LAST FEW DAYS

Some things we did on our last couple of days in San Francisco

Saturday

After a late start (we slept in) we spent most of today in the city. Some things we did: we were too late to book the Chinatown tour so we did it under our own steam. San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia as well as the oldest Chinatown in North America and boasts one of the top tourist attractions in San Francisco. This bustling neighbourhood is chockablock with fish vendors, herb shops, acupuncture clinics, flower stalls, tea houses and Buddist temples. We walked through streets lined with restaurants and cafes most offering dim sum (yum cha as we call it in Oz), lots of market areas selling every imaginable type of fruit and vegetable, everything ridiculously priced (cheap that is). There were fish shops with huge bowls of extremely fresh fish (they were still wriggling and jumping), markets offering every type of chinese sauce and spice imaginable, smells of fresh bread, buns and bagels, shops with chickens and ducks hung in the windows and the smells of spices and food wafting through the air. We wandered up streets and alleys enjoying the sights and smells. We had decided we would have dim sum, the question was which of the 568 restaurants should we choose. We peeked in cafes and restaurants here and there, rejected, walked on. “What about this one?” “Don't know, let's walk a bit further.” Eventually Richard made an Executive Decision. We walked past a huge restaurant, it was packed with Asian heads. (They did have bodies too). Based on the fact that it was heavily populated with Chinese helped to make the ED. A lady on the front desk gave us a ticket with a number and we were ushered into a waiting area until a table became available. The front desk lady bellows through a microphone, number 83, and we were seated at the back of the restaurant. Perhaps they wanted us hidden away because we were European! There were a number of ladies pushing trolleys through the tables and uncovered their steaming dishes while patrons selected their choice. A teapot of green tea arrived at our table straight away and a docket which would accumulate the price of our fare. Not sure what our first selection was, rather bland pastry type strips in a sauce. Okay, next, the trolley girls aren't coming near us! They'd get almost to our table, take a look at us, turn their trolley around and off they'd go. Eventually, I caught someone's eye beckoning her over. She came to our table, she couldn't speak English, so she uncovered the lids of the dishes, said something that sounded like chicken. We nodded. We took a bit, yuk, it was very grizzly, fatty, bony, no meat to speak off. Wrong choice, we'll stick to vegetarian. But same story, they didn't want to come near us. After an interminable wait, we managed to procure the attention of a trolley pusher. We had some rice paper parcels with some sort of vegetable filling. The nicest dish so far. Things are looking up. Let's try another. We are back to the same problem, no-one will come near us. We wait a while, nothing, so in frustration as a waiter passed, we ask for the bill which meant he totted up our docket. We paid and waited another 10 minutes for the change to arrive. The first time since being in America we didn't tip. Perhaps they don't like serving Europeans we joked as we left. On relating the story to somebody later on, we discovered exactly that. When eating in Chinatown, you should take a Chinese person with you to order and look after you. That figured. And obviously why a tour works well. Never mind, it was an experience if nothing else. Later that day, Richard realised what our chicken dish was – CHICKEN FEET. Yuk and double yuk!!!! It has put me off of eating chicken for life.

And so our wanderings continued. We walked to the famous Lombard Street. It is famous for having a steep one block section that consists of eight tight hairpin turns. It has the distinction of being the crookedest most winding street in the world. There were crowds of people there, police controlling the traffic. We watched the motorists carefully manoeuvre their vehicles through the twisty curves. Thank Goodness we had left John and Susan's Jaguar at home!!!

We were not far from Fisherman's Wharf so we walked on down to the waterfront. Crowds of people out today enjoying the sunshine. We walked along the waterfront enjoying the sights, the buskers and generally people watching. We then walked down Hyde Street Pier, home of the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, the perfect venue for lovers of boats and everything of a nautical nature. Great views of the Golden Gate Bridge can be seen from this location.

Continued walking through the crowds along the wharf. Dogs are barking so we got an old historic street car along to the Ferry Building. We wandered through the market stalls, bought a couple of knick knacks. All the cafes are packed so we decided we would walk along to Gordon Biersch Brewery, have a sit down and a liquid refreshment before walking along to our nearest Muni. The place was buzzing, the Giants are playing tonight and the bar is full of Giants fans (including us, of course). Refreshed and feet rested we walked along to Embarcadero and caught the Muni home. We must have walked several hundred miles today, I am sure my feet would agree with me.

Can't be bothered in cooking or going out again tonight so we ordered a home delivery Chinese meal being most careful not to order Chicken Feet.

