San Francsico On A Warm Autumn Afternoon

 

“It seemed like a matter of minutes when we began rolling in the foothills before Oakland and suddenly reached a height and saw stretched out ahead of us the fabulous white city of San Francisco on her eleven mystic hills with the blue Pacific and its advancing wall of potato-patch fog beyond, and smoke and goldenness in the late afternoon of time.” 

 
~Jack Kerouac,

  On the Road 

 

San Francisco in autumn! Oh my, I spent a lot of time there in autumn, because October is our official vacation month, and there is a lot to do in San Francisco. Airplane flights over the city, Coit Tower, with it's gorgeous views from the observation deck, the SkyStar Ferris wheel at Fisherman's Wharf, there's too much fun to be had. So, why is Trump eyeing San Francisco? Assholeisness, and selfish fuckery political opportunism! There is no reason to bring his storm troopers here. Crime has fallen, and he knows it! And anyway, if it's so bad here, why did he back off, after the Tech giants called and asked him to? It's a bunch of shit. Pardon my expletive! But I mean it. Trump has managed to reach out and ruin several plans I had to make this vacation amazing. I couldn't have lunch at the Golden Gate Bridge... closed due to the Epstein shutdown. The Battery Overlooks... closed to the Epstein shutdown. I can't even visit some places, like the river walk at the Cosumnes River Preserve, here in the San Joaquin Valley. I don't go to San Francisco often, so having my favorite places lost to the shit, hurts deeply. One good thing though, at least for now, Trump has called the invasion of the Bay Area off. No storm troupers, but who knows when he'll get another bug up his ass.

 

I want to show you the beauty I manage to find. Hope you like the photos!

 

Here's what I saw on my visit, just a few days ago...

 

 

 

 

 

The Golden Gate Bridge, As Seen From Marin County, Fort Baker 

Autumn Answers: Yes And No

 

Stockton, California

October 19th, 2025 

 

“This 'death' of flowers was only for a season.

 A person just needed a little patience to see things come to life once more.”

 
~Heather Flynn,

  Novelists in November: A Wild Blue Wonder Press Anthology

 

Corte Madera, California

October 21st, 2025
 

It's not autumn or winter that drains flowers of their life, it's politics. I was kinda looking forward to not having to think about politics this November, but then Prop 50 came around, and I was quite happy to think about it, in fact autumn flowers seem happier and brighter somehow after I delivered my ballot to the registrar of voters. You already know where I stand on these issues, but for the sake of history, here are two signs I spotted this week that made me smile. 

 

Maybe there is a little hope after all.

 

 

Another New Autumn Critter... The Mule Deer

 “And every year there is a brief, startling moment
When we pause in the middle of a long walk home and
Suddenly feel something invisible and weightless
Touching our shoulders, sweeping down from the air:
It is the autumn wind pressing against our bodies;
It is the changing light of fall falling on us.”

 
~Edward Hirsch,

  Wild Gratitude

 

Here is another cool critter, the Mule Deer. We spotted it in Marin county a couple weeks ago, on a trip to Bodega Bay. We stopped to consult where we were on HWY 1, and there is was, standing in a field of dry grass! It was a few yards away, just standing in the autumn sun. He posed for a few photos, then went slowly along his way. Mule Deer are fairly aggressive if approached, not that I would approach any wild animal, but I am glad I got to learn about them anyway. Sometimes I like to put the camera down and study about all the amazing beauty that's right in front of me! I wonder what amazing critter will come my way next?

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #18

 

“Autumn is a beautiful but sad poem that dying leaves recite with great enthusiasm so that the world will remember them as they bid farewell to the world!”

 
~Mehmet Murat ildan 

 

 

 

 

Autumn's Shaggy Coat

 

“It was the golden time of year. Every day the leaves grew brighter, the air sharper, the grass more brilliant. The sunsets seemed to expand and melt and stretch for hours, and the brick facades glowed pink, and everything got bluer. How many perfect autumns did a person get?”

 
~Elif Batuman,

  Either/Or

 

MOOOOOO.

 There it was, a big field of these Scottish Highland cows, with the autumn sun illuminating them to a honey golden color, and just watching them chew on grass, and turn their heads toward the sun, made me feel better. Laugh if you will, but it fixed some deep anxiety in me. Just nature, doing it's thing, and autumn being beautiful. Marin County always brings me inner joy, I sure wish I still lived in the Bay Area, and could see it all the time. 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #7/Movies And Other Stuff

 

“If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool 

Autumn day to freeze your lungs

 and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE.”

~Kyle Lake

 

Last night, and all through the weekend, we are watching movie double features, starting with last night's movies, Notting Hill and Bridget Jones Diary. Tonight, hubby will take a turn, and Sunday night I guess we will flip for it! You see, in that Monday is October 1st, it will be time to begin the, 31 Days of October fest, and it will feature at least one horror movie each night until Halloween, when we will try to fit as many horror movies as possible in that 24 hours. Life goes on, there will be things to do, places to go, goodies to bake, so some nights might just be one short film, and then there's the traditional Godfather-athon and we always watch, Dark Passage, when we visit Marin County, which I hope to do on vacation. So there is a lot to do and look forward to. I am not as spry as I used to be, but it's our traditional vacation/movie month and I was to see and experience as much of autumn as possible, and then there's the birds. Whew! Wish me luck!

 

October Shenanigans

 

“October had tremendous possibility. The summer's oppressive heat was a distant memory, and the golden leaves promised a world full of beautiful adventures. They made me believe in miracles.”

 
~Sarah Guillory,

  Reclaimed

 

We ventured out Thursday to, Rodeo Beach, to do a little bird watching and bask in the glow of seeing San Francisco from the Marin Headlands. It couldn't have been a worse day for birding, as there were almost no birds there we haven't already cataloged for this year, except for one, the Redhead. It was fun to spot him, but the cost of the overall trip was a lot, between gas and picking up lunch. Sigh. I can remember a similar trip just a few years ago, costing about half what it does now. Anyway, we found a new place to check back on, which is nice. Its easy to access and it has a lot of promise. We'll see before I write it off. 

 

I took some pretty photos of San Francisco, and I will share them tomorrow. Right now I have a cold, so I am heading off to bed so I can knock it out before Halloween. October, is my favorite month of the year, but this October has been, well, frankly, depressing and challenging. Political shenanigans, mass murder, wars, rumors of wars, celebrity deaths, you name it, October tried to do it, all in one month! Everything but bring the birds, and now I have a cold! Oh well, here is crossing my fingers I will be well enough to enjoy Halloween. Wish me luck!

 

 

By The Ocean Blue And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #38

 

Half Moon Bay, California

October 25th 2022

 

"A soul that smiles in empathy is a soul that blew away the sadness as the wild wilds blew. A soul that parts it's lips is a soul that smiled away the sadness, as the autumn leaves flew ... ."

 

~Jayita Bhattacharjee

 

The pelicans won the day last week, they were everywhere. They were out here in the valley in bigger numbers than I have ever seen, a fairly large group were tucked around the corner in Tiburon, in Marin County, and there were impressive numbers along the coast of Half Moon Bay, Bodega Bay, and Santa Cruz. I have become fond of watching them play. They seem to be an easier bird to get along with, as opposed to, say, a gull or maybe Scrub Jay. Pelicans are so photogenic, that I planning on photographing particular. There was something about seeing that large group of White Pelican's flying over the condo, earlier in the month, that enchanted me. I enjoy all birds so much, I guess we will have to see! 

 

Santa Cruz, California

October 25th 2022
 

~Me

Least Sandpiper And Autumn Leaf Of The Day #31

 

"It was one of those days you sometimes get latish in autumn when the sun beams, the birds toot, and there is a bracing tang in the air that sends the blood beetling briskly through the veins."

 

P.G. Wodenhouse Jeeves And The Old School Chum

 

More from my visit to San Francisco, and Marin County. The tiny, yet fierce, Least Sandpiper, which is also the smallest of all sandpipers. So beautiful in flight, but then what bird don't I enjoy seeing flying? Especially in autumn? But there is something about these little birds. I am not sure why I feel so much affection for them, but I do know why I respect them so much. The oldest lived to be 15 years old, which is kinda stunning for something so fragile. This little 5 inch bird has survival power! Strength like that gets my love.

 

~Me

American Avaocet And Leaf Of The Day #30

 

"The birds will wing from the weather,

 while I stand still as the harvest, with the sound of the fall in the air."

 

~Carolyn Kizer

 

Aren't the majestic? They are American Avocet, and I spotted them at a new spot for birding, Shorebird Marsh Overlook, in Corte Madera. The park had every kind of white bird. Pelicans, egrets, Least Sandpiper, you name it! I will be going back. I am not sure when, but probably on a Marin County day. A day spend enjoying the drive up Mount Tam, and riding along Paradise drive and the ridge just over the Golden Gate bridge. You know, a day in an autumn daydream.

