Would the little squirt who pressed fast forward on the season remote please report immediately to my office? Speed up the end of winter any time you like, but summer?! You stinker. I swear the last day of school was yesterday, but somehow the kids are supposed to go back tomorrow. Plus, we had weeks, I tell you WEEKS of freezing fog and today it was 100 degrees. Now that just burns me up. (oof)
A week ago we had a great visit with Mum & Dad and Claire & Andy and the kids. What a party! Highlights? Too many – but here goes.
CITY DAY
Unfortunately for all, Honey had to have another oral surgery the day after everyone arrived. She was down for the count the next day, so Tourguide Tom took the rest of the gang into the city to hunk around.
Nothing beats the ferry into San Francisco, even on a windy day that leaves your hair in knots.
Even waiting for the ferry is fun.
They looked for one of the old trams to take them up Market street, and this one was headed in the right direction.
It was absurdly busy downtown that day, but they had a good look around the whole Yerba Buena Gardens area.
COUNTRY DAY
For the opposite experience, the next day we wandered around Muir Woods.
This is a place that always catches my breath. After the woods, we visited the shore – Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands.
Doesn’t everybody look happy? We were FREEZING.
If you look at the photo above, you’ll see a chunk of land just above Honey’s head, on the right. Dad kept calling it his brick – it just sits there, very like a brick, with the water crashing all around it. Well Dad, it turns out your brick has an official name. Bird Island. I know it – totally boring, but there you have it.
The Headlands are dotted with old military batteries, and after we left the beach, we drove up to Battery Mendell, right on the point of land you see next to the brick. Here’s the view from up there:
Look at that coast! I love taking visitors up here because it really feels like California to me. No graceful slide into the green Pacific, but it’s rugged without being harsh somehow.
Here’s a view back towards the city from the Battery Wallace area, on the other side of Point Bonita:
CITY DAY PART DEUX
Our second San Francisco day focused on the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Boy do we love this place. We got there early enough to just walk right into the rainforest exhibit, which used to be impossible to get to when the museum first opened after its renovation. It was still so chilly outside that it felt incredible to step into this lush warm environment.
And the aquarium! Always magnificent and mysterious.
After the museum we stopped by Chrissy Fields for some nice views of the city, some hot chocolate, and some more wind.
It was good for the boats, though! Here’s a view of the bridge from Fort Point:
It was a fantastic visit, and boy were they all troupers as we packed a greatest hits tour into just a few precious days. Whew! I hope they’re all still napping.