Fall.

Enjoy the fall leaves.  A gift to us all.

we heart it

Gifts that lie below,

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Gifts that hang above.

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Tape the memories to your wall.

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Yes, stop awhile to enjoy the fall.

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Living Large(r)

We treasure our time at the beach because we live in an agricultural area of California.
Last spring, I made this poster (16x20) to remember our visit.  Eight months later, I finally printed it.

I discovered Costco now offers 1-hour poster printing (16x20 for $5.99 and 20x30 for $8.99). 
No excuses now for not letting my memories live large!

San Francisco. Part Two.

After Chinatown, we went to the Ferry Building.  It stayed gloomy and overcast with periodic light rain. No worries, still a great time!

Views of the Port of San Francisco and grounds of the Ferry Building on an early misty morning.

The Ferry Building has a long walkway with shops and restaurants on both sides.  Ciao Bella is our favorite gelato, the gourmet food shop has a fruit stand in the front, and the little bakery features small beautiful cakes.

Boccalone's sign makes me look twice.  Beautiful ceramic sake cups.

The road to Fisherman's Wharf was s-l-o-w-e-d by a bevy of segway travelers and a cable car.

Love Boudin.  Lauren's favorite:  Clam chowder in a Boudin breadbowl.

Boudin's sourdough comes in many shapes:  giant crabs, alligators, turtles, teddy bears and more.

Fisherman's Wharf views

Street views (scenes, walking and performers)

We stopped for dinner at Nonna Rose's

Me and Lauren

Famous Dungeness crabs everywhere

Pier 39 shopping with a carousel and botanical crab.  Night fell as we said Good Night to Guardino's.  Goodbye, San Francisco.

San Francisco. Part One.

Kirk planned two days in San Francisco for my birthday. We stayed in Redwood City the first night (to visit Sunset Gardens). On Day 2, the forecasted storm hit after we reached home in Fresno. Also, it was Fleet Week in SF so the Blue Angels were in town (we saw and heard them overhead). As a sailor's daughter, I enjoyed seeing sailors around town.

A few days after our visit, the Bay Bridge was closed when two steel beams and tie-rods holding a cracked structural support failed. The pictures below show the traffic at the toll booth, driving across sections of the Bay Bridge and a view of Coit Tower from the bridge.

This GPS has been a peacekeeper in our car. It's easier (and safer) to argue (and blame) the GPS than each other!

The wall art (graffiti) on this building was vivid and interesting. You'll see clothing racks because we were walking though a weekend outdoor street market. Also, I shot a picture from the bottom of an apartment.

I caught Lauren and her Pop taking cellphone pictures of each other. Makes me smile.

Taking pictures of funny faces

Seriously, this IS the color of this door. It's neon green against pewter fixtures. Seriously. Neon colors are fashionable this fall, so this door is so IN.

Views in Chinatown. Top two pictures at the front gate and bottom two are street views.

The hanging lanterns above the street give a festive atmosphere.

Chinatown shopping.

We stopped to eat here (again) at Penang Garden (Malaysian-Thai-Singaporean cuisine). The food was delicious (Rendang Chicken and Belachan Eggplant).

Peking Duck, a plate of duck heads, jin duey aka buchi-buchi dessert and waiting outside a Pearl Drink shop for Kirk & Lauren.

I was caught by surprise. I was looking in the shop window and thought I heard something. A homeless man was snoring on the storefront steps. Times are so hard for many folks.