It's Not Always Sunny in California

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."  - Kahlil Gibran   

(wow - I really love that quote!)

After we finished up at the park we went to beach because I had not been to the San Francisco beach yet and it is quite different than the beach in say...La Jolla.  Here are the snaps I took (yeah, that's just some hip Aussie vernacular I am throwing in there)!

Kelp!

This dog was so flippin' cute!  He loved chasing that ball into the waves!

So does this look like anything to you?  At first glance from afar I was unsure what this was...upon a closer look...

Lots of tiny crab bodies!

Some views from on the beach...

This is a windmill that is infamous as a meeting spot for getting "tossed off" as the Brits would say.  If you are unsure what that means...go look it up.  This is a PG13 blog.

 I miss and love you little buddy!  Tell your mom to let you call me soon!

The tide comes in...

...the tide goes out.

Having your toes in the sand is such a great feeling.  Ahhh...

This was the same day we went to the park.  It was such a simple day and has been one of my favorites on this road trip so far.  I saw so many fantastic things - not to mention that I spent the day in fantastic company.  Thanks friend!

Golden Gate Park

"I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright."  - Henry David Thoreau

As mentioned in the previous post - my friend and I spent an afternoon walking around Golden Gate Park.  Here are some random things from the day...

According to my friend the Botanical Garden is not worth the entrance fee...don't worry, I took some pictures of flowers while walking around.

I loved this baby vines - they are so tiny and cute!

I saw these and said, "I want one of those in my hair."  My friend found one on the ground and picked it up for me. =)

Special thanks to the man stretching in the middle of the photo...

Performance stage in the center of the park.

We had a nice chat with the ducks...

...and the squirrels.  Even though this particular little dude tried to eat us.  Good thing I protected us both - my friend was shaking with fear.

A random pond in the middle of the park with a nice walking path around it.

So there is a bison enclosure in the park which I found rather odd...read below to find out why it is there!

I know this is dirty - but I had to share.  Look at the length of that tongue!

So that's that for the Golden Gate Park...a sprawling inner city park with tons to offer.  There are lots of things I didn't do for monetary reasons.  The Academy of Sciences and deYoung Museum were the two things I was most bummed to miss out on.  For a full list of the park's attractions, check out their website!

Japanese Tea Garden

"Man's heart away from nature becomes hard."  - Standing Bear

One of the days that I stayed in the city with my friend, he took me to Golden Gate Park for the afternoon.  One of the attractions in the park (there are several) is the Japanese Tea Garden.  I was not sure exactly what to expect - but it was beautiful.  I am very glad I got to experience it.  It was incredibly peaceful and reminded me how amazing nature truly is.  I loved just walking around quietly taking in the scenery...when we were through at the garden I felt very peaceful.  Thanks to my friend for making sure I saw this treasure.

Everything was just so green there - so beautiful.

Loved the branches of this crazy tree!

So the pictures don't really do this justice - but there are a series of bushes that wind around an area of the garden and then when you arrive at the final one in the front...

There is this rock which si sort of shaped like a dragon head.  I know, you cannot really tell from this - but I assure you it is cute. =)

My friend and I had a good laugh over this deer.  I mean, WTF?  It does not exactly seem to go here.

Massive bonsai tree

The Zen Garden (explanation above)

Little mushroom growing in the park. 

The Peace Lantern (explanation above)

The ceiling of one of the buildings.

Fish!

So unless you are Jenna you probably cannot read this - but it is talking about the crazy bridge you see in the pictures below.

It is certainly weird climbing up and down that thing...but I did it!

I took way more pictures than I realized.  So many beautiful plants and so much green!  If you are ever in San Francisco - check out the Tea Garden.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Teatro Zinzanni

“You need three things in the theater - the play, the actors and the audience, - and each must give something” - Kenneth Haigh

While I was in the Bay Area I was able to visit my friend Andy and his girlfriend Erin (who is also my friend, of course).  They are living out in Palo Alto right now because Erin is stationed there with her travel nursing assignment.  While we were visiting I mentioned to them how I had wanted to go to this theatre in the city, but did not want to go alone.  Erin looked into it and seemed excited - so we made plans to go the following Sunday!

Teatro Zinzanni is located on the Embarcadero in SF (there is also one in Seattle). 

The show we saw was called, "Hail Caesar."  The actors were fantastic and very funny!

Sadly you could not take pictures during the show, but here is a shot of the crowd after the show ended.

Our seats were phenomenal - we were only one table back from the stage, which is in the center of the room.  We got a front row seat for everything, and it was thoroughly entertaining.

I don't see how any of us could not have been wearing a smile after that show (especially Andy, with his arms around two women)!

If you are ever in Seattle or San Francisco, I highly recommend this place.  It is a bit expensive (prices vary depending on the quality of your seats) but the cost includes the show AND a five course dinner.  Our meal was amazing.  It was all very well done, from the performance, to the costumes, to the script to the meal.  Absolutely check this place out if you get the chance!  And thanks Andy and Erin for coming with me!