own nipple tassels. 

Later that afternoon we joined our friends Kaycee and Greg (of s/v Oceanna) at our first-ever Kiwi rugby game. It was a preseason match between New Zealand's Warriors and Australia's Gold Coast Titans and a perfectly mellow antidote to the Super Bowl hoopla that Dominic and I did our best to avoid in San Francisco.

Half of the arena was stadium seating, but we opted to sit on the open glade to watch the play. I know nothing about rugby, but could appreciate the athleticism it took for these short-shorted muscle men to tear each other to the ground in an effort to get the ball beyond the goal post (into the end zone?) and score a 'try' (sorry, I'm trying! But if you are actually interested in the game, check this out). I spent most of the game doing what I do best at sporting events—chit chatting with a girlfriend—and it was awesome. Even better? Our post-game pizza party on Helios.