Labor Day: San Francisco's Best Kept Secret

I realize that it might seem a little late to be writing about Labor Day weekend, but that's only because it was so great that I can't stop talking about it (and because I've been really busy since then).

It turns out that Labor Day is the best thing that ever happened to San Francisco. Chris & I discovered this for the first time because for several years, we've been out of town camping during our long weekend. It turns out that every other San Francisco resident also leaves town-- and they must close off all the bridges to tourists, because there was a shocking lack of them as well. It was a little bit like Left Behind, only with really great weather and no Kirk Cameron. We literally found a dozen parking spaces, coming home late one night and wondered if we were stuck in the Twighlight Zone.

On Saturday, we woke up and made the most amazing oatmeal cinnamon raisin pancakes (I'll have to post the recipe-- yum!). Then, I made a metamorphosis that I've been wanting to achieve for several months: I became a cyclist. That's right, I did the whole spandex shorts (with capris over them!), jersey and helmet thing and rode a [sadly] exhausting 15 miles.

We drove North on the Golden Gate Bridge to Mill Valley, parked the car and rode our bikes along a lovely bike path into Tiburon, overlooking the Bay and beautiful rolling green hills. It was like a little slice of heaven. On the way back, we stopped in downtown Mill Valley, sat in the town square, watching dogs chase pigeons & children play while we shared a tiny cup of ice cream.

After a long nap back at home, we rode our bikes a few blocks away to an old house-turned-music-center and met some friends for a [free!] classical piano show. The pianist was an old childhood friend of this couple, and she was touring with her boyfriend, who accompanied her on the double bass. It was truly incredible. She looked as though she were dancing when she played-- like she was experiencing the music through her whole body. I think her fingers had three more joints each than mine do, because as I watched them fly across the keyboard, I knew that her hands were not made of the same matter as mine.

When the show was over, we had the privilege of going out to ice cream with the talented duo, and found them to be funny, witty, normal people who were adorably in love. (Okay-- they weren't that normal, considering they studied at Julliard and live in Amsterdam and England!). It was a double privilege because we went to one of those little San Francisco gems that I eye with envy every time I pass, but had never actually experienced: Bi Rite Ice Cream. Although it was a freezing, windy San Francisco night, we all huddled inside the tiny store and savored every bite of our gourmet ice cream... mine was salted caramel, and was the most decadent thing I have ever tasted.

On Sunday, we had a BBQ in Dolores Park for our students (only a few showed up, but it was a great excuse to spend the day in the sun!). Now, Dolores Park is one of those interesting, truly San Francisco experiences, where places like Orange County seem imaginary and time slows to a Woodstock, hippy, free-loving crawl. Several years ago, when we we went there for the first time, we were offered "French Chocolate Marijuana Truffles" by a very flamboyant black man, swinging a gold chained pot around like incense. There was also a whole gang of hula-hoopers, swinging to 80's techno music, blasted through stacked speakers.

Last Sunday didn't disappoint, as the park was filled to capacity with young picnicers, drinking beer, smoking pot, playing with their dogs, and listening to spoken word poety & music being performed on a makeshift stage. We grilled & ate, got sunburned, and were even offered french chocolate marijuana truffles by the same guy that we saw years ago (he was making some pretty good money that day!).

Later that evening, we went to some friends' house for yet another BBQ, and got to catch up with all the young church-folk that we hadn't seen since leaving for Africa.

Needless to say, I spent all of Monday in bed, with a really bad sore throat and a fever (I guess I over-did it the rest of the weekend!), under the delusion that I was still in my hammock in Africa. I've spent the rest of this week trying to recover from my weekend and my cold, while juggling work & ministry... but am still smiling over my Labor Day adventures.

Happiness Has an Address

Maybe you didn't know this, but Happiness lives at 501 Dolores St, a.k.a. Dolores Park Cafe. It's my new favoritist spot in San Francisco, and I have told so many people about it over the last few days and fantasized so much about their mango smoothie (the one that "changed my life") that it's gone beyond a funny little joke to down right obnoxious.

I met a student there on a sunny Wednesday morning, and got said smoothie (the one that changed my life), enjoying the bright, open view of Dolores Park, the fantastic people watching out the huge windows, and the friendly, happy vibe that seemed to be contagious in all their patrons.

I was even able to drag Chris out of bed [semi] early this morning so that we could ride our bikes over and enjoy our "Saturday morning breakfast in a new place" ritual. Needless to say, it was a happy morning.

Cafe Cubano, a cornmeal raspberry scone and the most beautiful bowl of oatmeal you've ever seen (yes, even oatmeal is beautiful there!)... both our mouths were very happy.

We watched people come & go, walking dogs of all shapes & sizes to the park, and then took a stroll down to another one of the happiest places in the city, Bi Rite Market. Bi Rite is this quaint little store that sells all things delicious & lovely (and expensive). It has aisles of $15 chocolate bars, artisan cheeses, fresh-baked bread, and fruits & vegetables that look like they should be used for painting still-life's, rather than eating. There is a huge stand of perfect flowers outside, and the Bi Rite Ice Creamery across the street.

I love to walk around, oohing & ahhing over the beautiful food, thinking of the damage I could do, if only we could afford a $12 hunk of cheese or a $15 mini cake.

After that, we took Gavin to the beach and watched him case tennis balls into the ocean until he almost fell over from exhaustion. Although it's chilly & windy out, it is sunny & beautiful-- a perfect Saturday.

I'm Going to Make You a Meatball You Can't Refuse

Last night was a good night. Last night I was able to do several things I haven't been able to do much since I've gotten sick: cook a big meal, enjoy a big meal, and unplug & relax with Chris.

Picture Christine in her [tiny] kitchen, wearing a red apron, making spaghetti & meatballs, singing along to Dean Martin and drinking wine. (When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore!)

What was the occasion? We were watching The Godfather for the first time-- and I have to say, with the wine and the amazing spaghetti & meatballs and all, it was a really enjoyable experience (let me know if you would like the recipe for the best spaghetti & meatballs ever!)

I feel like I am truly an American, now that I have experienced this chunk of culture I've been missing out on. I have to say, I laughed my head off at the horse head scene (I'm sure it was shocking in it's time, but there have been so many spoofs on it, it's hard to take it seriously), and I had no idea how many famous (and incredibly young!) actors were in it (Diane Keaton was in The Godfather? So out of place! How did she go from that to The First Wives' Club?)

Our enjoyable evening was followed by an even more enjoyable morning. We woke up early to take Gavin to his annual vaccination, and treated him (and ourselves) afterwards by going to Fort Funston. (Gavin was so wonderful with the vet-- all he did was pee on Chris' leg in fear when we had to pin him down for a blood test. But I understand-- I come close to wetting myself when I get blood drawn, too)

Now, Fort Funston is everything it's name implies-- it's this rustic stretch of coastline (that was once a military base) with miles of sand dunes, and adventure upon adventure for any puppy. You can wander along a lovely path through the dunes & plantlife, or you can hike down to the beach, watching happy dogs explore, sniff & play.

It was an amazing day-- the first I can remember since returning to San Francisco where I wasn't wearing a jacket, a scarf or mittens. It was warm and sunny, the waves were huge and the wind kicked up a nice spray from the water. I can't tell you how therapeutic sunshine is!

Now Gavin is happily napping, and I am preparing to join him (in my own bed-- we don't actually sleep with the dog) to recover from my big outing (the first time in a while I have been away from my bed for so long!). There's something much more acceptable about being sick in bed when you've just spent the morning on a sunny beach =)

Back in The City of Love

Well, we're home, and I love home. This weekend was pretty close to perfect-- with the small exception of a disturbing movie we watched Friday night that I haven't been able to get out of my head (called Mr. Brooks. Yuck). But, besides said movie, our weekend was delightful.