Sunday

Another sleep in. This is becoming habitual. The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra is playing today at Stern Grove. It's a nice sunny morning, should be nice sitting in the sunshine while being entertained. We also need to rest our feet today. We made a picnic lunch and trundled off in plenty of time to claim the senior seating. Although we are a couple of hours early, the senior seating is very limited today, in fact, the very back bench is the only area with a few spare seats, that is, if a volunteer can cajole the lady who has laid out a blanket on the seat she wants to reserve for herself and six others to relinquish some space. After prolonged negotiations she caved in and was able to reserve just one extra seat which meant we were in. There seemed to be a number of altercations going on with people claiming seats for patrons not yet arrived and the volunteers in charge of seating. Seemed to be a case of Grumpy Old Men (And Women). As before there were hundreds of people lining the lawns with huge picnics enjoying the sunny day.

The concert was in two halves. The first was Beethoven, the extremely talented pianist received a standing ovation at the intermission. And then it was on to Tchaikovsy. What great performances and all absolutely free. We left just before the end to avoid the crowd leaving the park. Would love to have been in residence next Sunday when the ballet is performing. The free concerts are a great concept and very well patronised.

Monday

We invited a few of our new American friends for appetisers tonight. Not everybody could make it, Tim and Martha had visitors so we invited them too and a pleasant hour or so was spent chatting and nibbling.

Tuesday

We have tickets for the stage show Billy Elliott. Our last trip on the Muni tonight. Sob, sob. We went in early and got off at Powell, we found a little Indian cafe and had a couple of curries. They were OK. And then we walked along to the Orpheum Theatre, an old ornate building right opposite a Muni Station (Civic Centre). The show was brilliant. There are five boys that play the part of  Billy because of their young age and the exacting role. The Australian lad, Daniel Russell, played this evening's performance. It was a great, we thoroughly enjoyed it, dancing was brilliant. An entertaining evening.

Wednesday

Our last full day here. We spent the day doing a bit of housekeeping, packing bags and generally getting ready for departure tomorrow.

Tim and Martha picked us up at 6 p.m. We had instructions not to overdress, very casual was the order of the day – and trainers for later! We were driven to the Excelsior, an area of SF and taken to what is commonly known as a dive – aptly called the Broken Record. It was quite dark inside and music of our era (the sixties belting out). First stop, the bar, on entry, rather different types of beer sold here such as F**k you stupid wheat beer, Alleycat amber and Crabby old bastard (something along those lines anyway). The walls though lined with every type of spirit to take your fancy. Tim and Martha told us we would be the oldest patrons here, they were correct, kids in their twenties seemed to be the average age.  Out back to the dining room and the blackboard menu. Many types of dishes to select from. The house sandwiches are noteworthy, salami, mortadella, portobella mushrooms (my choice and delicious) toasted corn, shrimp rolls, prawns and pickled asparagus, pork sandwiches in sauces with coleslaw served on home made buns. The choices were varied. We ordered sandwiches, chips, coleslaw with crab and prawns and a Greek salad. Enough to feed a small Army. Our Small Army managed, it was quite delicious.

We now need to walk off some calories, so a drive along to the Cliff House and we walked part of the Lands End Trail. It is almost on dark now and quite cool so we walked a short while and then went down the steps to the Cliff House, an imposing building that sits on the edge of a cliff with the swirling seas beneath. It hosts three restaurants, we wandered through, a great dining place where one can watch the boisterous seas breaking on to the rocks. The Cliff House has been rebuilt three times since the 1800s, was destroyed by fire during the 1906 earthquake. It is the site of the old Sutro Baths and Tim tells us it was a venue he often visited as a boy. On a clear day the Golden Gate Bridge can be seen. Tonight in the dark and the fog there was no chance. I am sure a great day could be spent here, something that we hadn't slotted in. Thanks, Martha and Tim, for giving us a sneak preview. Next time!!!!

A lovely evening, we so enjoyed it, eating at the dive and the little hike at the Cliff House.

It was then home to bed to grab a few hours sleep before our early morning pick up for the airport tomorrow morning.

Some quotes by Herb Caen seen engraved on plinths at Fisherman's Wharf sum up San Francisco quite aptly. Here are a couple:

"One day if I do go to heaven~
I'll look around and say, 'It ain't bad, but it ain't San Francisco. "



 "Isn't it nice that people who prefer Los Angeles to San Francisco live there?"
~Herb Caen

And this from Mary Moore Mason:

“The Golden Gate Bridge's daily striptease from enveloping stoles of mist to full frontal glory is still the most provocative show in town.

Thursday

No fog to keep us in, our flight was on time and we arrived at LA one hour from take off. We were able to book through our luggage to Brisbane which was great as we are going to explore Venice Beach and Santa Monica during our 12 hour layover.

The volunteer at the airport was most helpful and gave us a detailed map of how to get to Venice Beach and which buses to catch. There were three, we found our destination with no trouble at all. We hadn't had breakfast so we found a cafe with a great viewing area next to an open air window. We whiled away an hour while eating breakfast and drinking coffee, watching the procession along the boardwalk.

