Round Robin Challenge: Goodbye

"If I had a single flower for every time I think of you,

 I could walk forever in my garden."

~Claudia Adrienne Grandi

 RRC: Goodbye

Saying Goodbye...

Life is full of hellos and goodbyes. Whenever I lose a friend, or a TV show, or an icon or a project I dearly love, I try to remind myself that life is a series of hellos and goodbyes. Most of the time I grieve for a while and then one day I realize the sadness has passed, and I am doing a lot more smiling at the memories, than crying and longing for one more visit to a place lost, or a smile that won't be there, or a joke that won't be told. In truth, I have been lucky enough to have had many more happy hellos than tragic goodbyes, but even the most charmed life will have their share.

2014 seems to have been a year of loss. You know from the news. But none touched me more deeply than the death of Robin Williams. He was a San Francisco Bay Area fixture. He lived in southern Marin County, but his love and generosity was felt throughout the Bay Area. In the town of Tiburon, where he called home, he was affectionately known as "The Man On The Bicycle." He was well loved by many, and that included me. With my little photo jaunts around the Bay Area, I always figured I would cross paths with him one day, alas it wasn't to be.

I have to admit... it's a fact that breaks my heart into

 the tiniest of pieces. 

Shards really.

 

:( 

There were many different tributes to Robin Williams held around the Bay Area, most of them for his dear friends, and a few public ones. I chose to honor him in my own way. Just a fan saying, Thank You, for the many moments of happiness his talent brought me.

 So last Monday, October 6th, Alan and I made the trek to Marin County, to a lovely little quiet park that sits just around the corner, on the same waterfront that touches his home in Tiburon, to pay our respects. I brought him some plastic Army Men, of which he was an avid collector, and I quietly said "I loved you" and "Goodbye."

 Paradise Beach and Park. 

:)

Thank You, Robin!

Alan and I enjoyed our visit to the park and beach very much, we now have another amazing place to visit when we are in Marin County, and you know I will always think of Robin when 

we are there. It's one more thing to thank him for!

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

~Theodor Seuss Geisel (attributed)

And now, I want to say Goodbye to the Round Robin Challenges.

Karen and I accidentally began this meme, but we certainly had a great time with it over this past decade. THAT'S RIGHT... DECADE! The Round Robin Challenges is just a little over a decade old, and I am very proud of Karen for all she did to keep the fun going! She and our dear Steven, did a lot to make this project a very nice place during it's heyday, and while I haven't contributed as much to it in recent years, it was always near and dear to me because it began as two friends, Karen and I, inspiring each other to be creative. When others asked to join in, it became a lovely community project, with a lot of creative ideas suggested for challenges as we moved along. How could I not be at least a little sad to see it come to an end? In truth, I am sad, but more than anything I am proud to have been a part of something so extraordinary.

Thank You Karen, you were and continue to be one of my favorite people and my good friend!

I had a blast!

:)

And Thank You to all the Robins who participated in this project!

Okay, so for one last time...

If you would like to join in, there is still plenty of time. Just pop on over to the official Round Robin Photo blog and leave the following 3 pieces of information...

Your Name

Your Blog's Name

Full Address Of Your Blog

It's that easy. Simply click the link at the top of this post to be redirected.

And now the Leaf Of The Day...

 

:)

Mood: Happy/Reflective

~Me :)

Rosemary's Baby Carriage

"The Shortest Horror Story...

The Last Man On Earth Sat Alone In A Room. There Was A Knock At The Door."

~Frederic Brown

Rosemary's Baby, By Ira Levin

Directed By Roman Polanski

Alan and I went on a date last night. There was a free showing of the 1968 classic, Rosemary's Baby.

I have seen this movie about 30 times, and Alan has seen it with me about 20 of those 30 times, and yet there is something about seeing it in an old fashioned theater, with old fashioned seats, and art deco designed molding and wall features, that makes it seem like one is seeing it for the first time!

 I got chills... I really did!

