How we started 2018

My sister's son moved to the west coast over a year ago and in August, my daughter went out to join him.  His girlfriend is also someone we like, so it was time to go visit.  We left in the early morning of New Year's Day.  Not a bad day to travel, by the way.

One of the first things we noticed, rosemary hedges.

 

From Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz Island on the left.

Here are some of our adventures...

My personal favorite day was in Half Moon Bay.  This was in one of the greenhouses.

We first noticed the passionflowers at a nursery specializing in native plants.  Then saw them everywhere.

As we crossed a footbridge over a small ravine, we saw that wild nasturtiums were rampant.  In this picture, the leaves are most recognizable.  I only had my phone, having left the real camera at home.

We wound up on the Pacific Coast Highway.  Gorgeous and only a little unnerving.

The ocean was stunning from this angle.

At Fisherman's Wharf, we spent a lot of time considering the personalities of the sea lions.

In San Francisco we walked all through Chinatown, and then stopped at The Stinking Rose, where they say that they  "season our garlic with food."  Delish!

Can we talk a little bit about the walk to breakfast?  My companions forbid me from picking anything.

These little lilies were planted with white sage as landscaping where we stayed.

Tea shop on the walk to dinner...

Farmers market.  Just wow!  The variety was amazing.

Selection of olives.  Dates were at the next stand.  They tell us this is the "dead" of winter.  Hmmm...

We met up with a longtime online friend who took us to the very tip top of the Berkeley campus to look out at the bay.

We had the magazine almost put together by the time we got home.  I wrote my field notes while we were traveling.  Still polishing it up for the printer now.
We've just about caught up on orders and emails.  All in all a fun trip.  Of course it was a huge treat to see the young'uns.  That goes without saying.