Stretching about a mile or so along the sands of the Pacific Ocean, the boardwalk is a large part of what makes Venice unique. On the one side of the "walk" are hundreds of street vendors and performers. You can see everything from musicians to muscle men, jugglers to jesters and everything in between that makes up this human landscape. You can have your fortune read, get a temporary tattoo, your face painted or hair braided. If souvenirs is what you are after then you won't be disappointed at Venice Beach. Arts and crafts, odds and ends, earrings, bangles and beads. paintings, photos, rocks of various sorts and sculptures are all for sale here. The shops opposite the stall holders offer every sort of t-shirt under the sun sporting any number of messages, be it political or sexual or just a plain old Venice Beach t-shirt, something for everybody. In addition, there are tattoo and piercing stores, skate and surf shops, medical marijuana dispensaries and more. You can buy sun glasses, vaporisers, beer or shoes. This is all in addition to the large selection of restaurants, juice and ice cream kiosks and bars. We were amused by an altercation exactly opposite our seating in the restaurant where one vendor claimed that another had stolen his space. Our waiter remarked that this was a daily occurrence.

After breakfast we walked the boardwalk taking in the sights and sounds. About a 20 minute walk away is Santa Monica rather more up-market than Venice Beach. En route can be seen a dozen or more beach volley ball courts with scantily clad participants trying their hand at playing or were they just posing, gymnastic bars and gymnasts contorting their bodies in various ways. We walked down to the pier where there was a huge funfair and then back eventually arriving into a large shopping mall. We are shopped out so we decided to take a break in a nearby park that overlooked the ocean. We found a shady spot to rest our tootsies and relax a while.

Eventually we took a cab back to the airport, checked in and relaxed in Admirals Club until it was time to board our Qantas flight to Brisbane.

Some 12 hours later we touched down in Brisbane Airport. Home again.

We so enjoyed our American holiday and will always have very lovely memories of our time there, the lovely people we met and the rich experiences we were so fortunate to enjoy.

Next Instalment

17^th July

Fairly relaxed day. Tim picked us up this afternoon and took us back for bike height adjustment ready for our ride on Monday. We spent a pleasant hour with them and met daughter Liz.

Tonight we are going to The Marsh, a solo show by Dan Hoyle - “The Real Americans”.

Richard booked a great Spanish restaurant near to the theatre to eat at before the show. Great atmosphere, food was beautiful. We had tapas, the lobster tails were superb. Buskers come into the restaurant, a very accomplished Spanish female guitarist and singer entertained us for the duration of our meal.

Theatre was very entertaining. This is a review of the show:

“Dan Hoyle spent 100 days traveling through small town America in search of tough country wisdom and a way to bridge America's urban/rural divide. Instead he found himself immersed in the populist anger of the people whom Sarah Palimfamously described as 'The Real Americans' and awed at the disconnect between Obama National and Palin Country. Meet the creation theory experts, gun show salesmen, closeted gay christian fundamentalists, rural drug dealers, Reaganite union coal miners, conservative anti-war veterans and ex hippie truckers who were Hoyle's friends along his travels.”

Very very amusing. The man has talent and a gift for mime.

An entertaining evening.

18^th July

A fairly laid back day today. We drove along to Twin Peaks and enjoyed the views and took some photographs. Really good views of the city from this location.

Tonight we have been invited to dinner at Marcia and Richard's. They live on the other side of the Golden Gate Bride in an area called Mill Valley. Their house is beautiful, nice views overlooking the water. We met Carol and Joe also and enjoyed a very nice meal, conversation and banter.

19^th July  

Today we cycled over the Golden Great Bridge. Tim, Richard and I cycled from St Clara Avenue, quite a lot of traffic about initially but it is quite safe so long as you keep within the defined cycle lanes. Part of the route is fairly hilly so some puffing an panting (by me at least) and one walk up a very steep hill took place. We stopped quite a few times for views, photos and information ably related by Tim. The cycle over the bridge was really good, many pedestrians and cyclists doing exactly as we were doing. We stopped several times for photographs. It is an amazing structure. We saw the painters in one area of the bridge doing their normal maintenance. They looked like astronauts in their white suits and headgear. Once off the bridge we continued cycling, the road winds along to Sausalito, we took a slow ride through the shopping area, some very up market shops here, most likely a good shopping street to browse when not in cycling gear and with two blokes in tow!!!! We eventually arrived at the pre-determined restaurant aptly named “Fish”. You've guessed it, it's a fish restaurant, and is located adjacent to the marina. We waited for an outside table to become available. Weather is still beautiful, warm and sunny. Martha is meeting us for lunch here and she arrived very shortly after we were seated. We studied the menu over drinks and ordered. I would say it was very probably one of the nicest fish and chips meal I have eaten.

