A Graduation Party and a Morning Walk in Nob Hill

Last month, my mom and I flew to San Francisco to attend my cousin's graduation party.  We stayed at the Marine Memorial Club, which was also the location for the party.   But first, lunch.

We met my Aunt Carol at the Zuni Cafe.  We ordered Lillet and salads to pass the time until our chicken emerged from the oven.



And then, we ordered a bottle of wine to go with that chicken.



The chicken and the bread salad underneath it was delicious.  It was so nice to have a nice lunch with my aunt and my mom.  Afterwards, my mom and I headed back towards Union Square and did a little shopping to walk off our big lunch.  And then back to the hotel for the party.



Our lovely hosts, Frank and Mary Ann.



Aunt Michelle and Uncle Tim.  And here is the lovely graduate, my cousin Chelsea.  Isn't she beautiful?  My mom, who just retired from her nursing career, is especially proud of Chelsea because she is graduating from the University of San Francisco with a degree in nursing.  The torch is passed.

We had so much fun at the party!  Afterwords, we went to an Irish bar to celebrate further.

Good times!  But the next morning, I woke up with a few cobwebs in my brain.  So I decided to put on my running shoes and go for a long walk to clear my head.   I had forgotten to bring a warm sweatshirt, so I popped into Walgreens to buy one.  It was cold and windy out!  The cashier told me my choice was "very subtle, not too touristy" and rang me up. Off I went, out the door and up the hill through Chinatown.

I love all the stoops and doors on Nob Hill.

I would love for this to be my neighborhood library.

The views and the color of the sky were amazing.

A white camellia in bloom.

The Broadway Garden for Children and Seniors.

The sidewalks around the gardens had sprigs of rosemary imprinted in the concrete.

Look at the sky!  This photo is from my iPhone and is unedited.  It was such a beautiful morning.  And a beautiful weekend.  Congratulations Chelsea!  I am so proud of you!

Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign

Well, I'm proud to say we've knocked a few items off of our California list.  Especially since our performance is not that stellar.

Folks…here it is…Griffith Park.

A little anti-climatic?  Maybe.  But we had fun.



First we hit up the choo choo train.  Side note: for some reason my spell check isn't recognizing the word choo choo.



Yes, it's so bitterly cold in Los Angeles I had to wear a down vest.



Jules certainly enjoyed the choo choo.



Paige just took it all in.

After our epic time with the choo choo, we headed to the Griffith Park Carousel.



Jules started on her own horse.

 And then decided it would be more fun to ride with Mommy.

Paige was quite confident on her steed.

These horses have a lot of patina.

Then we walked over to the playground.

Tunnel!

Sure, putting a two-year old in a tree is a great idea.  After the playground, we drove through the park up to Griffith Observatory and were amazed by the traffic and the parking.  We decided to attempt the observatory another day.  It's crazy to imagine the construction of Griffith Observatory.  It's an impressive, large building in an impressive, challenging location.

And here's the Hollywood Sign.  Enjoy...

New Year's Day 2014

On Wednesday, we woke up, looked outside and realized it was a beautiful winter day in California.

So after lunch, we loaded in the car and drove to Ventura, the town directly north west of where we live.  It's hilly and overlooks the ocean and the Channel Islands.  We parked at the Ventura City Hall and then walked to the path through the Ventura County Botanical Gardens.  Jules had fallen asleep in the car and miraculously stayed asleep during the transition to the jogging stroller.



The gardens are in the early stages of development, and at this point, are really just a trail through the coastal chaparral.

Paige took to the trail with enthusiasm.

Since it's winter, most of the sage scrub is brown right now.

Paige found a lone flower in bloom, though.

There's downtown Ventura in the distance and the ocean beyond.

Plants gone to seed.  I think it might be a coyote bush.  Or maybe I'm making that up.

More views of downtown, the pier, and the ocean.

Agave plants or yucca in bloom.  I need to step up my local plant knowledge.

Lemonade berry plants budding out.

Look at that blue sky!

The rock work on the trails was fantastic.

Wild fennel plants gone to seed.

Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Paige!

It's Paigey's birthday this week - she is turning four.

We had a fun party over the weekend to celebrate with lots of new friends, old friends, and family.  It was so fun.  For some reason, more than half of my photos were really blurry….so lots of people are MIA in these photos.  Nonetheless,  let's go to the videotape: