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 :)

A Face In The Crowd: Mr. Pumpkin's Outlook

"The face is a picture of the mind with the eyes as its interpreter."

~Marcus Tullius Cicero

I am super tired tonight, but so far the vacation is going awesome! I wish things had been going as well for this pumpkin I spotted on my way out of a pumpkin patch the other day. He has a happy little face, despite his circumstance, and I bet he would have made a fine Jack-O-Lanturn come October 31st! But he seems okay with his fate, and he made me smile, and that's a pretty good feeling.

The Leaf Of The Day...

So Far, So Good

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Pumpkins On A Shelf

"There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir: We must rise and follow her, when from every hill of flame She calls, and calls each vagabond by name."

~William Bliss

Look at that light! Look right now, or later today, but don't miss it.

Just stop for a moment every day of autumn and look at the light.

You can only see that particular slant of the sun in autumn.

Only in Autumn.

The Leaf Of The Day...

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Life Is Good!

"Sunset is a wonderful opportunity for us to appreciate all the great things the sun gives us."

~Mehmet Murat ildan

This is the first sunset of our vacation, and the first one I have photographed this vacation. It's merely the beginning of my favorite time of year. Autumn... sigh... when the sun is at it's most beautiful. When it turns everything a particular shade of gold that makes one believe nothing bad could ever happen on a day that ends like this. Of course bad stuff happens, but autumn makes it all easier to take, with the beginning of shorter days, and all the holidays that warm you from the inside out just around the corner. 

The end of this day, reminds me of what is to come!

Life is good.

The Leaf of the Day 

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

The Snowy Egret's Reflections

"Our power lies in our small daily choices, one after another,

 to create eternal ripples of a life well lived."

~Mollie Marti

I revisited my favorite Snowy Egret family. I love these birds so much. When they fly they look like angels just floating along, and when they finally settle down to do a little fishing, they seem to walk along almost like they walk on water!

They are amazingly graceful.

 Such beautiful, beautiful birds!

The Leaf Of The Day

Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

:)

Mood: Happy

Me :)

A Look Back At September 2014...

"Do you remember, the 21st night of September?

Love was changing the minds of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away

Our hearts were ringing

In the key that our souls were singing

As we danced in the night

Remember how the stars stole the night away."

Earth, Wind & Fire, September

It's the last day of September, which means it's time to take a look back...

September 2014

There's a lot to look forward to in October!

1. The Rocketboat
2. Our yearly ride on the Ducks amphibious vehicle
3. A Beautiful new beach in Marin County
4. The Mill Valley Film Festival
5. Apple Hill
6. Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary
7. The Punchline Comedy Club
8. Pier 39 Fireworks
9. Halloween
10. Assorted new Public Art
11. Wine Country... Napa, Sonoma, Glen Ellen
12. Madam Tussauds Wax Museum
13. A movie or two.
14. Pumpkin Picking in Half Moon Bay, and throughout the Bay Area
15 Assorted Farmer's Markets
16. The testing of new recipes
17. Leaf Peeping
18. The Chabot Space & Science Center Laser Show

And you never know what else, or who else might make an appearance!

 

STAY TUNED!

Mood: HAPPY :)

~Me :)

Leafy Goodness...

"Ah, September! You are the doorway to the season that awakens my soul... but I must confess that I love you only because you are a prelude to my beloved October."

 ~Peggy Toney Horton

This is the last regular post of September, and it is also the first post during my vacation! I will be doing my usual monthly retrospective tomorrow, but beginning with Wednesday's post I will be bring you a look at what Alan and I will be up to!

Stay Tuned!

And now, here is Monday's leaf...

:)

Mood: Happy

~Me :)

Of Boots And Birkins

"One must always have one's boots on and be ready to go."

~Michel de Montaigne

Okay, so, as of 6:00 am, Monday morning, Alan and I will officially be on vacation. We will be celebrating October, and our anniversary, and autumn goodness until November 8th. It's nice of have a month together, give or take, to just decompress from things. This past year has been stressful. While some things got a lot easier, like Donny and Nina moving off the property, other life events happened to make even good times seem like a struggle. First a good friend took his own life, and just as I was getting back to seeing the light again, one of my favorite humans ever, Robin Williams also committed suicide. I have been walking around, feeling like someone is continually kicking me in the stomach. 