After finally making it to bed Friday night (and clearing my head of graphic scenes of a man getting stabbed in the neck by a pair of scissors. Again, no need to ever watch that movie. Yuck), I drifted off to sleep at midnight, and didn't get out of bed until 11:30 the next morning. It was like I was 15 yrs old again-- delicious! Chris & I took Gavin to our favorite hiking spot in Pacifica, and for some reason the San Francisco winter lifted for an afternoon, leaving behind a perfect warm spring day.

On our way home, we spent way too long and too much money at Target, and decided we were just too hungry to make dinner. The only reasonable solution was to order the tastiest burgers in all of San Francisco (Big Mouth Burgers), bring them home, and gorge ourselves while watching our newly purchased DVD (Mean Girls. I love that movie). I had forgotten just how truly wonderful Big Mouth Burgers can be. If you live in SF, you should go there immediately. If not, you should visit and we'll take you there. =)

After church on Sunday (which was great), Chris & I rode our bikes to Union Square and wandered around, people watching. We sat at a window table at Citizen Cupcake, on the top floor of the Virgin Records store on Market St, drinking Illy espresso and eating chocolate cupcakes. The people watching from up there is incredible-- as are the cupcakes & espresso. It was perfect.

I felt great after the invigorating ride in the cold (isn't it funny how you can be hot & cold at the same time?) with my new bike helmet (okay, the helmet felt dorky, but for once, I wasn't afraid riding around the City). We took Gavin for a walk to the park just as it was starting to get dark, when the sky is not quite black, and not quite blue, and we watched the stars come out and wispy clouds sail by in the strong wind while Gavin sniffed around and acted angelic.

Chris made a super yummy cheese pizza and I made a super yummy salad, and after cleaning up a little, we made tea, plopped on the couch, turned on the portable heater, and read East of Eden together.

We decided to take today off, since we worked through the weekend last weekend, and finally get our lives in order. We woke up early this morning so Chris could get out for a bike ride, but the storm beat us to it, and we drifted back to sleep with the wonderful sound of rain against the window. I woke up again to the sound of construction in the vacant apartment above us, and I swear, someone is going to fall through the ceiling soon & land in my lap (which would be uncomfortable on many levels).

So now, the plan is to sort through a month's worth of mail & email, organize our "office" (cleverly disguised as a tiny closet in the living room), finish cleaning up & plan for the rest of our busy week. It's a perfect rainy day to stay at home in my Pj's get ready to live my life again.

Weekend Parties (in my mouth)

We ate so good last weekend! Okay, I know that's improper English, but I don't know if there's another way to say it. There are a few of those simple pleasures in life that bring me so much joy (hot showers, warm beds), but few give me as much joy as really good food. And I was a happy girl this weekend!

Here is a joyful list of some of the loveliness I was able to experience this weekend:

Nan King Road: This is one of our favorite restaurants in the City. It's cute (great decor!), the food is amazing, and it's crazy cheap (for SF!). I tried something new this time (Dan Dan Cold Thin Noodles with spicy peanut sauce, chicken, carrots & cucumbers. Amaza-zing!), and Chris had the most flavorful garlicky chicken stir fry with green beans & bell peppers. I was supremely happy when we left the restaurant. It didn't hurt that we split a mini mocha gelato next door afterwards ;)

Monte Cristo Sandwiches: I have decided that there is no more perfect combination of breakfast and lunch than the Monte Cristo. We made them for breakfast Saturday morning in Chris' favorite cast iron skillet (which requires only a tiny spray of Pam-- much healthier!) and it was glorious.

Napa Valley Vineyards Chardonnay: We finally cracked open this bottle of wine we've had forever when we went to dinner at a friends house (whose tomatillo enchiladas were also a party in our mouths!). It was so yummy! It's always fun to find wine we like that's under $10 (not that that really keeps us from buying primarily Two Buck Chuck!)

