A Road Trip - Short & Sweet

We left home yesterday at 12:30 p.m. and returned at 5:30 p.m. today.

We made a quick run (6 hours each way) to San Francisco for the night.

KC had asked for some of the furniture we kept in the attic.

Yesterday morning we gathered together all the requested items:

 a blue trunk (which until this week was pink and full of JP's old baseball cards) sitting in the attic

 a little drop leaf table - an old family piece that I love, but just don't have space for

a wine rack

a sailboat which Steve bought at a maritime museum that was selling off all their boats

her old Doc Martens

a beautiful cherry wood rocker that I forgot to photograph

and some odds and ends

We can never just leave the house when we go away because we always hire a sitter to stay with Dorje.

 I have to change the linens, dust and vacuum.

We arrived in San Francisco at 6:30 and only had time to change because KC had made dinner reservations at Maverick.

We caught a cab and left Cow Hollow for a delicious meal in a warm and friendly environment in the Mission.

KC chose the restaurant because she thought the menu fit Steve's style of cooking.

He got some good ideas for fixing rabbit and lamb.

After dinner we walked to Bi-Rite for ice cream (didn't need it, but yum!)

The evening was surprisingly warm - we all wore sweaters and left our coats behind.

We awoke this morning to the sound of rain and heavy wind.

Our plans for a walk to the marina were altered so we did our usual and ate across the street from KC's apartment at Rose's Cafe.

When we were pulling out of our drive, my neighbor, Judy, asked me to bring her a loaf of sourdough bread so I picked this up for her at Rose's after breakfast.

KC lives above 

on the third floor of this building

with great bay windows.

I discovered this little shop next door

and thought I would like to check out the red table

and the white quilt with red, yellow & blue, but the store wasn't open.

That is why the pictures show reflections of cars - I had to take them through the window.

I asked KC if she ever went into the shop.

Her comment was, "I can't figure out what she sells.  It would be like you putting all the things in your house out to sell!"

That must be why I was drawn to the little shop.

I got these photos as we walked for our cab last night, but I took them through windows so they didn't turn out great.

I can't wait to go for my annual Mother's Day visit with KC to look in this shop.

I love all the interesting doors, windows and awnings in San Francisco.

If we had not been on our way to dinner I would have picked up some flowers for KC.

After breakfast, in the rain, we took all the furniture and odd bits out of the car and ran them upstairs to KC's apartment.

Then we headed off to Sports Basement to find ski overalls for Steve for our upcoming ski trip .

We drove through the Presidio and this was our view when we pulled into the parking lot of Sports Basement.

It was a gloomy, rainy day, but the Golden Gate Bridge is still a beautiful sight.

I got a few pics of KC's place and then it was time to leave- we were parked in a 10 minute space!

It doesn't really show, but her apartment has 10 foot ceilings with the most beautiful molding.

This is the ceiling molding in her bedroom.

She just picked up the 17th St. sign at an antique shop on Union Street.

The lighting wasn't great, but I just love her bay window.

She put the drop leaf table at the side of the chair for now until she figures out where all of her new pieces will work best.

My last view as we walked to the car was of the lovely San Francisco architecture.

Quintessential San Francisco - bay windows,

flowers in bloom on the street,

and colorfully painted buildings.

We are home for a total of 36 hours until we take off again - this time for skiing in the Sierras.

Thank goodness for spring break!

Little Spots of Color

My garden suffers during the winter.

I get home too late each night to garden.

It seems like I never have time on the weekend or it is too cold to garden.

I had planned on lots of gardening time during spring break, but now we will be gone most of the vacation.

Fortunately, mother nature is doing her part and my garden is beginning to show signs of flowers.

My favorite daisies are popping up

and one lone carnation has bloomed

along with these little purple flowers planted by the birds all over the yard.

In the front a little bouquet of nasturtiums has popped up

and there is a little bit of pink along the side.

I would love to boast that my poppies are alive and thriving, but alas, this wonderful display belongs to Julie across the lane.

Usually my cow jumping over the moon is surrounded by daisies, calla lilies and coreopsis, but at the moment there is only greenery.

With plenty of rain today,
I have high hopes of spending Easter weekend gardening
and
seeing my yard full of color.

By The Sea, By The Sea, By The Beautiful Sea

"By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea! 
You and me, you and me, oh how happy we'll be!"

The lyrics pretty much sum up my life.

I coached my team in a volleyball tournament this 
morning (we won!), 
but I missed our usual morning walk
in order to get to the tournament on time.

After the tournament I ran errands and came 
home to find Steve in the back yard 
eating lunch and basking in the sun.

