I Left my Heart ... Nov 30th - Dec 1st

 

In San Francisco, of course!  Early Saturday morning, Nannie and I left Jimmy at home and departed for Matt's in Fair Oaks, where we'd pick up Matt and seven-year-old granddaughter, Evie, for a day trip to San Francisco.  Matt piloted the Subaru; nice to leave the driving to someone else!  Oh boy, I hadn't been to the city in a long time.  Nannie hadn't been there in many years.  We were both looking forward to our outing with these two.  Matt asked what Jimmy would do while we were away.  I said, "whatever he wants, without women around telling him what to do!" 😏  Jen had to work and would miss the fun.

Crossing the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.

Cupid's Span in Rincon Park on the Embarcadero, a 70-ft sculpture depicting a partial bow and arrow, inspired by San Francisco's reputation as the "home port of Eros," hence the stereotypical bow and arrow of Cupid.  The Bay Bridge we crossed is visible at right.

We didn't go to Pier 39 where hundreds and hundreds of California Sea Lions haul out onto the docks daily.  They're noisy -- barking and roaring and grunting.  Smell bad, too.  No, we four hung around the Ferry Bldg (below) for a while, checked out eateries (too crowded) and did a bit of shopping.

Close to lunchtime!

Evie had fun jumping off these platforms!

Matt drove us to Chinatown, where we eventually ate a-not-too-bad lunch.  We sat at an outside table, because the inside was slap-full.  Besides, Lucy the Yorkie was with us and I don't believe she would've been welcomed inside (though we didn't ask).

Evie found a shop she wanted to visit (above) where Dad bought her a charming Tang suit outfit.  Nannie and I milled around while this was going on.

Everyone had "done" Lombard Street, but we all thrilled to drive up and down San Francisco's STEEP streets.  Matt obliged by tackling a few of these, for fun.  That's Alcatraz Island in the water.  Nannie and I were astonished to see many (a lot!) of self-driving taxi cars moving along seamlessly.  At one point we followed one, watched it avoid pedestrians, stop at a red light, and turn right, using its turn signal.  Weird:  car moving, no driver!

The day was fine, sunny and mild, albeit kind of cool.  Great day for walking.  Matt took us to a scoop shop near Hayes Valley Park, where Evie got an ice cream cone.  When she wanted to hop on something at the playground, she handed her cone to Nannie, who accidentally dropped it (red x).  Great photo op!  (a smile replaced that frown when the lady at the shop kindly replaced Evie's ice cream for free)

We made a short stop at the Palace of Fine Arts, a monumental structure, originally built for the 1915 Pan–Pacific International Exposition.  The beautiful open rotunda is enclosed by a lagoon on one side and adjoins a large, curved exhibition center on the other side, separated from the lagoon by colonnades.  Lots of people were Out and About, strolling, sitting, and enjoying this visually stunning area.

Our day ended with pizza at Berkeley's Cheese Board Pizzeria, and a Caesar salad for me.  Pretty darned good grub, and uncrowded.  Nannie and Evie pose in the pineapple suds photo frame. 

Followed by viewing holiday lights on Fourth Street in Berkeley.  Wow!

Oooh, we were tired when we returned to Matt's for our sleepover.  Thank goodness I didn't have to drive home tonight.  We had a grand San Francisco day -- thanks, Matt!  Nannie and I pointed the Subaru toward home late Sunday morning.  Jimmy was glad to see us!

Well, the rest of the week flew by, much too fast.  We hiked, enjoyed lunches with friends, and Nannie even joined us on Tuesday morning for our volunteer restocking "work" stint at IFM (Interfaith Food Ministry), something Jimmy and I do every Tuesday.

We posed in front of our Christmas tree for a together-and-cool photo before she left.  The sun was very bright.  Her flight left SMF (Smurf to us) around 12:30pm Thursday.   It was supposed to, but Delta did her wrong (because of a missing tiny red light, don't ask), and she ended up spending the night at a hotel in Atlanta, finally arriving in Baton Rouge sometime FRIDAY afternoon.  Airline travel isn't fun any more.

Miss you, my sister!  Wish we lived closer.  Really glad you had two weeks with us.  Jimmy says the house is too quiet these days!  Love you.  Come back soon.

The Mighty Task is Done! Wed aft, 4/23/14

Here's another one of those bucket list things.  If I had a bucket list, which I don't and neither does Jimmy, crossing the 1.5 mile Golden Gate Bridge on foot or bicycle, would be right up there.  Never thought we'd actually do it, either.  Wrong!  We walked to the South Tower (larger tower in photo below).  We didn't go all the way to other other side for two reasons:  One was we only had a half bottle of water between us, but the main reason is we wanted to visit the Disney Family Museum this afternoon, and we were running out of time (again!)  We live close enough. We'll be back!

Spectacular location, graceful lines, emblematic color = one famous bridge!

Aw, lovers below the bridge!  Sweet!

The bridge is way up there!  Fort Point is practically underneath the bridge.  We spent considerable time milling around here.  The fort was built between 1953 and 1861.  Now a National Historic Site, it houses a museum (which wasn't open today).

Yes, we were surprised to see waves like this, and surfers riding the waves!

Durn critters are everywhere....

It's easy to see why the Golden Gate Bridge is possibly the most beautiful, and certainly the most photographed bridge in the world. Construction began on Jan 5, 1933, and it opened on Mary 27, 1937. Until 1964, the Golden Gate was the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 4,200 ft. In 1984 this magnificent bridge was added to the list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks.

  

Yup, here we are, on our way to the South Tower.
BTW, those towers reach 500 ft above the road.

Looking up:  South Tower from the walkway, with Art Deco details.

No hats up here!  Very windy.  Crowded, too, with walkers, joggers, and bicyclists.  We've decided walking across would be more fun than riding across (unless we rode really early before hoards of tourists got up).  We started walking today from the dinky-looking pier in the distance.  That's San Francisco's skyscrapers beyond.

The subject line refers to a poem written by the Chief Engineer, Joseph P. Strauss.

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We didn't get to the Disney Family Museum, also on the Presidio grounds, until 3 pm.  It was so interesting and so artfully presented, and brought back so many memories, that we closed it down at 6 pm!

Another superb (and very full) day.

(tickets say 5 pm, but closing today was 6 pm)

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From our room:  A fantastic sunset on our last evening in the city, highlighting the bridge and the Palace of Fine Arts dome.  What a wonderful mini-vacation-anniversary this has been!

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Palace of Fine Arts -- Presidio -- Wed morning, 4/23/2014

Jennifer and Matt's second venue for their April 1st wedding pictures was the Palace of Fine Arts, but a steady downpour precluded that. Jimmy and I had never seen the PFA, so their limo driver ferried the entire wedding party in the rain for show and tell. We didn't get out, but vowed to return. You can see why in the photos below. Its beauty is mind-boggling. The colors are gorgeous. Look for yourself.

We can see the Palace rotunda dome from our corner room at Cow Hollow Motor Inn! Actually, we could easily walk to it. We can also see part of the Golden Gate Bridge -- kinda nice! If you're wondering where the Cow Hollow name comes from, I can tell you that this area of the city is where dairy cows were kept, chewing their cuds and lounging their days away. Of course those times are gone -- as fine, beautiful homes replaced moo cows long ago.

Jimmy and I walked around the perimeter, beside the peaceful lagoon, marveling at monstrous fish, carp I guess. We spied basking turtles, and saw some ducks and geese and a lone swan, but there was no sight of the aggressive raccoons that merited a "warning!" sign. We wandered in and out of the colonnade and craned our necks up under the massive dome. Every step along the way cried out for a photo op!

The people gathered behind us gives you a good idea of size!

Quit messing up my hair!

The Palace of Fine Arts was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

 

I was thinking that one of those homes across from the Palace of Fine Arts wouldn't be a bad place to live ... ah, but are they affordable?

Next up:  The Golden Gate Bridge, up close and personal!

Returning to the City by the Bay -- April 21-24, 2013

I said in my previous April 1st post that Jimmy and I would like to return to San Francisco, and I wasn't kidding. Three weeks after Matt and Jennifer's wedding, we came back to the "City by the Bay."  This time, thanx to a recommendation from Alice and Tom (Jen's parents), we'd arranged to stay in the Marina District's reasonably-priced (by San Francisco standards, anyway) Cow Hollow Motor Inn.  And were very pleased by our choice.

