family, art and pasta

 Nancy, CC and Zak are here from Placerville and we had a lovely afternoon out at the Hunters Point Shipyard for Art Open Studio. Then we tried to get in at Original Joe's (Daly City) but at 5pm it was an 1.5 hour wait, so we headed to Bacco on 24th Street and had a delicious dinner of pasta and more pasta in the outdoor back patio. Lots of good old family chatter and laughter yesterday.

the glory that is Spring

 This Spring especially ~ the ground was saturated during the Great Rains and these poppies and friends are about two blocks from Annabelle's home. Really very few flowers in Sav'h, maybe we were too early or late? But SF is resplendent! Not easy to drive because there are explosions of floral color everywhere.

a fun Flix® series

 Meet the Derry Girls who live in a small town in Northern Ireland in the 1990's. Lots of half hour episodes to look forward to between baseball and basketball and more serious stuff. Yes, it's a comedy and we all need to laugh more these days.

a gift for me from Sav'h

 The dish towel on your left called out to me. I had a happy/busy day getting the house organized yesterday and then met Doug and Barb for coffee after a good SF walk. Beautiful weather here!

and all is right with the world

 Cat (not shown), coffee in new Sav'h mug), fireplace, good night's sleep in my own bed after a lovely shower and everything getting back into order today. Lot of laundry and tasks and the wonderful afterglow of a delightful and very successful vacation week in beautiful Sav'h. Filled with gratitude and ready for my exercise class at 9am ~ much needed after long, smooth airplane day. 💖

cemetery, crackers and pirates

 I'm posting early because we fly home tomorrow after this wonderful week. So many thanks to Mr. and Ms. Blogmaid for their generosity and knowledge of Savannah. We started at the famous Bonaventure Cemetery and then did some car stuff (don't ask) and then hit the Cracker Barrel for lunch. I mistakenly ordered beige, but the chocolate cake was luscious. An early dinner tonight at the famous old Pirate House was fabulous. I had the best rare filet mignon and everyone else had delicious fish and then we shared a peach cobbler. We toasted goodbye! to smarmy Tucker Carlson. And yes, ready for home. 

photos ~ start at the bottom here

 This blogger is usually more aware, but she asks for your patience today. We started Sunday at the big and beautiful Colonial Park Cemetery ~ old and peaceful and once again a lovely day with sun, but not too much. Then I had a nice solo visit to the SCAD museum where I wandered and appreciated the eleven exhibits, especially Jorge Pardo (lights over table) and Ana Bell Lee Washington and her folk art. For dinner Audrey and went to City Market and I finally had my soft shell crab and Audrey enjoyed fried green tomatoes. Oh, we were able to watch Warriors and Giants ~ two VERY close wins. Whoosh.

art in the park

 The SCAD students chalked up their talents yesterday, but of course most of our attention was on RR and Emilee and you can see how stunning their work was. Forsyth Park is large and we walked and sat under the big shady trees and did some serious people watching. Lunch at Six Pence and dinner at the Olympia Cafe down at the River. We were able to watch the Giants game as we rested in the afternoon ~ win! The weather continues to be absolutely perfect here.

day #3 with hermit time

 Friday started for me with a glorious solo river walk and Starbucks latte and some reading time. Then I went to the First African Baptist Church to hear history and appreciate what the blacks had to endure to gain their freedom and build this church which was one of the stops on the underground railway. The quilt features symbols to let people know where the safe houses were. Dinner at the River Grill was lively and lovely and then more walking. The Blogmaid named me group leader after dinner and I failed miserably and as a result we are all rather tired this morning. More coffee, please. Weather still fabulous! 

two touristy tours

 A wonderfully full day of Sav'h and glorious Spring weather. The Blogmaid drove us around in the morning and then we all took the Old Town Trolley Tour filled with history and lots of fun facts. Next we visited the college girl at SCAD (what a great school!) and on to lunch in the no-car City Market. Last night we took the Ghost Tour and saw the city at night. Beautiful and filled with history. Exhausted last night but able to watch the satisfying Warriors win. Feeling fine today, happy traveler am I.

four sightseers in Savannah

 Long, smooth flight to Savannah (hereafter Sav'h) yesterday (with an hour in Atlanta) and a check-in with rental car and Best Western down here on West Bay by the river front. The weather is gorgeous and we had burger dinners outside watching three block long ships on the beautiful Sav'h River. Warm and lovely weather and lots to see and do today. So, so glad to be here with wonderful friends and laughter.

new suitcase, new city, old clothes

 In a few minutes we are off to SFO and Savannah and my cat is not happy, to say the least. I will send details from the Best Western tomorrow morning. Excited? Oh, yes!

a poetic gift

 Neighbor Heidi and I exchanged poems yesterday. Here is the one she gave me:

 There was a moment

when shooting egrets for feathers became wrong.