Rain, and lots of it, is expected tomorrow 
so we decided that any "house" projects 
could be taken care of while we are housebound.

We debated the merits of kayaking or cycling 
and settled on a bike ride along the beach.

Due to rain, illness, and a conference, 
I don't think I have been on my bike in March.

And, I felt it!

I love our pier

and the promenade lined with palm trees

and the islands in the background.

We rode along the railroad tracks to Emma Wood

which was filling up with families on spring break.

This part of our trail is actually the original 
Pacific Coast Highway and I remember 
driving on it as a child going
to visit family in Santa Barbara.

Altogether we rode about 12 miles.

A pretty spectacular ride.

And a beautiful way to spend the afternoon - 
by the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea!

Skaters and Beakers On The Beach

We can tell it is spring.

It is still cold on the beach in the morning when we begin our walk, but soon I am unzipping my jacket.

By next week, I will probably not grab a jacket, but just a hooded sweatshirt.

Yesterday morning we really noticed the "wild life" on the beach, but I had not grabbed my camera.

This morning I remembered my camera and got some pics of our morning friends.

When we get to the end of the lane and climb the stairs, we look toward "the point".

We then head toward the jetty.

Our little friends were out in full force this morning.

We call them "the skaters"

because they look like they are scooting along on roller skates as they run to the water.

 They rush in as the tide recedes and just as quickly they skate away from the water as the tide rushes in.

We call the bigger birds "beakers" because of their long beaks.

There are far more skaters than beakers.

When the skaters are out of the water they tear up the sand looking for food.

We call this "having a party" and marvel how in just seconds they can take a smooth area of sand and stir it up.

Steve and Dorje are walking along in front of me.

When Dorje was 1 year old and first came to live with us she would race up and down the beach at least 3 times during our walk.

She would chase the skaters and the beakers barking orders (the herder in her) despite the fact that she never caught them and none of the birds ever listened to her.

Nowadays, at nearly 13, she struggles to keep up, but she will never give up her morning walk.

You might notice that there is no one else on the beach.

 We leave the house at 6:30 a.m. and most mornings it is just the 3 of us.

Just as our day began on the beach...so did it end.

Life is Good!

Treasured Family Pieces

Many years ago, when we joined the Peace Corps, we left what little furniture we had with my parents.

When we returned, we had added to our family and had a 6 week old baby boy.

We found a place to rent in the Mission Beach area of San Diego.

Steve flew to my parent's home to rent a truck and load it up with our belongings while I stayed behind with the baby.

He removed far more items from the garage than we had placed there originally.

It was amazing what he found stored in their old garage.

He brought us pieces of furniture and knick knacks that I had never seen growing up.

It was like Christmas all over again that day.

This cabinet did not look nearly as good then as it does now after being professionally restored.

It is actually the top part of a store cabinet.

Those drawers at the bottom would be at waist height when placed on the base.

Parts were missing, but we can see that there must have been a little drop down section.

The base is now in San Francisco with KC and has gone from white, to yellow and now back to dark wood.

I seesaw on whether I will paint it this summer or keep it as is.

Many of the other pieces he brought back that day have been given to my sister.

When we bought our beach house, there was just not room for much.

My sister has a large, beautiful home and I gave her several wonderful chairs and a beautiful sewing cabinet.

Our fantastic secretary desk is at Steve's brother's house and some day we will reclaim it.

One of my favorite pieces that Steve brought back that day was this little supply box that must also have been from a store.

I don't know which of my ancestors kept a store, but I know it would have been somewhere in Kansas.

This piece has moved around in all of our houses.

In our old house it was in my sewing room holding thread which would have been its original purpose.

You can just make out the words J & P Coats 

I sanded it down last summer because Steve had been using it in his studio to store paint and it had gotten splattered all over.

I didn't want to take off any of the writing.

This photo shows the corner of the room where the box rests.

The painting is one of my favorites by Steve.

Besides loving old trucks, it reminds me of a special day in Napa, California with KC and her friends.

Everyone loves to go wine tasting with me because I don't drink - constant designated driver!

I loved the truck so much, that when he sold the original painting, I asked him to paint it again.

That is one of the downsides of marriage to an artist, your walls are always changing and you might lose a favorite painting to a client.

This last photo is an enlargement to show off the photographs in the red frame.

Steve and his brother are on the left and my sister is in in front of me.

We are all on our little toys which must have been top of the line at the time.

Oh, if we had only realized that one day we would want our old tricycles and fire engines!

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I am linked up today with Knick of Time Tuesday for her weekly Vintage Style Party.