When we looked online for an extended forecast, this week looked sunny, till a few days before we left. Then the weather people starting yammering about rain both Tues and Wed.  Not good.  We debated about changing our mini-vacation till the following week but decided to let it be.  So?  Tues and Wed were clear, sunny, and outstanding! (ha ha, don't believe everything they say, right?)

But first (one of my favorite phrases), a phone call from my cousin, Judy, shortly before we left, led us to her and husband, Don's, Oakland home in the hills overlooking the city.  Judy and I grew up in different areas of the country and have only seen each other once since we graduated from high school (long ago!) but recently connected via the Internet.  Jimmy and I enjoyed lunch with them, and Judy took us hiking on quiet woodland trails thru second-growth coastal redwoods in Joaquin Miller Park high above the city.  Thanx, you guys!

Judy and me -- wonder if we've changed since the 1960's?

Jimmy and I had "done" many of the tourist-y things, such as riding the cable car, experiencing Pier 39's bellowing, honking, belching seals, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Coit Tower, etc.  This time we wanted to explore other areas, do different things.  And so, we did.

April 21st was our 13th wedding anniversary, and I wasn't aimin' to cook!  After checking in, Jimmy and I took off, on foot as usual, heading for a seafood dinner at Fisherman's Wharf.  We took the long way around, (made a wrong turn?) walked along the Bay next to Marina Green, past Fort Mason, and wound up at Scoma's on Pier 47. We did good.  Best seafood dinner I've had in forever.  Don't know that I'd ever eaten swordfish before; tonite's was very yummy.  On the long trek back to Cow Hollow, we walked off those delicious dinners! 

 

Alcatraz looks as though it has a pier at its base.

Nope.  It's an optical illusion.

 

We listened in on the conversation for a while; it was animated!

 

May not look like much from the outside, but the food is excellent.

And the view from inside is nice, too!

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We wanted to spend time on Tuesday (our first full day), at Golden Gate Park -- visit the Arboretum and Japanese Tea Garden, and anything else that took our fancy.  This time we drove!  We managed to make our way along part of Scenic 49-mile drive (wow, truly scenic) in the Presidio area on our way to GGP. Today was sunny, cool and windy.  Jacket weather, as you can see by the photo below.

   

At Golden Gate Park, our first stop was at the Conservatory of Flowers (mainly because we parked across the street from it).  I took way too many pictures, but it was the kind of intoxicating place that induces a person to point the camera!  

California's first municipal greenhouse, completed in 1879, was patterned after London's Kew Gardens Conservatory, and is chock-a-block full of rare and exotic flowers.  If you're interested, you can go to the link above and learn the names of some of the posies you see in this blog.  We spent a couple of hours poking around and even joined a docent-led tour.

Click on any picture to enlarge.  This one especially!

This fabulous park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

I can tell you this flower is called "Voodoo Lily," and it was unfurling and beginning to give off its "signature stench of dead rats."  Bleah, it stunk!

Carnivorous plants were featured during our visit.

They had lots of pitcher plants, etc., displayed.  Fascinating.

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On our way to the Japanese Tea Garden, we walked thru the Rhododendron Dell.

Me and a giant Rhodie -- it was just that kind of day!

And into the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.  Originally created as a "Japanese village" exhibit in 1894 for the California Midwinter International Exposition, this is the oldest public Japanese garden in the United States!

A proper arched drum bridge.  We both made it up and over! 

 

A five-tiered pagoda remaining from the 1915 Pan-Pacific International Exposition.  Wow, almost 100.

 

Very beautiful.  Serene.

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As we left the tea garden (oops, we had coffee), we encountered a block of "sprouting" trees near the de Young Museum.

And just then, this red-tailed hawk flew in for a photo op before taking off for higher trees.  I hoped it was after a gopher.

We ran out of time to tour any more museums, and made for the Prius, wandering into yet another fabulous garden.  I could show you photos, but this has already been a very full post.  Just like our day!

We're aiming for the area right near the water.  Wish this picture could demonstrate how steep this street is.  I wouldn't want to walk either up or down.

Since a granola bar was all that we ate for lunch, we were hungry, capital H, and after cleaning up, we set out on foot for a nearby Japanese tapas restaurant.  Nope, not to be; it wasn't open YET.  As you can see by the above photo, Amici's is next to our Inn.  We looked, we smelled, we stayed.  Great pizza!

Superb day.  Wait till you see tomorrow!