Rice-a-Roni!

Bridges and water and weather! San Francisco is an amazing city. Marvellous Marvin (remember him from Grand Canyon) would love it here too! Everywhere you look there is sunlight peering on mountains, dark clouds loaming over water, and fog drifting over Golden Gate Bridge. It is “weather” in the best sense of the word.

After the drive up the coast through Big Sur and on to San Fran, we thought we’d seen it all. It was so picturesque with the blue surf and high cliffs. The only down side is that the population of California is equal to the population of all of Canada. It is evident as you tour, and when we tried to make camping reservations we were told that many campsites are booked 5 or 6 months in advance!!

Last Sunday we “churched” on a tour of San Fran! Somewhere I crossed something allergic or (perish the thought) bed bugs in the skuzzy motel we landed on in Morro Bay. Anyway, at that point I am covered with “rash, bites or whatever” on my face, arms and back. I am an itching mess – church is not going to happen this day. I am ready to kiss the feet of whoever invented antihistamines – literally saved my sanity! Rip took a picture of my spotted back – this one isn’t going on the Facebook photos!!

Laura and Wayne (Laura calls me “Aunt Joyce”; sort of like “Uncle Bill” – we’re not related but feel like family) host us with a real bed and bathroom (yeah!) and tour us around the city and tell us what to see. We visit Mount Tampalais to get an overview of all the water and bridges and areas. Next we visit Lombard Street – the one the zigzags down a steep hill (also called the “serpent road”). It is right out of the old Rice-a-roni commercial with the trolley cars ringing. At one point I said to our driver, Wayne, “you don’t have to go up that street” – it seemed straight up to me and I was happy to see it and thought perhaps I might fall out the back window! I have lived to tell the tale.

We saw Pier 39, the painted ladies (6 famous houses with fabulous trim and paint), Napa Valley, and a host of other highlights. We had a visit with our friend Brian’s family – Gabriel, Shilo and handsome new son Gio. Gabe told us that there are about 12 different weather patterns in the San Fran area – it is amazing. I thought how thrilled Terry would be to see her family happy and settled and her new grandchild. (Brian’s wife, Terry, passed away suddenly 7 years ago). I truly believe that the spirit world is far greater than we can ever imagine or hope for, so I do believe Terry in some God-given way is looking on them all with great joy and pride.

Like the Toronto area, San Fran is a conglomerate of many cities joined together, around the water and bridges and roads. The steep roads are remarkable and the beauty of the city shines through in sunlight or in clouds. Rice-a-roni is not the only San Francisco treat!