Cream Sherry: Okay, I'm starting to sound like a lush (I swear, I hardly ever drink!), but we also had, for the first time, Cream Sherry with a lime wedge. Wow! So tasty!

Arepas: This is something we thought we invented, and then discovered it had a name. It is so yummy, very easy, and fairly healthy. Here's our recipe...

1) Thinly slice onions, carrots & bell peppers. Mince a few garlic cloves & cut broccoli into small pieces. Sauté over high heat with a little vegetable oil, chili powder & seasoned salt-- starting with the onions & carrots, then adding bell peppers, then garlic & broccoli-- until crisp tender (5-ish minutes)
2) Meanwhile, mix Masarepa according to package instructions, and lightly fry in another skillet
3) Warm Ducal Black Beans
4) Top one arepa with black beans, shredded cheese (or sour cream), vegetables, and Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Salsa. Squeeze a lime wedge over everything, and enjoy!

Elote: What Not to Eat on a First Date

For only $2 last night, I not only had an amazing cultural experience, but I also discovered the Grand Champion of Things Not to Order on a First Date.

Chris & I got home around 8pm last night from a fun afternoon on a friend's rooftop, watching the Blue Angels (I actually ducked a few time, they got so close!). We were tired & hungry, and didn't feel like cooking, so we ventured out to Taqueria Vallarta.

Just to give you a little background, Taqueria Vallarta is a little taco shack in our neighborhood that sells brain, cheek, hip, tongue (and of course, chicken & carne asada) tacos until about 2am. They were shut down for almost a year for... drum roll please... excessive cockroaches and rats (among other things--but at that point, do you really need other things??). Usually, Chris only goes to Taqueria Vallarta when I'm not around 'cause greasy roach tacos aren't my all-time favorite.

For some reason, though, I was feeling adventurous, and I ordered Elote. Elote, it turns out, it a whole ear of corn, slathered in mayonnaise, rolled in crumbled Mexican cheese, and doused with chili powder. Like I said, I was feeling adventurous.

As luck would have it, it was amazing! The only thing, though, is that you should never, ever eat it around anyone who is not extremely devoted to you (or blind), because I literally had cheese and chili powder from the tip of my nose to my chin. My lips burned for at least 15 minutes after I had finished it, and I had to hold a wet towel against them to put out the flames.

But, after surviving almost 24 hours since I ate at the scary taqueria, and after the swelling in my lips has gone down, I would definitely say that I would order it again. Just not on a first date.

The Key to a Perfect Saturday

Let it be said that Chris & I love sleeping in. Until recently, I firmly believed that a perfect Saturday morning was sleeping in as late as possible & eating breakfast at noon. But I've had a change of heart.

Last weekend was cold & rainy, which was fun in that it started to feel like autumn (yes, I already bought a pumpkin!), but not so fun because it's hard to find something to do that doesn't involve paying $20+ at the movie theater.

So Chris decided that we were going to explore a new part of the City and go out to breakfast. Yes, my friends, this is the key to a perfect Saturday morning: going out to breakfast. My new theory is that there is nothing more luxurious than eating breakfast out.

Last weekend we discovered a Panera Bread downtown near AT&T park (where the Giants play). We sat for hours in front of the ginormous windows watching the rain fall (you could almost see the raindrops leave the clouds and fall all the way to the ground), sipping tea, eating bagels and reading & journaling. We watched the preppy rich folk who live in the high-rise condos downtown walk their mini-dogs, and the smart kids from Stanford step off the train to spend a day in the City. We talked and we read, and we prayed, and just sat & watched. It was a perfect rainy Saturday.

This Saturday was sunny and beautiful, and we woke up early and rode our bikes over to Tartine. For those of you who don't live in SF, Tartine is a local bakery with no sign out front, but an endless line out the door. It is always on the list of the top ten best places to eat. However, in the 2+ years that we've lived here, we've never ventured to Tartine (I think it was the line-- intimidating).

