mini mushroom miso

It was foggy today and I walked down by the trolley turn around this afternoon and decided to warm up with a little miso soup after work. I usually buy my mushrooms at the farmers market but I picked these little fellas up at a grocery store in Japan town over the weekend and they were perfect in miso soup.

walking off the focaccia and crushing on SF colors

moon and sun

This bulb of garlic reminded me of the moon and the lemon as the sun. I love the texture and tones. I've been eating miso soup for dinner almost every night for a week plus and it's still satisfying. I decided to fill a few glass jars with miso fixings to pass on to a friend and share the miso love.

another reason to love summer

poets corner and focaccia

I walked around North Beach bright and early and came across the Poets Corner marker and this "did you get the message?" stencil piece before being persuaded to cave and finally pick up focaccia at Liguria Bakery. I ordered rosemary garlic and it was amazing. They're really liberal with the olive oil and it makes it addictive and now I know (first hand) why they sell out and close up so fast every day.

J POP festival in Japan town

Hello Kitty target practice, adorable graphics at the grocery store, and a tea ceremony with a panda hat.

World Cup and a super burger

 

We trekked up and over to Marina to watch the SF World Cup LIVE! After sitting by the water for a few races we moved to the covered tents to watch the races on the big screens while sitting in plush a plush and a fancy glass of wine on the house. After the race we walked over to Super Duper for a super burger and cheese topped garlic fries to complete our glutenous Saturday afternoon.

foraging and experimenting with pine needle syrup

 

I cooked pine needles in a little water to cover and simmered away for a few hours and then added sugar. The syrup wasn't all I'd hoped it would be so I strained the cooked pine needles,  put them in a jar and toped it off with brandy. Here's to hoping the infusion will be a little better than the syrup. Either way the house smelled like a forest floor, in a good way.

carts and cans

There are so many people collecting cans in North Beach and China town. I'm impressed by their hard work, as many of them are older retired people. I find myself a little hypnotized by the can and bottle colors as they move around in the carts when I walk behind them.

chai brandy

I have so many fond memories attached to chai infused brandy. My dear friend Jeevan gave me a small jar of an infusion she made while I was still in Portland and it helped keep me warm through the long winter. I've been making a lot of infusions lately but this will always be a favorite.

opera and eucalyptus

Today the SF Symphony and SF Opera performed for free at the Stern Grove Festival. Attending a Sunday performance at Stern Grove is a summer must. I love listening to music with eucalyptus in the air and fog drifting through.

sunset farmers mkt.

 

I couldn't help but to stop by the Sunday farmers market in the Inner Sunset, especially since I was passing it on my way to the park. I ended up getting a scone from Arizmendi for lunch on the go and was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of color at the market.

brunch and a garage sale

I had fresh crab and avocado eggs benedict with fried potatoes and whole cloves of roasted garlic tucked in. I've maybe ordered something different, maybe once, maybe but this is my favorite brunch item at Zazie. Sunday brunch with good company is hard to beat. After brunch I came across these sweet pianos stacked on the stoop and just beyond an older gentleman was camped out in the back of his garage with all of his antique treasures for sale. I didn't buy anything but I'll remember these little pianos.

so happy and gay

 

I walked around the Castro before bundling up for Mrs. Doubtfire at Duboce Park. I love Mrs. Doubtfire and seeing it in SF with a few hundred other SF residents was one of my favorite city moments. People cheered when their bus line came across the screen and I'm pretty sure everyone there had watched it and loved it as much as myself.

trEAT street

 

 

I picked up a BBQ sandwich at Southern Sandwich Co. from the always friendly brothers and that's about all I had from the food festival but it was more than enough. After filling up on BBQ and sweet tea I took the opportunity to meander around the Mission and do a little exploring while the streets were buzzing with people.

mission still life

I popped over to the Mission for the Mission Street Food Fest and as soon as I passed the admission gate I was stopped in my tracks by this tattered chair and vibrant wall. Smitten

night lights

I left the Castro and headed home on the streetcar, one of my favorite late night modes of travel. The light tonight was extraordinaire.

wild

new art in the Tenderloin. favorite!

book exchange

While walking over nob hill to Polk street I came across this newspaper bin repurposed into a little book exchange bin. Yes, there were books inside.

making the most out of it

When I peel fruit and trim veggies I always try to keep the bits that would normally be tossed into the compost bin and turn it into juice.