After lunch and bikes safely stowed on bike rack of the car, we wound our way up to a hilly beach area where we watched some wet-suited surfers, walked up a hill, Holly, Tim and Martha's beautiful eskimo dog with us, enjoying the freedom and smells. The fog had rolled in by now and visibility decreased somewhat. So we made for home.

A top day, loved it all. Thanks so much, Tim and Martha.

John and Susan's friends, Marsha and Joel, arrived late this evening for their overnight stay at St Clara Avenue before they depart for Boston tomorrow morning. We spent a pleasant hour with them, making their acquaintance, and chatting. Eventually we tumbled into bed, quite tired after a busy day,

20^th July

Today we are revisiting the Golden Gate Park. We made an early start in order that we can see most of what we missed last time! We started at the conservatory of flowers which is a white domed elaborate Victorian greenhouse. It hosts over 2000 plants, floral displays and water features. Presently there is a display aptly named Wicked Plants and it has many fascinating exhibits and tales of deathly events where people (some famous) met their demise through weeds or poisonings (some accidental, some planned). Beware of those herbs your loved one laces your tea with!!!!

Next we went De Young and we visited the Picasso Exhibition. This is Richard's opinion of Picasso as an artist:

“After having seen many extremely talented artists over the years such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh and others I can only think of Picasso as a fraud. The only paintings we saw which were true to life were quite untalented. The paintings he is famous for are so abstract that I think a monkey could do just as good a job. Picasso actually stated that he had the largest collection of Picasso “art” in the world. Not surprising as I think the only people who purchased his work were probably duped.”

I'm surprised Richard didn't say what he really meant!!!!

After a lunch break we revisited the Japanese Tea Gardens. I walked the area most carefully and can report that the walk through the garden was without incident.

An interesting day.

21^st July

Today we leave for Monterey. Lovely sunny day today. On the road by 10, we drove the recommended route on the coast road. Good scenery and we stopped at a couple of lookout spots overlooking the ocean. We had a good drive and located our hotel. Richard had made a good choice, good location and we have a huge room, king side bed, sofa, coffee table, desk, and view out over the swimming pool. We were a bit early for check in so we decided to take a drive along the renowned 17 mile drive. If you are not a resident you have to pay an entry fee of $9.50, the residences are exclusive mansion type homes dotted along the route. There are 21 points of interest along the drive. Shepherd's Knoll gives a grand view of Monterey Bay and the Santa Cruz Mountains; Point Joe, wild seas, currents and rocks , the site of many disasters where early mariners came to grief; Bird Rock, as it sounds, home to hundreds of shore birds, seals and sea lions. We saw a number of seals diving in and out of the waves and lots of squirrels playing in and out of the rocks, Pescadero Point marks the northernmost point of Carmel Bay and Stillwater Cove. There are golf courses too, Poppy Hills Golf Course, Spyglass Hill Golf Course (takes its theme from the classic Treasure Island, author Robert Louis Stevenson was inspired by the peninsula's forest and sea). And then at almost the end of the drive, world famous Pebble Beach. We walked around, visited the pro shop where Richard just had to buy some golfing attire that sported the Pebble Beach logo including a hat or six. Forgot to mention earlier that his penchant for shoes has now been transferred to hats. We walked over to the 18^th hole and watched a group coming in. An entertaining couple of hours spent here.

Eventually drove back and checked in at the hotel. We ate at a nearby restaurant this evening, walking distance, we enjoyed dinner, watched the Tour de France before bed. Quite exciting, Cadel Evans from Australia in a commanding position. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oy, Oy, Oy.

22^nd July

After breakfast we drove to Carmel. Beautiful town with a relaxed village type atmosphere. Clint Eastwood was the Mayor here back in the eighties. We found a parking spot noting that we were in the same street as the library. And then began our walk around town. The first street hosted many art galleries and on entering one we were greeted by a very friendly owner who was happy to talk to us about the various paintings for sale in his gallery . Richard had to ask him his opinion of Picasso to which he said that Picasso was very different, bold and not to everyone's taste.We saw many beautiful paintings. Richard remarked though that he preferred them to Picasso's work. Okay, Richard, we get the picture, you're not that fussed on Picasso!!! As we left the Gallery Richard remarked to the owner that if we had a spare $100,000 it would be easy to spend it in his Gallery. He then showed us one of the paintings for sale that would not sell for less than $1 million.Would you believe that we paid $40 to see Picasso.We wandered in and out of lots of shops, meandered down to the beach area and generally took in the atmosphere of the place. Next stop - back to Monterey and Fisherman's Wharf. We located the library, walked down the street, but we can't see the car. Must be the other side of the library – nope, not that one. Watch checked, we've not overrun parking period which means we've not been towed away!!! Okay, we start systematically going up and down streets looking for the car, getting just a tad worried. We really don't want to ring Susan and John and tell them we've lost their car and we're stranded in Carmel. So we find the street with the art galleries – where we started. We see the fire station, remembered that, we're on the right track. And then the library – another library. Who would think there would be two libraries in a town as small as Carmel!!! Phew, relief, the Jaguar is where we left it!!!