We beat the rush and sat outside, enjoying the most amazing bread pudding I've ever had, a scone & a Scharffenberger pan au chocolate. Yuuumm!! There are few things in the world that make me happier than really, really good food (especially when it looks pretty), and this made me really, really happy!

Eventually, we rode our bikes back home, and took a late-morning nap (best of both worlds!). I woke up and did Pilates/Yoga while Chris continued snoozing, then we went for a beautiful hike in Pacifica. It really was a perfect Saturday!

Wonderful New Discoveries

I have recently either discovered or re-discovered several new things to love. Here are a few:

• Listening to podcasts of Mike Erre's sermons
• Getting free ice cream from Cold Stone on your birthday (or, even better, sharing your husband's free birthday ice cream!)
• Dyeing my Hair. I love the color, and I love how well behaved it is right after I've dyed it.
• Coconut flavored boba (milk tea with large tapioca) from Quickly
• Fasting. Okay, this one's actually a love/hate thing. Last week, I fasted & prayed, and it was an incredible day-- I felt so full of life & joy. Today, it sucked. I couldn't concentrate & I felt deflated & emotional all day. Next time will be better, though!
• Yoga. I've already shared about my new love for yoga, but I just have to say it again: I love it!
• Chateau St. Michelle 2003 Merlot. It was definitely my favorite at the wine tasting party-- yum! And, great news-- its only about $10 at BevMo! We can drink it about once a year =)
• Picnics with cheese, bread & chocolate (even better with wine!). Oh, and the Opera!
• Gavin's new dog park. We recently stopped going to the local park (affectionately called Crack Park) across the street from the Projects when we discovered another park almost as close. The people are friendly, and the dogs are wonderful-- plus its well lit at night, and no drive-by's (a step up!)
• Peet's Coffee. Chris got a an ice blended mocha there yesterday, and it was the best I'd ever had! They also make one with Scharffen Berger chocolate (you mean, it get's better?!)
  
• Panera Bread. I spent hours there today, and it was wonderful (and delicious!). I brought home a loaf of bread to go with dinner, and bagels for breakfast tomorrow, too!
  

I could go on & on! It just seemed like I got to experience so many great things in the last week that I really wanted to share them with the world. You should try at least one this week =)

Action-Packed Weekend: Posing as an Adult

Chris & I pretended to be grown-ups this weekend.

We were invited to a friends' birthday party-- a wine tasting party-- Saturday night. Each guest brought a bottle of wine, which was wrapped in a brown paper bag and marked with a number. We were supposed to sample each of the wines and pick a favorite-- the winner getting a $50 prize (we were motivated!).

All night long, some of the more experienced wine drinkers (i.e. those who, unlike us, actually drink wine other than 2 Buck Chuck) were teasing about bottle #4. Number Four was kind of the brunt of all the jokes that night.

Well (of course), it turned out that #4 was the bottle I had brought, and although my cheeks were already rosy from the 14 different bottles I had sampled, they turned a much darker shade when I was awarded the booby prize for the worst bottle of wine. **Let the judges note that we actually bought a faulty bottle, which was corked, and that, really, I got robbed. Number Four could have taken us all the way to the $50 prize. =)

Sunday after church, we carted our picnic of bread & cheese, salami, grapes & chocolate (along with our pit bull-mutt) to Golden Gate Park to watch an opera. That's right, an opera.

Every year, the opera comes to Golden Gate Park and gives several hours of free performances. It's quite an experience.

We sat with our picnic, and enjoyed the opera, while a group of homeless teens behinds us called out "Spare any change? Anyone have leftovers?". A spandex-clad cyclist sat in front of us, sketching the event in his sketchpad. Next to him, an old man in corduroy pants, a tweed jacket and golf hat lay on his back soaking it in. A family sat to our right on a blanket with their designer picnic basket, while their designer dog (a puggle) wearing a pink designer collar played with their toddlers in designer clothes. Where else can you experience that kind of diversity while listening to such a performance?