The lovely old Orinda theater has free movie night the second Thursday of each month. Next month, November 13th, the theater will be featuring "To Catch A Thief" by Alfred Hitchcock. I am not sure if we will be able to make it, but I know we are going to try to. And hey, if we do, we might do as well at their trivia game as we did tonight. We won two free cupcakes, for correctly answering the question... "What was the name of the name of the popular 1970's horror movie, adapted from another book by Ira Levin?" The Stepford Wives, of course! Yum... the cupcakes were delicious, if maybe a little sinister! Well, because, you see, they we the two cupcakes, of the twelve offered, that made up the wheels of

 Rosemary's baby carriage!

Ooooooh... CREEPY!

Leaf Of The Day...

 

:)

Mood: Happy


~Me :)

Fleet Week In San Francisco

"What she really loved was to hang over the edge and watch the bow of the ship slice through the waves. She loved it especially when the waves were high and the ship rose and fell,

 or when it was snowing and the flakes stung her face."

~Kristin Cashore, Graceling

It's Fleet Week in San Francisco, which means the sky and the bay will soon be looking a lot like this...

Well, not all the time, but if the sky stays clear of that silly San Francisco fog that most time is kind of special, but has all the potential to ruin some days, it will be all all ahead GO!

 Right now the sky is clear blue, and the Blue Angels are scheduled to so some practicing later today for all the festivities this weekend.

It's been a couple years since Fleet Week was held in San Francisco, last year at this time the country was being held captive by our psycho congress, who was threatening to shut everything down. The first to go in the temporary budget was, of course, non essential things like, Fleet Week.

But here we are with a budget again, and the Blue Angels are back, and so are the awesome Tall Ships, and come midday Saturday and Sunday, I will be there with my camera. I hope I get some good photos to post here, but sometimes, when those amazing blue planes fly over, it is but a blink.

An awesome blue blink.

It's just one more thing to love about October.

Leaf of the Day

Mood: Happy/Excited

~Me :)

Lemons And Limes And Leaves Oh My...

"I watched a bowl of fruit remain on a table motionless. Just another example of life imitating art."

~Jarod Kintz

Lemons and Limes. Is there anything tastier on a hot autumn day, than one amazing glass of sweet Meyer lemonade? Or a squeeze of cold, tangy sweet lime on a delicious veggie burrito. Or hell, do you enjoy just cutting a lemon or lime in half

 and eating it like an orange, as much as I do?

Okay, I admit it, summer isn't all bad.

;)

The Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Lunch In Paradise Park

"A picnic is more than eating a meal, it is a pleasurable state of mind."

~DeeDee Stoval, 125 Recipes With 29 Seasonable Menus

Alan and I took a long drive through Marin County yesterday, just visiting the little cities along the way, and seeing new beautiful places in the Bay Area. We took a picnic lunch with us, and finally stopped at the lovely Paradise Beach/Park in Tiburon. It is an amazing place, right on the water, and absolutely relaxing. In fact, it was a little too relaxing, as I could have very easily stayed forever. It's been way too long since Alan and I went on a picnic. I love dating that man! And I think I am in love with this park.

The Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

An Experience In Living

"No city invites the heart to come to life as San Francisco

 is an experience in living."

~William Soroyan

ROCKET BOAT

WooSH... TILT... SPLASH... YIKES!! Sorry, I don't usually put two exclamation points to... well... make a point, but that was what Saturday, on San Francisco Bay, on the Rocket Boat, was like! WooSH. TILT... SPLASH...YIKES!!! Alan and I had such a good time, and that is what vacation is all about! Right? Oh my goodness, we are barely into our arranged activities, there are still 4 more weeks to enjoy! The best of beautiful October is still to come, and I am looking forward to every single minute with my hubby! Last Saturday, while on the bay, things didn't seem like it could get any better, the whole HOT October day has set the vacation bar high! 

And At The End Of The Day

Pier 39 Fireworks!

:)

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

More Days To Come

"Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, 

for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers."

~Ray Bradbury, Dandelion Wine

Alan and I had an amazing time at Pier 39 yesterday, and I took a lot of pictures of our adventure, but because I took so many, I will have to post the photos next week. In the meantime here is just one of the pictures I took in the garden in front of Dock 4 where the Rocket Ship was docked. It was an amazing day... and there is more days like this to come!

Stay Tuned

The Leaf Of The Day

October 5th 2014

 

Mood: Happy

~Me :)