 

 

~Me

Joy And Pain On An Autumn Day

"You must remain. I must depart.

Two autumns falling in the heart."

~Busan

I felt that way yesterday, as I sat on Grizzly Peak Boulevard, in Berkeley, just staring down at my gorgeous love, San Francisco. I was thinking about how much it always hurts to say goodbye. I miss it so much. I miss it like I am leaving a part of my soul behind, every time I leave. When we moved in 2015, I still believed I could visit any time I wanted. We were only moving 90 miles away, after all, but I soon learned that 90 miles might just as well have been 9,000 miles away. Things will never be the same, and I have accepted that, but oh my, like with any broken heart, there are times during the break that hurt so bad, you wonder how it is that it doesn't actually kill you? But then you have days when you know, deep down, San Francisco misses you back, because that town knows how to mug for the camera! I wonder, do goodbyes hurt a little deeper in autumn?

#17 Leaf Of The Day

October 9th 2019

Berkeley, California

(Tilden Park Little Farm)

Nikon

~Mood: Okay

~Me

San Francisco

"Where there is love, there is life."

~Mahatma Ghandi 

I was losing my mind last week, when a few really nice things happened to turn things around. First a few folks dropped by on Twitter to be supportive and kind, thank you Susan and Lynda, and then Alan took me home, to the Golden Gate Bridge. Here I am a few days later, and I feel alive again. I love that city, and I really love that bridge! And my goodness, it's nice to be cared about.

Dinner from Tony's Cable Car made wasn't bad either!

After dinner it was time to head home, by way of Marin County, and the Robin Williams Tunnel. I will miss him forever. Sigh. He was a gift to this world.

~Mood: Happy
~Me  :)

Adventures In Photography

 

"Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera."

~Yousuf Karsh

I only had my Nikon CoolPix S3600 for a couple months before it went missing, while we were on vacation last October. I still have no idea what happened to it, but wherever it is, I hope it is assisting some other person with a great love of photography, the way it did me! Oh my, I loved that camera, and it was an anniversary gift from Alan. It makes me sad thinking about it. So I try not to, but it's difficult, and frustrating, to not have any idea what happened to it.

Just look at one of the beautiful moments it captured...

Sunset On The 17 Mile Drive, Monterey, California

October 18th, 2014

Oh my, I had big plans for that camera! Lots, and lots of photographic adventures!

But...

Alan, knew how much photography means to me, so shortly after Thanksgiving, he bought me my newest Nikon CoolPix camera, the model #S3600. It's not that cute feminine pink, but rather an elegant and fun purple. I love the pretty color, and so far, I am loving the new camera as much as the old one! It's a dream to use.

Just look what my new camera can do...

Sunset Over Marin County, As Seen From The Berkeley Hills.

December 23rd, 2014

 

Isn't it lovely?

My new purple camera was amazing gift from Alan.

I am a very lucky girl!

Thank You Alan... I Love You!

Mood: Grateful

~Me :)

 

The Last Day Of Vacation Part Two...

"In matters of healing the body or mind, vacation is a true genius!"

~Mehmet Murat ildan

After we finished at Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and headed into Marin for dinner. We had a Groupon for an Italian restaurant in San Rafael. The restaurant name, Gaspare's, may sound familiar to you, if you are a regular reader of my blog, you might remember it  as the name of the Italian restaurant Woody Allen used in the movie Blue Jasmine. But the one we visited the other day, while still owned by the same family, was their Marin County restaurant, as opposed to their Geary Boulevard restaurant that was seen in the film. Same food, different location.

The drive into Marin was nothing short of breathtaking, but I always get a little sentimental about that bridge, no matter how many times I see it, I always feel like I am seeing it for the very first time. I love it so much. And I love Marin County. It had been a long time since we drove along the shore of Sausalito, and weaved our way through the hills of that part of Marin. It was the perfect way to bring our vacation to a close, and so was eating at Gaspare's. The pizza was delicious, and the service impeccable, and we had a very good time, reminiscing about the best parts of our vacation. We had a blast this vacation! I kinda love doing the staycation thing, and pretending to be a tourist! I like coming home to my own bed at the end of the day!

November 5th, 2014 Part Two

Marin County Vista

 The View From Sausalito

 

Gaspare's Italian Restaurant

Yummy... Gaspare's, I will be back for more of your delicious food.

Next time San Francisco!

Jasmine's booth please!

Thanks Woody, wherever you are!

Leaf Of The Day

Mood: Happy

~Me :)