Down By the Bay

Brad and I took a short trip to San Francisco over the weekend. We did the touristy things . . .

. . . the cable cars and shopping in Union Square . . .

. . . and the famous Farmer's Market at the Ferry Building.

They had the most beautiful fruit and vegetables I've seen anywhere.

 The real Zuckerman's Farm! Remember Fern and Avery and Wilbur and Charlotte . . .

 Views of San Francisco Bay stretched in every direction.

Although I have a notorious hate for sand, I love the ocean. I love listening to the waves and smelling the fishy aromas and feeling the salty air.

We rented bikes on Saturday and rode all over the city, finishing with a ride across the Golden Gate Bridge. The battery on my big camera died as we got on the bike trail. Luckily, Brad had his phone.

It was the most glorious mid-November day possible in northern California--clear, cool, blue. The most spectacular weather ever to bike across the bridge. You could see for miles.

I'm a Valley of the Sun biker--that means a hill is going up the curb onto the sidewalk. The hilly ride was my friend/enemy. I didn't change gears at the right time, and I suddenly lost all momentum and had to walk the bike up this hill.  That wasn't the worst of it. As we were descending on the Sausalito side, my jacket started to unwind from my waist and I reached down to secure it, just as a group of pedestrians crossed my path. I squeezed the front brake a little too hard, the bike lurched to a complete stop, and I toppled headfirst over the handlebars, landing on both of my hands. I still don't know exactly how it happened, but I walked away from that fall without a single scratch when I should have landed right on my head. After that, the ride lost most of its joy for me. Ten minutes later, we were on the ferry headed back to the city, admiring the beautiful beach houses and bridges that frame the bay.

The motivation for our trip was a friend's son's wedding. Along with another couple from Mesa, we attended the ceremony and reception. The view out that window was a perfect frame for the short, sweet ceremony.

Brad tried to get a good picture of us at the reception. Wish they weren't so blurry, because for the first time since a devastating cut in September, I liked how my hair looked that night.

You can see one of the centerpieces in the background here. It was such a beautiful room at the Golden Gate Club (I think?) at the Presidio.

Shopping, biking, eating, and time with Brad--it was about as perfect as a trip could be.