We drive back to Monterey and park at Fisherman's Wharf. We did the tourist thing and walked along the wharf and then Cannery Row (so named after John Steinbeck's novel). We had a late lunch in a restaurant overlooking the bay. Saw lots of seals, sea lions honking (and smelling).

A challenge has been issued by Richard. Tomorrow we are playing the Par 3 at Pebble Beach. I don't actually think there will be much of a challenge but it will be a bit of fun!!!!

23^rd July

The day of the great challenge has arrived. Sandy has not played golf for at least 10 years and Richard for 3 weeks. We checked out of the hotel and once again paid entry to enter 17 Mile Drive. Drove around in the other direction and checked in at the Par 3. I was looking good at the first hole especially when I putted a 1 – making a 5 in total to Richard's 4. He was looking a bit cncerned. However, he had nothing to worry about as it was downhill from thereon. It was a bit of fun though and we both enjoyed the game.

Next stop the pro shop (once again). I found a nice posi on a settee next to to an open fire. Very cosy. Richard went looking once again and bought – you've guessed it – another hat. Susan and John, we now have a whole line of caps lined up on the ledge above the stairs in the dining area. Not sure where the next line will start when the ledge is full!!!!

After a cup of coffee we hit the road for home taking the inland route this time passing the area, Gilmore. It was a must to stop here and have a look at the huge factory outlet shopping area. A couple of hours later, wallets lighter, we left with a number of bargains. No hats for Richard this time. He's given the hats a rest but gone back to shoes!!!! Who was it that said, women like to shop!!!!

Back on the road to home, bit of traffic around as we got closer into San Francisco but we made it home with no hassles.

Our holidays within a holiday completed now. Sadly, have to think about leaving before too long. Not just yet though, we have a few more days up our sleeves.

SECOND EDITION

Second Week

6^th July

A fairly laid back day today. We had to do a grocery shop so we went to Stonestown. We initially went through Nordstrum and Imelda gravitated towards the shoe section. I propelled him away quickly and told him he had quite enough shoes and did not need anther pair. We stocked up on some essentials from Trader Joe's. (Bananas were 19 cents each, 5 for a dollar, beats the prices we were paying in Oz before we left). As the weather forecast predicted, temperatures are quite cool today and there is fog around. The reason that San Francisco experiences so much fog and cool temperatures is because the warm air from inland (where it gets quite hot in the Summer) clashes with the cold air from the surrounding Pacific Ocean and the SF Bay. When that happens, fog forms. It is summed up in a quote by Mark Twain thus:

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

A little about the area where we are staying. St Francis Wood is a small neighbourhood in San Francisco. It lies adjacent to Forest Hill and St Francis Wood. West Portal is primarily a residential area of the City. It is a very green leafy neighbourhood, some beautiful homes and gardens (lots of flowers and shrubs of those I remember from my England days grow here in abundance.) The neighbourhood's main street, West Portal Avenue, serves principally as a shopping district . It also boasts many restaurants and we will try some before we leave. The neighbourhood is served by the Muni through a tunnel beneath Twin Peaks. The ride in the subway from West Portal to Union Square is about fifteen minutes.

After lunch we decided to do an walk to Stern Grove Park. Stern Grove is a large park in the residential area close to where we are staying, approximately a 10 minute walk from home. The park consists of thickly wooded eucalyptus, redwood, and fir groves and has two lakes. It is best known for the annual Stern Grove Festival, a series of free summer concerts. The concerts take place in the scenic outdoor amphitheater. We did a good exercise stint around the park, and located the stage and the area where the concert takes place. There is a very good female artist appearing this Sunday so we plan to go. If we are there early enough, we can claim the seating that is reserved for “the elderly”. Sometimes this can work in one's favour. We went home via the shops at West Portal to pick up fruit and vegetables and then home to relax for the rest of the afternoon.

7^th July

We have decided to go to Golden Gate Park today. Richard works out on the map how to get there, it seems fairly straight forward. Only thing was we hadn't taken into account that there were many streets in which we couldn't do a left turn so journey was a little longer than it could have been. No worries, we worked it out and we learned a little more about the area. After finding a parking spot, free for three hours, we walked through the park. First stop was the De Young Museum, a museum of fine arts. There are some wonderful paintings, artwork, sculptures here.. We were very impressed with The Spine and Tooth of Santo Guerro. A thought provoking sculpture, it is made of metal, bone, tooth and cloth. But what is most intriguing is that on closer inspection one realises that the metal cathedral is in fact made of bullets, lead shot and revolver parts. The gift shop is a delight, another place I could spend serious money. There is a Picasso Exhibition on and we will see it on another day.