There was a moment

when the Wilderness Act

changed the lives of billions of blades of grass.

 

I remember the moment when a river that used to catch fire

turned from flammable to swimmable.

 

A swerve smells astringent, like the wind off the sea;

It tastes red, the way Red Hot cinnamon mints

burn in your mouth;

it’s heavy, the way the weight of letters is heavy,

arriving in sacks at the Senate;

it sounds like the click of needles

as hundreds of thousands of women knit pink hats;

it looks like a coyote, crossing the freeway to go home.

Ellery Akers

from Swerve, Blue Light Press, 2020

90 minutes of fun

 Neti and I thoroughly enjoyed Clue at the SF Playhouse yesterday afternoon. Colonel Mustard (in the library), Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green, etc. all having a romp with a murder here and there to keep the audience laughing and puzzling as to who did what to whom. 

I'm officially an old cat lady

 Wonderful card from my trash buddy Emma in Portland. See how nicely it matches the cat art? 

it begins tonight!

 Warriors vs. Kings up in Sacramento at 5:30pm. Lots of fun back stories and excitement in this rare meeting of neighbors in the NBA playoffs. Our record is not that exceptional this year, but the Warriors know how to "do" playoff pressure. Or so we hope...

tons of delicious Chinese food

 My sorta new friend Jen (with two dogs) in the neighborhood had a gift certificate to Harborview Restaurant down at the Embarcadero. We had a long lunch with enough left overs to see me through the next weekend. Harborview is big and famous and expensive and lavish and, they were busy, I'm happy to say. We covered our histories proving once again that everyone has a fascinating story to tell.

a happy coincidence

 Chef Sarah and Susan (the Fevered Brain) do not know each other and yet both of them recommended this book to me. Still Life by Sarah Winman begins in 1944 in Tuscany as the Allied troops advance into war-torn Italy. Beautifully written and I am hooked. 

the Peruvian Pepper Tree

 I have been more social lately so this poem by Sandra Cisneros is just what I needed:

Remedy for Social Overexposure

Seek a pirul tree and sit beneath immediately. Remove from ears and tongue, words. Fast from same. Soak in a tub of seclusion. Rinse face with wind. In extreme cases, douse oneself with sky. Then, swab gently with clouds. Dress in clean, pressed pajamas. Preferably white. Hold close to the heart, chihuahuas. Kiss and be kissed by same. Consume a cool glass of night. Read poetry that inspires poetry. Write until temperament returns to calm. Place moonlight in a bowl. Sleep beside and dream of white flowers. ~ Sandra Cisneros

April is poetry month

 

Beytzeh: Season of the egg It’s the season of the egg, older than any named creed: that perfect shape that signs a pregnant woman, the moon slightly compressed, as if a great serpent held it in its opened mouth to carry or eat. Eggs smell funky slipped from under the hen’s breast, hotter than our blood. Christians paint them; we roast them. The only time in the whirling year I ever eat roasted egg: a campfire flavor, bit burnt, reeking of haste like the matzoh there was no time to let rise. We like our eggs honest, brown. Outside my window the chickadees choose partners to lay tiny round eggs. The egg of the world cracks raggedly open and the wet scraggly chick of northern spring emerges gaunt, dripping. Soon it will preen its green feathers, soon it will grow fat and strong, its wings blue and blinding. Tonight we dip the egg in salt water like bowls of tears. Elijah comes with the fierce early spring bringing prophecy that cracks open the head swollen with importance. Every day there is more work to do and stronger light. - Marge Piercy

the festival returns

 What a glorious Spring day in SF yesterday with so many activities and ALL of them well attended, according to every report I've seen. Amy and I went to Japantown for the Cherry Blossom Festival ~ what a great experience! I can't believe that I had not done this before. Drummers of all ages and ethnicities with so much drama and flair. I could feel the drum beats way down in my stomach. Of course the audience was fun to watch too and I will put this in next year's schedule for sure. 

pre-Easter brunch

 How wonderful are my neighbors? Very! A fun Spring brunch yesterday with these people that I've grown to appreciate so much. Rob made split pea soup and Heidi asked us to bring finger food to go with the ham and deviled eggs and so we did. And so it was all warm and happy and yes, I am feeling blessed and also looking forward to today's adventures. Happy Easter, everyone.

Ansel Adams comes home

 I have some nerve taking crooked photos of The Master's work. There is a BIG exhibit just opening at the deYoung and yesterday Heidi and I went with many others to appreciate Ansel Adams and other photographers. He was born and raised in San Francisco, out at Sea Cliff, which was mostly sand dunes back then. These nature photographers helped create and save the National Parks across America and their love of the great outdoors benefitted us all.