A July Kaleidoscope - Bustling Bay Life, Soaring Sequoias & Lively Laguna
'Live in the sunshine,
Swim in the sea,
Drink the wild air'
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
California living... for about two weeks on a visit to reconnect with daughter& son-in-law. Great change of scenery and the younger set showed us one of the local favorite weekend excursions - Tomales Bay @ Point Reyes for oysters ! 
A hike was in order after our oyster picnic
Staying a week in the core of union square - Club Donatello was a real convenience - close to trolley, museum, theater,...but of course the ubiquitous street roaming homeless people ..something to never get used to - CA needs to find a real solution to this crisis
But nothing can really take away the charm of the Bay area vibes - pleasant days for roaming the myriad dowtown streets where SFO's ~15 distinct neighborhoods intersect and mesh together organically, as soon as one turns a corner so to speak 
Took in the MOMA's Andy Warhol exhibit. The take away... whatever you do, do it with conviction and grandeur! It appears go big and go bold was the formula for Andy's commercial pop culture success
What a novel idea! And thanks to Yuri to recommend this choice to us - as part of our visit to MOMA, the lunch at In Situ was such a treat , one for the palette as well as for the eyes! The menu features some signature dishes from chefs from around the world. Its a tasting menu that's actually both affordable & filling
Don't each dish resemble a work of Art - just like some of the abstract tableau pieces I just finished touring...aka Ellsworth Kelly ..lol
It's a typical Bay area morning, a screen of fog hung throughout the coast as we alighted from the northwest corner of SFO on the rugged stretch of cypress forest bordered by steep cliffs plunging to the misty sea. The coastal hike is an easy saunter for a Sunday morning, although I should have asked first re beverage stops..warning - there a none (nor washrooms) for the 1.5 miles to and fro...
After hike cocktail & catch up on our drama queen's light -hearted b*#*ch session du jour ...lol ...next day was fine dining by the Embarcadero - Angler. It's notable due to chef Joshua Skenes and Saison Hospitality. Its central feature is the open wood fire kitchen Have to handed to SFO younger generation to introduce us to something special - Angler landed at the top of Esquire's best restaurant list for 2018. It is a 'sea-life focused' restaurant ( moon jellyfish, sea cucumbers & uni hit the menu) Yet local bounty sourced from a small collection of hunters, ranchers & farmers with knowledge of microclimate produce to inspire our palates with peak tastes ...try the chicken - wow!
of Ad Hoc /Addendum ..a local favorite
Next day was devoted to touring the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park - Took in Passport to the Universe (Tom Hanks) and the earth Imax show, biosphere butterfly exh.
Here's Claude the Albino alligator - special resident of Cal Science Academy
Such serendipity! Just as we were dining at Anglers two nights prior, Cy's boss called to offer her free tickets to exact showing we were to attend! This was their 2nd viewing but our first ...they had prepared us for the fast clip of lyrical rap by playing it on car rides throughout the week, definitely helps
Sausalito - name comes from the Spanish meaning "small willow grove. Beautiful as I remembered it ..no time to linger this visit or dine by their waterside seafood restaurant Scoma's as I recalled doing last visit.
We lined up to take the ferry back to SFO dockside ...wanted to give plenty of time for a meetup with our kids back near our hotel to try out 'happy hour' fare in Farallon
At Farallon, oysters & drinks at happy hour and family styled meal -farewell for now kids, ...we'll be off to see the Sequoias very next day!
'The greatest delight which the fields and woods minister, is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me, and I to them. The waving of the boughs in the storm, is new to me and old. It takes me by surprise, and yet is not unknown. Its effect is like that of a higher thought or a better emotion coming over me, when I deemed I was thinking justly or doing right.'
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
@ Tunnel log & some iphone fun on the pano feature - jumping from one end to other ;)
Trail hike at Beetle Rock - another good viewing point & easy hike from parking lot
seeds, they produced the largest living organism (by volume, not height) on earth. These red cedar colored skyscrapers are rare as they can only grow along a narrow, 260 mile strip on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between 5000 and 7,000 ft. The other types of redwoods ie in Muir Woods are related yet different species. Giant Sequoias can live up to 3000 years and typically have much thicker trunks than Redwoods
... we hopscotched, climbed, hiked circular trails and traversed crescent meadows and took quick pics along the way, comparing our tiny selves juxtaposed against the huge majestic limbs of these venerable forest inhabitants
Our last hike was to Moro Rock - its a concrete and stone laid path of over 350 steps to the top of a panoramic viewing granite platform. Along the way, spectacular scenic overlooks of the forest's canopy, the San Joaquin Valley to the west, The Great Western Divide's peaks become visible
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Moro Rock is a great pinnacle point to view the setting sun, ...alas we were a bit early thus climbed to the adjacent granite dome where a boulder sat precariously on a ridge
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En route to Laguna Beach, I had a hankering to see the iconic Mulholland Dr. which so frequently featured in movie clips, visit the scenic parkway that gives you a birds eye Universal City San Fernando Valley, Holleywood Bowl and widespan overlook of the city of angels LA
way to main town & Heisler park. The public areas were well utilized where family BBQs and groups gathered in pockets enjoying the manicured lawns, ocean breeze, convival atmosphere and picturesque coastline
Another
highlight - taking in their annual Pageant of the Masters - now in its 86th year. Its one of the most unique outdoor events and all held due to the volunteers!From set design, prof orchestra, sophisticated lighting, cast, elaborate makeup & costumes. This outdoor amphitheater amazes audiences with its 'tableaux vivants' - faithful recreations of classical and contemporary works of art. Real people posing to mimic the characters in the original pieces. A most treasured experience!
I confess, towards the middle of our trip, the ubiquitous west coast display of many variety of cacti and its colorful offshoots really grew on me. No wonder my daughter seemed partial to them while doing her wedding decor....as I mused over our patio pizza by rooftop bar of our inn, admiring pots adorning tables
Local artists from the Sawdust festival recommended we dine at The Deck by the Pacific Edge Hotel- so here's our post dinner view from the patio ...very happening place obviously as we had to wait quite a bit for a table. It's ambience - typical young millennial coastal vibes and the sunset was fabulous, but as for the food, we much preferred The Cliff
A day spent on the beach next to our Inn & back to our Cliff oceanside table - best deal!
' Late afternoon on the West Coast ends with the sky doing all its brilliant stuff'
- Joan Didion
