Browse Month: July 2013

Summer in San Francisco

IMG_7639By the time Kumquat is old enough to appreciate it, we will likely be living somewhere outside of San Francisco.  I’ve always said that going to the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Plaza on Saturday morning is my favorite thing to do in the city but now it’s even more fun with my little girl.  I hope that we’ll still be able to do this once in a while when she’s older.

IMG_7638But until then, I will enjoy all the good weather and beautiful views while we’re still living just a short walk away.

IMG_7636Also, now that she’s walking, it’s fun to see her explore the walkway.  I always thought the anti-skateboarding animals were cute and Kumquat agreed.  She even tried to give one of the turtles a kiss.

IMG_3870It’s also summer and fruit is abundant.  We go through so much produce every week and I’m loving all the pluots, peaches, nectarines, plums, blueberries, and grapes.  Take a look at these pluots!  They’re so pretty and oh so yummy too.  Kumquat likes snacking on all the samples too.  By the time we leave the stalls, she’s covered in stickiness from the juice all over her hands and face.

IMG_3877This morning, I also picked up an open-faced lox sandwich for lunch.  It was the perfect treat and Kumquat enjoyed the pickled onions and fresh tomato too.

Too early…

I’ve had a really eerie couple days.  Two lives were taken away from us way too soon.

P1090022DSC_6703On Wednesday night, Smush passed away from a really unfortunate incident involving a neighbor’s dog in the hallway.  I’m still in shock about the whole thing and I can’t imagine what Susie’s going through right now.  Have a good time in Doggie Heaven, Smush.  Say “hi” to Pepsi, Doogie, and Cookie for me.

DSC_6782On Thursday night, my hula instructor and friend, Pua, lost his battle with cancer.  I knew that he was getting treatment but he was always in such good spirits.  It’s so surreal since I just bumped into him a couple weeks ago at Safeway.  Rest in peace, Pua.  You will be missed.

Days like these make me realize how every day is so precious.  Hug your loved ones a little tighter today.

Day Off

IMG_3821 IMG_3822   I had Wednesday off and with Mirian watching Kumquat, I had some freetime.  So after getting my blood drawn (to test my cholesterol) and lunch with Jes, I took the bus to B Patisserie.  Ranee had been telling me about it for months so I thought I’d check it out.  It’s BEAUTIFUL inside and the pastries looked amazing.  I picked up some kouign amanns for the girls and they LOVED them.  Yum.

IMG_3828IMG_3835Later in the afternoon, I went for a run with Kumquat and Koa. On the way back we checked out the new park that just opened between our house and the bridge.  It’s nice to have something nice to look at on that stretch of The Embarcadero.

IMG_3844For dinner, we went to Hillstone to celebrate my raise.  I hardly ever get raises so this is a pretty big deal.  IMG_7575The thing we love most about Hillstone is that there’s no corkage so we get to celebrate with one of the bottles that we’ve saved for these occasions.  Kumquat was also well-behaved that evening, which was a bonus.

IMG_7574Oh and did I mention that it’s Key Lime Pie Season there now?!

I wish I could have more random days off.

Baby Vivian

DSC_2292This morning after a 4-mile run with Ranee, I stopped at Stephanie’s house to take some portraits.  Vivian is about 10 days old now and I got some photos taken of her with her parents.

DSC_2247DSC_2249I also got a photo of her with her Pittsburgh Steelers beanie and “terrible towel”. What a cutie pie.

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Out all day…

ferry plazaOn Saturday, we spent a good part of the day outdoors.  The day started with a walk down to the Ferry Plaza to pick up some fruit from the Farmer’s Market.

DSC_2176We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day.  It was warm and breezy in SF and looked like they had ideal conditions out on the water for sailboat racing.

DSC_2145 The brand new America’s Cup Village now sits at Pier 27.  There are lots of places to sit and watch the race on the big screens.  They also have several bars and eateries along with merchanise stores.

IMG_3761Looks like we also found Jesse’s dream retirement home docked at the village.

DSC_2173We watched one of the Louis Vuitton Cup races today and got a view of the finish.  Look at all the cameras!IMG_7530 IMG_7533We had so much fun exploring the village and Kumquat was so happy to be walking around with us.

IMG_7532After the race, we at ate La Mar Cebicheria.

IMG_3776This restaurant is surprisingly kid-friendly.  The servers couldn’t get enough of Kumquat and there’s a changing table in the restroom!  She even tried some of the tasty plantain and sweet potato chips that they give you while you’re waiting for your food.

 DSC_2187 DSC_2190After lunch, we walked back down The Embarcadero and watched the firemen testing out their water hoses.  It was pretty fun to watch.

IMG_3783We also stopped at Hi-Dive.  The sun was still out and we weren’t quite ready to go home yet.  So, we had some wine and buffalo wings while Kumquat took a second nap in the stroller.

DSC_2196It was nice to just sit in the sun and hang out.  It’s almost as good as being on vacation.

DSC_2202Kumquat was being so good all day that we gave her some time in the sand at the playground before heading home.

It’s a good day when you get home with grubby hands, sunburned noses, and tired feet.

Baby Giraffe

DSC_2096We went to see the baby giraffe at the SF Zoo today.  So cute!

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Just a couple of tips for the zoo:

  1. Pack a picnic.  You’ll save money and there’s lots of grass to lay out a blanket and enjoy the sun.
  2. They serve wine and beer near the cafe.IMG_3701
  3. If you choose to eat at the cafe, be on the lookout for a sneaky seagull who will swoop in on your table and take your chicken sandwich.  I was sitting AT THE TABLE when this happened and he didn’t care.  I yelled “NO!” but it was gone in less than a second.
  4. Go early.  It’s when the animals are most active and it’s less crowded.