It really is something worth experiencing. And I can't remember the last time Chris & I went wine tasting & visited the opera in the same weekend (oh, wait-- that would be never). It was great.

Labor Day Camping Trip

Chris & I spent the long weekend camping out at Ice House Reservoir (just West of Tahoe), along with two other families from our staff team (and, of course, Gavin). It was so restful, relaxing & beautiful!
I think we brought everything we own (including our queen-sized air mattress!), and definitely didn't miss any of the luxuries at home. Some call it car camping-- Chris called it Glamping. =)

A stone's throw from the campsite is this beautiful reservoir, as clear & clean & blue as you can imagine. We went down there in the afternoons to cool off & watch the dogs fetch sticks out of the water. We discovered that Gavin has an almost super-natural ability to pull objects onto shore that weigh 10 times as much as he does (as seen in the picture, where he is literally pulling a tree onto the shore!)

One day, we all hiked up to Desolation Wilderness, which was like nothing I had ever seen before-- miles upon miles of rock, and at the top 3 beautiful lakes so cold that my toes were numb after resting them in the water for a few minutes! It was a great (and tiring!) hike.

While we were up there, I felt the heaviness (mentioned in my last "posting") lift off of me, and not having a cell phone was actually really freeing. When we came back down the mountain, a bit of the sadness & heartache came back, and was heightened when we watched Little Children (which arrived via Netflix while we were gone). Great movie, but really depressing. Talk about brokenness.

This morning, I'm a little sore, a little sunburned, and the dog has literally been passed out since last night (his eyes are bloodshot, and he looks hung-over). Chris & I are resolved to go camping as much as possible from now on =)

I Just Found Heaven

Heaven, it turns out, can be found 2 blocks from our office, on Octavia Street. A friend & I were walking down the street today-- a walk I've taken many-a-time-- when we noticed a little confiserie, which is apparently French for "Heaven" (actually, it means a confectionery, or a candy store, if you really want to take the romance out of it).
It was called Miette (which means crumb), and if Willy Wonka had a hip Aunt with incredible style & taste, this would have been her store. It was a wonderland of mason jars filled with candy, tables of exotic chocolate, and a case of tiny treats-- gourmet cupcakes, bitty macaroons, tartlettes. I felt a sort of sacredness come over me when we walked inside-- even the music was ethereal.
We literally stood with our mouths open for about a minute taking it all in.
I ended up buying a tiny piece of spicy Aztec chocolate with pumpkin seeds in it (I know, sounds weird, but you would have bought it if you had been there, too!).

I looked up their website and you can rent out the store for children's birthday parties-- complete with a ballerina , a pony ride, and custom decorations & candies.
I'm tellin' you, this place was heaven =)

Angry Mime

I keep meaning to share with the world about my Angry Mime experience at Ghirardelli Square. Over the weekend, Chris & I went down the the Warf to enjoy the sunshine & watch the tourists. As with any tourist area, there are all kinds of street performers, and you can always find a handful of those creepy mimes painted all silver to look like a statue. Well, one of the creepy mimes was "off duty" while his friend was doing the statue thing, so I thought it would be nice to just smile at the guy as we walked by to let him know that someone in the world recognized his humanity (that he was more than just an attraction on the street).
As I smiled, he started cussing me out! He just started yelling at me and calling me all kinds of names and (worst of all!) making fun of Gavin, our dog. He was spewing hatred and venom as I have seen few people do to a total stranger!
It was so very odd & ironic (not just that I smiled to make his day better, but because he's a mime... yelling!) that I just burst out laughing. He didn't like that very much, and just kept swearing at me as I was whisked away into the crowd, laughing harder & harder.
Weird.

Fighting for my Weekend

I recently started taking this medication that has made me crazy-- literally crazy. Not to mention being highly emotional, it's also made me nauseated, dizzy, given me gnarly headaches & blurred vision, and (worst of all!) made me gain weight. It sucks.

