Magic in San Francisco

If Heather and I have an opportunity to spend a 3 day weekend with our sweet sister in San Fran, we take it! Labor Day was one such opportunity and the magic doth flowed from the moment we awoke at 5am, with little more than an hour before our flight departed from LAX. Somehow, we made it to the gate with moments to spare, after returning a rental car, moving Heather's car, and dashing into a cab to make it to LAX. Apollo was most certainly at our back blowing favorable winds in our direction as we hit 90+ mph on empty LA streets desperately hoping we wouldn't miss our flight.



Once onboard, I got to meet the captain and get a look at the newly designed cockpit sans Yoke.



Just an hour over this beautiful state and we ended up in the arms of this one:



Breakfast consisted of this sausage gravy masterpiece from Universal Cafe



With our bellies full, we walked and walked and walked, mostly past colorful murals like this one



and interesting shops I hope to patronize some day like this one



and along streets that are designed for the benefit of communities like this one



and if you look closely, there were tiny little works of art all over like this one



and community gardens everywhere like this one



some even made their own Woolly Pockets like these



and some used real Woolly Pockets like these



We had dinner at a very special restaurant called Outerlands in the Sunset



where they make their own bread from scratch





and grind coffee using this 160 year old grinder



and serve the most darling trout I've ever tasted



Another day, another walk, this time deep into the latino community in the Mission where we found this time machine called St. Francis









The owner has an endless supply of vintage collector cards from the days of yore, when Michael was black



and the MCP (Master Control Program) hadn't sneaked into our pockets yet



and the universe was well defended



and we didn't worry about HGH



and Tony Hawk was just a kid on a board



anyways, the meal was just right, Chef's Mess



after the mess, more walking, past more murals like this one



and this one



and this one



But we had to leave the city



because there was magic in a valley near the sea











at the San Francisco Zen Center and Green Gulch Farm near Stinson Beach, where you hear a nice talk by a devotee of Gautama and then walk the strawberry fields forever and buy some fresh baked bread and the crispiest apples ever



Then we went for a hike to Bass Lake. This is not Bass Lake



this is Bass Lake



it was cool and refreshing



and featured more magic with carbon and photons



after the hike, we wandered into a lost beach town called Bolinas, where people live a certain lifestyle rich in surfing and merriment













Ok, this post is getting way too long, here's the rest of the weekend!

more food including breakfast at Tartine Bakery



more walks to views at Corona Point



drinking and dining under a beach umbrella in Dolores Park





we need like a thousand more of these signs