sabered champagne with makers and shakers

Makeshift  society hosted a party tonight at the Bold Italic magazine headquarters and local SF people shared a few skills. Donna Suh, the lovely owner of Pot + Pantry taught us how to saber a champagne bottle. Now I have a fancy party trick up my sleeve. I met a few talented SF artists and some for a second time which was perfect and got to see the reclaimed SF wall.  

nutella mocha

I mailed an little coffee with me voucher and had coffee with my dear friend Mishka. They filled up my glass container which is an Argo tea jar with twist cap lift spirit on the lid. I added a spoonful of nutella spread for a makeshift mocha.

city of dahlias

  

  

  

  

 I made a visit to the de Young museum and then walked around the rose garden, which made me remember my afternoons spent at the Portland rose garden. After smelling the roses I walked to the Botanical garden to peruse the cacti and dahlia garden. It turns out the dahlia is the flower of San Francisco. Who knew? I really adore flowers and I see so much expression in them and they often remind me of people I know or fond memories.

here comes the sun

Nina Simone was singing "here comes the sun" as the fog rolled in and I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge headed for home

sunshine getaway

I headed up to Sacramento to my friends Emily and Adam. They live in Portland, OR and drove down for Emily's art show in SAC. When I arrived the sun was high and it was HOT! I met them at the river where it was 94* in the shade, but it felt perfect as we waded in the cool water. Later we went to the art opening at Bows and Arrows where we drank wine and ate popsicles (avocado with kefir lime!) while lounging under the stars. We ended up at Bombay Bar & Grill for a late but amazing dinner. 

We all slept in until the summer heat woke us up. Adam brought along some Stumptown coffee from Portland (oh Portland) and his handy AeroPress. We were groggy but eager to see the press so Adam gave us a little tutorial on the press. I love lazy mornings, sunshine, and new places. 

After coffee and leftover Indian food we planned adventures for the day and Emily and Adam mapped out their travels after Sac. We ended up spending the day in Sacramento on a goodwill shopping tour with some amazing finds and some of the best Mexican food at Taqueria Jalisco. If you're near Sac I highly recommend TJ as the food is unbelievably good and the owner has a heart of gold and he invited us to his house for margaritas the next time we're in town. Emily Katz is a dear friend and one of the most inspiring people I know. You can check out her blog Magic Dream Life with links to her amazing art and all of the magic she makes. 

matching half

early morning field trip. I met up with Tyler for coffee and a bagel at Matching Half. They have the loveliest baristas and best toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, sliced cucumbers and fresh black pepper.

tea cups, dim sum and blackberry wine

I love the stacked tea cups at this uber fancy antique store on Fillmore. This is my favorite window display.

I stopped in at Good Luck Dim SUm on Clement for a quick snack. I wanted to add "be kind to" to the far left column to write out "be kind to"EACH OTHER OTHER. Embroidery floss for embroidery and summer crafts. Grabbed provisions at the SF Brewcraft to finish off my blackberry wine. They are friendly folk with heaps of information.

sun swirling rainbows around the room

When I moved back to Portland (the second time) I bought a little solar powered rainbow maker with a Swarovski crystal that spins when the sun shines. I used the suction cup to adhere it to my kitchen window in Portland and it just wouldn't turn so after a few days I moved it to another window and still it didn't go around, but instead it just sputtered a bit. This was fall in the NW and I wasn't sure if it wasn't getting enough sun or if it didn't really work. I'll admit that this was one of the first signs that I needed to return to CA. If there wasn't enough sun to light up my little solar powered rainbow maker than maybe I needed to move back to SF where rainbows are everywhere and so is the sun... when it's not foggy. I'm happy to report that my little rainbow maker spins at full speed almost every afternoon and it makes me smile everytime. When the door is closed rainbows sneak out through the crack at the bottom of the door and spill across the hallway. I love sunshine!

Russian River field trip

I woke up early and made chai for our long drive up to a quiet spot on the Russian River. It's Mikayla's birthday and she wanted us to spend the day in the sun, cooling off in the river and then a big dinner at sunset. A few of us headed in to Guernville for dinner fixings and were greeted by a few hundred bears (friendly, hairy gay men with pot bellies and the men who love them). I always end up in Guernville for bear weekend and I love it. Anyway, we loaded up on meat and veggies for the grill and I made a cantaloupe salad with fresh mint, lime juice and fresh grated ginger. The window on the right was my view from the kitchen sink (*swoon) and the stacked rocks on the left kept my water and cap full of blackberries cool in the shade.