We had lunch outside by the pretty fountains. The sun is shining and it's pleasantly warm. Then it was off to the Japanese Tea Gardens. It is quite a large area, beautifully laid out with water features, a pagoda, lovely shrubs and flowers. A very unusual arched ladder type bridge spans a small waterway, we climbed the “ladder”, Richard stayed on as I wanted to photograph him on the bridge. I then went around the other side where the water was for a better photograph. Photo taken, oops, I stepped back one step too far and the next thing I knew I was up to my armpits in water. Two kind gentlemen helped me out, Richard appeared off the bridge to be met by the sight of a dripping Sandy. He did ask if I was okay and then was very concerned about the camera I was holding at the time – not so much if it still worked but more so that he wanted to take a photograph of me! Richard had a light jacket in the back pack so I was able to take off upper wear and change into his jacket. We retreated to the car (but not before Richard told the cashier that we had not been able to see much at all of the gardens because his wife had ended up in the drink). I did, in fact, feel very much like a drink at this stage. Anyway, he kindly refunded the admittance charge. Well, I am married to a Scotsman! And we will return. Have to take all the photographs that we lost again. We got back to the car, I am feeling rather uncomfortable with soaking wet jeans and waterlogged trainers. We found a paper carrier bag in the car, I took off jeans in between two car doors and sat on paper bag for the journey home hoping like hell there would be no reason to stop. DRIVE CAREFULLY, RICHARD. And he did. Most of you know this tale already because Richard has mailed all the blog recipients his version of the events. But this is mine. A hot shower when we arrived home was most welcome. As was a nice glass of red wine. (For medicinal purposes only) naturally.

                               

THE LAST PHOTO BEFORE SANDY'S UNINTENTIONAL SWIM.

A rather eventful day.

9^th July

We are going to Alcatraz this evening We decided to go into the town early and utilise time in the city. We visited the Jewish Museum. There is an exhibition showing at the moment on the writer Gertrude Stein. A guided tour was taking place so we booked ourselves on to the next one. It was very interesting learning of her influence on modern art, literature and culture.

We had our packed lunch at the pretty park opposite the museum. We then walked down town to a camera shop hoping that we could put the camera in for repair. Repair time would take too long for it to come back before we leave but we were advised to put the camera into white rice to dry it out. We'll see if it works. It is in a bowl of rice as I write this and Richard says it is improving.

HOW TO FIX A DROWNED CAMERA. IT WORKED !!!!!!!

We hopped on a tram to Fisherman's Wharf only to get half way there when there was a power outage and the whole of the tram system in the city came to a halt. So off tram, down to Muni, off Muni and pedicab to Pier 39. Very crowded today. We had clam chowder in a bread bowl on the wharf, very delicious. We walked back to Pier 33 for our Alcatraz excursion. Weather has started to cool, we put on another layer. The cruise over is quite short, around 15 minutes. A tour guide walked us up the hill stopping a couple of times to relate the history of Alcatraz.

Upon reaching the prison, everybody gets an audio headset and we hear the voices of former Alcatraz inmates, correctional officer and residents as they reminisce about life on Alcatraz. It's very well done. It is very chilling, dark and sombre. One wonders how indeed men who were imprisoned there ever survived. We saw the cells that were occupied by The Birdman ( who never actually had birds on Alcatraz ) and Al Capone, heard the stories of attempted escapes, saw the solitary confinement cells. Prisoners were confined to their cells for 23 hours a day, there were three 20 minute meal breaks when they were let out. Prisoners who did not make trouble were allowed to work in the prison, a much sought after privilege, working was far better than being confined to a cell all day and night. The cells are tiny, enough room only for a small bed, a metal table and toilet. One prisoner could crochet and he taught his fellow inmates this skill. I have a picture in my mind of hardened prisoners working with a ball of wool and crochet hook. I guess anything they could do to occupy their time was a bonus. One notice reads, “You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege.” In 1963 Attorney-General Robert Kennedy ordered Alcatraz closed.

We got the boat back to the mainland, by now it is cold on the water and the fog has closed in. We find a tram that is going to Union Square so we hop on and get the Muni back to West Portal. Home by 10.30, a long day, supper of PBJ ( peanut butter & Jelly just in case you forgot ) toast and a cuppa goes down well. We fell into bed shortly afterwards, quite tired after being on our feet for most of the day.