So anyway, we had big plans for the weekend, but feeling poopie has really put a wrench in our plans. But I made a decision: this silly little pill would not defeat me.
Friday night, when I was about to break down & cry because I couldn't find anything that fit me (the weight gain & emotions) I was tempted to not go out & see our friend's jazz band play at the cute little Cuban coffee house. But a little emotional outburst (and nausea & a headache) couldn't stop me, so we went anyways. Okay, we came home after an hour, but still-- I made it out of the house!
Saturday we had a lovely, leisurely morning of sleeping in & making Irish Soda Bread. Then we headed out to the Marina & Ghirardelli Square to enjoy the sunshine & watch tourists. Once again, crazy emotions and a headache couldn't stop me (although I did get a little cranky with Chris-- sorry Chris!). After that, I got beaten half to death by a little Chinese Kung-Fu Master posing as a facialist (is that a word? What to you call the lady that gives you a facial?), but I was determined to enjoy myself (even though she almost ripped my nose ring out of my head... twice!). It really was nice.
Today was an amazing, perfect Sunday. It was sunny and warm-- actually warm, not some pretend sunny-but-cool-and-breezy San Francisco weather. We went to church, took Gavin for a long walk to the top of Bernal Hill (where he was an angel off-leash. I take back half the bad things I said about him).
After that, I refused to be defeated by a nasty headache, and walked a mile to my favorite bead store where I learned to knit with wire. On the way home, I did a little shopping, and was actually treated like "one of us" by the cooler-than-you San Franciscan retailers. A new experience!
We ate a big dinner, and painted the front door a red that I actually love, and now it's time for bed.
That stupid pill had me up against the ropes a few times this weekend, but I am definitely ending my Sunday night feeling wonderful and victorious. You shall not defeat me...

Oh Happy Day: Livin' Off the Land

My friend, Jenny came up with the term "Livin' off the Land" (okay, technically she didn't come up with the term, but she reintroduced it to our urbanite vocabulary with a new meaning), and she is the queen of Livin' off the Land. This means using the resources around you to do or make things for free. For example, using branches & twigs to make a cool picture frame, or creating a patio on the roof with furniture found on the street. It also means finding fun & interesting things to do that don't include paying $12 for a movie ticket.
That's where my Happy Day comes in. I discovered today a website called funcheapSF.com, and it is exactly what it sounds like. I learned that this weekend, there's a free showing of Shakespeare's Henry IV, a Blues & Beer Festival, a Bay Area BBQ Cook Off and Music Festival, a Lonely Planet Exhibition (where they're raffling off tickets to Hawaii, luggage & stuff), and a miniature golf course that they're setting up in the middle of the city (for free).
That's all this weekend!
Tonight, we're listening to a friend play Jazz at a cute little Cuban cafe (also free, but not listed on the website!). How fun!

Lovely Sunday

Today was sunny and nice in the City, and after going to church, getting coffee with some friends, and relaxing for a while, we drove down to Pacifica for a hike. Pacifica is this cute, sleepy little beach town south of San Francisco, and this trail is a hidden gem.
Last time we went there, we hiked to the very top of a grassy hill (Mountain? Hill? Well, it's about 3 miles up-- it's at least a BIG hill!) overlooking the ocean, and it was covered in purple irises. It was absolutely beautiful. This time, there were these bright pink flowers-- like a cross between an orchid & a pansy-- growing along the entire trail. So lovely.
Our dog Gavin was angelic, running around off leash-- tearing up the trail until he almost couldn't see us anymore, skidding to a stop, then flying past us & back down the trail, and back up again. It's hilarious-- he looks like his alignment is off, 'cause he always runs a little crooked. There's something great about owning a dumb, happy dog.
We had a big yummy salad & corn bread for dinner, cleaned up the apartment, and are going to try to get to bed early.
Pretty much a perfect Sunday!