And add in the world events... war in the Middle East, a airplane full of people disappearing, another one crashes due to being shot down over a war zone, shootings of unarmed children, blah, blah, blah... after a while if I wasn't feeling completely numb, I was paralysed with pain. I am okay now, I am doing what I know works the best for bringing me out of my own self imposed solitude. I am taking new photos, even if it is of the cats, or a bowl of candy. Every single day requires a new step forward, and no one can take that step for me, a fact that all depressed people come to realize and hopefully accept in their path the self healing. 

So, moving forward I have been in full vacation planning for about a month now. Alan is a wonderful man, who for some strange reason thinks I am "the best thing that ever happened to him." His words. Silly man. Just for him, I want this to be an amazing vacation, and I know if he is having a good time, his joy will rub off onto me, as it has so many times in the past. Like P!nk says in that song, "You gotta try try try." She's right. Spending time together is my best medicine. 

In that I know there will be a lot of coming and going, I have picked out a few new wardrobe items for Fall. A couple new sweaters and blouses. Two new skirts. My awesome new Rampage slouchy boots... in several different colors... a bargain steal from Groupon, and I found two terrific new purses, also from Groupon. All together, 3 new outfits 4 new pairs of shoes/boots and 2 new purses for under $100.00! I am proud of that! 

Now if I can just get the first of those purses actually delivered, that would also be amazing! You see, I ordered the first purse in early September. A gorgeous Luna Moon, vegan, Birkin knockoff, in a lovely shade of green. It should have been delivered within 2 weeks. When it wasn't, I contacted Groupon, who said it should be processed and mailed out soon. Within two days, I got an email from them saying it was on it's way! Excellent! I tracked it through 4 states and 6 processioning centers, only to get the dreaded messages that all UPS customers hate to see in their in-boxes... the dreaded EXCEPTION email that basically means there is a problem delivering your package, or in my case, purse.

Now, how a package, or a purse, can make it through all those processing centers, only to be held up, and then rejected by the final point of destination, is completely beyond me. According to UPS tracking service, my purse was loaded on a truck and drove all around Berkeley, but never quite made it to my front door. And it's the weekend, so Groupon isn't around to tell me what to do. Sheesh. I know a $30.00 purse isn't something to be all that concerned over, but I am, I think, because I really tried to budget things in such a way that I wouldn't break my own personal bank, in order to dress nicely on vacation, and now the stress of this situation has spilled over into Monday, which is day one of that very same vacation!

                  

                               

 I guess I should be happy that the purse I ordered isn't an actual Birkin. If it was, I would be worrying about a purse that costs $17,500! LOL. Honestly, I would never pay that amount for a purse, even if I had an endless amount of funds at my disposal. It's a purse! And besides, the Kardashian's seem to have cornered the market on Birkins. So really, I ask you, would I wanna plant down that much money to dress like a Kardashian? Ummm... nope! So why did I want this Birkin knockoff so bad? Well, because it was a lot like the Birkin that Jasmine French, played by Cate Blanchette, carried around San Francisco in the movie, Blue Jasmine. 

Yep. I found a way to bring Woody Allen into the situation. And yes, after over 2 years, I am still completely obsessed with all things Blue Jasmine, but especially Jasmine's wardrobe in the movie. It was beautiful, right down to that awesome Birkin. It's okay if my Groupon Birkin knockoff only cost $30.00, it may not be the real Hermes bag, but I love it all the same. It's just as stylish, and look at the gorgeous earthy green color, it's just perfect for my autumn wardrobe. Now, I just hope it gets here one day. Hopefully before spring. 

 I will share about the second purse I ordered in a different post.

Assuming it comes one day.

(Singing)

One day my purse will come...

Hey, at least I have my boots!

In purple, and black, and brown, and gray, and taupe...

Leaf Of The Day...

By the way, the entire wardrobe budget for the film, Blue Jasmine, was $35,000. It fascinates me that Woody Allen, and Suzy Benzinger, were able to pull off the movie for that amount. The clothes were perfect! And in a way, the wardrobe was an important co-star in telling that story. When the local casting calls went out for extras for the Marin County party scene, potential day actors were asked to come to the casting call, in upscale clothing for an elegant Marin County party. So when you watch the movie, take a good look around at the other people at the party! That was a brilliant idea Woody Allen had!

New York Times

In Blue Jasmine, Suzy Benzinger Turns Clothes Into Characters

Feather Factor

Blue Jasmine: The Wardrobe

Mood: Happy/Frustrated/Not Surprised/But Happy

~Me :)