10^th July

I am feeling tired today. I woke at 9 a.m. So decided we should have a bit of a bludge day today. Walked down to She She Nail Salon in West Portal and had my nails down. We went to Safeways later to get some supplies for our camping trip next week in Yosemite. Home for lunch, a relaxed afternoon. Tonight we went out to dinner at a really nice local Mexican Restaurant. The place was buzzing, although we had to wait a little while to be seated it was well worth the wait. Amazingly on arrival you have to put your name on a waiting list and stand in a queue until your name is called. They do not accept prior bookings as this place is just so busy. It didn't take very long for us to be seated. Food was great, reasonably priced ($10 per meal) and we just loved the décor of the place. Not a spare inch was left unadorned on ceilings and walls. There were photos of a bygone era, lines of beer bottles from Mexican to American, Mexican hats of all varieties hanging from the ceiling, dozens of dolls, old street signs, parrots, carousels, candles, figurines, walls were painted in bright orange and yellow with Mexican caricatures. It was then home for a game of scrabble before bed. I was leading all the way but I let my guard drop momentarily and Richard beat me by two points. Gonorrhoea.

11^th July

Today we are going to the concert in the park at Stern Grove. We made a picnic lunch and walked on down to the park at about midday. Crowds of people were making their way to the venue, somebody even asked us the way. “Just follow us”, said Richard (Temporry Citizen of the USA) “We'll show you the way.”

Although we arrived a couple of hours before the show began, there were several hundred people making themselves comfortable on picnic rugs, cushions and chairs. A great atmosphere was in the making We were fortunate as senior citizens to be allowed into seating in front of the stage. On entering, Michael, after identifying Richard as a senior citizen said, “Glad to see you bought your daughter with you.” Sandy replied, “They were my words exactly a couple of minutes ago.”

We found our seats, settled in, read, had lunch, watched the ever increasing crowd which by the start of the concert probably was in the region of two to three thousand. It reminded us of Neil Diamond's Greek Theatre Concert when one looked back and saw what was described by him as the tree people away in the distance.

The performers of today's concert were a group of extreme;y talented musicians called Afrocubism who brought together the music of West Africa and Cuba. This comprised of dynamic drumming with Latin guitar. The support act was Pelleo Seco, the Bay area's premier Cuban fusion ensemble bringing together the traditions of Latin America with the spice of modern dance hall. The female lead singer was great and the crowd were up and dancing as soon as the concert began. More and more people joined the dancers. Young, old, middle aged, fat, thin, tall, short, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, a multicultural affair. They presented a very colourful spectacle, dark beaded braids, blue dyed hair, dreadlocks, bejewelled ears, necks, noses and lips, colourful dresses, skirts, t-shirts, pants, head scarfs, tattooed arms, legs, backs and shoulders, their bodies gyrating to the beat that became louder and more intense as the afternoon progressed.

A wonderful afternoon of music with a most appreciative audience. We loved every moment. We shuffled out of the park with many hundreds of others as the concert drew to its close.

A musical event that will stay in our memory forever.

YOSEMITE

12th July

Today we leave for Yosemite for our five day camping experience at Evergreen Lodge.It was raining in San Francisco as we left home. Before long though, we left the clouds behind, the temperature gradually increased and we were enjoying the sunshine once again. The drive took us about 4 hours and that included a refreshment stop. Richard's driving ability in a strange country, driving on the right and navigational skills are second to none. We arrived at Evergreen without incident. Thank you, Richard.

This place is soooo beautiful. 

 We checked in and located our tent.

 Large enough for sleeping and storing our clothes. We were advised that no food should be stored in the tents or car. There are numerous bear bins around where you can put food and they are chained up so that no bears can come a nibbling. Apparently bears have been known to rip off car doors in search of food.

SANDY SITTING ON A BEAR BOX WHERE WE STORED OUR FOOD.

 We had a relax in a shady area with books for a while, had some dinner. Very nice restaurant, we were seated on the balcony looking out onto an area shrouded by tall pines. We are going on a sunset vista happy hour tour this evening. Our guide, Rachel, and another family of Mum, Dad, a grown up daughter and two young Asian adopted girls joined us on the tour. Very nice scenery on the drive to the area where we enjoyed the sun setting over the Tuolumne River Canyon while having hors d’oeuvre and a glass of wine/soda/hot chocolate.

 It was a very nice way to unwind after a busy day of travelling and settling in. We snugged into our bed very comfortably, closed the flap and hoped that nobody would come a visiting!!!!

13th July

And they didn't. Phew. Was a tad worried though when Richard got up to visit the bathroom during the night at 3.30 – apparently that is bear visiting time. I laid there in trepidation until he returned. But return he did and sleep returned very quickly on our very comfortable bed on the ground.

Today we are booked to go on a guided tour to Glacier Point. That meant we had to drive through the Valley Floor to arrive at the place where we were to start the Four Mile although it is actually 4.6 miles (7 k's). We stopped at a number of beautiful look out points and learned quite a bit of the history of the area that Rachel related to us on the drive. There are stunning views from Glacier Point that encompasses a commanding view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.

