good Friday morning

 You can see the bank of fog out there which keeps SF so pleasant this week. But it is warm enough that we are here in the back room again. No fireplace for two mornings in a row. Annabelle is discombobulated and sitting on the laptop, making my morning reading and writing a bit difficult. I spent all of yesterday afternoon in the dental chair and today will be ever so much better. Back to Matisse!

a gentle June Sunday

 Top photo: the pink triangle for Pride month is installed up on Mt. Sutro, not that you can see it here. 

Middle: Precita Park with a little jam jazz band (on the right) and dogs and people and gorgeous weather.

Bottom photo: my garden from a new shady area that I created for tenants and now that I enjoy.

my city of color

My BFF Ginger used the expression "the tyranny of beige" from time to time and we have certainly avoided that here in San Francisco, thankfully. The purple jacaranda trees are in bloom and big and small houses add just the right amount of color, in my opinion. I am back to walking about 6,000 to 10,000 steps a day and there are always visual rewards.

this time of year

 Beautiful days and nights here in SF. This was from my back room at sunset ~ the photo doesn't really do it justice, but it wasn't touched up. My French tenant, Ari, heads back to Paris next week and I hope he only has wonderful memories of his stay here. In the Fall he will attend MIT. This has been such a good experience for me. I am adaptable after all (sort of). 

my sunny city

 Step daughter, Nancy, and her husband, Scott, left a cold and rainy Illinois yesterday morning and all they wanted was sun. Success. We had a good walk at Fisherman's Wharf and an early dinner at the Crab House at Pier 39. Of course it's a "tourist place" but we were impressed and happy with the food and service. I look forward to taking Sister Jane to the Crab House on her next visit. The "kids" will be here for a week but plan to visit their daughter Ceci up in Nevada City for a few days. 

lazy (but pretty) mornings

This was sunrise yesterday ~ purple haze. Sun reflecting off our skyscrapers. Rain then sun then more rain. One of my exercise gurus on Instagram warns me that sitting is the new smoking. And so I push myself out of the comfy chair and turn off the fireplace, displacing and displeasing Annabelle.
 

very bad timing

 Poor merchants, symphony, ballet, theater, restaurants, tourists. This time we are fine here in Bernal Heights but much of my city still suffers this morning. It started yesterday about 3:30 pm and what a mess. All the Waymos were confused and called home (wherever that is) and a few BART stations were closed. Some sort of fire in a PG&E substation. Drat.

like a bird on a wire

 I snapped this photo yesterday before sunset because the crows were all lined up there on the right. This city has magical light this time of year, in my opinion, and that is one of the reasons artists flock (get it?) here. This Leonard Cohen song from 1969 has always appealed to me:

Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free
Like a worm on a hook
Like a knight from some old fashioned book
I have saved all my ribbons for thee

lunch at Perry's

 I met Ken (the Person) down on the Embarcadero for a really nice lunch after a fine solo walk from 4th Street to this classic (dare I say iconic?) restaurant. Good food, good conversation and I'm happy to report that Perry's was packed and my SF streets bustling with people. An excellent Wednesday.

simple pleasures

 Doesn't this look like a painting? Yesterday afternoon I walked in the nabe and stopped for an overpriced latte on 24th Street. Worth it. I did some serious people watching and read my July 28th New Yorker and let my iPhone count my steps. I love this city, but you already know that...

random SF scenes

 The top photo is from Neti's kitchen window ~ she lives in Twin Peaks. Gorgeous. Then this brand new Lili's Candy Shop on 26th Street, right across from a school. I bought a little sweet and talked to the owner  and admired her fun and colorful store. I hope she succeeds. 

guerrilla benches

 The San Francisco Bay Area Bench Collective has built and installed eight wooden benches near bus stops where we need them most. Of course the city officials are having a fit and worrying about law suits and insurance and paperwork and blah, blah. But it sure feels good to sit some days, right?

Treat Street

 In the middle photo you can see me admiring the big white cat garage door art yesterday. Jen and her two dogs snapped this one and I took the other two. So beautiful. This kind of street art is something I did not see while driving around neighborhoods in Chicago. But maybe I just missed it? It's always such a happy surprise when artists share their work with us in the big, bold fashion.

we did Dogpatch

 Doug and Barb have been traveling a lot, but we got together yesterday to enjoy a fine serendipitous lunch at Guilianna's Just for You Cafe on 22nd Street in the Dogpatch district of SF. None of us had been here before, but Doug found parking across the street, so of course that was such a good sign. Excellent burger and sandwiches and beignets for dessert. So lovely being with my friends again and very nice of them to treat, even though I offered. Honest.

Japantown Rainbow Coalition

 Amy and I were surprised and delighted by this happy celebration in Japantown yesterday. We were unclear on the concept of Japanese German Shepard dogs, or maybe this guy was just a dog walker or who knows? San Francisco is a strange and wonderful city. Lovely weather too!

Susan in Salesforce Park

Susan lives in Davis and she had not even heard of Salesforce Park in downtown SF, and I had not been here for awhile either, so of course we had a lovely time. I wish it had a few good restaurants, but we got by with pizza and salad and that was fine. All the plants and trees and greenery ~ so lush and beautiful and juxtaposed with (to?) all the dramatically tall buildings, lordy, it is just a really spectacular spot. Yes, one fine day filled with chit chat and cleansing laughter.

 

Vive La Tarte

 We DO bakeries here in SF. Someone, somewhere suggested that I try Vive La Tarte on 24th Street and since I needed a reward for trying to be a good woman and running errands yesterday ~ well, I totally enjoyed a latte, croissant and a read in the New Yorker out in the sun/shade as I watched all the dogs and people parade by. Such a treat to live in this crazy city. And, hey, fog this morning. Welcome, Karl.

one stunning Wednesday

 I met Pamela for her belated birthday lunch at Ferry Plaza yesterday and you can see how beautiful it was. We sat outside and talked a lot and more. Then I had a good walk to Trader Joe's downtown and then walked some more with Jen and 2 dogs when I came home. The dogs and the knees were barking...

this surprising city

 The Mission District (where I live) provides lots of colorful art and yesterday I discovered a new "installation" in Lucky Alley. Someone provided the information that Balmy and Lucky were named after famous race horses at the Pioneer Race Course, 1851. My AI Co-pilot knows nothing about this. I have posted about Balmy Alley before and will return soon for an update now that the weather is nice and my arthritis is saying, "just get out and walk, woman." And so I do.

and all for $12

 My friend Terri and one of my neighbors are quilters and I have always admired this artistic talent. So I bought a ticket to the SF Quilt Show yesterday that was held at St. Mary's Cathedral. I had a delightful couple of hours and I was so impressed with all the glorious work. The artist for the crossword puzzle piece (top photo) was there explaining all the meaningful and personal details of her work. Yes, I am very happy that I went yesterday.