balance

 Another walk to the Golden Gate Bridge to take in the view. Here are a few photos taken from Fort Point and then a cheers to SF with "bright green" Juice Shop juice followed up with an Americano pizza from Tony's Pizza Napoletana for balance.

treasures in the mail

My second cousin Kathleen lives in Texas where she use to raise Nigerian dwarf goats and still makes art. It was during a visit with her that at 21, after choosing to not eat meat for 10 years that I started to eat meat again..... oh, Texas. When I was a kid I remember getting the best surprise gifts in the mail from a stamp set with a rainbow ink pad and a subscription to Ranger Rick magazine. I thought she was the coolest ever and still think of those thoughtful gifts. Well, she recently uncovered some treasures from her parents trip to the Golden Gate International Exposition and offered to send them my way. The coin above was inside and I think it's my favorite, partly because it seems to be worn smooth a bit in the center which has me thinking of someone rubbing it with their thumb or carrying it around in their pocket with the rest of their loose change. There was a scarf, a guide to the city with prices and suggestions for proper clothing and other charming bits of SF history.

Anchor Steam beer tour

 I love tours, especially when it involves learning a bit about a craft or a little eating or drinking. We made a reservation for an Anchor Steam Brewery Tour over a month ago as they fill up quickly. Anchor Steam is America's first craft brewery and a San Francisco original since 1896. How they managed to survive prohibition is a secret. Starting out as Anchor Brewery with an anchor logo as part of the thriving port business of San Francisco the "steam" was added to their name after people noticed steam rising from the Anchor Brewery rooftop in the evening as the fermenting beer was cooled by the foggy evening air, creating steam. While they don't cool the brew on the rooftop anymore it's still handmade in their traditional copper brewhouse. The tour was pretty brief with us covering all three levels in about 30 minutes and then spending over an hour in the tasting room trying all seven brews on tap and I was the only one taking notes on my favorites. My top favorites out of the seven tasted were Anchor Steam Beer, Anchor Porter, and Brekle's Brown. If you get a chance to take a tour here or anywhere, I highly recommend it. I'd love to take the tour again and bring some cheese and crackers along. Nostalgia brought memories of childhood school field trips to an apple orchard and a potato chip factory. Watching the beer bottles roll by reminded me of the beloved Mister Rogers' Neighborhood trip to the crayon factory.  

summer tote

knowing that there would be great music and loads of delicious fried food at the Fillmore Street Jazz Festival I decided to take a long walk there and back to justify the gluttony. Hello, turkey corn dog. Walking along a street I usually drive I was able to stop and take in these lovely Victorian homes and was sure that if I stayed long enough I might here secrets of the passed whispered. I stopped at the market to stock up on frozen raspberries for a tart I wanted to make and finally had an excuse to buy a thermal tote bag. Hooray! I think it's adorable and it worked like a champ to keep the berries frozen on the walk home and all for $1.49. 

bits of green popping up and out today

the House of Days captures atmospheric change with photos and captures my heart every time I pass it.  The sky was clear and a walk along the water at sunset, bundled up against the cold bay air was the perfect way to end the day. 'Passed another abandoned mattress masquerading as an island of flowers and I'm starting to thing mattress floral patterns are the best. 

looking left and right

I walked under the bridge and found the familiar view of the Marin headlands and the vast ocean on the other side. favorites

lunch break at the beach

working just a few blocks from the ocean and an hour+ for lunch I decided to go for a little hike by Sutro baths and watch the fog pass through the trees, waves crash along the shore, and tourists take photos of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

pretty ladies

After a lovely all day picnic/birthday celebration at Golden Gate Park in the winter sun I ventured home and passed these pretty painted ladies just before sunset. Behind was a backdrop of silhouettes dotted with tripods and eager photographers watching the famous pastel Victorian homes below.

2nd place

Well, the SF 49ers made it to the Super Bowl and ended up in 2nd place which meant free pudding for SF. I spent the day at home trying to get over the lingering cold, but managed to rally in time to see the whole bit. Former 49er and Super Bowl champ Ronnie Lott passed out the pudding cups while I had Bill Cosby Jell-o commercials running through my mind. I ended up handing a few of them out to transient guys and they were overjoyed so in a way this made both cities winners.

Happy Birthday, MUNI!

This is the end of the Hyde and Powell street trolley turnaround with a view of the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz, the bay, and of course the trolley as it is turned around by hand before being sent back up and over the hill.

SF Streetcar and MUNI 100 year anniversary!

 I love the streetcars in SF and I was over the moon excited when I found out about the 100 year MUNI Streetcar anniversary celebration. They brought out a lot of streetcars that are not usually out in service! A few of the MUNI buses and streetcars were parked in front of the museum and Ferry Building while others were picking up eager passengers to take a limited route ride. The first car I hoped on was the gem below from 1895 and is full of woodwork detail and a few vintage posters. *swoon*

Emerald beauties above with the open top cruiser in back with lights strung above!!! I felt like a kid at an amusement park and was so giddy to board. Unlike the car from 1895, this open top car runs on the rare weekend, weather permitting. This was a "special" streetcar and very special day. Thanks, MUNI.

This celebration happened the day before Veterans Day so I wanted to take a few photos to honor our heroes. Happy Remembrance/Veterans Day.

GIANT Alameda Flea Market

There were so many gems at the Alameda flea and this one was at an old postcard stand. I was there from 9-3:30 and still didn't see everything. After an exhausting day walking around in the sun I met up with East Bay friends for dinner before calling it a day. I'm sure I'll be back again for more scavenging.

Giants World Series Parade

I've always wanted to go to a ticker tape parade and I <3 the SF Giants so this was a dream! In true CA style the ticker tape was biodegradable and my true style I put a little in my pockets to share with friends that couldn't make it. Camera photos are above, but I just uploaded photos from my camera onto Flickr and thought I'd share this shot(above) of Sergio Romo. Sergio is turned towards me, wearing a T-shirt that says "I Just Look Illegal" with the media are chasing after him as he was the only player that jumped out of the parade car and opted to walk most of the route. The Giants are an amazing team full of incredible players.