OT: My SF Birthday Adventure [Long], was: Crème Fraîche

bob wrote:

I haven't had the pleasure of visiting SFBA in far too many years. But
I remember my numerous visits during the 60's, 70's and 80's in terms
of fantastic restaurant and cafe food ... amongst other things. And I
look forward to introducing my wife to all this great food when we
visit friends in Bodega Bay - hopefully later this year.

Bodega Bay holds some special memories for me. It was part of our first date which included a stay in Napa and dinner at Bouchon.

In celebration of my birthday last week, Bob and I spent a couple of days in SF proper. We stayed with dear friends who have a place in the Sunset District -- barely two short blocks from the beach! Bob has taken me to SF a few times for dinner, comedy shows, and Chinese New Year, but we have never done the whole "tourist" thing before and our friends made sure we had the full ride -- literally! A driving tour (in a Cooper Mini) through the streets of old SF. Haight-Ashbury, Painted Ladies row of Victorian houses, The Presidio. Driving down the crooked road of Lombard street was a blast! We also took in Twin Peaks and the Coit Tower. On a clear day, you can see forever! ;-) I took tons of wonderful photos.

We did avoid Chinatown, as we've been there a couple of times before, and put off Fisherman's Wharf since it was getting later in the day and we had plans for a drive through the Half Moon Bay area for dinner. I'm all about the "view" so we had picked a little place our friends enjoy and highly recommend in Woodside called "The Mountain House," but as we made our way along Skyline Blvd., we stumbled first upon the Bella Vista:

http://www.bvrestaurant.com/

Nestled in the redwoods, she called to us. We were only going to stay for a drink and peruse the menu for a future visit, but the offerings were so enticing and the atmosphere warm and cozy that we opted to forgo our original plans. They do have outdoor dining and spectacular view, but we stayed inside. We were seated at their best table so we could enjoy the colors of the dusk sky as they shifted from cool blues to rusty gold glow -- and then finally nothing but the city lights below.

It's definitely not somewhere you want to dine if you are in a hurry.

We savored every moment and morsel of the night. Finally it was time for the birthday dessert and coffee, then we made our way back to our friends' home.

The next day our hosts made lovely breakfast sandwiches of croissants, eggs, Canadian bacon, and goat cheese, with fresh blueberries on the side. I woke up a bit earlier than everyone else and enjoyed coffee on their private balcony. Later we took a walk to the beach where I never let the shutter of my camera rest. I made a point of collecting a few sea shells for my oldest granddaughter. (I'll be taking her to SF when I bring her back for a visit with me this Summer).

Then it was time to bid adieu to our friends and come home. We made our way across the Golden Gate bridge and took the long way home, arriving just before the rain. It's been raining for 3 days now. I might have to use the last of the firewood for a final blaze! Kind of hard to believe that a couple of weeks ago we were in the mid-90s -- and the Sierras are getting more snow! Much needed I might add.

Our friends enjoyed the slide show I put together and ftp'd to them. They said it was a great reminder of what a beautiful place San Francisco is and how truly fortunate they are to live there. I guess you can take those things for granted quite easily. I'm just thankful that we live close enough to enjoy that great city more often. There was a while in my adult life when I thought I would never see San Fransisco.

It was a lovely birthday and Bob has spoiled me rotten yet again. Of course, he doesn't need a holiday or event to do that. It just comes naturally for him. ;-)

--Lin
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: RIP - Bob Rickard
    ... I am proud to have been numbered among Bob Rickard's friends and to have ... that he applied as part of the engineering teams working on the F-4 Tomcat, ... to go an extra mile for his customers is woven into its fabric. ...
    (rec.outdoors.fishing.bass)
  • Re: RJ Creasy, A Fallen Hero
    ... > Bob Creasy: ... > inform my friends that Robert J Creasy, "RJ", was ... > was bigger than life and so full of life. ... > to be the greatest single contributor to quality computing within IBM ...
    (rec.motorcycles.harley)
  • Re: RJ Creasy, A Fallen Hero
    ... > Bob Creasy: ... > inform my friends that Robert J Creasy, "RJ", was ... > was bigger than life and so full of life. ... > the creator of the finest operating system ever released by IBM, ...
    (rec.motorcycles.harley)
  • Re: RJ Creasy, A Fallen Hero
    ... > Bob Creasy: ... > inform my friends that Robert J Creasy, "RJ", was ... > was bigger than life and so full of life. ... > to be the greatest single contributor to quality computing within IBM ...
    (rec.motorcycles.harley)
  • RJ Creasy, A Fallen Hero
    ... Bob Creasy: ... inform my friends that Robert J Creasy, "RJ", was ... was bigger than life and so full of life. ... to be the greatest single contributor to quality computing within IBM ...
    (rec.motorcycles.harley)