We eventually started our hike. Rachel, our guide, will meet us at the other end in the Evergreen vehicle on the Valley floor. It was a steady downhill descent the entire length of the hike. The Yosemite Falls were, in the main, always in sight. So beautiful. We saw quite a few squirrels and the brilliant blue stellar jay, lizards and a deer. We had lunch sitting on a shady rock with the falls in full view. It took us approximately 3.5 hours to reach the bottom. I was certainly glad to be on level ground at the finish. We waited for Rachel and the others on our tour for transportation back to Evergreen. After showers and dinner in the tavern, we were well ready for bed.

A lovely peaceful scenic day.

14^th July

Today we know that we had done a large amount of exercise yesterday because our thighs, calves, hips and joints are groaning every time we rise from a sitting position. Old Age Creepeth On. We decide we'll drive to the High Sierra today. The views and vistas in our windscreen are so beautiful. Smooth granite, domes, craggy peaks,snow capped mountains and spacious meadows embody the character of the High Sierra. There are many hiking trails dotted throughout the area within this glacially carved landscape. During our drive snow appeared alongside the edge of the road, now only a few inches deep. I haven't felt snow for many a year so we stopped and I made a snowball, thew it at Richard but he ducked out of the way just in time. We stopped at the John Muir Trail and did a fairly short hike. We are on flat ground today so it shouldn't tax our sore muscles too much. We hardly see another soul, the Merced River runs through the area, there are many large rocks and boulders along the way. We came across four hikers who we stopped and chatted to. They were doing a huge hike of 220 miles, they'd completed 20 and had 200 to go, they estimated completing their walk in about 20 days. They gave us their Facebook contact if we wished to follow them and it is called “The Muir Project”. A little later we passed an Austrian fellow. He was walking the Pacific Crest Trail which starts at the Mexican border, winds through California, Oregon and Washington State finishing just over the Canadian border. Total distance is 2650 miles long (approx 4500 kms). He had been walking for 2 months and still had, he thought. 3 months to go.

We wound our way back to the car eventually and continued our drive. We had been recommended to stop at Lee Vining where there is a service station that offers gourmet meals. We enjoyed a nice lunch in the sunshine overlooking Mono Lake.

Our homeward journey was just as beautiful with a different view of snow capped mountains in our windscreen. We covered approximately 200 beautiful scenic miles today.

We didn't need dinner tonight after a large lunch so we just had nibbles and drinks. We got talking to a couple who had just booked in and we shared an hour or more with them until dark.

Yet another beautiful day in Paradise.

14^th July

Today we went to Hetch Hetchy. There is a huge reservoir here, a source of drinking water and hydroelectric power for the city of San Francisco. Again there is spectacular scenery and the starting point for many trails. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was built here in the 1920s because San Francisco was facing chronic water and power shortages. Today it holds 117 billion gallons of drinking water and also supplies hydro-electric power. Water was being released from the dam, a sight to be seen, watching the power of the water crashing into the river below. It created large clouds of mist and the sun shining through the mist clouds created many rainbows. Quite stunning.

 We walked along the dam wall and into an old disused railway tunnel and then we started the hike. Unfortunately, part of the trail we were walking was closed at one point because of the high amount of water running. Even so, we were still able to do a fair walk, again fairly flat, quite rocky, a lot of hikers out today. We managed to get as far as a waterfall before the trail was closed off.

 We sat awhile in the sunshine and had some refreshments before walking back.

We had dinner in the Tavern tonight, our last night here at Evergreen. We leave tomorrow. It has been a lovely experience, we've loved every moment. Camping was fun. It was nice waking in the tent appreciating the silence. Gradually the sound of life could be heard, tents being unzipped, the murmur of voices in different languages, the louder voices of excited children waking from their slumber, the sound of shuffling footsteps in the soft wood chips walking past our tent - a new day bad begun.

15^th July

We pack up, fill the boot, get ready to leave after coffee in the rec room. A good run home to San Francisco. We stopped for brunch at El Taco, not sure how healthy the food is, but we had two burritos, two tacos, coffee, coke, fries, a shared churrito for the grand total of $9 – it tasted pretty good.

We drove past the windmills once again at Livermore. The skyline there is filled with many hundreds of windmills capturing the power of the wind to generate electricity for the grid.

On the road we drove into a fruit stall where we bought very fresh huge peaches, apricots, cantaloupe melon, fresh figs, five huge red onions, a bag of white onions, big red tomatoes – cost $8.90.

We are home by early afternoon, unpack and settle in again and have a relaxed afternoon. We ordered home delivery Chinese for dinner this evening. A really nice meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Yosemite, the hikes, the scenery, the peacefulness, the friendly people we met, the wildlife, camping. It was a holiday within a holiday. And we loved every moment.