Thursday, June 09, 2011

Reflections on Traveling

My Friday Fave Fives this week are focused on the short trip we took to San Francisco this week.  It was a week filled with fun experiences and many hours spent sitting in our car.  If you want to know more about Friday Fave Five, check out this link to Susanne's blog.

1.  time spent with my family
          We met up with The New Boy, his mama and the Grad Student, all of us converging at the same time in one spot on this planet although for different reasons.  Spending even a few days with our grandson (and two of our children) gives us great joy!



2.  a random meeting with someone who reads my blog
          We wandered in to a shop and the clerk commented on my felted bag.  One thing led to another and I discovered that wow!  she's a knitter, and she reads my blog!  What fun randomness!

3.  revisiting San Francisco
          When I was a child, my family drove from Oregon to San Francisco every summer.  I have so many memories of that city which I considered the most exciting and exotic place in the world, or at least my little world.  The Golden Gate Bridge


 San Francisco Zoo, Ghirardelli Square


 cable cars, hills and more hills, houses jammed up against each other with NO space between, Presidio of San Francisco, Golden Gate Park.  What fun we had sharing some of those places with The New Boy and his mama.


4.  Half Moon Bay
          Neither of us had ever been to Half Moon Bay even though it is very close to San Francisco and part of the peninsula on the Pacific Coast side of San Francisco.  On a whim, we decided to drive over the hills and visit that famous little seaside town.  We walked along Main Street, wandered in to the absolutely amazing and delightful  Fengari yarn shop and chatted with Ann the owner for a few minutes, stopped for a bowl of soup and a coffee at a local cafe, and ended up at the top of the cliff overlooking the local beach.  In typical Coastal California June Gloom weather, it was windy, gray and misty, so we didn't stay long.


5.  driving along the Central California Coast
          A seven hour drive each way along Hwy 101 allows for extended periods to spend gazing at the wonderful and beautiful California scenery.  We drove along the Pacific Coast beaches, through the coastal hills covered with live oak trees and orange poppies.  Watching the hills, dotted with horses and cows or covered with vineyards, roll past reminded me what an incredible state I live in--one that extends for almost nine hundred miles north to south, encompasses some of the most majestic scenery in the world, and is home to people living on citrus or cattle ranches, in small sleepy towns nestled in the golden foothills, and huge crowded, bustling cities.

How was your week?

23 comments:

Z said...

I'm about an hour or so away from San Francisco.

Hope you had fun in the bay area.

Tracy said...

Oh, sooo good... Time with family it the best time. New Boy is sooo BIG now! Can we call him New Boy anymore? ;o) Happy Weekend, Willow ((HUGS))

ellen b. said...

Oh look at new boy and what a boy he is! Definitely not a babe anymore. Glad you had good times. That's fun about the shop and the clerk reading your blog!

Laura@OutnumberedMom said...

This looks like a lovely trip! And the New Boy is so big. You ran into someone who reads your blog? That is awesome!

Have a great week!

Brenda said...

You were in my part of Cali this week! I hope you hit some good weather, today is sunny and beautiful, but its been rather grey. How fun to meet someone who reads your blog, that actually happened to me once on an airplane!

Mary said...

How random that you met a reader of your blog! Small world!
The coast sounds beautiful. *sigh* Maybe someday.

Barbara H. said...

How neat to meet up with a reader.

Sounds like you had some great travels! Your state does have a lot of variety.

Did you know that either today or yesterday was supposedly National Knit in Public Day? At least according to a JoAnne's newsletter I received.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

i love being with my family. those are always the best of times. How fun to meet up with a blog reader! A reader of my blog whose blog I also read lives one town over from me and we have a mutual friend. We still haven't met in person but maybe this summer.

Anonymous said...

I'm so delighted you got to spend time with your little grandson! Your pictures and descriptions of California attest to the fact that creation shows the glory of God. Thank you.
Mary P

Catherine said...

When I lived in California, I loved driving along the coast. Even if it was only for a few miles, it was always worth going out of my way. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy your family ins one of my favorite cities.

How neat that the shop owner reads your blog!
-Catherine

Catherine said...

Oh, and new boy is an absolutely beautiful young man!

roxie said...

Love your Friday posts!

Jane said...

Sounds a wonderful week, and isn't the new boy so grown up! Jane x

Monica said...

It's been ages since I've visited the California coast. I spent last weekend roadtripping with my girlfriends over in the Hood River, Oregon area. We had a wonderful time.

How lovely to meet a reader of your blog by happen-chance. :)

I'm working on getting back into the blogging world.

I hope you have a great week
Monica (formerly from My Forever House)

Caroline said...

My brother went to Hastings Law School in San Francisco nearly twenty years ago. We''d have so much fun going to see them, even though they lived in student housing, McAlister Towners, which means they were practically in the Tenderloin District.

Your grandson is darling. Sounds like a wonderful couple of days.

Susanne said...

I would love to visit San Francisco one of these days. It looks like such a lovely city.

Family time is the best. Your little New Boy is sure growing!

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

That is a beautiful drive isn't it! Very majestic indeed. What a special bit of fun to meet a reader of your blog so unexpectedly! And spending time with family, of course, is always a treat.

Olive Tree said...

I love the part about meeting a random stranger who actually reads your blog. Well, I'm still waiting for that to happen to me :) Terima kasih banyak for visiting my blog and commenting. Now, this is something new for me, to meet a random person who actually has been to my country. I hope you can stop by more often and one of these days we can exchanged story about Indonesia. I'm actually moving back there, for good, this week. In the future, my posts will likely to have Indonesian flavor :)

Trish said...

Sounds like a great trip - and how cool meeting a blog reader by chance!

Knitting Linguist said...

What a fun random meeting with a blog reader! I've had that happen, and it's always pretty neat. I love heading up the coast to the Bay Area - and it sounds like you all did all kinds of fun things!

Barbara said...

Enjoyed the photos. New boy growing fast.
What fun to meet a blogger like that and one that follows your blog.

Bethany said...

My week could never be as good as this!!! Your grandson is getting so big and is as cute as ever!!! Your daughter is so beautiful... love this picture of them! You are so blessed to have this much time with your extended family!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

You know how much I love san Francisco, Willow! new Boy has grown so much! Gla dyou were able to spend such a nice time with him!