13,146 steps

 It's been too long since I enjoyed (right word?) a really long walk, so yesterday I took off for Cortland Street and breakfast. Lots of hills, of course, and I was able to photograph the Bernal Heights rock which currently celebrates Ukraine. The huge stop sign on Cortland is on an apartment building and necessary the way some drivers zoom through our streets. A good day. 

champagne and tapas

 Two of our neighbors are moving to Valencia, Spain, so Heidi and Rob produced this lovely party yesterday afternoon which meant, among other things, that I did not have to rustle up dinner. Their cat Ozzie is a delight and preferred the fireplace. I too have my fireplace going these days because our famous heavy Karl fog is upon us currently. I don't mind it the way I used to. Odd, that. 

4th of July

 

oooooh ~ Dark Winds

 Yesterday I had a delicious lunch over at Doug and Barb's and they recommended Dark Winds on Amazon Prime. Set in 1971 in the Navajo lands of New Mexico with the tribal police and FBI not working together very well. Based on Tony Hillerman's mystery novels. Excellence.

goodbye bun-bun

 Only Murders in the Building (Season Two) does not miss a beat as these three hapless sleuths return to run around, crack bad jokes and make me laugh. On Hulu and in NYC. Fun.

the beauty of SF

Back to the Botanical Gardens yesterday with Ginger and a thermos of coffee. What a treat with sunny weather featuring a perfect breeze. Still a few rhododendrons and poppies to admire. Then back home to memorize every word of the Jan. 6th hearings. Trump was (is) ruthless. 

 

the Jeff and John show

 A good old fsashioned spy story thriller ~ The Old Man on Hulu. Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow and Amy Brenneman. Sometimes a bit too exciting before sleep. I've learned to pause the exciting TV and watch a little comedy to relax the tension. Big Bang Theory usually works.

my Kindle is in Paris

 Time to escape with a fun mystery set in some arrondissement or other in the great city that we all love so much.  The Paris Apartment even comes with a cat. And blood/gore of course.

beautiful and sad

 The Berkeley City Club was designed by Julia Morgan and it is stunning. Yesterday I went to a memorial service there for the daughter of friends who died of cancer waaaaay too young. It was also the 4th anniversary (aka Tender Day) of Bill's death so there were a lot of public and private tears and that is just how it is. Today is fog (so far) and the Pride Parade which I will watch on TV. I am OK, worry not.💗

Roe v. Wade overturned

 A dark day for women (especially the poor) in America. There will always be abortions but now there will be danger and a huge loss of privacy in some states. I almost said "backward states". Gloom.

two doors down

 This is a view from Heidi and Rob's who had a dinner party last night and I had a good time. Note the little slice of fog rolling in from the ocean. Most welcome. 

enough? yikes!

 Doug and I were able to walk to/fro our homes and meet at Emmy's on Mission Street last night. It was cooler but we sat outside and, as you can see, had waaaaaay too much to eat. Good old fashioned meatballs and spaghetti ~ cheesy garlic bread, cesar salad. Excellent food, great service and (for SF) very reasonable prices. 

way too hot

 

SF is not used to this hot weather (95º) so the Presidio was a good choice for Ginger and my walk yesterday. Lots of shade and peace. Today will be cooler, thankfully. 

the BIG parade

 Huge success yesterday ~ millions of fans lined Market Street. I watched on TV and cheered them on. Our writing prompts this week are Steph's tattoos:

• Love Never Fails (in Hebrew, right wrist)
• TCC Trust Commitment and Care (left wrist)
• > < (He must become greater, I must become less, on left bicep)
• WOE (working on excellence, right bicep)

Mexican pizza?

 Yes, yummmmm ~ the roasted corn kernels. Barb is out of town and Doug pulled me out of my comfort zone last night for an early supper at La Vaca Birria on 24th Street. Delicious and enough for tonight's dinner too. And we parked right in front (free on Sunday) and Bill was smiling his approval.

fifty years of Perry's

 I know, hard to believe, isn't it? Perry's on The Embarcadero is such a treat with reasonable prices and lots of good people watching in the patio right ON the street. The distinctive blue and white Perry's tablecloths and terrific service. I drove (!) and met Pamela here for lunch yesterday and since I was early I had a lovely walk before she arrived from Berkeley. Gorgeous weather, as you can see. 

beyond words, but I'll try

 This small and powerful exhibit is on tour from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Don't miss the video when you visit. I think my favorite part was reading about the two black artists and how they worked and what they felt as they painted these two iconic leaders. The two reference photographs (top) are fascinating too. At the deYoung ~ go.

and soon...a PARADE

 Well, that was fun last night. The fireworks in SF lasted until sunrise, or so it seemed. The Warriors were bound and determined to win in Boston last night and so they did, with a little drama and lots of joy.

the June book club yesterday

 Thanks to The Fevered Brain I selected this delightful novel The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot and the book club women loved it too. Connie and I blinded the world in our bright yellow and a good time was had by all at Chouquet's, our book club default restaurant. 

almost too beautiful

 Yesterday Ginger and I had our walk and coffee down at Sutro Park on the edge of the world. We could see forever and the weather was perfect ~ not too hot, no wind. Delightful.